On Retreat

This week, seminarians returned to the Seminary for the beginning of the Spring Semester (more to come on that in next week’s post). Returning back to the “routine” of seminary life cannot help but force me to think back over other experiences over the break.



A view of the grounds at Mount Saviour Monastery.

During the first week of January, five other seminarians and I had the opportunity to spend a week of retrea at Mount Saviour Monastery near Elmira, NY. This is a Benedictine monastery that opened in the 1951. (You can read more about the monastery here and see some nice videos here.) Today, nine monks live in the monastery and spend their entire day from early morning to night – literally – in a spirit of work and prayer.

Their routine is a bit different than ours. There are great differences between seminaries and monasteries, for sure. Each day in the Monastery began with Vigils at 4:45 A.M. (no, that’s not a misprint!). Here the monks recite the psalms, listen to a reading from Scripture and a reading from the writings of great saint or monk. Then, we gathered again for Lauds, or Morning Prayer, in the Chapel, followed by a silent breakfast. Mass is celebrated at 9:00 A.M. The community gathers again for Sext – Midday prayer – followed by a silent lunch and then, again, at 3 P.M. for None – Midafternoon prayer. Dinner is served at 5:30 P.M., again in silence, followed by Vespers – Evening Prayer – at 6:30. The day concludes with Compline – Night Prayer – at 8:15 P.M. Needless to say there is a lot of praying in the monastery!

This statue  is a 14th century statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace brought over from France. It is in the Crypt at Mount Saviour. Each day, people come and bring their intentions and prayers.

What fills in the “gaps” of time between the prayer that marks the entire day? Monks pray and study at different points of the day. They also work throughout the day supporting the community in a number of ways. The monks at this monastery produce products like apple juice and honey and sell it as a means of producing some revenue for the monastery. They “raise sheep” (?) and then sell the wool at the market. They welcome and provide tremendous hospitality to guests like us. And, from an outside observer, they do work. Yet there is a peace about what they do. While there is much to do, the pace is leads one to say their work is a form of prayer.

The week on retreat was a powerful one for me. I find that when surrounded by silence, it’s a little easier to go deeper in prayer and reflection. The life of a monastery provides the time and space that I need for that to happen. Throughout this week, we also bore witness to a different sense of community that we may know in our own lives. The monks clearly respect and care for one another while also acknowledging the challenges and difficulties that community life can present. In these and many ways, the week on retreat provided much to think, reflect and pray about. I hope I can carry even just some of what I have gained into the weeks and months ahead in the Seminary.

The Chapel at night.