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Welcome to the vocations website for Saint Meinrad Archabbey!
I hope that the information and stories and photos you find here will give you
an insight into our way of life, and perhaps even open a way for listening to
the voice of God speaking through your desires.
The monks of Saint Meinrad Archabbey are men who follow the Rule of St. Benedict
and who give themselves to the life of prayer and work according to values and
tradition of that Rule as it has been lived during the more than 150 years of
our history in southern Indiana.
At the invitation of Father Joseph Kundek, the Vicar General of the
then-Vincennes Diocese, the abbey of Einsiedeln in Switzerland sent two monks to begin the monastic life here. From the beginning Saint Meinrad had as
its mission the establishment of the common life and the work of educating
candidates for the Roman Catholic priesthood.
In the last 150 years those basics have been the anchors of our prayer
and work, while we have adapted to the changing needs of the Church as well.
We give
ourselves to the mysteries of Christ as they are commemorated throughout the
liturgical year by our common prayer.
Our daily life in the monastery centers around the Liturgy of the Hours
which we gather to pray in the morning (Vigils and Lauds) and again at mid day
(Noon Office) and at the close of the day (Vespers). Each day we celebrate the Eucharist
and at this liturgy we pray for all the living and deceased members of our
monastic community and the living and deceased benefactors of our house from its
beginnings to the present day.
The monks
engage in various works that contribute to the common good. While no one particular work is
identified as Benedictine, "to work" is a Benedictine value. As our Declaration on Benedictine
Monastic Life puts it, "Benedictines do not work as a corps of independents or
careerists, but as a community … for each monk carries the community's presence
and influence to his particular task."
Our life in
common is how we seek God. The three
Benedictine vows of obedience, stability in the community, and conversion of our
ways to the monastic way of life (conversatio)
form the guideposts for our search.
This search begins formally with the novitiate, continues through the period of
temporary profession, and becomes a permanent life-long quest at solemn
profession. Our seeking God is our
response to the self-revelation of God that gives us the faith to continue our
search until the fullness of his revelation at the end of our lives.
I am glad you
have come to our website and I invite you to explore the different links that
will give you and expanded look at the monastic community of Saint Meinrad. If you find here a glimpse of what
attracts you, I hope you will make contact with us and inquire further.
May God bless
you and be a light for your path!
Sincerely in Christ,
Archabbot
Justin DuVall, OSB Justin DuVall, OSB
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