BENEDICTINE LIFE
Benedictine Monks at Saint Joseph Abbey Lead Life of Prayer, Work and Community
Saint Joseph Abbey is located just north of Covington, Louisiana, on the banks of the Bogue Falaya River. It is situated on 1,100 acres of beautiful pine forests and is a perfect setting for all who seek peace and solitude.
Just as you are now discerning God’s call for your life, the monks of Saint Joseph Abbey each discerned their own call to a monastic vocation as well. They sought the simplicity and peace of the structured monastic life. They felt the balanced life of work and prayer was the ideal environment for their growth in Christ. Each monk continues to pursue God daily.
Saint Joseph Abbey is a Benedictine monastery and follows the Rule of Saint Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia, a monk and abbot who lived in the 5th and 6th century AD. Saint Benedict founded several monasteries and wrote a rule for monasteries, which became fundamental for Western Monasticism. The rule provides teaching about the basic monastic virtues of humility, silence, and obedience as well as directives for daily living.
Monks at Saint Joseph Abbey are involved in the Benedictine life of prayer, work, and community.
PRAYER
When Saint Benedict established a rule for monastic life more that 1,500 years ago, he urged monks to dedicate their lives to opus dei, "the Work of God." At Saint Joseph Abbey, the community gathers five times a day for common prayer, thereby establishing a rhythm that becomes the fabric of their lives. At the day's center is the celebration of the Eucharist.
As a context for the Work of God, Saint Benedict requires monks to pray, read and reflect privately as well. Lectio Divina, that is, prayerful reading, flows from common prayer to the interior life of the monk and his relation to God. Monks read and meditate on sacred scripture, the Fathers of the Church and other spiritual writings. This leads them to acquire, like Mary, an appreciation of the Word of God in all creation.
WORK
The monks at Saint Joseph Abbey live a balanced life centered around the Benedictine motto, Ora et Labora, prayer and work. Monks teach at Saint Joseph Seminary College; minister in nearby parishes, schools and at other religious facilities; and work in other apostolates such as Abbey Bread, the Retreat Center, the Gift Shop, MonkSoap, MonkSweets, Caskets, and the Cemetery. Monks can be also be found painting, cooking, taking photographs, and gardening.
COMMUNITY
A Benedictine monk is one who finds joy in seeking God through a life of deep prayer. He also finds joy in seeking God within the context of a community.
While a monk is certainly one who must be comfortable with solitude and silence, he must be equally comfortable to eat, pray, and work with other men who likewise desire a deeper relationship with God. Community is experienced through the monk’s sharing in common meals, common prayer, shared work, and periods of common recreation. Table reading, community retreats, abbot’s conferences and chapter of faults (acknowledging our failings in community life to one another) also offer means of fostering fraternal bonds within the monastic community.
Through community, as well as solitude, the Benedictine monk’s life results in an intimate bond with both God and others in the community. Life is enriched by these mutual bonds and offers the monk an opportunity to participate most fully in the life of the Trinity.