July 26, 2007
Focus: Mepkin Abbey
Dear Friend,
Have you ever visited a place you have never been, but in some strange way feel like you are “home”? I have this past week.
It may have been the 300-year-old Oaks laden with Spanish Moss that lined the half-mile driveway of the entrance. It may have been the warmth and hospitality of Fr. Guerric as he showed me my “cell” for the week’s retreat. It may have been the beautiful grounds, the stark look and warm wood of the Abbey church. Who knows what it was, but “arriving home” is how I felt.
Mepkin Abbey will be my home for 3 months beginning January 3, 2008 where I will live as a Trappist monk. It was suggested that I come for a week’s retreat to get a sense of things and to see if I’d like it for an extended period of time.
What struck me most was how much an environment of silence (no talking except when praying the Divine Office), intense prayer (7 times a day), simple food (vegetarians, lots of “bread and cheese” for breakfast and supper), and spiritual reading will do for an individual’s spiritual life. It was a very satisfying time. I did get a chance to see where I’d be working five hours a day. It was in the egg factory where eggs are sorted, cleaned and packaged for market. It’s in this way that the monks provide an income for the Abbey. Other jobs would include gardening, tours, kitchen, and the gift shop.
It was good to get a firsthand experience of monastic life. And while I am a relatively outgoing sort of fellow, it did have a wonderful appeal for me.
The homily this week is one I worked on with a friend. I will not be giving it this weekend. Our deacon, Lee Benson, will be preaching instead. I will nevertheless put it up on the parish webpage and on my blog as an mp3 audio file.
Best regards,
Father Nick Amato
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