The Abbey of Gethsemani, Trappist, KY
THE TRADITION OF HOSPITALITY
Hospitality maintains a prominence in the living monastic tradition. As outlined in Saint Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries, the guest represents Christ and has a claim on the welcome and care of the community.
PRAYER & RECOLLECTION
The monastic milieu offers a place apart “to entertain silence in the heart and listen for the voice of God – to pray for your own discovery.” (Thomas Merton)
Communing with the Lord requires a measure of solitude, a stillness and an emptiness, a waiting on and attending to the Spirit.
Silence fosters and preserves the climate of prayer and is thus a fundamental part of the Gethsemani retreat experience.
The abbey’s many acres of woodlands and fields afford extensive space for reflection and prayer.