Monastery of the Holy Spirit
The Monastery of the Holy Spirit, officially named Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery is a Roman Catholic monastery near Conyers, Georgia belonging to the world-wide Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (O.C.S.O.) – more commonly known as Trappists.
As described in the Order's constitution, this Order is a monastic institute wholly ordered to contemplation. The monks dedicate themselves to the worship of God in a hidden life within the monastery under the Rule of Saint Benedict. They follow in the spirit of the founders of Cîteaux, as handed on in the tradition of the Order, within a community wholly oriented to a contemplative life of prayer. They lead a monastic way of life in solitude, silence, work and prayer.
Currently the Monastery of the Holy Spirit is a community of forty-eight monks spanning several generations, who live, work and pray at the Abbey. They were founded from the Abbey of Gethsemani, Trappist, Kentucky in the spring of 1944. The Monastery is sustained through The Abbey Store, a bonsai garden plant and supply business, a stained glass manufacturing business, donations, a green cemetery, and onsite retreats - among other endeavors.
The Monastery and grounds are a part of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area and also serves as the southernmost point on the Arabia Mountain PATH.
Monastery of the Holy Spirit was founded on March 21, 1944 by twenty monks from the Abbey of Gethsemani. On 1,400 acres (5.7 km2) of land donated by the Archdiocese of Atlanta and media mogul Henry Luce, these first monks lived in a barn while they built (by themselves) what would become known as the "pine board" monastery. They then lived in this monastery from December 1944 -1959 while they built (by themselves) the present Monastery, a beautiful concrete structure complete with a retreat house and cloister. In 2005, the pine board monastery which housed their carpentry and stained glass businesses was destroyed in a fire. Some previous abbots have been Dom Augustine Moore, Dom Armand Veilleux, Dom Bernard Johnson, and Dom Basil Pennington. The present abbot is Dom Francis Michael Stiteler, who was elected in 2004.
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