St. Joseph's Abbey (Spencer, Massachusetts)
St. Joseph's Abbey
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| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Trappist |
| Established | 1950 |
| People | |
| Important associated figures | Fr. William Meninger Fr. M. Basil Pennington Fr. Thomas Keating Fr. Augustine Roberts Fr. Raphael Simon William James |
| Site | |
| Location | Spencer, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Public access | Yes |
| Other information | Produces and markets Trappist Preserves, Spencer Ale. |
St. Joseph's Abbey is a monastery of the Catholic Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (O.C.S.O.), popularly known as the "Trappists," located in Spencer, Massachusetts. It is known for its production and marketing of Trappist Preserves, a line of jams and jellies, which partially supports the abbey. On December 10, 2013 the abbey was certified by the International Trappist Association to become the first Trappist brewery in the United States and the first outside Europe.
While the monastery became known internationally as the origin of the centering-prayer movement in Catholicism and Christianity in the 1970s (the movement's leading proponents, Fr. William Meninger, Fr. M. Basil Pennington, and Fr. Thomas Keating, were monks at the monastery), the community still lives from the daily Lectio and deep roots of the monastic life going back to the desert fathers. The abbey community lives a contemplative life, following the Rule of Saint Benedict.
Weekend and week-long directed retreats for men, women, and clergy are available during the year. Normally, retreats are made six months in advance, or on a stand-by basis if there is a cancellation. Visitors are welcome to pray the Psalms with the community throughout the day, - Vigils, Lauds and Mass, None, Vespers, and Compline in the two side chapels in the front of the church.
The grounds of the Abbey are open to the public except for the areas marked "Monastic Enclosure".
St. Joseph’s Abbey was settled in 1950 on the former site of Alta Crest Farms, under the leadership of Dom Edmund Futterer. The Trappists that settled the abbey moved there from their previous location in Cumberland, Rhode Island, which was heavily damaged by a 1950 fire.
Father Thomas Keating was elected abbot of the abbey in 1961. Keating, one of the architects of the contemplative prayer movement, retired in 1981. Along with Meninger and Pennington, Keating founded the centering prayer movement in the 1970s while abbot of St. Joseph's. The three held retreats at the abbey to teach this method of prayer.
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