March 8-10 – Visit from St. Meinrad Novices

For more than 3 decades now, we have had the tradition of visits by the novices between St. Meinrad’s Benedictine Abbey in Indiana and Gethsemani. We are only two hours drive away from each other. This gives the novices a chance to see another face of the Benedictine tradition as lived in a sister monastery. It also gives the host monastery a chance to practise hospitality. The visiting novices join the other community in choir and at meals, and they are given a tour of the place.

This visit was especially rich since it was the first since the COVID pandemic. We have missed the opportunity for the past few years.

At Gethsemani, the tradition includes a visit out to the hermitage on Saturday afternoon for refreshments and sharing. We are able to meet and get to know one another through telling a little about our stories, how we found monastic life and how we came to our respective homes.

The photos attached show the group at the hermitage on Saturday afternoon. The St. Meinrad group are, from left to right, Fr. Thomas, who is the Novice Master as well as the Junior Master, Novice Andrew, Novice Joshua, Br. Jude, and Fr. Simon, who is the Socius, that is, the assistant Novice and Junior Master. In the second photo, our own postulants,  Jesus and Angel, far left, and Keith, center, joined the group.

We have found over the years that these visits usually deepen our appreciation for another tradition while also deepening our appreciation for our own vocation.

The postulants of Gethsemani look forward to taking advantage of St. Meinrad’s hospitality in a return visit in the near future.