St. Gregory's Abbey, Three Rivers

St. Gregory's Abbey, located near Three Rivers, in St. Joseph County, Michigan, is a community of men living under the Rule of St. Benedict within the Episcopal Church.

History

In 1935, a group of American Episcopalians went to England to be trained by the Anglican Benedictines of Nashdom Abbey in Buckinghamshire. Some of this group returned to the US, became life-professed monks, and in 1939 formed St. Gregory's House in Valparaiso, Indiana. It soon became St. Gregory's Priory.

The monks initially gained their living by taking charge of three mission churches in Northern Indiana under Bishop Campbell Gray. In 1946, the community moved to a rural setting near Three Rivers, Michigan and grew considerably under the leadership of Dom Paul Severance.

For 30 years, the monastery was a dependency of Nashdom Abbey and relied on the careful shepherding of its abbots. In 1969 St. Gregory's became an independent abbey, and the community's Prior, Benedict Reid, was elected first Abbot. In 1989, Andrew Marr was elected his successor.

How the monks live

The monastery housework is done by the monks. This includes a good deal of outside work such as landscaping, gardening, and grounds maintenance.

There are classes for the monks; correspondence to answer; and sermons, retreats, and special ministries to prepare for. Community members occasionally minister in parish churches and other religious houses, and retreats are conducted at the Abbey. The frequency of external activities incidental to the normal life of a monk is regulated by the necessity of preserving Benedictine life.

Work, study and prayer are the main activities, with prayer being the most important. The conventual Eucharist is the center of each day.

chedule

"Weekdays:"
4:00am Matins
6:00am Lauds
Breakfast (at any time after Matins until 7:30am)
8:15am Terce, Mass, Chapter, Work Period
11:30am Sext (and Choir Rehearsal)
12:00pm Lunch
Rest Period
2:00pm None
Work Period
4:30pm Tea
5:00pm Vespers and Meditation
6:00pm Supper
7:45pm Compline
(On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the monks read Compline privately, rather than corporately in the Church. Compline is at 8:00pm on ordinary Wednesdays)

"Sundays and Holidays:"
5:30am Matins and Lauds
Breakfast (any time until 7:45am)
8:30am Terce, Mass, Chapter (Chapter after Lauds on Sun.)
12:00pm Sext and None
12:30pm Lunch
Rest Period
4:00pm Tea
5:00pm Vespers and Meditation
6:30pm Supper
7:45pm Compline

Guests

Guests are welcomed whenever accommodations are available; contact the Guest Master in advance to make arrangements. Contact the Vocations Director for information about the Summer Vocation Program. The Father Abbot should be addressed concerning other matters. The Abbey's address is:
St. Gregory's Abbey
56500 Abbey Road
Three Rivers, MI 49093-9595
Phone: [phone]
Call either from 9:30-11:30am or 2:15-4:30pm (Eastern time zone) Monday through Saturday, except major Feasts.

External links

* [http://saintgregorysthreerivers.org/] Official website of St. Gregory's Abbey