Since I am presenting an interesting talk today about my 6-month sabbatical in 2002 in a Trappist Monastery in Spencer Massachusetts, I thought of sharing with you just 2 photos of this impressive place which was built by the monks themselves. Their original monastery was called Lily of the Valley in Rhode Island, but a fire destroyed the bigger part of the home of 120 priests, monks and novices. Finding a property in Spencer in the Worcester area of Massachusetts, in 1950-51 they were able to build the entire monastery with the fieldstone they found right there. Many of the monks and novices were crafty and at times professional in various careers before joining the order, and so they used their expertise to help built this massive structure. Among them were a first-class plumber, who was able to devise the whole plumbing system of the entire complex, and a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate in electrical engineering, who was able to create the blueprints for the entire monastery, an incredible undertaking which is still being admired for the foresight Brother Leonard had to foresee the future change in electrical usage.
The monks are vegetarians, and they have two main areas to support them. They produce jams and preserves in various flavors, and they create liturgical vestments of the best quality, known respectively as https://trappistpreserves.com/ and https://holyroodguild.com/ Presently there are between 50 and 70 monks, priests, brothers and novices. They meet 7 times a day for prayer, as early as 3:30 AM and ending with Compline at 7:40 PM, as the great Silence starts at 8 PM. (click to enlarge the photos)
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