Father Guerric granted that indulgence during one of our conferences, at which I was reminded that if you meet with a Mepkin monk to discuss what is going on in your life, spiritual or otherwise, you will leave the meeting with a book. We ask our visitors to confirm their email to keep your account secure and make sure you're able to receive email from us. All are welcome. The abbeys new affiliate program will offer two new short-term monastic options for people of any, or no, faith traditions: a monthlong monastic institute, open to men and women, and a yearlong residency. I reminded him recently of those shit-shoveling days. I explained that we couldnt sit together at meals. A Reflection for Friday of the First Week of Lent, by Jill Rice. What a lovely visit we had to this beautiful place. Christmas at Mepkin Abbey | Arts and Travel | postandcourier.com .av_font_icon.av-js7ruq5v-543682e18588060c4cfa95ae87281cf8 .av-icon-char{ I sometimes now speak of Reformed Christianity as an experiment in being Christian without anyone anywhere vowing poverty, chastity, and obedience. 27 reviews of Mepkin Abbey "This is seriously one of the best kept secrets in the Greater Charleston Area. You thought we were going rogue. Download my free guide for planning advice! Just what I wanted: more opportunities to be a monk. And its not backbreaking work, because were an older community., (In the 1950s, when their numbers were higher and the average age was much lower, the monks working life was more varied and physically intense; they ran a lumber mill, raised cattle and had a large-scale bakery.). The weather couldnt have been any more perfect. Intimate wedding - Reviews, Photos - Mepkin Abbey - Tripadvisor font-size:20px; The flowers were in bloom so there were all kinds of beautiful colors and smells in the air. 1098 Mepkin Abbey Rd Moncks Corner, SC 29461. And for the past 73 years . And I give her all the credit for getting me into weddings as well! The World Is Changing. This Trappist Abbey Isn't. Can It Last? //-->. I meant that the monks have their own dining hall and guests have a separate one. In February 2007, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released video of Mepkin Abbey's battery cage egg operation, showing debeaked hens crowded inside battery cages and a monk discussing the practice of forced molting. But it also allows them to inculcate their charism with particular intensity. Whats that about? Meet Paul Haring, the CNS photographer who covered the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the election of Francis, numerous international papal trips and the daily action of Vatican life for over a decade. Across all orders, the number of Catholic brothers in the United States has declined by more than two-thirds since 1965, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. This is one of the most beautiful places you could ever dream of having and outdoor wedding at. During the spring and early summer (before the heat and humidity), it is a wonderful place to visit or have a quiet picnic on the bluff surrounded by flowers and serenity. We cannot find a time, until the Reformation, when there was Christianity without monks and nuns. Every sunrise and sunset, a sign of Gods presence. Several Methodists commented on how infant-like their bald heads seemed, some with little white hairs jutting out, some not. She did as one does when one is nervous, like she knew exactly what she was doing, head up and eyes straight ahead. The Abbey gift shop offers homemade jams, jellies and preserves produced by other Trappist monasteries and the mushrooms grown by the Mepkin Abbey monks. Have been visiting the Abbey for many years, primarily to view the annual crche display. You get up ungodly early, sure. Your email address will not be published. Id rather be in a community that has a vital energy and a good community life. The pilgrimage gave us Methodists time to talk to one another about things less prosaic than our standard pre-church chatter about the weather and football. Well worth the trip! I felt privileged to reside in such a beautiful place, to live in silence and to brush against the gentle disposition, intelligence and wisdom of the monks. For example, there is a person in my workplace who, a decade ago, saw to it that I suffered more than necessary from a Hobbesian Wall Street reorganization. During nice weather, you may see it being used for outdoor weddings or as a backdrop for professional photographers. I first learned to pray from evangelicals who converted me at a Christian camp. And while were in the confessional, I should fess up, as I did to Father Guerric, that I had dozed off a couple of times during the centering prayer session that he hosts at 5 a.m. each day. The ceremony will begin at 4PM. Im pretty sure I was even holding back tears at this point. Your email address will not be published. Check out some of our wedding photos from this place. The Cooper River runs alongside Mepkin Abbeys 3,132-acre property. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. If not, fine, but if so, heres the way to do it: Meet in small groups. The monks at Mepkin Abbey taught me how to pray again. Does this man's wife have a similar opportunity to take a month off? It's very beautiful all times of the year and I plan to go as often as I can. It is way off the beaten path Not a place for active kids. We checked out the gardens which was very nice, especially the oak trees that hang over the Cooper River. in 4 reviews, There is also a gift shop where you can buy crafts from other Moncks and they also grow and sell mushrooms. in 6 reviews, If you are planning to attend the crche display in November make you reservation via the web in October it fills up fast. in 2 reviews. In December 2007, Mepkin announced on its website that it would phase out the egg production operation which had been its main income, citing the controversy and its disturbance of their monastic way of life. Peaceful place to reflect. Johnny loved the monks from the start. The monastery sits on a bluff above the Cooper River, its 3,200 acres a patchwork of pine forest and vast lawns punctuated by ancient oaks that drip with Spanish moss. [3] Mepkin Abbey defended itself by citing their compliance with the animal welfare standards of the United Egg Producers. In keeping with broader declines in the ranks of priests, nuns and brothers, Mepkins monastic community is dwindling. And maybe in spite of yourself, youll start to become more like Jesus. Mepkins openness is in some ways related to its topography. For decades, the monastery relied on an egg farm that produced as many as 30,000 eggs per day. .av_font_icon.av-js7ruq5v-ba8a02887e7fff03068ed916a24ed508 .av-icon-char{ [5] They eventually decided on a mushroom production operation.[6]. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. While Trappists are an order in the Roman Catholic Church, everyone is welcome to visit and make Retreats here. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith) Then they prayed, wept, begged God for their health, and lined us all up to pray for them, one by one. Their wedding was absolutely perfect in every way. The other is from St. Augustine, who acknowledges that when we pray through the psalms, Christ prays through us: This psalm is spoken in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, both head and members. That was better than a lot of what Im shoveling now, he quipped. And we expect to be here for another thousand years, he said. The liturgies at Mepkin. You can opt in to any additional cookies. Mepkin Abbey - Wikipedia Maybe theyre not ready or able in this culture to make a lifetime commitment. In recent months, the abbey, in response to its aging population and its lack of young novices, formed a committee for its future development and drew up a set of programs aimed at attracting a younger and more spiritually diverse group of people. But my Methodist friend Scott could hardly contain his smile. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone. Make promises to do better. The moss draped trees add a mystical feel to the experience and you leave feeling tranquil and spiritually at peace. I am middle-aged, happily married and the father of six children. Father Gerard-Jonas Palmares inside one of the locations where mushrooms are grown at Mepkin Abbey. Actually we were obeying. Good lesson for a pastor. I can't imagine a month with 7 at home. He stage-whispered to each one of us with inappropriate loudness, When youre 102, Ill come pray for you. Abbot Stan stood off in the corner, his shepherds crook beside him, and openly wept. more. One of them being a monument to The Charleston Nine, the brave 9 fireman that died trying to put out a fire. The World Is Changing. [Dont miss more stories like this one. more. They were praying. So why didnt I want to introduce my Methodist congregants to them? During my month-long monastic immersion, I lived in a small, comfortable room in the monks dormitory. Before you go, check the hours and for special events here on their . read more, I only had about an hour to spend here, but I cant wait to go back! Hes a round man in every way: midsectionally round, bald of head round, broad of smile round, love of Jesus round. It was a call for which I had been waiting, albeit not a call to vocation. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. For more information on how we use cookies, or to change your cookie preferences, see our Cookie Policy. The gift shop has a wide variety of items. Morning wedding at the Abbey gardens on the 4th of July. Photographs from Mepkin during the early 1950s capture a wide variety of work. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use Bookwhen. Many young people of the Roman Catholic tradition, Father Guerric added, will simply not be attracted to forms of monasticism that require celibacy and a lifetime commitment. Fred Bahnson and Ragan Sutterfield explore this issue from different directions. read more. She cruised over to the monks block of butter and started to help herself, when 95-year-old Father Christian, with bent back and long beard and twinkle in his eye, asked, Oh, I see youre joining us today? He was genuinely delighted. You eat in a room catty-corner to the monks, but you can get to their butter without great effort. Nonetheless, Mass at the abbey packs an emotional wallop. Teach the illiterate. The miracle of forgiveness also showed up unexpectedly at the monastery. Morning wedding at the Abbey gardens on the 4th of July. Mushrooms and garden compost from the Abbey's farm, and candies, preserves and creamed honey from other Trappist Abbeys are available at the Reception Center Gift Shop. Yet they also vow poverty, chastity, obedience, and devotion to prayer. Each passing nod by a fellow resident, a further embrace into the community. The door is open so that guests can hear the reading while we eat in silence. My love of these people is clear. read more. And if that means closing Mepkin, that means closing Mepkin., I believe theres going to be a turnaround, he added. I have been making five-day retreats at Trappist and Benedictine monasteries for the past 20 years and have found the experience of living in silence and detaching from work and family life restorative and re-energizing. Mepkin Abbey is part of the Roman Catholic Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, commonly known as Trappists. So many different interpretations of this important scriptural event. I ate my meals quickly and in silence. In 1936 the well-known publisher Henry R. Luce bought the property. people, women and others in the Catholic Church, Cardinal Cupich: Critics of Pope Francis Latin Mass restrictions should listen to JPII. What a spectacular site for a wedding. The brothers knew, Mr. Hagan said. I spent each day in silence, speaking only when necessary and not at all during the Grand Silence from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Spring Wedding at Mepkin Abbey - catherinehurtphotography.com A monastery? Ive known Jessica and Bobby for a few years now. Jessica had to get a picture with little Roxi before making her way to the wedding! There are many picturesque spots in the areas visitors may walk around in. Flickr/Davey Borden. Monks seem against all those things. You can also manage your account details and your print subscription after logging in. In January 2007, a PETA investigation found that the abbey's hens endure constant abuse for almost two years before they are killed. I had no trouble getting folks to go on the trip; in fact, more wanted to go than the monks could accommodate. They taught me to chant psalms, to revel in the tradition, to sit in silence, to pray while working, to delight in Gods presence. The alligators were swimming in the pond and even popped out before the ceremony to say hello! And, of course, things in my life need to change. Mepkin retreatants are welcome to observe the Liturgy of the Hours with the monks, joining in worship and prayer at all seven daily services in the Abbey Church, beginning with Lauds at 3:20. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Based in Charleston, SCContact me at catie@catherinehurtphotography.com. Because tents have been known to damage the gardens, only chairs (which are available for rental) are allowed. [CDATA[// >