Monastic Work
The call to monastic life flows naturally into the call to serve others for the love of Christ. Saint Benedict's Rule says simply “Let the brothers serve one another.” Work at Saint John’s Abbey, and any Benedictine monastery, is intimately united with prayer. This is not to say that every job in the monastery is such that one may recite the Jesus Prayer, Chaplet of Divine Mercy or the Rosary uninterrupted throughout the working day, though some such employments exist. But rather, living a life steeped in prayer informs and guides a life in service to others. A heart focused in prayer towards God, towards conversion and love, is tested, challenged and perfected in daily life as realized in our work as well as in the needs of our neighbors and brothers. When the heart is devoted to God in prayer, it may then lead and define monastic labor, so that every form of employment, every job little to great, is first and foremost informed and shaped by prayer and conversion.
Some 150 years after our arrival in central Minnesota, we continue our service to the Church and world by our life of prayer, and through our work in our graduate School of Theology and Seminary, Saint John's University and Saint John's Preparatory School and a host of workshops, The Liturgical Press, parishes and chaplaincies, missions abroad, and sponsored programs. The new Abbey Guesthouse responds to the emerging need in today's world for a place of spiritual rest and renewal. The Saint John's Bible is also an example of the monks sharing their exploration of a work of art that unites an ancient Benedictine tradition with the technology and vision of today, illuminating the Word of God for a new millennium.
This Place called Saint John's
In 1856, five benedictine monks were sent from Saint Vincent Abbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to establish a presence in the Minnesota Territory. They settled along the west bank of the Mississippi River in present-day St. Cloud. Two years later they founded a monastery in nearby Indianbush - presently known as Collegeville.
Saint John's is a special and multifaceted place. From its early beginnings, it has been home to Saint John's Abbey and University, the School of Theology and Seminary and the Preparatory School. Over the years, Saint John's has become home to a number of other renowned institutions including: Liturgical Press, Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research, Jay Phillips Center for Jewish Christian Learning, Arboretum, an indigenous pottery program, the first radio station in the Minnesota Public Radio network, an extraordinary rare book and art collection known as Arca Artium and The Saint John's Bible.
The buildings at Saint John's date from the 1860's and are arranged in a series of quadrangles and courtyards to the north of Lake Sagatagan, At the center of the Saint John's campus is the Abbey Church, one of 10 campus buildings designed by Marcel Breuer. With its towering bell banner and three-stroy wall of stained glass, the Abbey Church is among the most striking pieces of 20th-century architecture.
Enjoy the beauty of Saint John's for yourself with the Campus Webcam.
