Kyle Kirby’s Monastic Guest Reflection

February 3, 2020

Gentle love and silent monastic affection overflow from this community of Trappist monks. The kindness of heart was apparent from the moment I arrived at Mepkin Abbey, not greeted as a stranger or guest, but treated like a brother returning home to family. These grounds are steeped with a caring aura that will certainly have a profound impact on those who come.

The schedule is unchanging and rigid, a perfect place to dive head-first into the contemplative life of a monk, from the 3:40 am bell to rise, the 4 hours of mushroom farming to the 7 church services scattered throughout the day, it’s the small things that make this experience and this community shine so brightly.

These brothers will take the small amount of free time they have to get to know new arrivals in a personal and intimate way, often sharing their heartfelt stories of what called them to faith. Father Columba will regularly take time to meet and discuss anything that comes to mind, and group Lectio Divina with Father Guerric are both things to look forward to on a weekly basis. There is a wealth of knowledge to be had from the brothers here, people from around the world with vast wisdom and immense humor. This is a life completely balanced, nourishing mind, body and spirit in a remarkably beautiful monastery along with magnificent minds.

I write these last words with a heavy heart as I am leaving Mepkin shortly, this month has proven to be a life changing experience and I can’t wait to return.