The Abbot General visits Mepkin for our 75th anniversary
Seated left to right: Mother Rebecca, Mother Kathy, Brother Paul, Father Kevin, Father Joe, Dom Bernardus, Brother John, Brother Vincent, Sister Joanna, Sister Monica
Middle row left to right: Father Gerard Jonas, Father Oscarito, Father Brendan, Brother Martin, Father Guerric, Father Stan, Father Stephen, Brother Benedict, Brother Juan, Brother Clement, Father Rphael, Brother Ambrose
Top row left to right: Dom Vincet, Father Francis Michael, Dom Augustine, Father Michael, Dom Joseph
Dom Bernardus Peeters, Abbot General of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, came to Mepkin Abbey for six days so that he might be with us and offer the mass to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of Mepkin. During his visit he made time to meet with each of the monks of Mepkin, was given a complete tour of the monastery, our grounds, our work areas and he gave us several conferences. Traveling with Dom Bernardus was his secretary, Father Raphael, who is a monk of Citeaux Abbey in France, but who resides at the generalate in Rome, with the Abbot General and his council. The Order had its beginnings at Citeaux in 1098.
Attending the anniversary celebration was our own Father Stan, formerly our abbot, and now the chaplain to our sisters in Ecuador. Sister Monica, of Our Lady of Hope (Nuestra Señora de la Espernza), in Ecuador, was present representing those sisters. Mepkin was founded from Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, so Father Michael, the prior of Gethsemani, came with Brother Thomas, also a monk of Gethsemani. Several superiors of our monasteries in the United States travelled to be with us. Mother Kathy, Abbess of Our Lady of the Angels in Crozet, Virginia, joined us, accompanied by Sister Joanna, also from Crozet. Father Joseph, Abbot of Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, Virginia drove the sisters from Virginia to South Carolina. Father Augustine, Abbot of Holy Spirit Abbey in Conyers, Georgia drove to Mepkin and Father Francis Michael, the previous abbot of Conyers came with him. Abbot Vincent of Saint Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, flew down to participate in the anniversary gathering. And Mother Rebecca, Abbess of Our Lady of the Mississippi in Iowa flew to South Carolina along with Father Brendan, former abbot of New Melleray Abbey, also in Iowa. It was a great gift to have such a number of Cistercians from the houses of the region join us to offer prayers of thanks and praise to God for the 75 years that monks at Mepkin have lived this way of witnessing to God’s faithful love. In his homily at he mass on Sunday, November 17th, Dom Benardus invited us to reflect on how God uses beauty, truth and goodness to draw us to appreciate God’s nearness to us. Our contemplative monastic life is meant to encourage everyone to turn to God at all times and live in a deep awareness of the presence of God with us at all times. We thank you for keeping us in your prayers as we mark this moment in Mepkin’s history and promise the we are praying for you every day.
