A lot of people don't know that places like this exist so close to us, and they're truly hidden gems in this part of the country - I know of at least four similar places in Massachusetts, and a few more in Connecticut. I've stayed at this particular monastery about five times now. This is a community of Benedictine monks and nuns - the nuns' side of the place is called St. Scholastica Priory. They gather in the chapel and chant their prayers seven times a day, and you can join them to watch and participate.
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| The church, with separate sections for lay people (behind the railing) and religious (around the altar). The nuns also have their own private chapel in their priory. |
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| The church has excellent acoustics to help with the chanting. |
Part of the Benedictine charism is hospitality, so there's a guest house up the driveway from the main monastery. You can stay there pretty much anytime for free, though of course you should give them a donation if you do. The guest house is pretty big - I'd say there's a couple dozen bedrooms. There's lots of kitchen and social space, and it's very comfortable and homey. If you're ever interested in making an informal retreat, this is the place to go. You can do almost anything you want with your time - read, pray, sleep, talk, make food and drinks, and join the religious in the chapel. You eat lunch with the monks and nuns, which is a cool experience - they eat in silence, with one of them reading out loud from a book. This is part of their entertainment for the day.
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| The guest house |
Every friend I've ever brought here has loved it, and can't wait to come back. It's an extremely relaxing and prayerful environment. I'd recommend an overnight visit to anyone, whether they're Catholic or not. If you're interested, you can see more and contact the guestmasters at these links:
http://www.stmarysmonastery.org/
http://www.stscholasticapriory.org/
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