Contemplatives and the Abbey Of Genesee

​I scheduled a retreat to stay at the Abbey of Genesee this past weekend. This abbey is in Piffard, NY and was founded by Trappist monks. Their livelihood mostly comes from baking bread which is appropriately known as “monk’s bread.” Beside the rectory, there are three houses on the rather enormous property.

​ I decided to stay in the Bethlehem House. There are single bedrooms in the Bethlehem House and everyone is required to be silent, which means, of course, there is no talking. That’s not a hardship for me as I’m not a big fan of small talk. When I arrived, the cook (a lovely, older woman) showed me around the house. There is a chapel which is open 24/7 and a reading room with lots of books. People are allowed to bring books back to their rooms to read if they wish to. There is also a dining room and meals are served twice a day. There is a counter with cereal, monk’s bread to make toast, and fruit. There is also milk, water and juice in the fridge. Breakfast is a “help yourself whenever you want” deal. That means if you crave a bowl of cereal at midnight, go for it. 

Like most monasteries, there is a daily schedule of prayers at the rectory known as the Liturgy Of the Hours. The Liturgy Of the Hours is the official set of prayers "marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer". It consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns, readings and prayers.
The hours are:
3:30 am Vigils
6:30 am Lauds
12:00 pm Sext
5:30 pm Vespers
7:30 pm Compline
The visitor is free to go to all the prayer hours, some of the prayer hours, or none at all. I have gone to a few at Mount Savior Monastery in Elmira, NY. They are short and sweet. I have to say, I love hearing the brothers chant scripture.

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​Saturday morning I got up early, said hello to the chickens and billy goats on the property, and then hiked along the Greenway which follows the Genesee River. The Greenway is a half mile from Bethlehem house, if that. It’s a well kept, easy trail with some pretty views. I got back to my room around 10:30 and decided to visit the Abbey gift shop and stay for the noon prayer in the chapel. I bought some Monk coffee roasted by the brothers and some Monk biscotti baked by the brothers. I also picked up a book about Thomas Merton, called In the School Of Prophets. 

The chapel was beautiful. There is something about Monastery chapels - a sense of mystery, a reverence, something ancient and good. Modern churches that I’ve been to (both Protestant and Catholic), don’t come near it. There seems to be little focus on contemplation and silence in most western churches. 

​The mystery is what draws me to the monastery. It provides a place to come apart from all the activity and noise of everyday life. It gives the opportunity to think and to be at a deeper level. There is something to being still, listening and inviting God’s presence. 

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I brought to the abbey one of my favorite books - The Artist’s Rule, by Christine Valters Painter. Painter writes about a path that is traveled by both monk and artist. It is one of contemplation and creativity. "The way of the monk and the path of the artist are teachers of slowness, of savoring, of seeing the world below the surfaces."

Contemplation takes practice. "We have to practice being present to the moment, because our tendency - and the world conspires in this - is to be distracted."

Often a scripture or a prayer is is given as a focus for contemplation. Painter gives Jeremiah 6:16:

Thus says the Lord:
stand at the crossroads and look,
and ask for the ancient paths:
where the good way lies; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls.

​I'm asking.