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February 10, 2022

Glen Argan: The counterculture of God’s silent presence

St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Mass., home to 57 monks of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance (also known as Trappists).

As a young man, I developed a curiosity about the Cistercian way of life. Part of my interest came from reading books by Thomas Merton, the dissolute young man who discovered a unity of life and spirit upon entering the Trappist monastery in Kentucky.

Published in Glen Argan
July 3, 2020

Mary Marrocco: Learning to ‘redeem the times’ we live in

Trappist monks are pictured in a scene from the 2011 film Of Gods and Men, which tells the story of the kidnapping and beheading of seven Trappist monks by a group of Islamic terrorists in 1996.

During the pandemic lockdown, a bishop spoke to his flock about fears and panic. He emphasized that times were bad, faith was going to be lost, God would leave us and all that remained was to hold tight to our traditions and hope for the best.

Published in Mary Marrocco
March 1, 2017

These 17th century monks did a beer fast for Lent

Back in the 1600s, the Paulaner monks brewed beer specifically for a liquid-only fast during Lent.

WASHINGTON – As Ash Wednesday kicks off the Lenten season, Catholics enter into 40 days of abstaining from sweets, technology, alcohol and other luxuries.

Published in Faith