A Benedictine Monastery is something like a family, yet it is also not quite
like a family. A Benedictine monastery is a community of men serving God
and sharing all things in common. The Abbot is the human leader of the
community. Some of the monks are ordained priests while some are not
ordained. However, all are monks. Monastic life is a Gospel way of life
centered on faith in Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior. It is a dynamic,
challenging and rewarding way of life.



                            

Assumption Abbey is a community of men. Individual monks do not own
anything in their own name. All things are owned by the community. Its
resources are used for the good of all in the monastery. Monks form a
community of faith in Jesus Christ united in love for each other. Monks
witness to people about the importance of community. They also witness to
the necessity to make a clear and public witness to community. Monks
make vows that bind them to the Lord in a special way. In this way they
witness to all about the necessity to relate to the Lord and belong to the
community of the Church. In all aspects of life, people are meant to live
communal lives, not isolated ones.


                         

In a Benedictine monastery, God is in charge with the Abbot as the human
authority. Communal prayer is an essential part of a Benedictine
monastery. So, at Assumption Abbey, the monks gather five times a day for
prayer. We thank God for his gifts to humanity and we intercede for the
needs of people. This gives witness that everyone should pray often each
day. In a busy world, the frequent communal prayer of monks reminds 
people of the necessity to pray daily and participate in the public worship of
the Church, at least on Sundays. It means sacrificing so that one will live
this necessary Gospel value. The Church encourages monks to share their
prayer and worship with the public. Some lay people formalize a relation as
oblates, sharing in our spiritual life and good works. Others participate in
Partners in Prayer, receiving and praying a shortened form of morning and
evening prayer which we offer free of charge. Anyone can subscribe to this
by contacting the Abbey.


                           

One of our priorities at Assumption Abbey is to set aside time for each
monk to read Scripture and reflect upon it. This helps him to absorb its
meaning and apply it to life. Being taught by God in this way is essential for
a monk to follow the Lord. Lectio divina is a prayerful time. Private prayer is
another essential aspect of Benedictine monastic life.


                    

There is a lot of obedience in a healthy community. People respond to the
needs of each other, the younger are taught the ways of monastic life and
the older are cared for. Monks, called by God’s grace, freely choose to live
under the Rule of St. Benedict and an Abbot. Obedience in a monastery is
interwoven and made real in the monk’s obedience to the monastic Rule, to
the demands of daily life, to the Abbot and to fellow monks. Obedience is
not something abstract, it is rooted in responding to daily life and what the
daily situation calls forth from each of us.


                                 

How does one keep the values of the world from becoming overwhelmingly
dominant? Television, radio, iPods, etc. keep us inserted in the values and
way of life established by the world. A monastery needs to establish its own
values. Silence is a discipline monks practice to help them break free from
being swallowed up by the world and its values. It fosters awareness of
God, the self and the world. From after Compline until the morning work
begins, there is silence at Assumption Abbey. In silent presence to God, to
self and to the world one can begin to become free of the world’s ways and
take on God’s way of living. 


                          

Like marriage, celibacy is a way of loving. Jesus in the gospels speaks of
those who “have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of
heaven”. According to St. Paul, celibacy ideally frees a person to more fully
devote himself to the things of God. Celibacy is an integral part of monastic
life. Celibacy says NO to promiscuous sexual values. It says sexuality must
be lovingly disciplined by God’s laws and properly integrated into one’s
person. A healthy celibate person forms good mutually nourishing
friendships that meet the need for intimacy. Celibacy is a fulfilling and
mature way of loving God, self and others.
 

In chaper 53 of the Holy Rule, St. Benedict advises. “Let all guests arriving
at the monastery be received as Christ Himself, for He will one day say, "I
was a stranger and you took Me in." And let due honor be paid to all,
especially, however, to those who are of the household of the faith - and to
strangers. We invite people to come to our Communal Prayer and
Eucharist. Individuals are welcome to come here to make a private retreat
and join us in prayer and meals. Visitors receive a warm welcome.


                                       

In 1960 Assumption Abbey sent monks to Bogotá, Colombia, where they
formed a dependent Priory named Monasterio Benedictino de Tibatí. They
operate two schools. One is Colegio San Carlos which is a bilingual school
for 1,300 students. The second is Colegio San Benito de Tibatí which
enrolls 450 neighborhood boys and girls. The monks of Tibatí pay for a
portion of the operating costs of Colegio San Benito.


                                  

We are accredited by the Praesidium Accreditation Process for having the necessary and appropriate training with Assumption Abbey's safeguards.