The Abbey of Gethsemani is located in Trappist, Kentucky about an hour from Louisville. It is a school of the Lord’s service, a training ground for brotherly love. The monks lead lives of prayer, work and sacred reading. The campus is beautiful with 2,000 acres. It was founded on December 21, 1848, as the first Trappist monastery in the United States. It is mainly known to be home of the Trappist monkey and author Thomas Merton, who lived there from 1941 until his death in 1968.
This is a community of about 40 Trappist monks. For over 170 years they have lived, prayed, and worked in the monastery. The monks are trained in God’s Words in a discipline of heart and action to be responsive to the Holy Spirit. The monks earn their living by making fruitcake and bourbon fudge.
Amazingly, our school is blessed to be able to do volunteer work on the campus. This service event happens once every month or two. It is led by a Kentucky native and monk named Br. Conrad. He is now in his mid ninety’s and has reached over 60 years of vows. Personally, I have never met a more intelligent and happy soul in his mid nineties. He looks at every day and sees the beauty in it.
When you volunteer at Gethsemani, you usually do yard work around the campus such as weed-eating, pulling weeds, trimming, laying gravel, etc. As you do the tasks, Br. Conrad usually is amazingly driving around in his 4×4 gator, telling stories, and getting to know you.
Towards the end of the volunteering, you receive free fudge made by the monks. To say the fudge is amazing is an understatement. You usually eat the fudge in the monastery’s museum with many beautiful objects from the monastery’s history. As you eat the fudge, Br. Conrad answers any questions and tells the story of his life.
The next time you see Gethsemani on Mobile Serve, consider signing up!
Daily schedule for the monks: 3:15 am Vigils, 5:45 am Lauds, 6:15 am Eucharist, 7:30 am Terce, 12:15 pm Sext, 2:15 pm None, 5:30 pm Vespers, 7:30 pm Compline.
