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There are 188 guestbook entries in 19 pages and you are on page number 18

Comments by our old site on Friday, December 6, 2002 at 00:00 IP Logged IP Logged
Are brothers allowed to leave the premises?
Yes, there are always cars going to Dubuque for doctor and dentist appointments. Our policy for travel is one of necessity.

Comments by our old site on Thursday, September 12, 2002 at 00:00 IP Logged IP Logged
Is there a "monastic" personality type?
No. Not any more than there is a "Christian" personality type. There are certain human factors that are required (physical, psychological, emotional, moral and mental). A sound mind in a sound body, is required of every candidate whether they be naturally introspective or out-going.

Comments by our old site on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 at 00:00 IP Logged IP Logged
Is age a major factor in receiving candidates for admission?
Age is a factor for admission of candidates that are under 23 or over 45. Of course there are always exceptions and special cases. 

Comments by our old site on Thursday, August 15, 2002 at 00:00 IP Logged IP Logged
Is the daily schedule and liturgy of the hours mandatory for the brothers?
Our Constitution allows for some flexibility in attendance at the Liturgy of the Hours. The daily Eucharist is mandatory for all who are able to attend.

Comments by our old site on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 at 00:00 IP Logged IP Logged
What is the significance of the psalms? Why is there so much emphasis on them instead of other prayers and devotions like the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross?
The psalms are part of the Bible. They are the inspired Word of God. All the other books of the Bible are God's words to us, but the psalms are God's words addressed to God, teaching us how to pray. The psalter is unique in religious literature. It is the prayer book of Judaism and Christianity, and has been used down the centuries by people of different races, cultures and languages. Ancient Greece and Egypt had hymns of great beauty and power, but their faiths have passed away. Hinduism has a large core of religious poetry but it never became the religion of so many nationalities and races. Buddhism and Islam have a claim to universal adherence, but neither has produced such outstanding religious poetry. The book of psalms is unique in its universality and permanence.

The psalms are God's own love songs, a resume of the Bible, the Bible in the form of prayer. They are beautiful, ardent and passionate. The are the Divine Word ravishing the heart of the Father, inspired hymns sung by the Holy Spirit. They repeat in lyrical form much of the teachings of the prophets and wisdom literature. The story of God's saving acts is relived in the hearts of the psalmists.

Early Christians were converts from Judaism. They already knew, loved and prayed the psalms. It was necessary to write new historical literature about God's saving acts in Christ, and new wisdom literature in the form of letters, and new apocalyptic literature about the fulfillment of salvation history in Christ, but they did not need to write a new book of prayer because the psalms were Christ's own prayers. They are the prayer book used by Our Lady which she loved and taught to her Son, and prayed with Him and Joseph. Christ gave us one new prayer, the Our Father. Mary added another, the Magnificat. And the Church has added a third, the Hail Mary. The Rosary is a beautiful prayer which reached its full development during the Middle Ages. It does not replace the pslams, but joins them in a more recent development of the prayer life of Christianity. Only the psalms have been the prayers of St. Peter and St. John, St. Ignatius of Antioch and St. Augustine, St. Benedict and St. Bernard, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese of Lisieux.

If you open your bible to the middle you come upon the books of psalms. They are at the heart of the Bible. Like a physical heart, the life giving blood of all other parts of the Bible flow back into the psalms where it is revitalized and pulses back to the whole body of Scripture. The psalms are the longest book of the Bible. Of the roughly 350 quotations of the Hebrew Scriptures in the New Testament about 115 are from the psalms. Altogether there are about 450 allusions to the psalms in the New Testament.

The psalms are a love story between the creature and the Creator. They adore Him and praise Him. They express compunction for sin and petition for forgiveness and mercy. They grieve over the evils in this world and intercede for the good of others. They express confusion in the face of suffering and courage in bearing it. They anticipate the mystery of Christ's suffering and rejoice in the certainty of His victory.

St. Benedict, who wrote the Rule for Monks which we profess to follow, urges monks to memorize the psalms so that they will be written in one's heart and spring up like an ever-flowing fountain in continual prayer. Prisoners of war have memorized psalms during their captivity and been sustained by them in bearing the horrors of prison camps. The Russian Jewish dissident, Nathan Sharansky, who was imprisoned for nine years because of his work to promote emigration to Israel, clung to one possession through his ordeal: a small copy of the psalms. He risked his life several times by long fasts to defend his right to keep his book of psalms, and he succeeded. All of us will experience suffering, and walk some distance with Christ along the way of the Cross. The Stations of the Cross are a valuable way to pray that many monks include along with the psalms in their daily walking with God.

Comments by our old site on Wednesday, June 5, 2002 at 00:00 IP Logged IP Logged
Is there any educational program for novices? Who teaches it? What do they study?
The purpose of the novitiate study program is to aid postulants and novices in their appropriation of a monastic praxis (practice). The emphasis is not on academic proficiency, but rather on practical understanding of monastic values and practice. The context for novitiate classes is the day to day experience of monastic life as it is lived at New Melleray. This context is itself an important element in novitiate formation.

Postulants do not enter immediately into novitiate classes. They have their own weekly class with the novice master. The foundation for this class is the Prolog to the Rule of St. Benedict. The intent of the class is to help the postulant prayerfully reflect on the call he hears to follow a monastic way of life. The class is supplemented by a weekly, informal meeting with the novice director. Both in the class and during the informal meeting postulants are encouraged to express their experience and raise whatever questions they may have. The novice director introduces the postulant to lectio divina. In addition to beginning a regular practice of reading scripture, a postulant's reading list is available to help postulants get started. It is not a required reading list, but a selection of both traditional and contemporary monastic writings from which the postulant can choose. Postulants are encouraged to sample a variety of monastic writers. At the end of the postulancy, or earlier at the discretion of the novice director, postulants begin novitiate classes. If novitiate classes are in progress, postulants begin at whatever point the classes have reached. The novice director may think it best that postulants wait for a convenient entry point.

The primary class for novices is on the Rule of St. Benedict. While some historical material in incorporated to provide a context for understanding, the emphasis in the class is on a contemporary interpretation of the values and practices expressed in the Rule. Emphasis on specific elements of monastic life varies with the composition of the novitiate at the time. The Rule class continues through the two years of the novitiate.

In addition to the Rule class, there are mini-classes lasting from a couple of weeks to a few months. The topics covered include a general introduction to scripture, a class specifically on the psalms, the history of the Cistercian Order, an introduction to liturgy, and other topics that seem appropriate. To the extent that other teachers in the community are available, it is desirable that at least some of the mini-classes be taught by someone other than the novice director. How a particular class is developed will depend on the instructor, but the orientation should be on aiding novices gain a practical understanding of their experience of life at New Melleray.

Beginning with the second year in the novitiate, novices take a class on the vows. This is normally taught by the novice director, but other members of the community may be involved.

In addition to their classes, the novices meet individually with the novice director on a weekly basis. They are expected to meet with the Abbot at least once a month.

Comments by our old site on Sunday, August 12, 2001 at 00:00 IP Logged IP Logged
Why are you sometimes called Trappists?
The first monastery of Cistercians was started in 1098 in a place in France called Citeaux and it is from this that the name Cistercian is derived. Later on, a young nobleman named Armand de Rance restored monastic life in the Cistercian monastery of La Trappe in France, and those monks became known as the Trappists. The form of life known as Trappist represents an overly severe interpretation of Cistercian life with a heavy accent on penance, mortification and austerity. Most of the Trappist forms have been replaced since Vatican II by a more genuine interpretation of traditional Cistercian life. The name Cistercian is now universally preferred to the name Trappist (although Trappist still identifies Cistercians) as distinct from other Orders of monks.

Comments by our old site on Tuesday, April 10, 2001 at 00:00 IP Logged IP Logged
What has been the impact of Vatican II on your life?
It would be hard to over-state the influence Vatican II has had on our life. Almost every area has been affected. The way we celebrate Liturgy, our relationship to the wider community, our use of the media, and, most importantly, the way we understand community. Interpersonal relationships and communication skills are now much more important than they were in our pre-Vatican II monasteries. Dialogue is a new and important experience for us. Vatican II has challenged all of us to re-evaluate many of our monastic practices and to see them in the broader context of its new ecclesiology. All of this refers to the place of contemplative life in the life of the Church.

Comments by our old site on Tuesday, February 13, 2001 at 00:00 IP Logged IP Logged
Can monks keep pets?
My initial response would be no--not personally. However, some monasteries do have pet dogs and cats as monastery pets. In the past, here at New Melleray we've had pet dogs, but they were kept in a building some distance from the monastery proper, and were allowed out only when accompanied by one or two of the monks (who also fed and cared for them). At present, we have a pet cat, Mac, and he too is under the same restrictions.

Comments by our old site on Tuesday, January 23, 2001 at 00:00 IP Logged IP Logged
Where do you find the moral support to live the monastic life, and how do the brothers help one another?
First and foremost, I would say the moral support to live this life come from and through prayer. Over time one grows in a deep appreciation of our way of life, and comes to the realization that This is it! This is where God has called me to work out my own salvation, and with this particular group of brothers. Personally this gives me a deep sense of peace and support, especially when the going gets tough.

We help one another in many ways: spiritually, psychologically and physically. One begins to realize that we are all on this spiritual journey together--and are not alone!

Deep and lasting friendships often develop; honest and open communication--though often far short of perfect--is encouraged; and there is a generous outpouring of self in the service of the other brothers.  

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