Weston Priory, Vermont

It originated in 1953 with the simple vision of one man, Abbot Leo, who, operating on a shoestring budget, found an abandoned farm on the edge of the Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest for sale.  And it became over the ensuing 60 years a thriving Benedictine monastic community: Weston Priory.  I was privileged to experience the community’s rich, gospel-centered life and hospitality for seven days this March.

View west from my room at Romero House at sunrise

The cold temperatures, deep snow, a room looking west, and a small clutch of books, set the table for a wonderfully rewarding week.  Add to that the warmly welcoming community of the 14 monks of Weston Priory, and it proved the perfect combination for inward reflection and soul-strengthening.  Unlike the vast majority of other monastic communities in the USA, Weston has established itself was a community of equals, in which decisions are made by consensus and hierarchy is almost completely absent.  Over the years, the monks have developed a rich musical style, with original songs accompanying each of the 4 or 5 liturgies throughout each day, beginning at 6am.  (You can sample their recordings at their website.)  I stayed with a few other men guests in Romero Guest House, located 1/2 mile down the road from the Priory, and the walks several times a day became a welcome discipline.  I also had the opportunity to participate physically in community chores, such as snow shoveling and wood hauling, which made me feel even more a part of the community life.  Shared meals in the refectory were a treat: simple fare, and nutritious, accompanied by the traditional Benedictine custom of book reading.  In this case, the book in question, portions of which were read during midday and evening meals, was an incredible selection: UNBEARABLE WHOLENESS OF BEING–GOD, EVOLUTION, AND THE POWER OF LOVE, by Ilia Delio.  Remarkably, the themes of the book tie in beautifully with themes from the sabbatical.  It’s a creative and provocative read, which I highly recommend.  Here’s one excerpt from chapter 7, Christian Love:

We humans are not transients, renting a home in the cosmos until we can move to a more permanent one.  Human life is not extrinsic to cosmic life, a strange species in an otherwise natural world.  We are the latest arrivals in an evolutionary universe; we emerge from the whole and are integral to it.  Evolution becomes conscious in us so that our task is not to leave the world but to see it in its divine depth, overcoming the forces of alienation that threaten to depersonalize culture.

The path to community

The biggest takeaway for me from my time at the Priory, and there are many, is the sense of a compassionate community, deeply connected to and loved by the local folk, which is living out its vocation in simple but profound ways.  My experience has given me much to ponder, and much to be thankful for.

The snow trail beckons