The St. Bernard Abbey and Church is a Benedictine monastery located in Cullen Alabama (north of Birmingham). There are many areas of noted on the grounds which will on future Faith on the Road posts. The grounds consist of the Church, a prep school and facilities, a book/gift shop and the Ave Maria Grotto. Fabulous!
Today we will focus on the Church itself. Attending Mass at St. Bernard was a fantastic Benedictine experience. The whole of Mass was sung in Benedictine style with no instruments. The monks attending Mass sang as the processed in, throughout the Mass and as they left the church. Awesome reverence from the ring of the bell to start Mass through the exit of the monks following. And, to be honest, even after that as many knelt in prayer for a considerable time. All the monks and three Benedictine sisters received the Eucharist on the tongue, which set the stage that most of those approaching did as well.
The church is Benedictine in layout and style. If you saw my post a few weeks ago featuring St. Vincent Arch-abbey in Pittsburgh, you recognize so much in this church. The shape, layout and design are similar. That’s what Benedictines do. The difference is, here, the sisters and monks in residence were in attendance for Mass. And, Mass was Benedictine in style. Beautiful.
St. Bernard Abbey was founded in 1891. The church was dreamed of by the original monks and built in the 1950s by local stone masons and builders. Built out of native sandstone from the Abbey’s own nearby quarry and Alabama limestone, this is a spectacular building. Lit in the south by the Holy Spirit Window and the west by the Resurrection Window. The Resurrection Window was fashioned by artists at the abbey of St. Benoit in France.
