“Let all guests be received as Christ” – St. Benedict (rule)
Saint Meinrad Archabbey was founded in 1854 by monks from Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland. They came to southern Indiana at the request of a local priest who was seeking help to serve the pastoral needs of the growing German-speaking Catholic population and to prepare local men to be priests.
Both of these missions remain part of Saint Meinrad’s ministry to the Roman Catholic Church, as Saint Meinrad operates a graduate seminary and school of theology and has other monks in parish work, chaplaincies and diocesan assignments.
The Benedictine community at Saint Meinrad consists of about 70 men who dedicate their lives to prayer and work. They gather in community five times each day to pray the Liturgy of the Hours and celebrate Mass.
The church is the heart of St. Meinrad Archabbey. We were blessed to attend Mass on the 28th anniversary of the consecration of the last renovation.
17 gilded bronze panels on each side of the altar represent a theme based on Christ’s life – south: teacher, east: Eucharist, passion and resurrection, north: major events and mysteries.
Shrine of Our Lady of Einsiedeln. A replica of the ‘Black Madonna, this was given by St. Mienrad’s motherhouse in Switzerland.
St. Benedict wrote his Rule roughly between 530 and 540 A.D. during the decline of the Roman Empire. Despite the chaos of the invading tribes, St. Benedict produced a classic statement on the monastic life. Much in the Rule provides a vision that speaks not just to monastic life, but to life as a Christian and as a human being.
In the Benedictine motto Ora et labora (pray and work), it is “ora,” or “pray,” that comes first.
The baptismal font and stained glass windows ranging back from 1908.
Bonus trip! Monte Casino Shrine.
In the autumn of 1857, shortly after the Archabbey was started, a monk and some seminary students attached an image of the Immaculate Conception to an oak tree near the entrance to the grove. In the style of a wayside shrine, they carved a niche in the oak tree and protected the lithograph print of Mary with a crude wooden roof.
In the winter of 1871, smallpox struck, killing several in the town and infecting some in the Archabbey. The community quickly turned to Our Lady of Monte Casino. January 5th, all who could walk went on pilgrimage to Monte Casino, starting a novena with a solemn Mass. once the novena was started, not a single case of smallpox was noted. In thanksgiving, students still make a pilgrimage each year on January 13th. Other miracles and healing have been noted through the years.
