"It's a world of laughter, a world of tears. It's a world of hopes, and a world of fears. There's so much that we share, that it's time we're aware. It's a small world after all." - written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman & made famous by Walt Disney

Friday, November 9, 2012

A Modern Monastery

In class when we talk about World religions, religious orders often come up.  Because of modern impressions students are very curious about what seems to be the closed off world of monasteries.  They often ask why would someone join a monastery and what life was really like.  Medieval monks from Monty Python and Buddhists following the Dali Lama are the stereotypes that most students have about religious orders.  What students do not realize that there are very active monasteries around the world today, and for my students at Western Albemarle there is one just down the road.

Our Lady of the Angels Monastery is a Trappist Monastery in Crozet, VA.  The sisters of the monastery are open to visitors and I was lucky enough to have a teaching partner who arranged a field trip for a small group of our freshman.  There students got to see that the monastery does still follow vows of chastity, poverty and silence relating to a very deeply connected Christian life.  However, they do not live in the dark with only candles.  The monastery does have most modern conveniences including computers and the internet to connect with the community and world around them.  Even though the sisters do not leave the monastery they receive family visitors and make amazing homemade goods to support themselves.  It was an eye opening experience that hopefully will stay with those students for years to come.

Click here so visit the Our Lady of the Angels Monastery website.

No comments:

Post a Comment