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Monastic Life at Holy Cross Abbey

At Holy Cross Abbey, as in every Cistercian monastery, the monks rise long before dawn for the night Office of Vigils, followed by a period of silent prayer. The hours before the morning Office of Lauds and the Mass are given to Scripture and other spiritual reading, personal prayer, and meditation. After the morning’s work and simple noon meal the Meridian provides an hour for rest or reading before Mid-Day Prayer and the afternoon’s work or study. The monks’ day comes to a close with the evening Office of Vespers, a light supper, and a time of quiet before the community’s final prayer together, the Office of Compline. Then, as the monks retire, the silence of the night begins, deepening that stillness they observe throughout the day to provide for each other an environment in which to respond to the living God in prayer, in the Scriptures, and in the ordinary experiences of community life.