I have visited many Monasteries and Abbeys annually during the past 10 years ' or so' and they all, without exception, fulfilled my major goal...to become ever closer to God .This particular Monastery is unsurpassed in promoting a tranquil, peaceful, and spiritual environment so that one not only feels refreshed and renewed when your stay there has ended, but also that you feel God's powerful and loving presence ever closer beside and within you.
For those of you out there who only seek a place to get away from the stress and hustle and bustle of where you came from, be assured that this place does not disappoint!
Set in a rural part of Southern Indiana and west of Louisville ,Kentucky an hour and a half away ,the Monastery sits high amidst rolling hills and farmland .This beautiful castle like Monastery lies on the outskirts of the typical Midwestern small town; this one named Ferdinand. If you blink twice driving through the town, you might miss it...yup...That small.
The Monastery started in 1867 and ,then as now, is run by the dedicated Sisters of the order of Saint Benedict. This fact - a Monastery run by all women- sets it a part from most USA monasteries . I met so many nuns during my stay there and was honored to pray with them 3 x a day in one of the most awesome and architecturally magnificent churches I've ever visited. To call it a beautiful church is somewhat of an injustice; it is more on the scale of a basilica or cathedral . This church sits high atop a hill like a brick castle and is attached to the rest of the beautiful building that has administrative offices , quiet rooms or salons, offices, the cafeteria, living quarters for the more than 100 nuns of the Benedictine Order living there, conference rooms, private hideaways, kitchen, health center and other rooms. The are long , long, hallways that add to its mystique and those hallways could get one lost if you are not careful! With so many beautiful statues, artwork, photos, etc, on the walls down each corridor, one can just feel the sacred tradition and history of a place that is over - get this - 150 years old!
For now, the guests stay at the Kordes Center located on the
Grounds of the Monastery. My room was more than serviceable; the bed was neither too soft nor too hard,( read: just right!) towels and wash cloths plentiful, and yes, techies, there is WiFi. My room had its own bathroom and shower so that was an additional plus. The price point, please note, for the lodging- whether one stays a single night or nearly a week as this writer did, or 20 days (at special low rates, for such longer stays )- is very reasonable.
The breakfasts, lunches, and dinners - where the kind sisters sit on one side of the cafeteria while the lay guests in a dining room on the opposite side of the cafeteria -are both decent home cooked style meals and reasonable in price. The sisters do not speak during first meal of the day but are quite conversant and enjoyable to get to know after breakfast!Imagine my surprise when one of the leading Sisters there invited me one night to join her and some of her colleagues at their table! What hospitality!
They are all so wonderful.Both the Sisters and lay staff are very professional. They care. They are so in tune in allowing guests the freedom, quiet solitude, and peaceful reflection guests often desire and yet equally available and accessible when you desire to seek one or more of them out. No one beats this Monastery out in this delicate balance of discernment in regards to guests who stay there!
On the grounds is a nice gift shop in a separate building at the bottom of the hill ....their Saint Hildebrand cookies ( made at the Monastery) are legend and , yes, I can attest to how delicious they are. The gift shop also has a variety of splendid chocolates and caramels some of which are made at other monasteries .The root beer sold at the Monastery Brewery is rich and divine. The outdoor grotto is also a place of...
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