Wrentham Trappistines

[Lady Grey, Hot]

After going on retreats with several cloistered monasteries this summer, I have determined that there is really only one other community that I think I would regret not taking the time to visit: Mount St. Mary's at Wrentham. That said, I have formed this belief/attraction to tem largely because of the impression I have gotten from their website and social media accounts. If you have personal knowledge of the community, is there anything you think it would be good for me to know?

(Full disclosure: part of the reason I am asking this question is because of an old post I found here citing the community as being not quite orthodox. Don't feel the need to address this specifically if you don't have any insight on that score, but I do wonder what that might mean.)

[Lou]

From the old post I would take it to mean that they wouldn't use that word in a list of distinct adjectives they might apply to themselves in describing themselves, I don't think it means they're unorthodox.

They are an orthodox community and you can tell this from the photographs they share and their talks on their site, etc and the number of sisters they have in formation.

Worth a visit, undoubtedly.

[Bonkira]

They are wonderful. A really healthy and thriving community, and often get overlooked because they don't do lots of outreach.

[Nunsuch]

A book I would recommend to you is The Manhattan Psalter, by Sr. Juanita Colon, a late member of this monastery. She re-renders the Psalms after her years of praying them, putting them into her own words. It is a wonderful book to pray with. 

https://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Psalter-Lectio-Divina-Juanita/dp/0814627714/

[GraceUk]

From what I've read they are a community which has the balance right between traditional and modern. On the Glencairn Abbey (which is in Ireland) website there are photos of the Abbess there meeting up with several other Cistercian Abbesses one of whom is the Abbess from Wrentham. 

Edited July 30, 2023 by GraceUk
Typing errors

[Nunsuch]

1 hour ago, GraceUk said:

From what I've read they are a community which has the balance right between traditional and modern. On the Glencairn Abbey (which is in Ireland) website there are photos of the Abbess there meeting up with several other Cistercian Abbesses one of whom is the Abbess from Wrentham. 

I agree with @GraceUkhere. And I also want to point out that neither "modern" nor "traditional" tells us anything about the "orthodoxy" (or lack of same) of any community or individual.