Monastic Life at Minster Abbey

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Frequent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is an important element in the liturgical prayer of our monastic community. After Compline five nights aw week, we are given the opportunity for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in an extended period of silent prayer. At the close of the day, this brings our hearts back once more the contemplation of the source and summit of our life-the gift of God in Christ for the salvation of the world.

The Work of God

The pattern of our day is established by the Divine Liturgy. We come together at different times to offer praise to God our creator. The times for prayer are spread throughout the day, so that the day is punctuated by prayer, giving the day a shape and a rhythm. The whole day becomes consecrated to God.

Our Holy Father Benedict writes, "We believe that the divine presence is everywhere... But beyond the least doubt we should believe this to be especially true when we celebrate the divine office." We follow the pattern of communal prayer laid down by St. Benedict. In the celebration of the liturgical year we are drawn intimately into the mystery of the life of the Trinity.

What is the Divine Office?

The Divine Office is the official daily prayer of the Church, carried out according to the Church's own instructions and faithful to her time-honoured tradition of liturgical prayer. In the monastic life, we are privileged to gather as a community seven times a day to sing the different Hours of the Divine Office.

The prayer book for these Offices is the Psalter. The psalms are ancient prayers, yet timeless. In them, every human emotion and experience is set forth in poetic form. When we pray the psalms, we make the emotions they express our own, and we unite ourselves with those who suffer and rage, or are sick and alone, or who rejoice and exult. In the psalms we are given words by which we can offer the joys, hopes and sorrows of all people to the Father of mercies.
The Divine Office is integrally related to the Eucharist - the source and summit of our life. In the Eucharist we receive Christ Himself, the gift of God par excellence, in Word and Sacrament. He is what we are meant to become - loving sons and daughters of the Father. The word "Eucharist" means thanksgiving. As we respond to God's gift by giving thanks with our entire lives, the Divine Office enables us to renew our thanksgiving and our self-offering throughout the day. The psalms were originally written in Hebrew, and were composed to be sung. We sing the Divine Office in English, with the exception of the Office of Vespers, which is sung in Latin in Plainchant.

Vigils

We begin the day with the Office of Vigils at 5:45 a.m. Our first words each day are sung in the prayer, "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall sing your praise." In this way, we ask the Lord to bless not only our words of prayer, but all our words for the coming day. The mood of Matins is quiet and contemplative. The psalms used in this Office are often called "historical psalms," because in them God's saving deeds for his Chosen People are narrated. Two readings are solemnly proclaimed at Matins: the first one from Holy Scripture, the second from the writings of one of the saints, Church Fathers, or one of the official documents of the Church. In this way, we begin our day pondering the love of God who has called us to belong to him and to make his name known.

Lauds

At 7:35 a.m. we sing the Office of Lauds, an Office in which psalms of praise express our gratitude for God's gift to us of the new day. We ask God to help us consecrate the day, and our very selves, to him. Lauds and Vespers are the two Major Hours of the Divine Office, occurring at the beginning and at the end of the day.

Terce, Sext and None

Terce, Sext and None are often referred to as the "Little Hours". They are simple and fairly brief, occurring at about 9:00 a.m. 12:15 p.m. and 2:20 p.m. respectively. We stop to pray these Hours during what is usually the most active time of the day so that prayer may rise up to God no matter what we are doing. In this way we are never far from the remembrance of God. During these "Little Hours" we ask that whatever we do may be done at God's inspiration and completed with his help.

Vespers

Vespers is celebrated at 6:00 p.m., when the day's work is completed. We gather to give thanks and praise to God for all his gifts and to intercede for those who are in need.

Compline

At 7:50 p.m. we sing Compline, our last Office before retiring. Its mood is gentle and reflective, as we surrender ourselves once more into the Lord's hands and ask him to help us to sleep in his peace.

Manual Work

St. Benedict speaks of the importance of manual work. He says “Let all serve one another in Love”. In our work together we strive to live in harmony with all God’s creation. Our work in the monastic gardens, the kitchens or in the Guest House, expresses respect and responsibility for the earth entrusted to our care. Our produce is grown organically. Art, music and craft-work are also part of our life and we see them as bringing glory to God our creator. In our work of monastic hospitality, which has long been recognized as a need in the Church, we welcome those who are searching for God, a space to discover the silent presence of God in their lives. Our Guest House is situated in the grounds of the ancient abbey, and all our guests are welcome to join with the community in prayer. At Minster we try to remain open to those who come for help, guidance and friendship, and these contacts enrich our lives.

Community Life

“This then is the good zeal which monks must foster with fervent love; “They should each be the first to show respect to the other”
Our life of prayer, work and hospitality is lived in community. It has been said that community has a sacramental dimension, in that, in the experience of community life, the hidden grace of Christ is given to each person. Those called to live monastic life discover that in the daily events of life, God is unfolding the mystery of Himself, and the mystery of each sister. This happens slowly and sometimes painfully. We take vows that involve the sharing of our possessions, living chastely, without marrying, in obedience to the Prioress and to one another. The community is a place where each person is valued. Each sister brings her own particular gifts, and is accepted with all her limitations. In our community life, we joyfully strive each day to be faithful to the prayer of Jesus “May they all be one”.

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