Prayer, Work, and Study are the watchwords of the monastic life. It may be useful for the prospective candidate to hear a bit about how we understand these terms and attempt to live them out at Spring Bank.
Prayer
A monk is a man of prayer. He prays in two ways: the Divine Office in public, choral prayer and personal, private prayer. Neither kind of prayer stands alone; each supports and strengthens the other. The noble language of the Psalms and the haunting melodies of the chant inspire private prayer, and private prayer bolsters and enhances liturgical prayer.
The monks of Spring Bank meet for choral prayer seven times each day. In the monastic horarium there is time set aside early each morning for private prayer. The members of the community spend about 5 hours each day in liturgical and private prayer. Monks do not emphasize techniques for private prayer or a particular school of spirituality. Private prayer is a highly individual thing; what works for one may not be right for another. The important thing is for a monk to use this scheduled time for lifting his mind exclusively to God and not for other pursuits. He will be greatly rewarded in doing so, not only in his performance and attentiveness during the Divine Office in choir, but also by the peace in his soul that comes from a mind increasingly attuned to the Divine. A monk is not limited to designated times for prayer; prayer should suffuse his whole day. Whether at work or study, kitchen or classroom, a monk always tries to be aware of the presence of God and his own need for divine mercy.
The celebration of the Mass is the high point of the monk’s daily life. The community at Spring Bank has great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, both in the daily celebration of the Mass and in times of adoration. We have benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament on Sundays, Solemnities, and First Fridays. An optional half-hour of adoration is kept before Vespers on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
In keeping with this devotion, many monks of Spring Bank are called to Holy Orders. The vocation to the priesthood is in no way contrary to the life of a contemplative monk. Priests of the community concelebrate Mass daily, offer the sacrament of reconciliation to other members of the community and guests, and give counsel and spiritual direction to outsiders who request it. The Mass, Divine Office, and private prayer, all twork together in the soul of the individual monk, making him a man of prayer and a man of God.
Work
"Ora et labora," - "pray AND work" is the monastic motto. Work then, has a spiritual importance. The monk learns to offer his abilities and talents to God and to the community. He also learns patience and self-sacrifice in living by the labor of his own hands. Cistercian monasteries are self-supporting; they do not live from donations. Remunerative work, as well as careful management and investment of our property, money, and talents, are central to an integrated monastic life. Monastic work at Spring Bank is of different kinds. There is the routine cleaning and maintenance of the building and grounds. Some monks have regular positions such as cellarer or novice master; others do secretarial work or bookkeeping. Although great care is used in seeing that a professed monk is given work that suits him, new monks should realize that they may be asked to do chores that are arduous or menial. This work helps the monk grow in humility and obedience, and above all joy - a joy that comes from offering everything, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant, to the praise and glory of God.
The community has worked for the past several years to discern how, as a small community, we can best use our available resources to support ourselves and use the surplus to help others. Two of our businesses, LaserMonks and Benevolent Brands, have given the community a new degree of financial stability and have become well-known as models of both monastic enterprise and socially-responsible entrepreneurship.
We remain committed to using the talents of all the brothers, along with our available financial resources and property, for work that will provide necessary support for our life, and the means to continue our 900-year old tradition of hospitality, guardianship of culture, and being a spiritual presence to our secular society.
Lectio divina, spiritual reading chiefly of the Holy Scriptures and the Church Fathers, is a practice that influences every aspect of a monk’s life. The great drama of the Old and New Testaments becomes a living reality as the monk begins to see the entire history of salvation unfold in his day-to-day life. Time is given for lectio during the early morning hours and the late afternoon. A monk should spend at least forty-five minutes a day with lectio. It is important to realize that lectio is quite different than other types of reading. The amount read or simply the acquiring of facts is not the goal - an encounter with the risen Lord through the printed page is.
Lectio is practiced slowly, ruminatively. It is an invitation to witness the great acts of God throughout salvation history. Although the art of sacred reading may not hold the pride of place in today’s highly technical world that it held in previous centuries, lectio is a monastic practice that has stood the test of time. It is as viable for the monk of today as it was in the time of St. Bernard. Technology may change and become outdated; reading Holy Scripture and the Church Fathers won’t. While a monk usually begins the practice of lectio with the Bible, over the years, he will likely also turn to other texts appropriate for spiritual reading, such as the homilies of the Church Fathers, the writings of sound theologians, biographies of the saints, or works of biblical or Church history.
Education
A monk’s intellectual formation is never really completed. He may have earned his degree years ago, but his learning does not become truly effective until it is integrated into the day-to-day living out of his vocation. Brothers not going on priesthood are required to study at least a year of theology and philosophy. Academic acumen is not important; integration of the scared sciences into the mind and heart of the monk is. Novices are given in-house formation classes to prepare them for what will be expected in their theological studies. Monastic education can include non-academic vocational pursuits as well. A monk might go on to study forestry, mechanics, administration, or anything that can be of use to the community and help him become the man God wants him to be. Academic and vocational training also enhances the monk’s private interests. It is not unusual for a monk to study poetry, literature, art, and the sciences in his own free time. A monk is man of many interests, but they all flow out from and enhance his love of God and his willingness to imitate Christ.
