Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary - Mount Angel, Oregon - July 15th, 2012

      There is something to be said for solitude. Being away from the world in a like-minded community focused on living a life of devotion and virtue while surrounded by nature and beautiful architecture. This was one of the first thing I noticed at Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary.

       The abbey is located in a tiny town in Oregon called Mount Angel. The church is the center of the town and surrounding it are small specialty shops, restaurants and pubs. It's like something out of Chesterton Novel on where he believed those who best expressed religion and understood the need for it where to be found. There was another side to it too of course, whether it was the tea party flag (which the mentality of the tea party itself ignore the paying Caesar what is due Caesar (taxes) and paying God was is due God (way one lives).

      The Abbey is about 10 minutes away from the downtown and when one enters it one passes up a large road in which there are paintings of the stations of the cross. Next is the home where people go on retreats and above it is the Church itself.

      The Church and Abbey overlook the valley and my is a quite a sight. Farmland, forest and mountains stretch below while near the bench could be found wild roses growing.

       That day I would witness the ritual of the monk life. At 8 o'clock the monks arrived and sang songs of praise while doing two readings. The monks were Benedictine and had long black robes. There were old men and also a few younger men. After the chants they took positions all around the Church. The abbot with one of the elders stayed near the Madonna where they had all done the "Hail Mary" prayer and the others moved about continuing their work.

     It was experiencing a snapshot in their lives and was a wonderful experience. I know that I too enjoy the contemplative life and it is a huge part of me (as well as the importance of living virtue). One of the things I need to never forget though, is that to live good I need to

     Contemplation and living simply are always things that have appealed to me. I think it's partially due to my aspergurs and the fact that I do get overwhelmed in big groups sometimes or places with lots of noise and over-stimulation. What I've found for me though is that finding that balance between being within society and around people and finding time for myself to think about the big questions and contemplate the unknown or what I'm learning has helped me to grow.

      My experience of the abbey reminded me of that and all the questions and unknowns that I think about, while at the same reminding me as I sat quietly, of the gift that silence can bring.