The Abbey of the Genesee is a community of more than two dozen contemplative

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...

s located near Piffard in the town of

York, New York York is a town in western Livingston County, New York, United States. Its population was 3,397 at the 2010 census. The Abbey of the Genesee in the town's hamlet of Piffard is locally famous due to the production of Monks' Bread. History ...

. They are a member of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, commonly known as the

Trappists The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...

. They were founded from the

Abbey of Gethsemani The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani is a Catholic monastery in the United States near Bardstown, Kentucky, in Nelson County. The abbey is part of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (''Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae''), ...

Bardstown, Kentucky Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...

in 1951. The Abbey of the Genesee is well known for its production of "Monks' Bread" which is baked by the monks and sold commercially, providing an income stream to support the monastic community.

Monks' Bread

A significant part of the monks' labor includes baking a brand of

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

called Monks' Bread which is sold at the Abbey store and distributed to regional supermarkets. The sale of the bread helps support the abbey and its inhabitants. The bread was originally made by one of the monks, Brother Sylvester, for the monastic community and its guests. Over time, demand for loaves from outsiders gradually led to the development of the current commercial operation. The bread is baked several times each week in the early hours of the morning. For that reason the monks go to bed around seven at night in order to rise about two in the morning. For reasons of security and hygiene, it is not possible to observe the baking process except through slides and photographs. Several varieties of bread are baked, including

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, whole wheat, rye, and

raisin A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the ...

, along with a number of other products such as gourmet coffee, jams and fruitcakes.

Visitors

The abbey chapel is open from 3:30 am to 7:30 pm. The abbey store is open from 10:00am to 4:00pm on certain days. Casual visitors are able to enter only a restricted part of the abbey. The abbey is open to serious individual guests and small groups who wish to make a retreat and avail themselves of the counseling of the monks. A small fee is charged to cover expenses.

Literature

In 1974, the Dutch priest and writer

Henri Nouwen Henri Jozef Machiel Nouwen (January 24, 1932 – September 21, 1996) was a Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian. His interests were rooted primarily in psychology, pastoral ministry, spirituality, social justice and commu ...

was allowed to live with the community of monks as a temporary member for seven months. This is rather unusual, because while the

do accept retreatants for some days, it is usually not possible to become a "temporary

" as Nouwen did. The permission was granted particularly due to Nouwen's close friendship with Abbot John Eudes. After his retreat, Nouwen's diary was published in 1976 under the title ''The Genesee Diary - Report from a Trappist Monastery''. This book is now deemed one of the fundamental works about Trappist spirituality and contemplative life in general. It is also widely recommended to be read by prospective monks during their vocational discernment.

References

External links

Abbey of the Genesee home page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Genesee, Abbey of the Christian organizations established in 1951 Buildings and structures in Livingston County, New York Tourist attractions in Livingston County, New York 1951 establishments in New York (state) 20th-century Christian monasteries Trappist monasteries in the United States