St. Benedict's Monastery is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

in Pitkin County, Colorado, in the

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Snowmass Snowmass may refer to: *Snowmass Village, Colorado, a town in Pitkin County, Colorado, U.S. **Snowmass (ski area) ** Snowmastodon site, an archaeological excavation near the town where well-preserved fossils of mammoths, mastodons, and plants were ...

about northwest of

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the ''Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China ...

. The

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 dedica ...

s are members of the Order of

Cistercians The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

of the Strict Observance, commonly called 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 ...

. St. Benedict's is located on over in the foothills of the Elk Mountains, near the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. The monastery protects a large amount of open space in a sensitive area near important wildlife migration routes. The monks manage their ranchlands, operate a cookie bakery, and offer retreat facilities for groups and individuals. A retreat house and guest hermitages are located about 1 mile from the main monastery building. The monastery was founded in 1956 as a foundation established by the Trappist community at

St. Joseph's Abbey St. Joseph's Abbey is a Trappist monastery in Spencer, Massachusetts. It is known as a center of prayer and monastic work. Jams and beer produced by the monks are particularly popular. The monastery is also known as one of the origins of the cent ...

Spencer, Massachusetts Spencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,992 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Spencer, please see the article Spencer (CDP), Massach ...

. The community celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006. St. Benedict's was the home of Father Thomas Keating, a popular writer on centering prayer and one of the founders of

Contemplative Outreach Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O. (March 7, 1923 – October 25, 2018) was an American Catholic monk and priest of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (also known as Trappists). Keating was known as one of the principal developers of Cen ...

. In April 2023, St. Benedict's signaled that it would close, and that Dom Damian Carr, former abbot of St. Joseph's Abbey, had been appointed as monastic commissary to oversee the closure process.https://www.aspentimes.com/news/st-benedicts-monastery-in-old-snowmass-signals-it-will-close-process-to-begin-this-summer/

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Benedict's Monastery, Colorado Trappist monasteries in the United States 20th-century Christian monasteries 1956 establishments in Colorado Catholic Church in Colorado Buildings and structures in Pitkin County, Colorado Tourist attractions in Pitkin County, Colorado Christian organizations established in 1956