Visiting all over the Irish Cistercian monasteries (part 1)
It is all started in the late 80's, when my parish priest gave me a cartoon strip on the Trappist order as a gift due to my many ministries.
In the minute I finished reading it I knew I am going to get more involved in their life. So after finishing secondary school in 1996, I got it arranged that one of the Trappist abbey in Ireland will welcome me for a few weeks. In Ireland the Trappist called themself Cistercians although they are Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (OCSO), commonly called the Trappists.
All monasteries have their guesthouses for people who wants to have a retreat or just to be in a silence for a few days praying and walking in the nice area surrounding the monasteries. So I stayed first at Mount Melleray Abbey, Cappoquin,Co. Waterford, arriving in the beginning of December.
As St Paul said "if you don't work, you don't eat", I kindly asked for little jobs, so I remember I was repainting the front door of the guesthouse, and help fr Denis in the Abbey's shop to sell some religious objects for the visitors.
I followed the monks timetable and was going to pray with them according to their timetable:
Vigils 4.00am
Lauds 7.00am
Community Mass 7.45am
Terce 9.30am
Sext 12.15pm
None 2.15pm
Vespers 5.45pm
Compline 8.00pm
As it was winter after the compline with the other guest we have had long conversations beside the fireplace drinking tea. My blog on it:
https://steemit.com/travel/@piaristmonk/the-5-most-well-known-things-about-hungary
I have never met with such a great hospitality as I experienced in Ireland.
Look my table before Christmas, I got it all from the guests and from the monks!
I was hitchhiking mostly between the monasteries. I have to say I had never been waiting more than 10 minutes for a ride! The Irish are the most friendly people I have ever met!
The abbot of Mount Melleray allowed me to stay with them at Christmas (as that is the only time when the guesthouse is closed) moreover as the first lay people I was invited to have the Christmas dinner with the monks in the refectory. That is the only time when the monks can eat a little meat and drink a little alcohol!
Most of the guests after saying goodbye and I went to my room later, under the door they slipped into a letter on it giving me their phone numbers and addresses and a few Irish pounds also were included. A few of them of course I visited later, building friendship for a life.
Special thanks must go to fr Alphonsus O'Connell, with him I was working in the guesthouse and who were arranging all of my staying at the other monasteries.
Will continue... and don't forget that bitcoin is going to the moon!