| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Trappist |
| Established | 1950 |
| People | |
| Important associated figures | Fr. William Meninger Fr. M. Basil Pennington Fr. Thomas Keating William James |
| Site | |
| Location | Spencer, Massachusetts, US |
| Public Access | Yes |
| Other information | Produces and markets Trappist Preserves |
St. Joseph's Abbey is a monastery of the Catholic Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (O.C.S.O.), popularly known as the "Trappists", located in Spencer, Massachusetts. It is known for its production and marketing of Trappist Preserves, a line of jams and jellies, which partially supports the abbey.
The monastery became known internationally as the origin of the centering-prayer movement in Catholicism and Christianity in the 1970s—the movement's leading proponents, Fr. William Meninger, Fr. M. Basil Pennington, and Fr. Thomas Keating, were monks at the monastery. The abbey community lives a contemplative life, following the Rule of Saint Benedict.
The grounds of the Abbey are open to the public.[1]
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St. Joseph’s Abbey was settled in 1950 on the former site of Alta Cresta Farms. The Trappists that settled the abbey moved there from Rhode Island.[2]
Father Thomas Keating was elected abbot of the abbey in 1961. Keating, one of the architects of the contemplative prayer movement, retired in 1981.[3] Along with Meninger and Pennington, Keating founded the centering prayer movement in the 1970s while abbot of St. Joseph's.[4] The three held retreats at the abbey to teach this method of prayer.[4]
In 1954, shortly after their arrival in Spencer, a small, stove-top batch of mint jelly was made by one of the monks with mint from their herb garden.[5] Since monastic austerity at that time precluded the jelly from being served to the monks at meals, it was sold at the porters' lodge. The response to the jelly encouraged the monks to try making and selling other varieties. Soon, jelly-making proved to be a successful and compatible monastic industry, contributing about half of the income needed to run the abbey.[5]The jams and jellies made by the monks are sold under the brand name Trappist Preserves, and are now available in supermarkets in the United States, particularly in the New England region.[2] In 2005, the monks produced 1.7 million jars of preserves in 26 flavors, turning one and a half tons of fruit into preserves daily.[5] Brother William James perfected the recipes and, as of 2005, had cooked every batch of jam made at the abbey in the past 40 years.[5]
The monks at the abbey also make liturgical vestments, and run a farm.[6]