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Our life


“Let the senior monk observe whether the novice truly seeks God”
Saint Benedict

For Saint Benedict the search for God is the fundamental element of every monastic vocation. This is precisely the main point of Chapter 58 dedicated to the admission of candidates.

Our way of life, as defined by Saint Benedict, follows that desire for God. Everything in the monastery, the day-to-day organization, the times of prayer and work, the relationships between the brothers, obedience to the superior, our pastoral activity, our dealing with the outside world and many other dimensions of our life, is conditioned by that fundamental movement that leads us to God.

Perhaps looking at the daily schedule in our monastery can give a clear idea of ​​how the monks of Monte Irago live that particular search for God in the here and now of their community.

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parallax background

Pastoral dimension

After a time of rest, the monks again dedicate the afternoon to work. If the morning focuses on more domestic work, the evening in our monastery has a more pastoral dimension. By then, many of the pilgrims will have already reached Rabanal. Our presence in the hostels, the dialogue and listening to pilgrims who come to the monastery to talk to the monks and the attention given to groups occupy much of this time. Along with these tasks, we must also mention the service we provide in our small shop, the administrative tasks, and the attention to several parishes in the area.

Vespers

At 7:00 pm, one of the most important moments of the day is the celebration of the Office of Vespers in the Church. Many pilgrims come to celebrate this evening prayer with us, to thank God at the ending of the day. Like all liturgical prayers, the singing of the psalms alternates with some reading. Monks and pilgrims are once more united in prayer before the Lord. After Vespers there is an opportunity either to have confession or a personal talk with a monk.