Matt Vest '08 - Last Wednesday morning I left for St. Meinrad, Indiana in southern Indiana for an experience that I will remember for some time.  I had the opportunity to observe, talk to, and live among the monks of the St. Meinrad arch abbey.  St. Meinrad is one of only nine arch abbeys in the entire world, and the architecture and scenery is all incredible.  However, I expected to see those aspects before I got to the arch abbey.  What I did not expect was the spiritual experience I would have spending three days with these incredible people.

I arrived Wednesday just after noon, and settled into my room at the guest house.  I then spent the afternoon talking with Father Anthony, the ‘public relations’ monk.  I also toured the grounds extensively and went to Vespers, the evening prayer time.  After Vespers, I traveled with several other college students and Father Jonathan to Jasper for dinner. It was very cool to get some other students impressions and views about Catholocism and St. Meinrad.

I got to bed early so that I could wake up the next morning and attend the morning Vigils and Lauds at 5:30 on Thursday. After a short break, I also attended mass and then ate a quick breakfast.  I spent the morning interviewing monks, one of which was a local from a very German family, then attended the noon prayer. After lunch, I traveled to the local parish to meet the priest, another St. Meinrad monk, and also met the arch abbot.  The evening began with another Vespers service, and then I had the unusual opportunity to eat dinner with the monks.  I got to go back into the cloister that is not open to the public, and sit through a silent meal that was very incredible. That evening I met with one more monk and then went to bed to prepare for another early morning.

The next morning I traveled to Monastery Immaculate Conception to attend mass with Father Anthony. I also ate breakfast with him and some of the sisters of the convent.  That morning I interviewed my final two monks, one of which is the leading expert in converting Latin Gregorian chant into English.  I finished up around noon and headed for Jasper, where I spent a couple hours touring the Dubois County Historical Society.  Several locals have put numerous volunteer hours into creating an exceptional museum detailing the history of the county and the surrounding area.  Then it was back to Wabash.

As I mentioned, I knew that the architecture and culture would be incredible, but the spiritual experience that I had was possibly more intense than anything else. Spending three days with some of the most holy men that I have ever met led to an experience that I won’t soon forget. Though I may not be Catholic, it is impossible to spend that much time with these incredible people and not feel some sort of spiritual significance. It was a very incredible experience, and one that I will not soon forget.