Weston Priory is nestled in the midst of the sturdy Green Mountains of Vermont. It is a small community of Benedictine monks whose experience of living and growing together has become a sign and a vision of Christian community for many. Founded in 1953 by Brother Leo, then Abbot of Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem, the Priory became locally autonomous in 1968. Because of this autonomy, the brothers, now numbering 15, have been able to evolve their own natural community life with a certain spirit of flexibility and creativity. At the same time their life together is rooted deeply in the gospel of Jesus and the traditional Rule of St. Benedict, which has served as the basic rule for monastic life since the sixth century.
They describe themselves in this way: “We are a family of brothers seeking in faithfulness to one another to grow in Jesus’ spirit, and to become for others a sign of his unifying and redeeming presence in all persons and in our world. Our chosen way of doing this is through community, whose communion and common life draw us ever forward and give distinctively monastic witness to such Gospel values as prayer, work and hospitality.”
The brothers govern themselves by consensus among co-equals, and they ask one brother to serve the others as a prior. They support themselves through various crafts such as pottery, bookbinding, cloisonné enamel, woodworking, graphics, cider making, photography, and music. There is a love and concern for the land among them, and they express this through forestry and gardening.
As one drives up the rise of the mountain, the neat group of buildings, clustered around the original farm house and barn which is now extended into a simple chapel, comes into view. One is immediately struck by a sense of order and converse with nature. It is evident that these men have sunk their roots deeply into the strength and creativity of the natural order.
The amazing quality of their community life quickly becomes apparent as one begins to rub shoulders with this group of fifteen who have committed themselves to spend the rest of their lives together in the place. Their statement is as brief as it is momentous. “Our commitment to one another is total and abiding.” When one looks into their faces there is no glimpse of qualification or reservation about their life together. Equally striking is the positive and joyful acceptance of life as a gift of Christ. His world is good, and life is to be lived with him and with each other as brothers.
This high level of trust and interdependence is no accident. Considerable time and energy is spent in sharing among the brothers. They meet together at least three times a day to talk and to share. This is in addition to the four times a day when they gather for worship and the Eucharist. Their day begins with a Vigils service at 5 a.m. There then follows a period of about two hours for personal prayer, meditation, and reading. They then meet together for Morning Chapter when there is opportunity for individual sharing and a review of the work and activities of the day ahead. They meet again after a brief time of worship following lunch and then once again in the evening before they go to bed.
Sharing has been clearly established as a priority of their life -- a life together in communion in an open and honest way. Indeed, if a brother has need to share at length, or if there are feelings which need to be dealt with, then sharing takes priority over their normal work schedule. There is a commitment to one another to make certain that no brother will feel himself violated or cut off from the others by his feelings or by any actual or imagined barrier of resentment or mistrust.
This labor of openness to one another is seen in the context of invitation rather than demand. It is an invitation from Christ to be open and honest with him and to rejoice in the freedom known in life lived in community built on his love. As one of their songs says: “Moments to live by, when we are open to the great wonder of life in each other’s hands. Sharing and caring in the heart of our person, living our life in the mystery beyond all our dreams ... Certain as mountains’ rings he who calls us: life is for living, each moment, every day.” Such openness and trust is not contrived or forced, but is a natural overflow of a life lived in the context of God’s grace. Nor do they spend every day talking about feelings, but if there is the need in any person it is taken seriously, and time and space is freely provided. It is because of this bond of sharing that they can arrive at decisions by consensus.
It is not just feelings and problems which are shared. All of life is viewed and exercised in the communal context. Hopes, prayers, simple activities, personal creativity and labor, joy and celebration are all important community events. This sense of joy and celebration in life lived together is perhaps most evident in their times of worship together. In their daily celebration of the Eucharist there is a marked note of joy and festivity. Songs composed by one of the brothers are sung to the accompaniment of guitars. Quite often they will join in a folk dance as an expression of gratitude and happiness. There is a warmth and a welcome which is sensed by all who come.
Once again they have made a conscious choice. One of the brothers expressed it in this way: “Our direction is chosen to be joyful and happy people and not to brood over mistakes and all kinds of things we should be sorry for. We try to keep our visions turned in that direction because there is so much to celebrate and so many things to discover.” This joy and peace which they live is seen as one of the fruits of the presence of Christ among them. The choice is really to be open to the blessing of joy, and to give to others what they have been given in community.
And this is not the result of a superficial or blasé view of the reality of life. This community takes scripture with great seriousness. At the heart of their Eucharist there is a dialogue homily where each of the brothers has opportunity to speak out of the silence and comment on the Lessons for the day.
This sharing from scripture gives evidence of a marked reflection on life experience, concerns for the world community -- especially the oppressed -- and a boundless faith in God’s love. “All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you,” is the message of another one of their songs. Their worship is a genuine reflection of their joy in Christ and the life together which he has given them through the Holy Spirit.
Equally important is the seriousness with which they seek to discern the fruits of the Holy Spirit in each brother. Considerable time is spent in this process of discerning the gifts which God has made available for the building of the community. There is an awareness that each brother is gifted and that he truly enters into his unique selfhood when his gifts are called forth and exercised on behalf of the community. Thus one brother composes the music which they use in their communal celebrations of worship. Another brother is a gifted potter, and another is a bookbinder and restorer of rare books. The care of the forests in entrusted to another brother and others prepare the meals and care for the maintenance of the property. One brother works with enamels, another is a photographer, and others work with wood. There is no sense that one brother’s gifts are more important than those of another. All freely give for the health and sustenance of the community.
Although one brother is designated as the Guestmaster, all share in the important ministry of hospitality. And thousands of people now visit the monastery each year to worship with the brothers and to experience the warmth of their company. The numbers steadily increase, partly because of the popularity of the recordings which they have made of their own music. People are also hungry for the joy and the natural simplicity of their worship.
They have chosen to receive the people who come to them, but they have also chosen to close the house three days each month so that they can re-center themselves. Some friends have expressed concern about their ability to maintain the integrity of their own life and inter-relatedness with all of the visitors. But the brothers feel that the vitality of their own relatedness is in direct proportion to the extent that they can extend themselves to others.
The motivation is to share with others the gift of life together which they feel they have been given. One brother said at one of their gatherings: “It is my experience that 14 of you have opened up my life to feel more at home with myself and with you and the natural surroundings and with others ... I would never want that to be closed off from anyone’s life who comes.” Indeed they see those who come as gift because they feel there is a reciprocal factor at work where something re-enters the community when gift is shared.
One other decision which they have made about their community life is the question of size. Three years ago they decided that they should grow no larger than 15. And so when they reached 13, the next two brothers received began the process with them of forming a new family unit on another portion of their property. This seemed to be the way to maintain the depth and integrity of their commitment to share in each other’s lives and carry one another’s burdens and visions.
One can ask, have they a sense of mission as they live on their mountain in Vermont? In concrete ways they have given of their resources for those in need. Their concern over the Vietnam War, for instance, led to a special record, with one song by the brothers and one by a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. All the proceeds from it have been given “for the healing of the hearts and bodies of the Vietnamese people and the reconstruction of their homeland.”
The monks of Weston Priory, however, feel that their gift to the world is the reality of their community life. All of the people who come to them are the world coming into their midst. “We feel our deepest call is to live together as a community of brothers, as a community of love, and as we walk down that road together, that overflows to others,” said one brother. No one who has been there can deny the reality of that gift. Indeed it is a rare testimony of hope in our world of increasing darkness and doubt.
When this article appeared, Conrad Hoover, formerly the retreat master of Church of the Saviour, was co-pastor of one of the new church communities emerging from that congregation. His article, "The Pilgrimage of Prayer," appeared in the August/September 1975 Post-American.
Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!