Ora et labora

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Tuesday, January 31st. Thanks for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Coming next on The World and Everything in It: visiting a modern day monastery.

WORLD’s Emily Whitten chaperoned her daughter’s school trip to a monastery this month. She says her van full of teenagers found lots to think about along the way.

MUSIC: [VIVA LA VIDA, Coldplay]

EMILY WHITTEN, REPORTER: It takes almost three hours to drive from Jonathan Edwards Classical Academy in Tennessee to Saint Meinrad, Indiana. That gives the five girls in my rental van plenty of time to enjoy some classic alt rock…

SINGING: I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing, Roman Cavalry choirs are singing…

They also talk about what they hope to see at the monastery. The school takes the 10th grade class each year, and some stories have trickled down. Elizabeth Layman shares one.

LAYMAN: The day after the guy became a part of the monastery was the day he picked out his grave plot on site. So they make caskets here. Invested for life.

The class recently studied medieval history and, specifically, the 6th century book, The Rule of Saint Benedict. So, the overnight stay at the Benedictine monastery will give them a glimpse of some elements of that history. The teens tell me they look forward to meeting real monks and understanding them better. Gracie Royalty puts a fine point on it.

ROYALTY: I know I’m going to come away feeling differently, because I know I have so many stereotypes.

Soon, our caravan turns onto a driveway snaking through evergreen trees and winter fields. Then we finally see it—St. Meinrad Archabbey church.

GIRLS: Oh, it is. It’s got like a steeple. Oh, that’s so pretty! It’s so pretty. This is probably the guest house.

After checking into the modest guest house nearby, the entire class meets up for a self-guided tour of the Archabbey church building. Their teacher, Clint Lum, notes important features, like the painting of the Christus or Christ that dominates the church.

LUM: This was painted by another Benedictine monk in the 1940s.

Soon, bells ring out in the golden sunlight, calling everyone to prayer.

AUDIO: [BELLS RINGING]

We settle into the chairs for visitors, while monks in black robes file into the front of the church through a covered hallway. They sit in two separate sections of the church, facing each other, and begin chanting and reading Psalms.

AUDIO: [Monks chanting]

We’re given handouts to read along or participate. When the service is over, the monks head back out through their covered hallway without interacting with us. To live according to the Benedictine maxim, “ora et labora”—or pray and work—most keep their distance from visitors. But one monk does make his way toward our group.

WHITTEN: What is your name? MEINRAD: I’m Father Meinrad. You can’t forget that name.

Father Meinrad took Saint Meinrad’s last name when he joined the monastery 65 years ago. And after our lunch in the cafeteria, Father Meinrad shows the students the monastery archives.

WHITTEN: So this is your archives? MEINRAD: Yes…

The monks meet four times a day for prayer and once for Mass. But the students don't continue to join them. Instead, Mr. Lum leads them in a Protestant version of daily prayers in a guest house worship room. Three more times that day and twice the next day, they read from the Book of Common Prayer.

LUM: But let’s give ourselves to prayer one more time this morning. Let’s begin with the invitation. ‘Oh, God, make speed to save us. Oh, Lord, make haste to help us. Glory be…’

At the end of one service, Mr. Lum explains that he’s glad the students have learned about Gregorian chant and other customs of the Benedictine order. But he highlights a deeper principle.

LUM: We’ve met 5 times to pray. The principle behind that is to saturate your life with prayer and Scripture…

Near the end of the trip, we visit the monastery gift shop. That may feel a bit ironic, but with so many visitors, it does help the monks find a market for their wares. The students pose for pictures in front of the Abby Casket sign.

AUDIO: [Gift shop]

And they browse trinkets as well as monk-made products like scarves, back scratchers, and peanut butter with the memorable name, Peanut Brother.

AUDIO: [Tasting peanut butter]

By the time we head home, the girls in my van are tired. But not too tired to process the trip a little. The girls are slightly disappointed they didn’t interact with the monks more, but Elizabeth Layman feels the frequent prayer helped her focus more on God.

LAYMAN: I feel like we get so caught up in the here and now in our homework and trying to finish our assignments on time that we kind of forget what we're here for.

Several girls like the idea of incorporating more silence and prayer throughout the day at school. Here’s Gracie Royalty again.

ROYALTY: You take a second of silence, and it's like, okay, reset, and you're like, Okay, God is in the forefront. Like God is in the back of your mind, instead of whatever you're worried about…

It’s too soon to gauge any long term effects from this trip. But one thing I do know for sure—stepping away from everyday life to be together, to work and talk and focus on Scripture—I recommend that kind of “ora et labora” to anyone.

MUSIC: [VIVA LA VIDA] I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing, Roman Calvary choirs are singing. Be my mirror, my sword, and shield, missionaries in a foreign field, for some reason I can’t explain, once you’ve gone it was never, never an honest word, but that was when I ruled the world.

For WORLD, I’m Emily Whitten in St. Meinrad, Indiana.

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