Life in a Trappist abbey is entirely devoted to reflection and contemplation. Hence the monks are also called ‘contemplatives’. Headed by an abbot, and according to the Rule of Saint Benedict, the monks dedicate themselves to prayer, in seclusion and silence.
The most visible part of this prayer is the daily celebration of the Eucharist and the prayer time six times per day. Furthermore, the monks devote the most important parts of the day to spiritual reading and personal prayer, in addition to the necessary daily manual work.
All work and services in the monastery are there to enable continuous prayer. The monks live as brothers in a community so that they can always be in the presence of God in their continual prayer through mutual encouragement and assistance. With Saint Benedict they also call their community of brothers a ‘School for the Service of the Lord’.
A monk’s life can best be described as a life of prayer.
