Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity

Father Patrick OCSO on the fields of the monastery pointing up to the Snowbasin Ski Area where some of the events of the 2002 Winter Olympics were held.

The Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity was a Trappist[1] monastery in Huntsville, Utah.

History

Photo of Saint Teresa with Fr Emmanuel OCSO and Br Nicholas Prinster OCSO of the Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity taken from the Standard-Examiner with a signature of Br Prinster beneath it.

The abbey was founded in 1947 as a daughter house of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, at the invitation of Bishop Hunt of Salt Lake City.[2] in Kentucky. The monks briefly used temporary World War II barracks which had been left on the location, and soon moved to Quonset huts. Plans to replace the deteriorating huts[3] were placed on hold in 2007.[4]

The monks had a special relationship with the Missionaries of Charity. In 1972, Mother Teresa visited Huntsville Abbey for a retreat with the monks, at the invitation of Brother Nicholas Prinster, one of the monks who had spent some time with her.[5]

The monks of Utah were involved with the founding of a Trappistine monastery of nuns in Arizona. Over the years, many of the priests from Utah were sent to be the chaplain for Santa Rita Abbey.[6] National Geographic did a short video about the Trappist Monks of Holy Trinity Abbey.[7]

One of the notable monks who was at the abbey was former Abbot Casimir Bernas, who wrote almost 400 reviews of biblical and theological journals and textbooks.[8]

The monks supported themselves by farming and beekeeping on the abbey's 1,840 acres of land. Among other goods, they sold bread, multigrain cereal, creamed honey, and handmade clocks in the gift shop.[9]

The abbey had 32 monks when it was founded, and at one point the abbey held 84 monks and novices.[10] As the number of monks at the abbey dwindled and the average age among those remaining increased, its industries were gradually discontinued. The decision was made to sell and close down the abbey.[11] By 2017, there were only seven elderly monks living at the abbey.

On August 27, 2017, the abbey celebrated its final Mass and was closed afterward.[12] Two monks transferred their vow of stability to Genesee Abbey, another Trappist abbey in New York.[13] One monk became the chaplain at Our Lady of Angels monastery for the Trappist nuns in Crozet, Virginia.[14] The eight remaining monks moved to a nursing home in Salt Lake City.[15] The influence of the monks on their neighbors in the valley was documented in a commentary printed in the Ogden, Utah newspaper.[16]

In 2018, a documentary entitled PRESENT TIME: Journal of a Country Monastery was crowdfunded to document the 70-year history of the abbey.[17][18][19]

References

  1. ↑ "Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance: OCSO". www.ocso.org. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  2. ↑ "Home". www.monks.org. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  3. ↑ "To Build a Monastery". Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  4. ↑ Kristen Moulton (August 30, 2007). "Ogden Valley's Trappist monks celebrate new abbott". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  5. ↑ O'Brien, Mike (September 16, 2018). "Huntsville Abbey hosted Mother Teresa in 1972". Intermountain Catholic. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Monastic Community of the Trappistine Branch of Cistercian Nuns | Santa Rita Abbey". Santa Rita Abbey. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  7. ↑ Trappist Monks, retrieved 2018-03-21
  8. ↑ Bernas, Casimir (October 3, 2018). "WorldCat". WorldCat.org. Retrieved Oct 3, 2018.
  9. ↑ O'Brien, Michael (April 15, 2018). "Commentary : Still hearing the bells of Brother Nicholas from the Huntsville Abbey". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  10. ↑ Kristen Moulton (March 16, 2010). "Saying Goodbye to Brother Felix". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  11. ↑ Eagar, Emilee (August 17, 2014), "End of an era: Huntsville bookshop closing, monastery not far behind", Deseret News
  12. ↑ https://vimeo.com/236672432
  13. ↑ "Genesee Abbey | Becoming a Trappist Monk or Nun". www.trappists.org. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  14. ↑ "Our Lady of the Angels Monastery | Welcome". www.olamonastery.org. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  15. ↑ "The World Is Changing. This Trappist Abbey Isn't. Can It Last?". The New York Times. 2018-03-17. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  16. ↑ O'Brien, Michael Patrick (April 13, 2017). "The monks and the saints - 70 years together in the Ogden Valley". Ogden Standard-Examiner. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  17. ↑ https://www.seedandspark.com/fund/present-time-journal-of-a-country-monastery#story
  18. ↑ "The Beginning - and End of a Monastery". Catholic Journal. July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  19. ↑ Chaplin, Lori Hadacek (September 26, 2018). "Film Chronicles Utah Abbey's Final Years". Catholic Digest. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
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