Le Morne st Benoît, St Benedict Mount, is a foundation of St Guénolé Abbey, Landévennec, France. Father Anselm came first in 1981 to help a small Olivetan community living in Haïti for some years after their destruction in Beirut during the Lebanon war. But very soon after his arrival, the local Olivetan prior, Dom Bernard de Smedt, asked our Abbot, Dom Jean de la Croix Robert, if Landévennec could succeed them and go on with this foundation. I was a postulant and novice in Landévennec at that time, and I remember how Dom Jean de la Croix made us sensitive, organized chapters, exchanges, reflections, and invited us to pray. 

Soon, a vote was taken, and brothers Simon and Patrick were sent to Haiti, the first one as prior. 

But I could tell the story in a quite different way, which is as true as the first one. 

Just after the first world war, a young priest of the Société des Pères de St Jacques, p. Jean-François Tanguy, arrived in Haïti as a missionary. Seriously wounded during the war having lost a leg, but with courage he fulfilled different ministries during about 17 years, at the end as parish priest of Fort Liberté. He was very attached to Haïti, but his wound had made him weak by exposing him to diseases. All through the years he had reflected and prayed about going on his mission like Thérèse de l’Enfant Jésus had done: in a cloister, by prayer. And so, finally, in 1937, he chose to enter Kerbeneat (they moved in 1950 to Landévennec). From that moment, he prayed for Haïti day and night, and on every occasion he insisted we, his abbots and brothers, come to this country. 

You can choose between these two versions, or better you can blend them: the insistent prayer of a monk, the service given to a lonely prior. 

In 1982, our founders began to implant us here, on the glacier residue of a highest mountain behind us, on a hill 225 m high they baptized St Benedict’s Mount, facing the beautiful Caribbean Sea. Their choice? Beauty, loneliness, central position in the island, affordable distance from Port au Prince (65 Kms), ingrate soil (so that unexploited, so that no necessity to take place of others), water not too far (a good spring at about one kilometer). 

Monastic life here has always been difficult. Instability, politics, and violence, natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes, lack of structures (for example, no land registry resulting in problems of property), no comprehensiveness of monastic life, poverty so near, some cultural mutual incomprehensiveness, heritage of a tragic history with salvation, revolts. And of course, no good roads, no public service for water, phone, or electricity. We had to navigate inefficiency.

We also learned resilience, joy in difficulties, patience and patience, and patience again, some solidarities, little victories, some forms of « robustesse » (resilience) far more important than performance. Hope we became more human, in a context where inhumanity is so frequent! Hope we ‘ll become better Christians. Only God knows… 

During those more than 40 years, I estimate that about 40 postulants tried to share our life, and so few stayed, and some of them left after 4 or 10 or 20 years. We remain at only 4 brothers, 3 rather young Haitian brothers, and myself - a 70 year old French monk. The eldest Haitian is now in Landévennec for a time, so imagine our life with only 3 at home! When there are only two of us for common prayer, we sing it entirely « choir » against « choir ». The prior takes his days of cooking, and the postulant may preside at vespers. We have bees. We make church candles. We have a printing shop (with two employees) working for schools around. We repair our car, truck, tractor, water pipes by ourselves. We resolve our solar system problems. About 30 neighbors come for the Sunday eucharist, perhaps a little path towards the Kingdom: 14 of them will be baptized next Easter. 

Covid 19 had kept our guest house absolutely empty. For 3 years, there were no letters, no theological or monastic or general bulletins. All of them are kept, we hope, in our PO Box in Port au Prince. For 3 years, no confessor, no Retreat Master, no president nor priests visitors for the St Benedict feast, no canonical visitors, no visit from our French abbot, no local priest to replace me one Sunday if I had to go or if I were ill, no possibility to receive pre postulants for stage. Everyone is afraid in Haïti by now. We have the chance to live in a narrow corridor of peace, but not far away, it is not the same. God knows and measures and never asks us - or as far as I can say, never asks me - more than what is bearable.  

Jer 12:5:  “If you have raced with people on feet and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses?  If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets of the Jordon?” 

Thanks for praying a lot for Haïti. 

Father Jacques Montfort, prior 

Gaudium Mariae Abbey was founded in 1979 by the Benedictine nuns from Saint Scholastic Abbey in Victoria (Buenos Aires province), achieving abbey status in December 1989. In the beginning, the community comprised seven nuns. Now it has 22 nuns in solemn vows, one in temporary vows and one postulant.  The generous influx of candidates motivated us to respond to a missionary appeal, and in 1987 we founded Our Lady of Paraná Monastery in the eastern part of our country about 350 km from our home.

Our monastery is 40km (25 miles) away from Córdoba city in the Córdoba Archdiocese where we have had an excellent presence since our foundation. Priests, religious and lay people from parish churches and ecclesial movements visit our guesthouse.   We share the liturgical prayers with them and benefit from their testimony and experience. Many times, they tell us of their pastoral projects and let us join them by supporting their efforts with our prayers.

Our nearest city – just 7km (4 miles) away - is the second most important tourist city in Argentina: Carlos Paz.  Many tourists come to the monastery to experience a deep spiritual meeting with God. Many of them ask for advice or some guidance, which we seek to provide. We also welcome weekly local groups of tourists during the summer season to let them know about our charism and faith-related topics, and to celebrate Mass.

Our monastery is located in a rural zone framed by a low mountain range. We have 6 hectares (15 acres) of land that was donated by the Franciscan priests who are our chaplains and who reside 900 meters (half a mile) away. The Franciscans also have retreat house.   We can collaborate with them and host up to 400 people for conferences, retreats, meetings, etc.  One example of this was our hosting of the 2019 Encuentro Monastico Latinoamericano (EMLA) meeting in October 2019, allowing all of the monastic superiors to come together.

Our building was erected with great effort and with the assistance of many church institutions from abroad. AIM was always there to support us.  We stay very close to the Argentinean Church in difficult moments, such as the one Latin America is currently going through.

Our main and specific service to the church, as contemplative nuns, is constant personal or communal prayer on behalf of all people. There are many who ask for our prayers and feel supported and comforted by them. We gather for the Liturgy of the Hours seven times a day and sing the psalm book in a week. The whole liturgy is sung in Spanish with Gregorian modes adjusted to the vernacular language.

Our daily income depends on our guests’ “free help”, the sale of handcraft products (religious wood, copper or leather crafts, knitting and clerical vestments) made by nuns from the Abbey and donations that we get from friends, benefactors and guests. AIM helped us to establish our bookshop that not only is a source of some income but also lets us help people by providing advice about readings and books. It has become an increasing pastoral task.

Our monastic guesthouse (partially built with help from AIM) is frequently visited by young families, priests and devoted people who need help, attention or advice. Our oblates are a small group of middle-aged people from different part of the country. They get instruction from one of our nuns and once a month laypeople from nearby and Córdoba city come for conferences on Bible study and spiritual topics.

Every year, about 150 local children come to the monastery to have their first catechism, taught weekly by eight nuns. Over time, some of these children and adolescents, who are altar servers, have started a group for young people, “JGM”, which means Gaudium Mariae Youth. They are guided by three nuns and helped in many spiritual tasks which include prayer, dealing with doubts or concerns and life challenges. At the same time, older adolescents, who are called “the prophets”, accompany the little ones.  Most of these activities are carried out in a hall that was built with help from AIM. We are deeply thankful for all of AIM’s help.  

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a twin island state, just 7 miles off the coast of Eastern Venezuela.  These two islands are the most southerly of the Caribbean Archipelago and feel the constant lapping of the waters of both the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

The Abbey of Our Lady of Exile is snugly nestled in the hills of the lush flora and fauna of Trinidad’s northern range six hundred and sixty feet above sea level.  After the conquest of the Spaniards by Christopher Columbus in 1498 and the decimation of a large portion of the Indigenous peoples, the re-population of the islands drew from a wide spectrum: African slaves, East Indian indentured labourers, French land-owners, English aristocrats, Spanish conquistadors, Chinese labourers, Portuguese, Syrians, Jews, etc. With this potpourri, came an attendant array of customs, rhythms and belief systems, all intermingling with each other and drawing as well from the vestiges of the Indigenes.  Although the British assumed political control in 1797, French was spoken in several quarters and Roman Catholicism held its own.  Today English is the lingua franca.  Hinduism, Islam, Protestantism, Pentecostalism, the Orisha Faith, the Spiritual Baptists and Roman Catholicism all co-exist, at times with a bit of syncretism, side by side with each other. 

Into this microcosm came the monks from the ancient abbey of São Bento in Bahia, Brazil, in the year 1912.  They were fleeing religious persecution.  On their arrival at Tunapuna, they dedicated the land to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of “Our Lady of Exile”, as the account from the Gospel of Matthew reminded them of their own flight.  Under the astute leadership of Dom Mayeul de Caigny and Dom Hugh van der Sanden, the monastery of Mount St Benedict flourished and soon became part of the spiritual landscape of Trinidad and the wider Caribbean.  Inspired by the open spirituality of the Rule of St Benedict, the monks opened the ears of their hearts and their monastery to the diverse peoples inhabiting these lands.

Today a small band of ten monks continue faithfully the work begun by their forefathers one hundred and four years ago.  Observing the daily round of prayer and monastic community living as prescribed by St. Benedict, their main task is the Liturgical Ministry to the pilgrims, hundreds of whom visit the monastery on a daily basis seeking prayer and guidance.  A “parlour” ministry meets the needs of those who seek a more direct contact with the monks and where often the Sacrament of Reconciliation is sought.  There is a retreat ministry which caters for both individuals and groups.  Wood work, poultry farming and kitchen gardening are also activities at the abbey.  “PAX” Yogurt, a product of the abbey, is sold at the “Pax Abbey Shop” on the grounds of the abbey and in all the major supermarkets on both islands of Trinidad and Tobago.  The “Pax Abbey Shop” also offers religious books and items for both devotional and doctrinal use.  

The Abbey of Our Lady of Exile, Mount St. Benedict, Trinidad, is the home of the Benedictine monks who live and work in Trinidad and Tobago.  It is a place where people of all faiths and of no faith are welcome.  It is a place apart where the Way of St. Benedict is lived and offered to all those who visit.