The monastic day revolves around communal and solitary prayer, meant to touch all the monks’ other activities as well, finding its source and apex in the full round of liturgical prayer, especially in the daily Eucharist.
3:40 am
The bell rings, announcing the presence of the Lord.
The monk is supposed "to be ready" and "to arise without delay when the signal is given" (RB22).
4:00 am
Vigil begins with the verse from Psalm 50, "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise." This is the longest session of prayer in the day, consisting of 12 psalms, a long reading from Scripture and a reading from the Church Fathers. All of the chanting is done in darkness.
Beginning in the early morning, well before sunrise, the monk’s day of prayer begins, when all of nature is silent and the monk is free to meet the living God.
5:00 - 5:45 am
Breakfast - monks serve themselves.
5:45 - 7:15am
Lauds is a church service that lasts about a half an hour and coincides with the rising of the sun. Lauds is immediately followed by the "Conventual Mass" (Eucharist). This is the heart of the monk’s day, when he receives the "Bread of Heaven," Holy Communion, nourishment for the day ahead, and really for all of eternity.
7:15 - 7:45 am
Free time to clean up, make beds, etc. After mass, unnecessary talking is not permitted.
7:50 am
The morning work meeting is held in the Chapter Room. At this time a hymn is sung, daily announcements are made and each brother states his work assignment for the day. Prior Christian assigns the jobs including cooking, laundry, correspondence with guests, gardening, computer work, maintenance, cleaning the guesthouse, porter, bookkeeping, bee keeping and crafts.
8:05 - 8:35 am
Class is in session. Novices and postulants attend classes in Scripture, the Rule of St. Benedict, monastic history, chant and the vows, while the professed monks pursue a private course of study and reading or may begin to work.
8:45 am
Terce is chanted in choir. Terce is simply the Third Hour of the Day, taken in the Roman reckoning of time, the third hour since the sun rose. The Romans divided the day into 12 hours, from the rising of the sun to its setting, and the night into 12 hours, from the setting of the sun to its rising. These “hours” did actually vary in length, depending on when the sun rose and set. For example, in the Scriptures, Jesus is crucified at the Third Hour (Mark 15:25) and the disciples are in the temple at the Third Hour (Acts of the Apostles 2:15).
9:00 am
Work meeting for guests.
9:10 am – 12:40 pm
Work.
"The Brothers should have specified periods for manual labor as well as for prayerful reading ... when they live by the labor of their hands ... then they are really monks," (RB 48).
12:40 pm
Sext , the third daily prayer is held in the church.
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