POINT The State News Magazine •most Americans today are not tough enough to stand a deep self-analysis.'. Dear Abbey: a love story Keeping the faith at Three Rivers By PETE DALY State News Staff Writer A motel it isn't. St. Gregory's Abbey is located on 800 acres of roiling and fields fire miles from Three Rivers, a town south of Kalamazoo. It is one of 15 Episcopal monasteries in the United States. It is also a place with weekends booked so!id through 1976 for visitors wanting to see what if s like to be a monk. Some are curious, others deeply religious and some consider staying. But when the visit is over only 18 men stay, and while St. Gregory's is not as traditionally medieval as purists may wish it to be, neither is it as similar to a Holiday Inn as first impressions may now. Hie monks there say they have come to dedicate their lives to God. And they are serious about it "The life of monk is actually one said their leader, a man who came long k"e affair with God," to the monastery five after it was founded in 1946. He is known years only as Father Abbott "The most rigorous part of he said. being here is facing your own ego," The monks believe that to be truly close to God, a person must genuinely know and be at peace with himself. Much reference is made by Father Abbott and the other brothers to modern concepts of psychoanalysis, which they say can relieve a person's inner distress only God enter their lives. temporarily. This is where the role of "Most Americans today are not self tough enough to stand a deep - analysis like the monks practice here," Father Abbott observed. "Probably we Americans have been trained with too many escape mechanisms, such as the channel on the TV." taking another pill or changing After sublimating the individual's ego before God, the central theme of the monastery is to set up a commune or existence, which is as self subsistent as possible. - family - type "Nobody legally owns anything here Abbott said. 'It is personally," Father communistic, in a pure sense of the word." The monks arise five days a week at 3:30 a.m. for the first of seven 'offices' they will attend that day. Office is a short session The most rigorous part of being here is your own facing ego." of prayer and chants done communally in the chapel. On Sunday, the get up around 5:30 a.m. Once a week a monk can sleep in until 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. Some of the income for the monastery comes from its farm, where cattle are raised for sale to feedlots. Though farm work is a tradition of monasteries, the monks at St. Gregory's actually have very little to do with farming. A full - time farm manager is employed by the monastery. The monks spend week helping feed the cattle or only a few hours a Each monk spends about harvesting hay. one or two hours a day doing regular housework around the monastery. They may also work on maintaining the grounds, which are impeccably kept. The monastery is not self business. It has a small sideline - supporting in spite of its cattle is famous for. Much of its making Christmas cards, which it come $70,000 annual operating cost must through donations, some of which come from the number of weekend visitors over large the year. Visitors include a spectrum of Buddhists and Dominican religious ideology, such as nuns, a number of proclaimed atheists and a few independents who come perhaps to do a little window shopping. A honeymooning couple once spent a weekend at St. Gregory's though it was probably in a camper. Usually, women visitors must stay in St. Dennis, a remodeled farmhouse, and they are not allowed inside the monastery. "We expect our visitors to comply with our rules and to try to attend all the offices and masses, just like the monks do. Otherwise, our monastery would become just a vacation a lot of spot for people," Father Abbott said. One rule visitors learn immediately is silence. No boisterous or unnecessary talking is heard. Even the most unmonklike viator seems to automatically talk in whispers, if at all. The case of the African geese well illustrates this rule. The geese, a gift to the monks, originally had free run of the grounds. But geese are apparently not cut out for the contemplative, silent life of a monastery, preferring instead to march about together in military fashion, honking belligerently all the while. The geese were soon banned to a nearby out of earshot of the monks. barnyard, The monks do not spend all their mental energy on God. They Father Abbott has been at St. Gregory's Abbey since 1947 Photos by (continued on page 3) Craig Porter Xjojs 0ao| d :/aqqvjd90 A silent contemplation of history (continued from page 2) also read voraciously, either to keep themselves informed or for amusement Their library of 10,000 volumes includes paperback spy thrillers and turgid tomes on the lives of the saints. The monks even devour literature along with their simple but well - prepared meals, usually consisting of meat and potatoes. While monks and male visitors eat together in silence, another monk reads to them from a' lectern in the dining room. Recent selections were "Hunting the Divine Fox," humorous essays on traditional religious thought and "Monarch," a story of grizzly bears in Alaska. Another book begun recently proved so boring that the monks took a vote to select another. Thought communal living is paramount at St. Gregory's, and democracy an important concept in decision - making, it is not all that easy to become a monk. Father Abbott suggests that it takes a special breed of person to survive the lifestyle. The turnover rate of residents at St. Gregory's backs him up. "Of course, we can't accept just anybody into the monastery," Father Abbott said. "It's not really hard to get in, but sometimes Communal participation is a major part of monastic life.. we try to talk people out of it, especially those who are far too idealistic. For example, someone might say 'all my life I have monks, some of whom have been at the monastery only months. wanted to give my life to God.' That's unreal, and it is usually "I will stay here for the rest of my life," Michael said. A timid just an attempt to escape reality through God. There is no escape little man of 24, he cam£ to St. from growing up." Gregory's last summer. Michael had previously spent some months in a The dropout rate for a monk at St. monastery in New York Gregory's Abbey is high, City. with less than 20 per cent remaining there for life. A visitor "It was too loud there. The street noises don't let wonders who will stay and how you long as he talks with the younger meditate," he said quietly. Tyrone and Ron are also newcomers to St. Gregory's. Both had held well - paying jobs in business management and led "swinging lives with lots of friends and partying." But each wanted something more out of their lives. They gave up the high life for a quieter business pursuit that Ron sells with a modicum of window dressing. "If you don't have God, you don't have anything," he said. The monks don't really shuck all material pleasures. TTiey have a stereo they use to play classical music, "but no Grateful Dead music," Ron said. One of the monks raises prize winning orchids. Another is involved in photography and others play musical instruments. A television is used only sparingly by the monks to watch the evening news, and an older monk may occasionally watch a popular program like the Waltons. They also court social awareness, numbering the New York Times, Newsweek, Time and even Playboy among the publications they receive at St. Gregory's. Ron was aggravated by the recent ordination of women as Episcopal priests in Chicago. They have a stereo they use to play classical music, "But no Grateful Dead music," Ron says. "A woman can never be a spiritual leader as effectively as a man," he said. "Did you see that picture in the Chicago Tribune, showing all those people crowded around the altar? There were old women, little kids, winos ..Ron was disgusted. Women as sexual figures are conscientously excluded from the monks' personal lives. They feel sexual energy can better be spent in striving for a closer relationship with Christ. But what happens in the minds of the younger monks when they see an attractive woman? The idea is to react blindly to the appealing image of woman, though the monks confess humorously that drastic measures can be taken. "Well, you can run around the track or take a few cold showers," Tyrone advised. "We take a lot of cold showers," Ron chuckled. St. Gregory's is not a bastion of prudes, however. The brothers have been known to imbibe spirits on feastdays, and occasionally they will drink for pleasure, as a group, with moderation as the measure of enjoyment. "We had one guy here who was. an alcoholic," Ron said. "When he didn't make chapel for a couple days the monks went to his cell and found him out cold, with empty bottles all over. Nobody could figure out where he was getting it." (continued on page 8) Of pumpkins and friends This is Edward Sheap. His friends call him Eddie. He and about 185 others live at the Ingham County Medical Care Center east of the MSU campus. The center started as the county poor farm in the 1850s and has since been called the county infirmary and the extended care facility. Last Halloween, MSU volunteers visited the center and helped Eddie and a few other residents to make jack o'lanterns. The volunterers, who visit the center each week, use a variety of horticultural means to interact with the residents. The creation of a jack o'lantern takes only a few minutes, but it is the time spent, not the result, that matters to a person whose days go by with little to do and few people to see. Eddie gets a jack o'lantern, but he and the volunteers who visit him get much more just being together. Photos by Craig Porter ! ' 1 1 [I'M1 1 U i i-11 i |1 Ml1 1 h ,—l1 i _ Begins Time to make use of the monastery's extensive library... Accentuate the spirit but remain human (continued from page 3) a month or two at St. might experience in a dorm," The monk was finally Gregory's before moving he on to said. "You might find expelled. visit secular friends out West. yourself gradually bugged by Life at St. Gregory's is He also intends to the way stay at somebody else wears monitored by a system of rules another monastery in New his shoes." written by St. Benedict in the Mexico this winter. With these kinds of 6th century. The brothers are Bill Teska is not like the typical problems, the brothers' aware of the vicissitudes of typical monk. He has long hair democratic process may play a time, however, and one rule tied back in a pony - tail, and role. For instance, a recent cat that suggests monks do not when working outside wears controversy finally ended in a sleep with their knives at their cowboy boots and dungarees general vote that banned the sides "lest they cut themselves topped with a big floppy hat monastery's several cats from in their sleep" draws reverent with a tiny red star pinned to the living and guffaws. dining quarters. it. "We called for a vote after I The essential rules that A practicing socialist, caught a cat eating bread on make a monk's life one of Treska helped organize a pair the kitchen counter," silence and seclusion appear to growled of secular communes in Ron, a member of the anti cat - come easy to these men, but Minnesota. He has plans to faction. not for their family and friends found a religious • oriented And even monks have to left behind. A parent's outrage get community. He appreciates St. away from it all once in a at their son's "Throwing his Gregory's for its collective while. After a few years, a life away" often is grim reality for a monk. "I haven't gotten a letter "It's just like what you might experience in a from home since I came here," dorm. You might find yourself gradually bugged Ron said. His father recently suffered a stroke, and as Ron by the way somebody else wears his shoes." prepared to hurry home an older brother phoned him. "My brother told me, 'how atmosphere. monk may take a two - week dare you come home now, "Collectivism is going to be vacation to visit family, friends after all the grief you have more of a reality in the or even other monasteries. caus. ,'d Dad?"' Ron confided. future," he said. Monks that need a break more Tyrone said some of his The collective life style of often, or cannot afford to pay former friends have written monks, however, is not their own transportation costs, bim, but not always in a automatically peaches and can spend a few days in the considerate tone. cream. Hermitage, a small cabin "When you join a The monks are quick to situated on a lake far back on monastery, you really find out point out that although they the monastery land. who your friends are," he live lives oriented toward In the isolated atmosphere sighed. Christ, they are just plain of the Hermitage the routine Some of thfr monks' best people with everyday worries and frustrations of the friends are the long - term personalities. monk slide away as he reads, visitors, usually religious men "Even here you will have meditates or just soaks in the who may stay for a week or a your blue Mondays," Ron said. hut's small sauna bath. fr-w months. Father Abbott said there are Tyrone laughed when one Father William Teska is an the typical irritations at the visitor remarked. "You monks Lpiscopal chaplain from monastery that come from really are human, aren't you!" Minnesota State University constant association with the "When we left the world to who has been on a year's same people. here, we brought ...or to be alone with come a lot of a deeper sense of self sabbatical leave. He will spend "It's just like what you it with us," he said. analysis.