Stopped here almost 6 weeks ago while driving from ATL to Los Angeles. St Gregory's Abbey is a…read moreRoman Catholic monastery founded in 1876 by the Benedictines.
As we drove up we could see the beautiful Abbey, which is on the National Register of Historic Places Lising in Pottawatomie County, OK. The grounds were quiet and serene, and mostly maintained. We went inside and met with a monk, who was initially guarded and cautious, but, after speaking with us for about 30 minutes, asked if we wanted to go on a tour of the grounds. Yes!
He showed us part of some of the other buildings on the St Gregory's property. There were other parts, such as the former St Gregory's University buildings, that he pointed out but didn't show us because some of the property had been sold. I loved walking through the hallways of one of their main buildings, where old pics of monks and nuns from the past, and dated pics of the abbey were displayed. The colorful stained glass windows were so beautiful, as were the architecture features throughout the buildings.
The monk showed us where the brothers eat their meals, the store, places where living quarters used to be, and the Abbey. After being introduced to other Benedictine monks, we were invited to stay for vespers, evening prayer of thanksgiving and praise, at about 5 pm, where we participated in the prayers and chants. I felt very honored to be invited. Afterward, the monk showed us relics in the abbey - so awesome to see either parts (such as hair) of saints, or objects that saints touched! When it was time to leave, we thanked our host and left to get back on the interstate, heading west to Los Angeles. Awesome experience at St Gregory's Abbey! Even though this was a spur-of-the-moment and last minute decision to visit St Gregory's Abbey, the entire time we were here it felt like we were meant to be there at that moment, and that's a great feeling.