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The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani is a Trappist abbey near Bardstown, Kentucky in Nelson County—situated on more than 2,000 acres of farmland, and considered to be the "mother house" of all Trappist and Trappistine monasteries in the United States of America. Founded December 21, 1848 and made an abbey in 1951, Gethsemani was made famous when the monk Thomas Merton—acclaimed author and poet—made the abbey his home. Gethsemani is the oldest monastery in the United States of America that is still in use. The monastery is well-known for its store—Gethsemani Farms—which offers Port Salut cheeses, fruitcake and fudge on-site and by mail order. The current Abbot of the abbey is Fr. Damien Thompson.

Beginnings
In September of 1805 a congregation of French Trappists from the Abbey of La Valsainte in Switzerland arrived in Louisville, Kentucky from Pennsylvania. They traveled south near Bardstown, Kentucky to meet with the first Catholic priest ordained in the United States—Fr. Stephen Badin. The monks were invited by Badin and members of the community to make their home in the area—and they did for a short while—but the congregation soon left in 1809 after a year of bad flooding. Though their departure was understandable, it left Baden and other locals wanting for the ancient rituals and lifestyle those Trappist monks had brought with them. It is no wonder, then, that the townspeople of Bardstown greeted the next congregation that came with open arms.

In 1847 two monks from the Abbey of Melleray in France—under the instruction of Abbot Dom Maxime—were looking for land in Kentucky to build a monastery on. The two were greeted by Benedict Joseph Flaget in Louisville, who took them to nearby Nelson County, Kentucky. Here they surveyed a group of ten or twelve log buildings and land known as Gethsemani that was owned by the Sisters of Loretto—this was the same area that the Trappists who preceded them had temporarily made home—and made a deal for the land. On October 26, 1848, fourty-four monks of the Abbey of Melleray left France with their leader—Fr. Eutropius Proust. France at this time was on the verge of revolution, and a secular attitude was sweeiping across the land. Forty-three of the monks arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana on December 11, 1848, after losing one member of the congregation at sea. From there they sailed for ten days upriver to Louisville on the Martha Washington steamboat, arriving at Gethsemani on December 21, 1948. The group moved into the various buildings present at the site and celebrated Christmas days later.

First Abbot
Life at Gethsemani at this time was exceedingly harsh. Shortly after their arrival, Fr. Eutropius came down with pneumonia and nearly died—recovering only after being administered his Last Rites. By 1949 the fledgling community had torn down the old cabins on the property and constructed a second chapel, and soon began planning for the construction of a monastery. Fr. Eutropius returned to France in the summer of 1849 to raise funds for construction. At this time the congregation was receiving offers from several Archbishops in other states that wished to have the congregation move there to establish monasteries. Fr. Etropius refused them all because he wanted to establish at least one monastery before expanding, and Gethsemani would be that place. So, in 1851, the grounds at Gethsemani were declared "Proto-Abbey of the New World" and Fr. Eutropius Proust became Dom Eutropius Proust—first Abbot of Gethsemani.

With Dom Eutropius Proust having been installed as Abbot the previous year, plans for construction of the three storey monastery finally began in October of 1852—to be designed by the architect William Keely. It was during these pre-Civil war years that the monastery was built, modeled after the Abbey of Melleray. It was made of brick walls with timber roof supports with a rectangular abbatial church (meaning a church belonging to an abbey) constructed as well, the interior of which was made of lath and plaster in a Neo-Gothic style. Later on Neo-Gothic windows were installed, and atop the church a large steeple was mounted. The steeple could be seen from great distances, and the new monastery stood out from its rural surroundings. Many local members of the community helped the monks in the construction process, some of whom were slaves. In exchange for the hard work of Gethsemani's neighbors, Dom Eutropius promised the locals free schooling for their children. In 1859 Dom Eutropius resigned as Abbot and he returned to the Abbey of Melleray in France. At this time Gethsemani had a total of sixty-five monks. He later died in 1874 while serving as Abbot at the Abbey of Tre Fontane near Rome, Italy.

Second Abbot
Dom Benedict Berger was installed as the next Abbot just after the The American Civil War had commenced on April 19, 1861, though he had been leading the community since January of that year. Dom Benedict was known to have an astute business-sense about him and was diligent in ensuring his monks lived an austere existence—in fact, many locals viewed the monks as a strange and unhappy lot. Dom Benedict was equally remembered for his generosity and kindness to soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, accepting them in the abbey to provide nourishment, horses and/or distilled spirits. Dom Benedict did sympathize with the Union, however, and his monks enjoyed the protection of Union troops in the area. On May 1, 1864 the abbey opened their church in the public wing of their basilica to the general community, and France sent a priest by the name of Jerome Moyen to lead them.

On November 15, 1866 Gethsemani's abbatial church was consecrated by Archbishop Purcell of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, assisted by Bishops of Louisville and Buffalo, New York. Present at the consecration was Bishop Spalding of Baltimore, who gave the homily. That same year Gethsemani was given control over a nearby parish and Dom Benedict also founded a religious order for women—the Third Order of St. Francis—who were assigned to teach at an all-girls school in Mount Olivet, Kentucky. Meanwhile, the abbey was not doing well to bring in new postulants, in part due to the strict leadership of Dom Benedict. In 1878 the abbey had roughly the same number of monks as when it was founded, and none of those present were American. As a result, Gethsemani leased some of its land to local farmers to avoid closure.

In 1884 the abbey suffered a devastating blow. Their grain mill—which had been a major source of income and nourishment—was burned to ashes. Despite this, Gethsemani managed a very large and productive farm by this time. In 1885 the community received its first lifelong American monk, a former cowboy from Texas. The number of monks at Gethsemani, however, had dropped to thirty-four by the end of Dom Benedict's tenure as Abbot. In ailing health, Dom Benedict retired in 1889 and was confined to the abbey's infirmary until his death in August of 1891.

Third Abbot
Dom Edward Chaix-Bourbon was the next Abbot of Gethsemani, installed on May 9, 1890. He was a much different kind of Abbot in comparison to his predecessors—having entered the monastery in 1861, and having ruled the abbey in a much more relaxed fashion. Dom Edward applied himself to caring for the all-boys school the abbey ran on the grounds, transforming it into Gethsemani College, following receipt of a loan of $10,000 USD. Soon the college was flooded with applications from all across the state of Kentucky.

1896 to 1898
Prior Benedict Dupont

1898 to 1935
Dom Edmond Obrecht

1935 to 1948
Dom Frederic Dunne

1948 to 1968
Dom James Fox

Gethsemani Farms
Gethsemani once sustained itself solely through donations, by growing its own foods and selling timber. Today, in keeping with the observance of the Rule of St. Benedict, the monks of Gethsemani bring money to the the monastery by producing Port Salut cheese, fruitcake and fudge—in addition to royalties received from sales of Thomas Mertons' books. The cheese is semi-soft and based on an old European recipe, available in aged, smoked or dry. The fruitcake is made with Kentucky bourbon as well as cherries, pineapples, raisins, dates and nuts. They sell their products both on-site and via mail order. The fruitcake was once rated "best overall" by The Wall Street Journal. The months of November and December are particularly busy for Gethsemani Farms, with the monks receiving and filling large orders for the holiday season.

1968 to 1973
Father Flavian Burns

1973 to 2000
Father Timothy Kelly

Gethsemani Encounter I
For a week in July 22—27 in 1996, The Abbey of Gethsemani played host to its first groundbreaking dialogue between monastics of various Catholic and Buddhist orders. Among the issues discussed were topics on prayer, meditation, work ethics, and monastic roles. According to the 14th Dalai Lama—who was present at the encounter—these discussions were important in paving the way for future dialogues between the two religions. The idea to establish such a connection between them first came about at the Parliament of the World's Religions in 1993, when Julian von Duerbeck and Wayne Teasdale asked the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue (MID) to host an interfaith dialogue between Buddhists and Catholics; MID accepted, and that morning they held a meeting at the Parliament.

Gethsemani Encounter II
The second Gethsemani Encounter was held at the abbey during the week of April 13 to April 18, 2002.

Today
Father Damien Thompson

Silence is no longer required at the Abbey of Gethsemani—though it is still encouraged—and the some seventy-plus monks mingle with visitors and leave the monastery grounds from time to time. The monastery uses hired help to raise their beef cattle, and also for some of their maintenance and construction tasks. Mass is held every weekday at 5:30 a.m., and at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays in the main chapel. There are also other vespers and services interspersed throughout most days.

Monastic admission
Admission into the abbey is a difficult process for those interested in entering a monastic life there. The monastery requires applicants to make several visits to Gethsemani and encourages them to look into other communities, as well. Finally, before ever being admitted they must undergo and pass psychological testing. Once accepted, an individual spends six months as a postulant and are then given their white robe—spending an additional two years as a novice monk. If the monk is found to be competent, they are approved by a council of "fully professed" monks and spend an additional three years as a "junior professed" monk. After these three years the monk can request to take his final, solemn vows, and become a "fully professed" monk.

Retreats
The tradition of Gethsemani accepting guests on the grounds dates back to its foundation in 1848—a tradition informed by Saint Benedict's Rule for Monasteries. Guests have ample room to roam around at the abbey—with trails, woodlands and expansive fields suitable for quiet walks and reflection. Gethsemani has a retreat house with thirty rooms for visitors—complete with a private bath and air conditioning—available by reservation. Retreats are silent and unstructured at the abbey, Both men and women are welcome to book a stay at the retreat house, though depending on the time they were housed there on different weeks. It is advised that visitors book their stays far in advance, as the available slots tend to fill up fairly fast. Male visitors are discouraged from entering the enclosure, however, and women are absolutely forbidden. Speaking is allowed only in designated areas, and visitors are expected to speak only in those areas. 

Cemetery
The cemetery at The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani is marked by its uniform small white metal crosses, resting on a buttressed embankment overlooking the valley and woodlands below. The monks interred there are buried in a traditional Trappist manner—in their oblate's habit and without a casket. Thomas Merton's grave is located here, and it is often filled with various mementos left for him by visitors to the abbey. His plaque reads as all others there do: "Fr. Louis Merton, Died Dec. 10, 1968." He was buried at the cemetery on the evening of December 17 as a light snowfall was underway. Merton once wrote a meditative poem on the Trappist cemetery, titled The Trappist Cemetery.

The following is an excerpt of Thomas Merton's The Trappist Cemetery from the book Words and Silence: On the Poetry of Thomas Merton by Thérèse Lentfoehr, page 90: Return them to their souls to learn The songs and attitudes of glory. Then will creation rise again like gold Clean, from the furnace of your litanies: The beasts and trees shall share your resurrection, And a new world be born from these green tombs.

Trappist abbeys in the U.S.

 * Abbey of New Clairvaux
 * Abbey of the Genesee
 * Assumption Abbey
 * Holy Cross Abbey, Virginia
 * Mepkin Abbey
 * Monastery of the Holy Spirit
 * New Melleray
 * Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey
 * St. Joseph's Abbey

Other

 * Cîteaux Abbey
 * Cistercians
 * List of basilicas
 * Monastery
 * Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville
 * Roman Catholicism in the United States
 * Thomas Merton
 * Trappists