At the Wendell Berry conference, I talked about the Clear Creek Monastery, a traditionalist Benedictine monastery, now being built in rural eastern Oklahoma. And that I'm told that hundreds of Catholic families have bought land around it, hoping the move there and make the monastery the center of their spiritual lives. Really? said some people.
Really. Check out these photos for yourself. Gary Seaton, a regular contributor in our comboxes, can tell you more.
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That sounds really neat - I hope it works out for all of them as well as they hope it will.
Gary--thanks for your clarification. I found it really hard to believe that "hundreds" of families had bought land in the area. I hope Rod corrects that line in his post.
Gary: Thanks also for your beautiful description of the Monastery. I don't know if we're the best of the lot, there are a lot of fine people here and quite a few new families moving here each year. We are fairly well known around here because of our Ranch - Vita Bella Ranch and we have seven children so it's hard to be low profile. We certainly aren't isolated out here eventhough we enjoy the country lifestyle. There are so many visitors from around the country that we're meeting new people and good folks every week. And quite a few of them at least entertain the idea of moving here into the beautiful foothills. Quite a few to retire here.
One other thing I wanted to mention. Was it coincidence or God incidence? I hadn't checked on Rod's Blog for at least a month or two and then just on impulse or curiosity I clicked on this Crunchy Con site and the posting about "A Monastery rises in Oklahoma" was at the top and right before Rod posted on another two topics. I'm glad I could share with you all. Also, I liked Rod's description of considering your children being raised in the shadow of a Monastery. I think it's phenomenal for our children to benefit from the graces and example of thtis authentic Benedictine Monastery. Visit and judge for yourselves. God Bless y'all, Mike Lawless and family
...and if you're curious here's our Ranch blog: http://www.vitabellaranch.blogspot.com/
Seriously, gang, what Nate W. said. That we would automatically view a desire to move to the country to live closer to the land and a monastery as somehow a sign of weakness or a lack of virtue is more a commentary on us than on the monks or those drawn to them.
A basically typical American view. My European roots don't find this unusual in the least. In the small town where I grew up it was very natural to associate with the monastic community.
Gary, thanks for the info you have shared.
I second the comments about the "normalcy" of the families moving into the Clear Creek area. Like Mike Lawless (one of the most "normal" guys I've ever met) they're not all rad-trad fanatics -- they in fact represent a fairly wide cross-section of Catholicism. (In fact I can't really think of any so-called radical traditionalists who are out there. Those types seem to be put off by the full and vigorous sanction that our good bishop, the Rev. Edward Slattery, has given the monks to be here.)
The monks themselves are almost completely uninterested in the traditionalist politics that consume so many rad-trads. They're only interested in Christ and their monastic vocations.
I love Clear Creek. I go there regularly and I simply cannot get over my good fortune at living in a place so near such a wonderful place of holiness and tranquility. It is an oasis in the modern world.
God bless those monks; as a good friend of mine once said, their arrival to Oklahoma has resulted in an outpouring of grace flowing out from Clear Creek into the entire nation.
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