If You Go -- Planning A Visit To A Trappist Monastery
For those interested in ordering foods made by the monks at Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey or visiting the Oregon monastery (see the story on page F 8), here are some details.
Getting there: The monastery is about a 1 1/2 hour drive southwest of Portland, off Highway 99W (which joins Highway 18, which leads to the Oregon coast).
Getting fruitcake: Monastery Fruitcake and other foods made by Our Lady of Guadalupe monks can be ordered by phoning 800-294-0105. For those with a VISA credit card or Mastercard, goods can be ordered by e-mail at: bakery@onlinemac.com
Staying at the monastery: Spiritual retreats are offered which include overnight stays for men or women in the monastery's guest house. Phone 503-852-0107 or write Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey, Box 97, Lafayette, OR 97127. Stays are usually limited to one week. There's no set charge; guests are asked to give what they can (operating expenses are about $25 a day).
The monastery also offers a Monastic Life Retreat for men.
More on Trappist communities in the U.S.
The Web page of the Cistercians (the formal name of the order) has more on Trappist communities: http://www.cistercianusa.org
More on spiritual retreats
- and specialty foods
For those interested in ordering specialty foods or arranging lodging or retreats in monasteries or spiritual communities, here are some useful books.
-- "The Whole Heaven Catalog" (by Marcia and Jack Kelly, Bell Tower/Crown Publishers, $18) is a guidebook to the products and services offered by more than 250 religious, spiritual and cooperative communities in North America.
It includes a description and history of each community, details on what it makes and contact information.
The book covers everything from
Buddhist prayer flags available from the Lama Foundation in New Mexico to specialty foods from Trappists and sheepskin slippers from the Mount Saviour Monastery in New York state.
The same two authors also have written "Sanctuaries: A Guide to Lodgings in Monasteries, Abbeys and Retreats" (Bell Tower/Crown Publishing, $18). It features more than 127 such places, giving a description of each plus details on accommodations and prices.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey in Oregon is included, as is the Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon's Willamette Valley, a community of Benedictine monks who operate a 30-room guest house for retreats, either of groups or private individuals.
A half-dozen alternative or Christian centers in Washington State also are described.
New Age information
For New Age-style as well as mainstream spiritual retreats or health-oriented places for getaways, the guidebook, "Healing Centers & Retreats" (by JeniferMiller, John Muir Publications, $16.95), describes spas, alternative-medicine centers and other destinations.