There are many picturesque spots in the areas visitors may walk around in. A monastery? Mepkin Abbey is a Christian (Trappist) monastery in South Carolina that runs an egg factory farm to make money. Or they wouldnt like it and theyd judge me for being too Catholic. We called him Father Butter ever thereafter. And in a departure from its otherwise passive approach, Mepkin created an ad campaign albeit a small and highly targeted one to publicize the program. But in 2007, in the aftermath of an immensely disruptive PETA investigation, the abbey announced plans to phase out its egg operation. I was able to muddle through this dry spell, as I assume that all monks must do for various stretches of time, and the latter part of my stay at the monastery was replete with blessings. While the monks do not participate in any way in the ceremony, they are pleased to make the gardens available for weddings. The monks used to run a chicken farm. Copyright 2023 America Press Inc. | All Rights Reserved. She cruised over to the monks block of butter and started to help herself, when 95-year-old Father Christian, with bent back and long beard and twinkle in his eye, asked, Oh, I see youre joining us today? He was genuinely delighted. Meghan + Grayson | Mepkin Abbey Wedding October 06, 2015 in Wedding mekpin abbey wedding Vendors: Tags: mepkin abbey portraits, mepkin abbey wedding, moncks corner wedding, moncks corner wedding photographer, moncks corner wedding photography Kelsey + Peter | Wickliffe House Wedding LeeAnn + Justin | Confederate Home and College Wedding That sense of acceptance was affirmed by Rob Hagan, who spent 30 years as a monk at Mepkin before leaving the monastery in 2007. Nothing says Charleston, South Carolina like the glowing oaks dripping with Spanish moss, salty air, alligators swimming in the ponds, and the Azaleas blooming everywhere you look. The monastery grounds include a graveyard containing the ashes of Henry Laurens, as well as the graves of John Laurens, Clare Boothe Luce, and Henry Luce. read more. I was blessed to meet Jessica at just the perfect time. Anyone can read what you share. If not, fine, but if so, heres the way to do it: Meet in small groups. Mepkin Abbey is not your typical attraction. Since youre a frequent reader of our website, we want to be able to share even more great, As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important, A Catholic guide to your mid-life calling. Brother Joseph Swedo, 90, a monk at Mepkin Abbey. The monks were giving us back our Methodism. The monastery also generates income from the store at its visitors center, which sells dried mushrooms and a slew of other products, many of which are produced at other Trappist monasteries; its retreat center, which hosts both individual and group visitors; timber that is harvested by outside contractors; and a new nondenominational columbarium, which offers a place for funeral urns to be stored on Mepkins grounds. Theres no work for guests to do, other than volunteering to shovel if you want. You eat in a room catty-corner to the monks, but you can get to their butter without great effort. Lately, though, Brother Josephs health has taken a turn for the worse, narrowing the scope of his monastic life. Just what I wanted: more opportunities to be a monk. [2] His wife, Clare Boothe Luce, commissioned and built an extensive landscape garden there known as the Mepkin Garden. In everything we do here, we try to respect the land, the ecology and the environment, Father Stan said. Do it anyway. They were, in a way. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. I went out with two monks to shovel the chicken shit that they sold to local farmers for use as compost. I first met Jessica while I was working a full-time job before I went full time with photography! Based in Charleston, SCContact me at catie@catherinehurtphotography.com. Trappist monks at prayer (photo courtesy of the Abbey of Gethsemani). Another time at the abbey I volunteered my paltry services to work with the monks. This is a fabulous place to Still, good article. Each passing nod by a fellow resident, a further embrace into the community. I dont want to spend my remaining years simply hanging on, Father Stan said. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/us/trappist-monks-mepkin-abbey.html. Pay the entry fee and find out why it's such a hit. In January 2007, a PETA investigation found that the abbey's hens endure constant abuse for almost two years before they are killed. The monastery itself, which comprises a church, the monks refectory (dining hall) and living quarters, administrative offices, and a library, is nestled within a landscape dominated by large oak trees draped in Spanish moss. Every sunrise and sunset, a sign of Gods presence. Eventually the monks settled on growing mushrooms. Morning wedding at the Abbey gardens on the 4th of July. The retreat master finally took me aside. In what has become a Christmas tradition, the monks of Mepkin Abbey, even before . And maybe in spite of yourself, youll start to become more like Jesus. I wondered whether I had missed my calling. This is a fabulous place to We took a tour of Mepkin Abbey and it cost $5 per person. Mepkin is one of only 15 Cistercian Trappist monasteries in North America and the only one in South Carolina. Monks at Mepkin also adhere to a strict vegetarian diet and maintain a largely silent atmosphere although its not as if we dont speak, Father Stan explained. We checked out the gardens which was very nice, especially the oak trees that hang over the. While Trappists are an order in the Roman Catholic Church, everyone is welcome to visit and make Retreats here. I needed to find a way to forgive this person after all these years, and my month at Mepkin seemed like a good opportunity to cross this problem off my spiritual to-do list. Naturally, I was involved in one of them. Needless to say, bring along a camera. This is a private home/community for monks with limited public areas to stroll about in. Once several of the Boone Methodists processed out of their choir stalls and into the procession of monks for the liturgy. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Add a bit of spirituality to your getaway at Mepkin Abbey. Photographs from Mepkin during the early 1950s capture a wide variety of work. Password reset instructions will be sent to your registered email address. [CDATA[// > Cbp Office Of Professional Responsibility Contact, Articles M