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The program poses several questions:
* What is the call of Gethsemani, not only to its monks, but for the thousands of visitors that come to the monastery every year?
* Does this lifestyle, and the values that support it, have any relevance in today's world?
* Can a contemplative approach to life have meaning in a world where activism is held up as the ideal?
Witness the beauty and serenity of Gethsemani while examining the struggles that go on underneath. It is a fascinating look inside a rarely seen world.
 Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani: Trappist, Kentucky
Located south of Bardstown, Kentucky, the Abbey of Gethsemani is the oldest Trappist monastery in America (founded from France's Melleray Abbey in 1848), and likely the most famous as well. Gethsemani's fame stems primarily from its most famous resident: monk, author, and spiritual icon Thomas Merton. Since Merton's death, Gethsemani has grown from a home for contemplative Cistercian monks into a center of inter-religious dialogue, and a place of pilgrimage for people of all faiths and none.
The monks earn their living by making cheese, fruitcake, and bourbon fudge. As is usual in monastic life, those with particular talents are encouraged to use them; thus the monastery is a home to musicians, artists, gardeners, craftsmen. Work, seen as service, is assigned by the abbot, and preference is given work favorable to prayer.  Aerial photo by Br. Paul Quenon
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