Redwoods Monastery: Whitethorn, California
Redwoods Monastery is a small community of women monastics founded in 1962 from the Cistercian monastery of Nazareth in Belgium. Nestled among the majestic redwoods and Douglas fir of the Lost Coast of Northern California, bordered on one side by the salmon-bearing Mattole River, the sisters of Our Lady of the Redwoods live a simple monastic life in continuity with a tradition that stretches back to 1098 when the Cistercian Order was founded. Five elements characterized the vision of the early Cistercians and continue to shape Cistercian spirituality today: creative fidelity, simplicity, an accent on experience, affectus (the centrality of love) and mysticism. The sisters' main industry and source of income is their popular creamed honey.
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