 Abbey of Our Lady of Guadalupe: Lafayette, Oregon
Our Lady of Guadalupe Abbey is a monastery of Cistercian (Trappist) monks who are devoted to a life of contemplation in a cloistered atmosphere. The Abbey began in April 1948 at Pecos, New Mexico, as a foundation established by Our Lady of the Valley Community in Rhode Island (precursor to St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts). In March 1955 the monks, not finding farming sufficiently yielding at that high altitude, sold the property to the Benedictine monks and moved to Oregon. In recent years the Community has numbered between 35 and 40 members, who range in age from their twenties to their nineties.
Trappists are committed to self-sufficiency, and strive to live solely by the work of their own hands. To this end, Our Lady of Guadalupe is home to several small industries: they harvest 900 acres of Douglas fir, operate a small bookbinding shop and a large wine warehouse serving neighboring wineries, and, since 1982, they have baked their popular Trappist Abbey Fruitcakes. 
|
