Abbey of the Genesee, Trappist monastery in York, United States.
Abbey of the Genesee is a Trappist monastery located in York, New York State, set on a large property of fields, woods, and riverfront land. The grounds include a chapel, living quarters for monks, a bakery, and farmland.
The monastery was founded in 1951 as a daughter community of a Cistercian abbey in Kentucky, at a time when the order was expanding across North America. The monks built up the property themselves, gradually constructing the buildings that still stand today.
The monks follow a daily rhythm of prayer and work that visitors can witness directly in the chapel during services. The bakery and the surrounding fields are part of this rhythm, giving the place a working, lived-in quality.
The chapel is open to visitors during the monks' prayer services, which take place early in the morning and at other set times throughout the day. Comfortable footwear is a good idea, as many paths on the property are unpaved and uneven.
The monks bake several varieties of bread and sell them in a small on-site shop, and this bread has built up a following among people in the surrounding region over the decades. Many visitors come specifically to buy a loaf, making the bakery one of the main points of contact between the monastery and the outside world.
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