St. Joseph's Abbey, Trappist monastery in Spencer, Massachusetts.
St. Joseph's Abbey is a Trappist monastery situated on a hilltop in Spencer, Massachusetts, surrounded by maple trees, pine forests, cultivated meadows, and open pastures. The property includes a retreat house with eleven private rooms, each with its own bathroom.
The monastery was founded in 1950 when a Trappist community relocated here after a fire destroyed their Rhode Island location and established themselves on former farmland. This relocation marked the beginning of a new chapter for the community in Massachusetts.
The community follows strict Trappist rules through daily prayers, manual work, and making products like preserves that shape daily life here. You can sense this rhythm while walking the grounds.
Visitors can stay in the eleven private rooms at the retreat house and attend scheduled retreats that run either Monday through Friday or Friday through Sunday. The grounds are easy to navigate and offer quiet spaces for walking and reflection.
The community operates a preserve production facility that processes hundreds of thousands of jars annually, continuing a craft tradition that started with mint jelly in the 1950s. This production work remains a core part of the monastery's daily operations.
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