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Tranquility Abounds at St. Dominic’s Monastery
Tranquility Abounds at St. Dominic’s Monastery
By John Donovan
High atop Blue Mountain in Linden, where Fauquier and Warren counties abut, St. Dominic‘s Monastery sits on 198 acres. It’s a site of stunning beauty, with a strong sense of tranquility that is almost palpable.
Since 2008, the Dominican nuns of Linden have been in residence here after 24 years on 16th St. in Northwest Washington, D.C. The present community includes 12 cloistered contemplative sisters of the Dominican order. This number has stayed fairly constant in recent years, and contrary to the popular stereotype about Roman Catholic nuns being elderly and on the wane, the average age here is in the 40s, with three in their 20s.
Not all Dominican sisters are cloistered contemplatives. The Linden community lives a very countercultural, indeed, radical lifestyle in that once a nun makes her final profession, she in effect submits to being “locked in” to a life of work, study and intercessory prayer within the monastery and its grounds. However, that does not translate into a vow of silence. There is none.
According to the monastery’s website, “study is an essential aspect of the Dominican contemplative life. It is not primarily a gathering of information, but reflective reading and the contemplation of truth that nourishes prayer and permeates our entire life. Study of sacred truth, especially the Scriptures, is an integral part of our Dominican vocation and serves as an indispensable source of nourishment for unceasing prayer and transfiguration into Christ.”
The nuns rise at 3:30 a.m. and their day ends with night prayer at 7:30 p.m. It’s not exactly a leisurely lifestyle, to be sure. They do the cooking, some maintenance and cleaning and produce crafts sold to the public. In addition, there is an 11 a.m. Mass each Sunday that is open to visitors, as well as 7 a.m. from Monday to Saturday.
The chapel is small, accommodating 24. The nuns hope to have a larger one soon that would serve about 110 worshipers. The goal of their current capital campaign is $7 million and so far, $5 million has been raised. A new, larger chapel would enable more lay participation in mass and other liturgical activities.
A Catholic Mass requires a priest, of course, and the Dominican House of Studies in Northeast Washington is a major source, along with St. John the Baptist Church in nearby Front Royal and other churches in the region. The monastery has a small cottage for priests who now and then visit for some down time to “recharge their batteries.”
What does the future likely hold for the monastery? Needless to say the cloistered contemplative regimen doesn’t have broad appeal among women exploring options for a religious life. This vocation is a very narrow one, but it’s essential in the life of the Catholic Church.
Though the number of 12 nuns ebbs and flows, that has remained the norm in this monastery. The sisters do receive constant inquiries. Some result in periods of discernment that may lead to a process of “formation.” Not all who enter into formation make final vows. In fact, only about 30 percent do. Such a major commitment cannot be made on the spur of the moment.
So what difference does it make, a skeptic might ask, whether a dozen nuns are holed up on Blue Mountain in remote Linden?
The answer is in the power of prayer. As the Prioress, Sister Mary Fidelis observed, “Our life makes no sense without the presence of God.“
They are there to remind people in an increasingly godless world of the need to be open to the divine.
Details: Go to Lindenopnuns.org.
THE DAILY SCHEDULE
3:30 a.m. Rise
4 a.m. Private time for prayer and study
6 a.m. Lauds (“morning prayer”)
7 a.m. Mass
9 a.m. Terce (“third hour” prayer)
9:15 a.m. Work
11:40 a.m. Sext (“sixth hour” prayer) Noon Dinner
1 p.m. Solemn silence
2 p.m. Work
3 p.m. None (“ninth hour” prayer)
4 p.m. Work
5 p.m. Supper
6 p.m. Vespers (“evening prayer”)
6:30 p.m. Recreation
7:30 p.m. Compline (“night prayer”)
