There is a gift shop on the premises where you can buy products made by the monks, as well as regional specialties.Although the Abbey is well off the beaten path, it is definitely worth the time, especially if you appreciate pristine beauty and relative solitude. Photographs from Mepkin during the early 1950s capture a wide variety of work. If you're in the Charleston area in November or December you must visit this unique display. The abbey is struggling to attract and retain younger novices. Please arrive 30 minutes prior so that you can find a seat and get settled in. Before you go, check the hours and for special events here on their . If you need some time alone to think and mediate, this is your spot. Mepkin Abbey part of a global network of Trappist monasteries that for nearly 1,000 years have provided their communities with reliable sources of prayer, learning and hospitality is edging. If youre already a subscriber or donor, thank you! The moss draped trees add a mystical feel to the experience and you leave feeling tranquil and spiritually at peace. Simple gorgeous grounds and a beautiful day. read more, I only had about an hour to spend here, but I cant wait to go back! You thought we were going rogue. The monastery itself, which comprises a church, the monks refectory (dining hall) and living quarters, administrative offices, and a library, is nestled within a landscape dominated by large oak trees draped in Spanish moss. Mepkin Abbey: Weddings to Final Resting place - See 138 traveler reviews, 104 candid photos, and great deals for Moncks Corner, SC, at Tripadvisor. Mepkin Abbey: Intimate wedding - See 138 traveler reviews, 104 candid photos, and great deals for Moncks Corner, SC, at Tripadvisor. Another Trappist community facing similar challenges the Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity, in Huntsville, Utah celebrated its final Mass last August, then shuttered its monastery. Morning wedding at the Abbey gardens on the 4th of July. Can It Last? You can opt in to any additional cookies. Twenty-nine monks of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists) came from Gethsemani, Kentucky, to found the new Mepkin Abbey. fbq('track', 'ViewContent'); We had unhurried time to talk. And if that means closing Mepkin, that means closing Mepkin., I believe theres going to be a turnaround, he added. more. (i wondered why there wasn't any mention of his wife?!?! Wooden carved sculptures, natural waterways, old architecture, graveyards, flowers everywhere. In January 2007, a PETA investigation found that the abbey's hens endure constant abuse for almost two years before they are killed. Mepkin is fairly unique in the Trappist world for how deeply it invites guests into its life. Moncks Corner, SC 29461. Stephen B. Whats a monk? Whats that about? So she gathered her tray and breezed out of the guest areaand right into the monks area. I just felt like I had to acknowledge that part of who I am, he said. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. Mepkin Abby Entrance Logging in will also give you access to commenting features on our website. This is one pretty place. In what has become a Christmas tradition, the monks of Mepkin Abbey, even before . Ask who sinned this week. Got a question about Mepkin Abbey? They brought out the eldest and most infirm monks and sat them in front of the rest of us. The Mepkin Abbey grounds are one of the most gorgeous, tranquil, and peaceful places in all of Charleston. 1098 Mepkin Abbey Rd, Moncks Corner, SC 29461-4796 Save Jbendler Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 76 31 Beautiful Wedding Venue Review of Mepkin Abbey Reviewed April 27, 2014 What a spectacular site for a wedding. But I have great hope in the future., Father Columba Caffrey, the newest member of Mepkins monastic community who, at the age of 60, is also one of its youngest monks, was also cautiously optimistic. (While there, he used the first name Aelred.). One thing I ask of the Lord, this I seek, to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Inspiring but also challenging words if we really take them in. It's located outside of Charleston in Berkeley County. Your email address will not be published. Well worth the trip! Every one of them. The church is beautiful and the organ is one of a kind. Verify to immediately update business information, respond to reviews, and more! [2] New York architect Edward Durell Stone travelled to Mepkin in 1936 to design a new house for the Luces. All are welcome. (Several Trappist monasteries in Africa and Asia, for example, havent been plagued by the same decline in vocations and some, at least partly because of the stability of monastic life and the unfamiliarity of the message, Father Stan said, are brimming with young monks.) It is a place you have to experience . (AP Photo/Bruce Smith) I learned to pray again at the abbey. Laurens built his home there, and it was known as the Mepkin Plantation. The monastery grounds include a graveyard containing the ashes of Henry Laurens, as well as the graves of John Laurens, Clare Boothe Luce, and Henry Luce. Pray like this, at this hour, in this way, and with these people. But Trappist communities may be particularly vulnerable, since their traditions are more isolating and, in many ways, more resistant to modernization. The miracle of forgiveness also showed up unexpectedly at the monastery. A book recommendation from a Trappist monk is a precious gift, something that the monk believes or perhaps knows will help you on the journey. Mepkin Abbey is a Trappist monastery in Berkeley County, South Carolina. The only drawback was the occasional boater to disturb the tranquility You are never in a bad location. Good point. It is way off the beaten path Not a place for active kids. Mepkin Abbey is truly a wonderful place to viit. Password reset instructions will be sent to your registered email address. That sense of acceptance was affirmed by Rob Hagan, who spent 30 years as a monk at Mepkin before leaving the monastery in 2007. We checked out the gardens which was very nice, especially the oak trees that hang over the. Mepkin Abbey Now Available for Weddings in Featured, News Mepkin's friends and neighbors can now reserve the abbey gardens for the celebration of a marriage. They looked, to our untutored eyes, like Jedi. They have a terrific gift shop. And, of course, things in my life need to change. Father Guerric granted that indulgence during one of our conferences, at which I was reminded that if you meet with a Mepkin monk to discuss what is going on in your life, spiritual or otherwise, you will leave the meeting with a book. [CDATA[// >