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Trappists

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Trappist redirects here. This article is about the Cistercian order. For the beer, see Trappist beer.

Trappist monks

Orval Abbey, near Florenville, Belgium.

The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (O.C.S.O.: Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae), or Trappists, are a contemplative Roman Catholic religious order (see list of Catholic orders), that follows the Rule of St. Benedict.

They are a branch of the Cistercians and like the other Cistercian order they also have a women's branch commonly referred to as the Trappistines.

1 History
2 Monastic life
3 Goods for sale
4 Monasteries
- 4.1 Locations
5 See also
6 External links

The order began as a reform movement at the Abbey of Notre Dame de la Grande Trappe in 1664 in reaction to the relaxation of practices in many Cistercian Monasteries [1]. The Trappists take their informal name from La Trappe. The reform was led by Armand Jean le Bouthillier de Rancé, who originally was the Commendatory Abbot at La Trappe, in France. As Commendatory Abbot, de Rancé was a layman who obtained income from the monastery but had no religious obligations. After a conversion of life between 1660 and 1662, de Rancé formally joined the abbey and became its regular abbot in 1663.[2]

The life of the Trappists is guided by the Rule of St. Benedict, written in the sixth century. The Rule describes ideals and values of a monastic life.

As a contemplative order, the Trappists live a life of prayer and penance. The day of a Trappist is divided between work and prayer. Manual work is preferred over other types of work and Trappist monasteries generally provide for themselves through the sale of goods produced in the monastery. Prayer is divided between the Divine Office, Lectio Divina and various other forms of meditative and contemplative prayer. Except for the ill, they abstain from meat and fowl and eat fish on a limited basis. To the extent that it is practical, they are expected to remain silent throughout the day and most especially at night. They are expected to live a life of strict personal poverty with few personal possessions and limited contact with the outside world.[3]

"Strict Observance" does mean stricter silence, certain situations excepted. Contrary to popular belief, they don't take a vow of silence. [4][5] However they will generally only speak when necessary, and idle talk is strongly discouraged. Meals are usually taken in contemplative silence.

The Trappists received greater attention in recent years on account of the life and writings of Thomas Merton and, more recently, because of the popularity of Trappist ales such as Chimay.

The 48th chapter of the Rule of Benedict states "You are only really a monk when you live from the work of your hands."

By this rule, most Trappist monasteries produce goods that are then sold to provide an income for the monastery. The goods produced can range from cheese, bread and other foodstuffs to clothing and coffins. As the order does not require abstention from alcohol, some monasteries produce and sell alcoholic beverages. For example, in Belgium and the Netherlands, some of the monasteries brew beer both for the consumption of the monks and for sale to the general public. Trappist beers have become quite famous and are considered by many beer critics to be amongst the finest in the world.[6]

Currently there are nearly 170 Trappist monasteries in the world. These monasteries are the home of approximately 2500 Trappist Monks and 1800 Trappistine Nuns.[7]