This was our last stop on our very fun Monday. The Prince of Peace Abbey is a Benedictine monastery that reigns atop Oceanside’s Benet Hill. It is truly a hidden gem which we were happy to discover.
The Prince of Peace Abbey tracks its historical roots to San Diego’s Bishop Charles Buddy who invited monks to the area to search for a monastic residency. Saint Meinrad Archabbey of Indiana, founded in 1854, answered the call in 1957. The Prince of Peace Abbey was founded here in 1958.Construction and reconstruction on the former ranch began immediately. Monks lived in town – and later in donated trailers – while a small one-bedroom house was transformed into living quarters and a chapel. In 1960, the East Wing – seven rooms and showers attached to the original ranch house – was completed. The ranch house became the kitchen, refectory and oratory.
Wandering the property gave us insight into the decades of work the monks accomplished.In 1980, renowned architect and artist, Father Gabriel Chávez de la Mora, OSB, spearheaded the design and building of the gorgeous church. The artistically breathtaking, donation-only funded project, was completed in 1987.Father Gabriel's chapel was warm and infused with spectacular light.Seeking God through prayer, liturgical worship, prayerful readings, work, and a communal life, the monastery exists under the guidance and jurisdiction of the Abbey’s abbot and the Holy Rule as dictated by Benedict, a Roman Catholic Saint.This special place is the home to 26 Friars, ranging in age from 30 to 90, with nine ordained as Priests that live within its orbit to serve the Lord, each other and the surrounding community.The contemplative Benedictine monastery allows public access to daily Mass, silent prayer, and an outdoor prayer walk of the Stations of the Cross.And while we didn't pray on our walk, we did contemplate and appreciate the artistry of the stations and the nature that abounds.The 130-acre sanctuary is rich with scrub oak, cactus, sage, milkweed, bougainvillea, oleander, pine, eucalyptus, palm and olive trees, rabbits, squirrels, bobcats, opossums, raccoons, coyotes, red hawks, ravens, hummingbirds, rattlers and even a pair of owls. Our plan is to return in the Spring and see what new nature there is to discover.“A monk is a man who is separated from all
and who is in harmony with all."
-Evagarius Ponticus 399 A. D.
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1 comments:
You made it! So fun. I am glad you enjoyed it. It is such a peaceful place.
Great pictures of the inside of the church!
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