A day in the life of an Olivetan monk at Plaisance
At Mother of the Redeemer Monastery in Plaisance, Louisiana, the day is shaped by a rhythm older than any calendar: prayer, work, study, and shared community life. The monks belong to the Olivetan Benedictine tradition, a branch of Benedictine monasticism marked by devotion to Mary and a desire to seek God through a stable life of prayer.
A monk’s daily schedule is not built around personal preference or constant activity. Its steady pattern creates room for silence, worship, manual responsibilities, hospitality, and spiritual reading. Each part of the day supports the others, helping the community remain centered on Christ while serving the Church and welcoming those who come in search of peace.
For visitors, an ordinary monastic day may seem hidden and simple. Yet the repeated offices, meals, work periods, and quiet moments form a profound offering. The monks’ life makes prayer visible in a particular place, within the Diocese of Lafayette, and invites others to pause and remember the presence of God.
The day begins with prayer
The first movement of the monastic day is turning toward God. Before the demands of work or conversation begin, the monks gather for liturgical prayer. The exact schedule may vary according to the community’s calendar, feast days, and responsibilities, but the purpose remains constant: the day belongs first to God.
Morning prayer gives a spiritual direction to everything that follows. The Psalms, readings, and prayers place ordinary concerns within the wider story of salvation. A monk does not begin by asking how much he can accomplish. He begins by receiving the day as a gift and offering it back through worship.
This early gathering also expresses the communal character of monastic vocation. Although each monk has personal duties and an individual relationship with God, he does not pursue holiness alone. The community’s shared prayer binds together monks of different ages, backgrounds, and responsibilities.
Work becomes part of the offering
Benedictine life joins prayer with labor. At Plaisance, work may include care of the grounds, maintenance of buildings, preparation of meals, administrative tasks, hospitality, liturgical service, or other responsibilities needed by the monastery. These duties are practical, but they are never spiritually separate from the monks’ vocation.
A repaired gate, tended garden, clean guest area, or carefully prepared altar can become an act of charity when performed with attention and humility. Monastic work teaches patience because many tasks must be repeated. It also teaches stewardship because the monastery’s resources, land, and buildings are held in service to the community, the Church, and those seeking retreat.
The pace of work is balanced by the monastery’s prayer schedule. A monk may spend part of the morning using his hands and part of the day in sacred reading, liturgical preparation, or study. This alternation helps prevent work from becoming an end in itself and protects prayer from becoming detached from real responsibilities.
Silence, study, and the inner life
Silence is an important part of the spiritual atmosphere at Mother of the Redeemer. It is not simply an absence of noise. In a monastery, silence can create the attentiveness needed to hear Scripture, recognize personal motives, and become more aware of God’s action. Conversation still has its place, especially when work or hospitality requires it, but speech is approached with care.
Sacred reading, often called lectio divina, gives the monk a way to remain with Scripture rather than rushing through it. A passage may be read slowly, considered prayerfully, and carried into the rest of the day. Study can also include theology, Church history, the writings of the saints, and materials connected with the Olivetan Benedictine heritage.
The table below presents a representative pattern rather than a fixed timetable. Monastic observance changes with solemnities, seasons, community needs, and pastoral commitments.
| Part of the day | Typical focus | Spiritual purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Early morning | Community prayer and personal recollection | Offering the day to God |
| Morning | Work, study, and practical duties | Serving the monastery with humility |
| Midday | Prayer, meal, and a change of pace | Receiving rest and giving thanks |
| Afternoon | Labor, reading, hospitality, or preparation | Combining responsibility with attentiveness |
| Evening | Prayer, shared life, and quiet | Reviewing the day and returning to God |
| Night | Silence and rest | Entrusting the community to divine care |
The Eucharist stands at the center
The Mass is central to the monk’s day because the Eucharist gathers the community into the worship of the whole Church. The liturgy is more than one activity among many. It is the source toward which monastic prayer moves and the nourishment from which the monks return to their duties.
The Church’s calendar gives the day its deeper shape. Sundays, solemnities, Marian feasts, and the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time each bring their own emphasis. The Olivetan tradition’s Marian character is expressed through a particular love for the Mother of the Redeemer, whose humble obedience points the community toward her Son.
Visitors may be able to participate in the monastery’s liturgical life according to the community’s schedule and applicable arrangements. Those considering a quiet visit can find practical details through plan a visit, including information that helps guests approach the monastery respectfully and prayerfully.
Meals and community life
Meals in a monastery are simple occasions, but they are also moments of shared life. The monks eat with gratitude for the work of those who provide the food and for the benefactors whose generosity supports the community. A meal can provide welcome relief after physical labor and a natural setting for appropriate conversation.
Benedictine community life depends on ordinary acts of consideration. Washing dishes, preparing a common room, listening to a brother, keeping a commitment, or making space for a guest may receive little public attention. These actions help form the patience and charity required for a stable religious community.
The monastery’s hospitality also reaches beyond those who live inside its enclosure. Retreatants, visitors, oblates, clergy, and people discerning a deeper relationship with God may encounter the monks through prayer, conversation, liturgy, or a period of quiet reflection. Hospitality is offered within the limits of the community’s prayer and responsibilities, preserving the monastery’s character while making room for others.
A vocation shaped by fidelity
An Olivetan monk’s day is rarely dramatic in the usual sense. Its strength comes from fidelity to a pattern that is repeated through changing circumstances. When the day is joyful, the monk prays. When it is difficult, he prays. When work feels fruitful or unnoticed, he continues to serve within the same framework.
This stability can be especially meaningful in a culture organized around constant change. Monastic life offers a different witness: a person can remain rooted in one place, commit himself to a community, and seek holiness through daily obedience. The vocation calls for perseverance, discernment, and a willingness to let prayer reshape personal ambitions.
Someone who senses a possible call to religious life may begin by learning about the monastery, praying honestly, and speaking with a vocation director or community representative. The monastery’s vocations information explains more about the discernment process and the kind of life an applicant may be exploring.
Ways to honor the monastic rhythm
The rhythm of Plaisance can also guide people who are not called to become monks. A parishioner, retreatant, or friend of the monastery may bring elements of this pattern into ordinary life without trying to imitate the enclosure or schedule exactly.
Useful practices include:
- Setting aside a consistent time for morning and evening prayer
- Reading a short passage of Scripture slowly and returning to it during the day
- Completing necessary work with care instead of treating it as an interruption
- Protecting periods of silence from unnecessary media and conversation
- Attending Mass or another form of communal worship whenever possible
These practices are small, but they reflect the same priorities found in monastic life: God comes first, work can become service, silence can deepen attention, and community requires generosity. A visit to the monastery may help make these principles more concrete, especially for those who need time away from noise and speed.
The community’s public life continues through prayer, hospitality, formation, and communication with friends of the monastery. Those who wish to follow its ongoing events and announcements can read the latest monastery news and remain connected to the life unfolding in Plaisance.
The day of an Olivetan monk ultimately points beyond its schedule. It is a lived response to the call to seek God in a particular community, under a particular rule, in a particular place. Morning prayer, work, Eucharist, study, meals, silence, and rest become a single offering when they are received with faith.
Mother of the Redeemer Monastery welcomes those who wish to learn, pray, visit, discern a vocation, or support the community’s continuing mission. Through a retreat, participation in liturgy, a conversation about monastic life, or faithful support for the monastery and its planned chapel expansion, you can share in the prayerful work taking place at Plaisance.