A Pilgrimage is a trip to a religious site. Ever since I heard of the monk, Father Thomas Merton, and read his best-selling book, "The Seven-Storey Mountain," I've wanted to visit the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky. Merton described the Abbey as his home, the place where he would live for the rest of his life.
We're a jovial bunch, the Christ the King Cathedral Senior Citizens, and we always see old friends and meet new friends at our meetings and during our outings. First, we bowed our heads and prayed for safety on our trip. Today we laughed and chatted our way to Bardstown, Kentucky, one hour from our home in Lexington. First stop: the Old Talbott Tavern in Bardstown. Built in 1779, the tavern boasts being "the oldest western stagecoach stop in America." Our dining room looked like an old colonial pub with wooden bar, well-worn wide-plank hardwood floor and an ancient stone fireplace. The lunch of fried chicken, country green beans, smashed potatoes and biscuit was very tasty, a perfect southern menu. My friend, Peggy, and I shared a particularly delectable dessert, bread pudding with bourbon sauce.
The Abbey was less than a half-hour further on two-lane roads through lush, green farm country. My first thought when we drove up the entrance road: it's much larger than I had imagined. When we slowly filed off our bus, I was immediately encapsulated with a feeling of peace and happiness.
The grounds are spacious and well-kept (we heard that the entire abbey farm consists of around 2,000 acres). The buildings where the monks live, work and pray are tall and painted white. Signs remind visitors, "Silence, please," "Monks only, please."
We entered the main church and took seats in the visitors' section. Shortly thereafter, the monks (40 or so) slowly entered and took their places. They pray eight times a day beginning at 3:15 a.m. A brochure reports, "The monastic milieu offers a place apart "to entertain silence in the heart and listen for the voice of God - to pray for your own discovery." (written by Thomas Merton) The prayers and chants are a simple praise to God. When all is finished, the monks slowly leave and we leave also. Nothing is rushed here.
Wandering the grounds, we take in the fresh country air, birds chirping, the gardens, the porches, the statues and reach the graveyard. Our final stop is a well-stocked store where the monks' products of cheese, fruitcake and fudge is sold along with many quality religious articles: books, pottery, jewelry, statues, Christmas ornaments, etc. We linger and choose our treasures carefully. As one fellow senior traveler related, "We have to be careful what we get because we'll have to dust it."
Time to return home and we climb back on the bus. Peggy and I agree that we would love to make a retreat here someday. Once back at the Cathedral, we again bow our heads and offer a quick prayer of thanksgiving for our safety and that it stopped raining whenever we got on and off the bus. To learn more about Gethsemani Abbey, visit www.monks.org.
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