Sound carries far in the canyon, and all conversation should be as quiet as possible. Conversations in the guesthouse courtyard are heard by those who wish to have quiet time in their rooms. We encourage guests to use the common room, a living room of sorts, as the place for interaction with fellow guests. And also please be sensitive to the intentions of the other guests before attempting to engage them in conversation. Musical instruments, tape recorders without headphones and radios should not be played. Thank you.

We ask our guests to keep a deeper level of silence from the time after Compline in the evening until after breakfast in the morning. This is a time of great silence for the monks. And please be aware too that there are places of strict silence such as the Abbey Church, the sacristy and the entire convento - the building next to the church.

The world is immersed in a "noise culture." People conditioned by this culture have experienced uneasiness and even fear of solitude. Here in the monastery, we hope to help you turn off the "noise" in order to tune into God. To quote Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God."

The Abbot, because of his involvement with the monastic community, ordinarily does not meet with the guests as a group or as individuals.