The Monastery of Christ in the Desert
Our Benedictine monastic community near Abiquiu, New Mexico, warmly welcomes you to our Abbey on the banks of the Chama River.
Health & Safety
August 18, 2021 – Please follow ‘Full Details’ link to read about our gradual re-opening.
The Monastery Church, Giftshop and Art Gallery, will be open once again to daytime visitors, each Monday through Saturday, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Masks are required in Church and Giftshop of those not vaccinated.
On Sundays, the Conventual Mass is at 9:15 am and the Giftshop will be open from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm.
Our Guesthouse for overnight retreatants remains closed.
Be our Guest
We welcome both day visitors and overnight guests for self-directed retreats. We celebrate mass daily, and invite you to pray with us.
Support Us
This monastic community is possible only by the generous support of friends like you. While the Monastery is an officially recognized Roman Catholic organization, it does not receive any direct financial support from the Church.
Explore the Monastery
We warmly invite you to explore a photo gallery that shows where we live and how we go about our monastic life.
Monastery News & Homilies
We invite you to subscribe to our newsletters to receive these directly via email.
September 22nd: The Fear of the Lord
"Through the spirit of the fear of the Lord, you ponder on the fact that you possess and desire nothing that is not given to you by God, but in faith, trust and thankfulness you ascribe to divine compassion whatever you know or are or can be." Medieval monk...
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Scripture Readings: Wisdom 2:12, 17-20; James 3:16-4:3; Mark 9:30-37 A very human trait that often leads to problems is comparing oneself to others. We may wish to be more like others or maybe less like them. We may wish we had what they have or glad that we do...
Daily Martyrology for September 22, 2021
About 287, at Martigny in Switzerland, St. Maurice and companions, martyrs. Maurice was an officer in the Roman army who suffered martyrdom with many of his men when they refused to offer a sacrifice to the gods.In 530, St. Felix IV, pope, who was a fine administrator. He was known for his humility and concern for the poor.
In the seventh century, St. Emmeram, bishop, who was a missionary around Poitiers and in Bavaria. After his murder, his body was taken to... read more
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Prayer and Chant
Learn more about the Monastic Day or review our Daily Prayer Schedule.
Prayer Requests and Mass Intentions
We are glad to include your requests for prayer in our daily chanting of the psalms. Mass intentions (including the delivery of a Mass card) may be requested for small stipend.
Our Chanting
We have recordings of our chants available on CD and MP3.
Ave Maria
Daily Prayer and Mass Schedule
All are welcome to join us at daily worship. Click here for our daily prayer schedule which begins at 4:00am and ends at 7:30pm.
Current Road Conditions
Updated at 5:45 PM Sunday, September 18, 2021.
ROAD CONDITIONS
The Forest Service Road 151 into the Monastery is damaged in places throughout. Areas of concern are (1) long straight-aways, (2) around cattle guards, & (3) through marked "Flash Flood Area". Erosion and wet driving have produced potholes and raised protruding rocks which may damage tires at higher speeds.
OF PARTICULAR CONCERN for inbound traffic is a very deep pothole at the second cattle guard. Incoming cars may avoid this pothole by bearing much to the right. We recommend additional caution, even for familiar drivers, until the road is resurfaced.
GENERAL UPDATE
The Monastery is commencing gradual re-opening, beginning with reception of day visitors. The Guesthouse remains closed to overnight guests.
As of Monday, May 31st, the Monastery Church, Giftshop, and Art Gallery, are open to daytime visitors, Monday through Saturday, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Masks are required for visitors to the Giftshop and in church.
On Sundays, the Conventual Mass is offered at 9:15 am. Attendees are welcome. The Giftshop will be open from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm.