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.
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.
Visit our Gift Shop
We sell statuettes, plaques, boxes, and CDs of our chants. 100% of the proceeds support our monks and upkeep of the abbey.
Abbot’s Notes, Homilies, and News
We invite you to subscribe to our newsletters to receive homilies and news directly via email.
WEBSITE UPDATED WITH NEW SAYINGS AND STORIES OF THE DESERT FATHERS
We are pleased to announce that the Monastery’s website (www.christdesert.org) has been updated in its “Prayer + Chant” section! A variety of sayings and stories from the early monastic “Desert Fathers” of the Church were added as spiritual teachings for the...
read moreThe Abbot’s Notebook for August 16, 2017
The Abbot's Notebook for August 16, 2017 My sisters and brothers in Christ, Blessings to you! It continues to be fairly warm here at Christ in the Desert. August is always the month in which we have a lot of flies. Sometime we purchase fly paper to put in the...
read more20th Sunday of Ordinary Time-Cycle A-2017
20th Sunday of Ordinary Time-Cycle A-2017 FIRST READING Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 Thus says the Lord: Observe what is right, do what is just; for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed. The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, ministering to...
read moreImpressions of Rome: Dogs
Fair warning: dog lovers may not wish to read this essay. It is not all complimentary of “canis in speciebus,” the proper Latin name for “man’s best friend.” Some of what follows may offend those who believe that a dog can do no wrong or harm. Maybe not all dog owners...
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Daily Martyrology for August 22, 2017
The commemoration of the Queenship of Mary.In 1285, at Todi, St. Philip Benizi. He came from a prominent family. After studying medicine and philosophy at Paris and Padua, he joined the newly founded Servites in Florence. He wanted to remain a brother and serve the rest of the community, but was ordained and given various positions in the order. He was elected general of the order in 1267. He was known as an effective leader and peacemaker. read more
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 5:00 am on Tuesday, August 22, 2017
The road leading to the Monastery, Forest Service Road 151, is passable for all vehicles. The National Weather Service says there is a chance of T-Storms over these next few days. The thing about that is this: if you are on the road and it starts to rain heavily, stop until it quits in a few minutes (especially if you are in a two-wheel drive vehicle) and very shortly after that, it will be safe and easy to continue driving because the road is very dry and will quickly drain.