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
June 25, 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.
Abbot’s Notes, Homilies, and News
We invite you to subscribe to our newsletters to receive homilies and news directly via email.
July 31st: The Long and Winding Road
Regrettably, over the past few months two of the cars in our small fleet have had to retire and need to be replaced. Equally regrettable, since we are without steady income with our Guesthouse still closed, we do not have funds to replace the two cars. We are looking...
The Desert Blooms: Spring Flowerings at Christ in the Desert
An Easter Season Video Offering from Abbot Christian.
Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B
Scripture Readings: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15; Ephesians 4:17, 20-24; John 6:24-35 The essence of the Gospel message, the heart of what Jesus is trying to say to us, might be put in the form of a question. Jesus often used questions in his public ministry: “Who do you say...
Abbot’s Notebook
“Our Monk in Rome” is now “Our Abbot in Abiquiu,” or something like that. There will no longer be new postings on the “Our Monk in Rome” page, but please proceed to the “Abbot’s Notebook” page for my news and views. At least to begin with, there might not be a weekly...
Daily Martyrology for July 31, 2021
In Rome, in 1556, St. Ignatius Loyola. He was born of a prominent family in the Basque province of Guipúzcoa. He led a fairly wild life. He became a soldier and was injured in the French siege of Pamplona. During his convalescence he underwent a conversion. He visited Montserrat and spent a year as a hermit at Manresa, during which time he struggled with scruples and wrote the Spiritual Exercises. He and some companions began to study for the priesthood in Spain and then in Paris.... read morePrayer 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 8 PM Monday, July 26, 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.