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.
The Monastery Church and Art Gallery, will be open to daytime visitors, each Monday through Saturday, from 09:00 am to 5:30pm. The Giftshop will be open to daytime visitors from 09:00 am to 12:30 pm and 2:00pm to 3:30pm.
On Sundays, the Conventual Mass is at 9:15 am and the Giftshop will be open from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm.
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.
May 8th: Abundance of Lilacs
Helped in part by recent rains, an old lilac bush at our Saint Benedict Ranch House, part of our guest facilities, is blooming splendidly just now. The blooming never lasts very long, and almost always happens in early May, being a fleeting enjoyment in the midst of...
Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year C
Scripture Readings: Acts of the Apostles 13:14, 43-52; Book of Revelation 7:9, 14-17; Gospel According to Saint John 10:27-30 Our Lord Jesus Christ, during his earthly ministry, knew very well how to speak to the people about his person and his mission, using simple...
Daily Martyrology for May 12, 2025
In Rome, in the second century, Sts. Nereus and Achilleus, martyrs. According to an inscription about them written by Pope St. Damasus, they were members of the Pretorian guard who suddenly converted to Christianity and were martyred for their faith.In 403, St. Epiphanius of Salamis, bishop. Born of Jewish parents, he converted to Christianity with his sister, and then joined a monastery in Gaza. He journeyed among the monks of Egypt and became an intransigent opponent of... 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
Monday, May 12th, 2025, 11:00 am
Please note that our online calendar is correct. There are Guesthouse openings beginning in late August and September.
High clearance vehicles with 4-wheel or all-wheel drive are advised due to ruts in some sections of the Forest Service 151. The road is mostly dry.
Also, there are cattle roaming in the canyon. They often stand in the road, especially at night. Hikers and bicyclists may be encountered as well.
For those who travel on the road, please be aware that there may be traffic traveling in both directions on the road, so round curves with caution. Drive slowly (20 MPH) and be courteous, allowing faster traffic ahead of you. Simply pull to the side of the road and let them pass.
Safe and peaceful sojourns.