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.
Easter Saturday
"Lord, Who conquered death, be constantly with Your Church and fill it with new life. Make us partakers of Your suffering so that we may also be partakers of Your glorious Resurrection. May Your peace and tranquility dwell constantly within our community, within our...
Second Sunday of Easter, Year A
Scripture Readings: Acts of the Apostles 2:42-47; First Letter of Saint Peter 1:3-9; Gospel According to Saint John 20:19-31 We are still celebrating the Passover of Christ, his Resurrection from the dead, and today the Gospel shows us Christ in the midst of his...
Daily Martyrology for April 12, 2026
At Rome, in 352, Pope. Julius I, a strong defender of the faith against the Arians. He built the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere.At Verona, in about 371, St. Zeno, bishop. About ninety of his sermons survive. They show him fully orthodox in his theology. He was known for his austere life.
At Cuneo, in the Piedmont, in 1495, Blessed Angelo of Chivasso. After serving as a senator, he gave away his wealth and joined the Observant Franciscans. He preached among... 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
Sunday, April 12th, 5:00 pm
Forest Service Road 151 leading to the Monastery is dry and in good condition.
Please watch for open-range cattle standing on the road especially the many new-born calves who tend to run in front of vehicles.
Always drive carefully on the road, as there is traffic in both directions. Also, there are sometimes hikers and bikers on the road.
Be courteous by letting faster vehicles pass. Simply pull to the side and allow them to go ahead.
Pray for peace.