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Holy Cross Abbey

901 Cool Spring Lane Berryville, Virginia 22611

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Pray With Us

For 1500 years monks have prayed the Liturgy of the Hours. Join us in continuing this monastic tradition.

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Welcome to Our Lady of the Holy Cross Abbey

The monastery is a school of the Lord's service where Christ is formed in the hearts of the brothers and where in solitude and silence they aspire to that interior quiet in which wisdom is born. By generous hospitality they share with their fellow pilgrims the peace and hope which Christ has freely given.
(Constitutions of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance 3:2-3)

Read more about our life

Further opening up . . .

July 13, 2022

At this midpoint in the year, we are happy to announce the opening of the Monastery Chapel to the general public—beginning this Sunday, July 17. However, please be aware that in the interests of protecting the health of our elderly and vulnerable monks, we request that those attending Holy Mass and the other services, continue to wear masks. In the attempt to maintain some degree of social distancing, the monks will remain in their choir stalls throughout Holy Mass. This means that the priest will celebrate Holy Mass with his back to the Guests. Also, until further notice, and as an additional precaution, we will not be offering the chalice to our guests at communion—we thank you for your understanding. Given the unpredictable nature of this Covid pandemic, these arrangements will be periodically reviewed and adjusted, if necessary. (Please note, the Gift Shop remains closed except for Fruitcakes and Honeys which are still available for pick-up in the foyer of the Gift Shop.)

In the meantime, however, our Retreat House is open but does require that retreatants be vaccinated. Until further notice, access to the confessor/counselor will be very limited and not always guaranteed. For more information on safety measures being implemented in our Retreat House and for making a reservation, please email Carol Hensley at information@hcava.org Also, we will continue to livestream daily mass and the main offices of the day: Lauds and Mass at 7.00 a.m. (Sunday Mass at 10.00 a.m.); Vespers at 5.30 p.m. and Compline at 7.30 p.m. (Please be aware that the quality of both image and sound is far less than ideal because of technical limitations)

  • Anyone wishing virtually participate our liturgies need simply Click Here to be redirected to our livestreaming page.

MONASTERY FRUITCAKES AND THE GIFT SHOP

Fruit Cakes, Creamed Honeys, and Monastery Truffles can still be purchased online at: www.monasteryfruitcake.org In the light of continuing health concerns relating to COVID-19, the Gift Shop remains closed until further notice. We thank our faithful fruitcake customers for availing themselves of the pick-up service offered at the Gift Shop and if you still wish to purchase these fruitcakes, they (small and large) remain available. To this end, please note:

  • Fruitcakes will be placed in the foyer of the Gift Shop—which will be open from 8.30 a.m., until 4.30 p.m., Sunday through Saturday—no monk will be in attendance.
  • The price of each larger 2.25 lb. cake is $35.00 and each 1.5 lb. fruitcake is $25.00—these prices include sales tax.
  • Checks are preferred, but cash is also welcome—please ensure that you have the exact amount as change cannot be provided.
  • A deposit box for checks/cash is also located in the foyer.
  • AND WHEREAS OUR CREAMED HONEYS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE FOYER OF THE GIFT SHOP, the logistics involved dissuade us from making any other products or items from the Gift Shop available at this time—we thank you for your understanding.
  • Also, please note that the monastery and abbey chapel remain closed to the public until further notice.

Please join us in praying for all those directly affected by this unprecedented health crisis—especially those who have lost loved ones.

News

A Reelection at Holy Cross Abbey

August 10, 2022

This morning, following a Holy Mass invoking the Holy Spirit, Abbot Joseph (having completed his first term of six years) was re-elected Abbot of Holy Cross Abbey, for a new six-year term. This grace-filled and peaceful event was presided over by Dom Vincent Rogers OCSO, abbot of Saint Joseph's Abbey, and Father Immediate to our monastery. Also present were Mother Kathy and Sr. Marion of Crozet, … Continue Reading

  • A Word from Our Cistercian Fathers
  • A Word from Saint Gertrude the Great

Liturgy

Fr. James’ Homily for the 19th Sunday

August 7, 2022

Nineteenth Sunday, Year C, 7 August, 2022: Wisdom 18:6-9; Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19; Luke 12:32-48      As Jesus invites us to change, watching for a future as yet undisclosed, he addresses us from a dynamic central to Judaism’s engagement with the living God. Stuck in a dead end—be it idolatry, bondage in Egypt, exile in Babylon, Roman oppression, Christian antisemitism—God … Continue Reading

  • Abbot Joseph’s Homily for the 17th Sunday
  • Fr. James’ Homily for the 16th Sunday

...more liturgy posts

From the Abbot’s Lectio Notebook

August 12, 2022

I suspect that we have all experienced shame for some of the things we have done in our lives. Shame, like embarrassment, is to be distinguished from guilt or sorrow for sin. Shame is primarily self-focused, whereas guilt typically incorporates those we have sinned against. And although shame and embarrassment seem to be the opposite of pride, they are really only possible because of pride. This … Continue Reading

Retreat House

Staying a few days at the Abbey's Retreat House is the primary way guests can get a taste of our monastic life, by entering into silence and solitude, the natural beauty of the setting, and the monastic liturgy throughout the day. Retreat House guests commit to maintaining the silence and contemplative environment of the place.

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Gift Shop

The first building many of our guests visit when they come to the monastery is the Gift Shop/Porter’s Cottage located at the end of the entrance road to the monastery.

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Bakery Products

If you’re local or able to make a trip to visit us, we would appreciate a visit the monastery in person and you can get your fruitcake at the best price directly from the Gift Shop.

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Donation

We must be intentional in making sure the ongoing financial support needed to keep the Abbey running is acquired. You can make a one time gift or, better yet, you can become a Sustainer.

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Cool Spring Natural Cemetery

Cool Spring Natural Cemetery is maintained and managed by the Cistercian Monks of Holy Cross Abbey where, for over sixty years, monks have lived on land made sacred by their lives of worship, prayer, and hospitality offered to all who visit. The cemetery thus constitutes a tangible extension of the monks’ life of worship, prayer, and their long tradition of hospitality.

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Holy Cross Abbey

901 Cool Spring Lane
Berryville, Virginia 22611-2700
Phone: (540) 955-4383

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