Mount Saint Mary's Abbey facts for kids
Mount Saint Mary's Abbey
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| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance |
| Established | 21 November 1949 |
| Mother house | St. Mary's Abbey Glencairn, County Wexford, Ireland |
| Diocese | Archdiocese of Boston |
| Site | |
| Location | Wrentham, Massachusetts United States |
| Coordinates | 42°02′25″N 71°23′38″W / 42.0404°N 71.3939°W |
Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey is a special place where about fifty nuns live together. It is located in Wrentham, Massachusetts. These nuns are called Trappistine nuns. They belong to a very old group called the Cistercians of the Strict Observance. This group started way back in 1098 in Cîteaux, France.
The nuns at Mount Saint Mary's Abbey follow special rules. These rules were set up in the 1600s by an Abbot named Armand de Rancé. He lived at a place called the Abbey of La Grande Trappe.
A New Home for Nuns
This community of nuns began in 1949. The first nuns came from an Irish monastery called St. Mary's (Glencairn) Abbey. This abbey is in County Waterford. Mount Saint Mary's Abbey was the first place in the United States for Cistercian nuns to live. It became very popular and grew quickly. In fact, it grew so much that the Irish nuns who started it were able to go back to their home abbey.
Sweet Treats and Green Energy
Monasteries often need ways to support themselves. The nuns at Mount Saint Mary's Abbey became famous for making delicious candy! This candy business helps them earn money to live.
The abbey also cares a lot about the environment. They have worked hard to use clean energy.
- They built some wind turbines to help power their buildings.
- Since 2013, they have partnered with a company to build two large solar panel farms.
- These solar farms cover about 40 acres of land.
- They produce a lot of electricity, which is sold to the nearby town of Franklin, Massachusetts. This power provides about 80% of Franklin's electricity!
Mount Saint Mary's Abbey is special because it uses three kinds of renewable energy: wind, solar, and a geothermal system. It is the first property in Massachusetts to do this.
Helping New Communities Grow
As the community at Mount Saint Mary's Abbey grew, they helped start new monasteries for their order. They helped found new abbeys in other states:
- Iowa (Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey, started in 1964)
- Arizona (Santa Rita Abbey, started in 1972)
- Virginia (Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, started in 1987)
