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 a group of about fifty Trappistine nuns live and pray. It is a monastery located in Wrentham, Massachusetts. These nuns are part of a very old religious order called the Cistercians of the Strict Observance. This order began in Cîteaux, France, way back in 1098. The nuns at Mount Saint Mary's Abbey follow special rules that were updated in the 1600s by an Abbot named Armand de Rancé.
How the Abbey Started
This community of nuns was started in 1949. The first nuns came from an Irish monastery called St. Mary's (Glencairn) Abbey. Mount Saint Mary's Abbey was the very first community of Cistercian nuns in the United States. It grew so well that by the mid-1950s, all the original Irish nuns were able to return to their home monastery in Ireland.
Supporting the Abbey and the Environment
Monasteries often need ways to support themselves. The nuns at Mount Saint Mary's Abbey became well-known for making and selling candy. This candy business helps them earn money.
The abbey is also very committed to protecting the environment. They have worked to use clean, renewable energy.
- They built some wind turbines to help power the abbey.
- Since 2013, the abbey has partnered with Kearsarge Energy to create two large solar panel farms.
- The first solar farm produces 3.6 megawatts of direct current electricity.
- The second solar farm produces 4.8 megawatts of direct current.
- These solar farms cover about 40 acres of land.
- The electricity from these farms is sold to the nearby town of Franklin, Massachusetts. It provides about 80% of that town's power needs.
With their wind turbines, solar farms, and a special geothermal heating and cooling system, Mount Saint Mary's Abbey is the first property in Massachusetts to use three different types of renewable energy.
New Communities Founded
As the community at Mount Saint Mary's Abbey grew, the nuns helped start new monasteries for their order in other states.
- In 1964, they founded Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey in Iowa.
- In 1972, they helped start Santa Rita Abbey in Arizona.
- In 1987, they established Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Virginia.
