St. Mary's AI, Glencairn
Welcome to St. Mary's Abbey, Glencairn
St Mary’s Abbey, Glencairn is the only Cistercian monastery for women in Ireland. Our monastery is located in the Blackwater Valley, about 3 miles upstream from Lismore, County Waterford.
At the heart of the monastic life is the search for God; here at Glencairn, we seek God and follow Christ in a life of prayer and community, solitude and simplicity, work and hospitality.
We follow the Rule of St Benedict, an ancient source of monastic wisdom that continues to guide many people in search of an authentic spiritual path in today’s world.
There are three key elements in our day: Lectio Divina, Liturgy and Work.
Rule of St. Benedict
"To follow Jesus into the desert is to follow him in one aspect of his life, to reproduce a particular characteristic of his mission in oneself and one's own life, for the Church. The monk chooses to situate himself in the heart of that loving desire which draws the Son to the Father. He tries to make his own that unceasing murmur of the heart of Jesus - "Abba, Father!" "
- Andre Louf, The Cistercian Way
Our Community
Our community was founded in 1932 by Holy Cross Abbey, Stapehill, England with the support of the monks of Mount Melleray Abbey, County Waterford, Ireland.
The community quickly grew and in 1949 Glencairn founded the first Cistercian monastery for women in the United States; Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey, Wrentham, Massachussetts.
Saint Justina’s monastery, a second foundation of Glencairn, was founded in Abakaliki, Nigeria in 1982.
Today, we are a community blessed with 36 sisters from all over Ireland and different parts of the world, with a wide range of age groups represented, from the thirties to the nineties!
Sister Robert joyfully made her first vows at St Mary’s Abbey, Glencairn on December 8th,
Congratulations to Sister Nuala of Glencairn who was awarded with a Bachelor of Theology
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