Following this year’s General Chapter, Mother Maureen McCabe OCSO, Cistercian Abbess of Wrentham in Massachusetts, travelled back to Ireland with our Abbess, Mother Marie to give this year’s community retreat from 29 September to 7 October. Having a Cistercian as our retreat preacher is always a particularly resonant, joyful and helpful experience. Mother Maureen’s deeply […]
Welcome to our new website, designed by Granite Digital. We hope you will discover here more information and insights about Cistercian life in a clear and attractive layout that is easy to navigate. Various sisters have contributed to the articles and reflections on our life published here; our archivist sister introduces Glencairn’s story from its […]
Over the past year at Glencairn Abbey we have been working with acclaimed professional photographer Valerie O’Sullivan on preparations for our new book which will be published by Columba Press in October 2017. The book charts the days and seasons of the past year of monastic life in our community. ‘Candid’ humorous moments combine with […]
After a period of three years of building construction at Glencairn Abbey, it is wonderful to enjoy the peace and quiet of our monastic environment and share this peace once again with others. With our newly opened community residential block we have been able to offer hospitality to monastic visitors from the Benedictine family from […]
ST BERNARD KNEW HIMSELF TO BE CALLED TO SEEK GOD’S FACE, to be conformed to Christ and to work tirelessly for the Kingdom of God and he saw all of that happening within the Cistercian community. From his prayer, three personal qualities developed in St Bernard: self-knowledge, merciful compassion, contemplation. Self-knowledge: although he didn’t seem […]
It’s a monastic tradition at Glencairn for the Novitiate to ‘take a hike’ from Mt Melleray Abbey which lies at the foot of the Knockmealdown mountains. This year’s trip included juniors, Sisters Angela and Liz, Kate our Postulant, together with two women staying with us on a monastic experience, discerning their Cistercian vocation. Sr Sarah […]
