Recently Mother Fiachra returned from a grace-filled, week-long journey to Virginia, USA, where she assisted Dom Vincent of the Monastery of Spencer, USA in conducting the regular visitation of his daughter house, Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville.

A “visitation” is the periodic fraternal review carried out by an authorised superior (sometimes with an assistant!) from another monastery to help ensure that a monastic community is living its vocation faithfully, in peace, in good order, and with fidelity to the Cistercian charism. It is also an opportunity to get to know monks and nuns from other communities, and share about what the Lord is doing in our lives.

This was Mother Fiachra’s first encounter with a monastery of the US Region, and she was deeply moved by the warmth of the welcome and the profound spirit of prayer that permeates the community.

Holy Cross Abbey rests within a peaceful 1,200-acre estate along the banks of the Shenandoah River, about an hour from Washington. The natural beauty of the landscape—quiet waters, rolling grasslands, and woodland sanctuaries—creates an ideal setting for listening deeply to God’s presence. (And yes, being right by the Shenandoah makes it impossible not to hear “Country Roads” echoing in your head!).

The small community of twelve monks supports itself through the contemplative work of crafting fruit cakes and flavoured creamed honeys—labours of love rooted in the Cistercian tradition of ora et labora, and living by the labour of our own hands.

We welcomed Mother Fiachra home with joy, while she shared with us her gratitude for the unity shared among the members of our Order, and the enduring witness of monastic life.