Around this cohesive group of dedicated monks has formed an extended group of people who make up the “abbey family.” That is to say that the monks’ rooted-ness in our location in St. Louis County has led to the development of a metropolitan Catholic culture revolving around the monastery as its nexus. The extended abbey family consists of thousands of parishioners, alumni, students, parents of students, clergy, etc. who have found the abbey and its permanent monks to be a dependable source of support and inspiration throughout their lives. For an example of how this has occurred, let’s consider the relationship between a monk and a student. A student in the school may establish a friendship with a monk during junior school, continue to grow through his help via classes and advice during high school, return with questions about life during or after college, seek his help in marriage preparation or vocational discernment, come to him for help during times of crisis, participate in abbey-related lectio divina, prayer, or service groups as an adult, and more. The same is true of parishioners or parents of students who find they have a place and usually at least one monk and several fellow members of the network to whom they can turn throughout life.
