Benedictines of the Cascades

Our Vision

To be a monk in the world today is to live out an ancient calling in a modern context, balancing tradition with a profound openness to the world around us.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, where rugged landscapes meet a culture of innovation and progressive values, our monastic community finds itself called to embody the Rule of Saint Benedict in ways that are deeply grounded, yet creatively adaptive.

At its core, being a monk today means embodying the seeking of God—not just in the cloister, but in the world that surrounds us. We carry Benedict’s call to “listen with the ear of the heart” as we engage with the urgent needs of our time.

Climate change, social justice, economic disparity—these realities cannot be separated from our monastic calling. We bring them into our prayer and our discernment, allowing our responses to be shaped by the values of humility, hospitality, and stability.

Stability, for instance, speaks powerfully today to the need for rootedness in an age marked by constant change. For us, stability is not just about staying in one place; it’s about staying engaged, returning again and again to the commitments we have made to God, to each other, and to the world.

In Benedict’s Rule, the monk’s life is centered around three pillars: prayer, work, and study. In our community, this means coming together in communal prayer, but also venturing out to serve. Some of us may work in social service, education, or environmental advocacy, while others dedicate themselves to the pastoral care of those in need.

Our work and prayer become intertwined, each fueling the other. And in study, we continually return to the wisdom of scripture, sacred texts, and the voices of those who inspire us, knowing that learning keeps our hearts open and our minds humble.

Hospitality, too, takes on a renewed significance. We welcome all as Christ, as Benedict commanded, embracing people from all walks of life, backgrounds, and beliefs. Hospitality today isn’t just about opening the doors of our monastery, but also the doors of our hearts, creating spaces where people can encounter peace, acceptance, and healing.

We’re here to listen to the joys and sorrows of the people we meet and to offer a quiet, steady presence in a world that so often feels frantic and disconnected.

To be a monk today is, in some ways, to be a witness—a witness to simplicity in a world of excess, to contemplation in a world of noise, and to hope in a world of doubt. It is a way of life that insists on the sacredness of ordinary things, on finding God in daily rhythms, and on a life that is shaped not by productivity but by purpose.

We walk in the footsteps of Benedict and the countless monks and nuns who came before us, but we also walk alongside those in the wider world, recognizing that we share a common journey and a shared vocation to love, serve, and renew the earth.

So as monks today, we are bridge-builders, seekers, and servants, called to live a life that is both rooted and responsive. And in our life together, we hope to embody a quiet, steadfast love that speaks to the heart of what it means to live for God, here and now, in our world.

Think you have a calling to monastic life? Contact us today!