- Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey
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Coordinates: 42°24′58″N 90°35′42″W / 42.416°N 90.595°W
The Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey is located near Dubuque, Iowa. The nuns there are members of the Order of the Cistercian Strict Observance (Trappists), part of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The current Abbess is Sr. Nettie Louise Gamble.
Currently the Abbey is home to about 30 nuns, who, as is required by the Rule of St Benedict, spend their days in a balance between choral and private prayer, lectio divina (meditative reading of Scripture and other spiritual books), and manual labor. The Abbey supports itself primarily with candy making, but also farms the land it owns on the bluffs of the Mississippi River. Visitors are welcome to make a retreat and stay in any of several guest houses on the property but these are often booked months in advance.
The nuns have a daily routine that involves spending a large part of their day in prayer, work, and contemplation. Each day begins with the Office of Vigils at 3:45 a.m.. Compline, the last prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours, is at 7:15 p.m. The Abbey is well known for candy, Trappistine Creamy Caramels. From September through December the Sisters make over a ton of caramels each week and ship them world-wide. The nuns operate an on site gift shop stocked with candy from their factory as well as various religious gifts.
History
The Abbey was founded in 1964 when the first thirteen Sisters traveled from Mt St. Mary’s Abbey in Wrentham, Massachusetts to the present site of the abbey. The Sisters began candy making soon after, but also attempted to support the Abbey through farming, growing Christmas trees, and raising livestock. Although candy is now their main support, they still raise some cattle and the farm is certified organic. Much of their land has been returned to forest.
In 1999, the nuns of the Abbey decided to begin a monastery, Tautra Abbey, in Tautra, Norway, and five nuns of Mississippi Abbey and two Norwegian nuns from other monasteries arrived there. In March, 2006, Tautra Mariakloster became an autonomous priory.
External links
Gallery
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A young guest helps out in the abbey garden
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Candy made by the sisters at the abbey
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Resting area on the abbey lawn
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The sisters generate their own income from their candy making, a farm and retreat house.
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The candy warehouse at the abbey
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A guest helps out in the candy warehouse at the abbey.
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The abbey operates a farm, this is a picture of some of the livestock.
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Side view of the altar and one of the nuns at Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey.
Categories:- Buildings and structures in Dubuque, Iowa
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque
- Trappist monasteries
- Cistercian monasteries in the United States
- Religion in Dubuque, Iowa
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