{"id":66,"date":"2015-03-28T22:12:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-28T22:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2015\/03\/a-bit-of-heaven-mepkin-abbey.html"},"modified":"2016-03-25T17:26:35","modified_gmt":"2016-03-25T22:26:35","slug":"a-bit-of-heaven-mepkin-abbey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2015\/03\/a-bit-of-heaven-mepkin-abbey.html","title":{"rendered":"A bit of heaven: Mepkin Abbey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
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Yesterday I visited for the first time Mepkin Abbey, a Trappist monastery northwest of Charleston, South Carolina. \u00a0Founded in 1949 on land donated by Henry Luce and Clare Boothe Luce, this property on the banks of the Cooper River was originally Mepkin Plantation, the home of Henry Laurens, a South Carolinian who served as president of the Continental Congress after John Hancock from 1777 to 1778.<\/div>\n
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The grounds of the Abbey are spectacular. \u00a0The Luce family built an extensive garden before donating the land to the monks and the garden continues to be very well kept. \u00a0The timing of the visit was ideal for seeing the azaleas in full bloom.<\/div>\n
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After my initial walk around the property, I decided to return with a book to read by the river. \u00a0During my second round I was accompanied by a tour guide, she led me and while I read she never went too far from me. \u00a0She was appropriately named \u201cAbbey.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Like all monastic communities, the monks at Mepkin keep a schedule that balances work and prayer. \u00a0The monks pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the official prayer of the Church throughout the day beginning with Vigils from 3:20am to 4am. \u00a0Lauds follows at 6:300am and Mass at 7:30am. \u00a0Terce is at 8:30am, Sext at noon before lunch, Vespers is after dinner at 6pm and finally Compline at 7:30pm. \u00a0The monks retire to their cells at 8pm. \u00a0Below is a picture of the monks walking from the chapel to the refectory for lunch.<\/div>\n
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The Chapel<\/div>\n
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The choir stalls<\/div>\n
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The library<\/div>\n
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The belltower<\/div>\n
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Monks do different kinds of work to remain self-sufficient, Mepkin is known for its mushrooms and fruitcakes. \u00a0A small gift shop sells products made by the local monks and monks from other monasteries. \u00a0It also sells books, religious articles and other gifts.<\/div>\n
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The Cooper River on its way to Charleston<\/div>\n
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Recently the Abbey opened a new guesthouse with sixteen beautiful rooms, a chapel and welcome area. \u00a0Retreats with different themes are organized throughout the year, but one can go at anytime on a personal retreat. \u00a0The monks were hospitable, the food delicious (all vegetarian) and the beds comfortable.<\/div>\n
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The chapel<\/div>\n
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My brief visit of Mepkin Abbey was restful and fruitful. \u00a0The beauty of the grounds made me want to stay much longer! \u00a0It truly felt like a little bit of heaven. \u00a0I hope to return soon.<\/div>\n
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Pictures are mine, all rights reserved.<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Yesterday I visited for the first time Mepkin Abbey, a Trappist monastery northwest of Charleston, South Carolina. \u00a0Founded in 1949 on land donated by Henry Luce and Clare Boothe Luce, this property on the banks of the Cooper River was originally Mepkin Plantation, the home of Henry Laurens, a South Carolinian who served as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nA bit of heaven: Mepkin Abbey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u00a0 Yesterday I visited for the first time Mepkin Abbey, a Trappist monastery northwest of Charleston, South Carolina. \u00a0Founded in 1949 on land donated by\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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