A Day in the Life ''' of a Monk

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A Day in the Life ... of a Monk
Unlike missionaries and friars, who travel about
quite a lot in the course of their work, monks
tend to stay put in one place, so that the
monastery which they make their home becomes a
focus for the prayer life of the local community
and a stable point in a rapidly changing world.
My home is at Downside Abbey in Somerset, where I
live with about thirty other monks. I have
several different jobs, which I carry out in the
gaps between the fixed times of prayer when all
the monks come together to praise God.
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A Day in the Life ... of a Monk
This is a typical day
The day begins with the service of VIGILS in the
Abbey Church this is the first and longest part
of the 'Divine Office' which gives a framework to
the monastic day. During Vigils we sing psalms
and canticles from the Bible and listen to the
Word of God and to the writings of Church
Fathers. There follows a half-hour break for
private prayer.
6.00 a.m.
7.05 a.m.
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7.30 a.m.
8.35 a.m.
MASS. The whole community is gathered together
for the celebration of the eucharist, in which we
remember the saving sacrifice of Christ, and
renew the offering of ourselves to God. At Mass,
since I am Choirmaster, I lead the monks in their
singing of Gregorian chant. Together with the
choir from our boarding school, we have made two
very successful CDs of our singing. The whole
school joins us for Mass on Sunday mornings.
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9.15 a.m.
After Mass, the monks go about their different
jobs, whether it be teaching in the school,
looking after a local parish, or dealing with
visitors. A lot of my time is taken up with
computer work, as I edit our quarterly journal,
The Downside Review, and most jobs that need IT
skills seem to come my way. I also run our
Conference Centre, so there will be 'phone calls,
e-mails and letters to sort out.
1.10 p.m.
MIDDAY PRAYER. In the middle of our working day,
we pause to remember that it is God who gives
value to our work and sustains us in our
labours. This if followed by lunch. We begin by
singing grace together then, as we eat in
silence, one of the brethren reads to us an
extract which the Abbot has chosen it might be
an academic article from a journal, or a sermon
or lecture.
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In the afternoons I try to get away from my
computer screen, though I don't always succeed.
If at all possible I will try to do something
more physical, and there are always jobs to be
done. I spend quite a lot of time maintaining a
hostel for student groups which I look after.
5.45 p.m.
VESPERS. Together with Lauds, Vespers is one of
the 'hinges' of the day. For most of the
community, the working day is done, and it is
time to give thanks to God for the graces he has
given during the day, in prayer and
singing. After Vespers, there is another
half-hour of silence so that we can pray
privately or meditate on a passage of the Bible.

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6.45 p.m.
Supper. As with the other meals, this is taken in
silence, but the reading is lighter and more
entertaining it may be biography, history or
travel writing.
7.15 p.m.
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8.00 p.m.
Compline. The last part of the Divine Office,
which we sing by heart in the darkened Church.
After Compline there is silence in the monastery
until breakfast the next morning. Some will go to
bed soon afterwards for others there is still
work to be done the school will not quieten down
until 11.30 p.m. I tend to get to bed around
10.30 p.m.
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Each of the monks has his own room, which we call
'cells', though they are more comfortable than
prison cells! I do most of my work from my own
room, so it functions also as an office, with
lots of filing trays and hundreds of books. I
find I have to be very imaginative about making
best use of the space!
Life as a monk is not as leisurely as it can seem
from the outside, and can be compared to the swan
gliding gracefully on the surface of the water,
while underneath its feet are working
frantically. But for those who are suited to its
orderliness and sense of purpose, it is a life
that is richly rewarding.
Dom Dunstan O'KeeffeDownside Abbey, Somerset
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Amen