So very old, yet ever new
On my way to China, I stopped over in Spain for some meetings. Having a few extra days, I went to Manresa, Spain where we Dominicans have a monastery of nuns. What an incredible experience!
In the archives of a medieval monastery.
This monastery has been open since the 13th century. It is just above the cave where Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, wrote his famous “Spiritual Exercises.” Ignatius used to sit outside the door of this monastery and listen to the prayers of the nuns as they sang their evening office. Their prayers are still quite inspiring, as I can attest.
On the right is a photo of some books in the monastery archives. Top left is a bundle of contracts the monastery entered into in the year 1344. Every contract they have ever signed is still preserved on these shelves. The sense of history is deep, as is the connection between the town and the monastery.
These days in Spain there is a “crisis of faith,” where most people no longer believe in God. To meet this challenge, the monastery opens its doors for a number of events. It regularly allows local groups to use its hall for free, including allowing a group of evangelical Christians to use it as their regular worship space when no other church in town would let them meet in their space. They have given the use of another building to a group of religious brothers to use as a mental hospital for poor people, again for free.
A Buddhist meditation workshop in the monastery
More interestingly, they have begun to explore how their life of contemplation might touch the life of society more. To this end, once a month they sponsor a workshop on Buddhist meditation, including talks on contemplation in general and a chance for everyone to meditate together in silence. Silence is a rare commodity in modern Spain, but it is part and parcel of monastic life. The nuns have a garden surrounding their building which isolates it from the noise of the street, but the room where we all meditated was made of five foot thick stone walls. We had more than 100 people meditating together in the middle of the day, and there was absolute silence.
For centuries this monastery has been an integral part of the life of Manresa and the surrounding area. I think the nuns still have the creativity to meet today’s challenges and help guide Spain to a greater life of faith.
treating loans its hall for public events One evening young adults were invited in for faith sharing and supper with the nuns. The following morning, the nuns
Scott Steinkerchner in charge of the worldwide internet development efforts of his religious congregation, the Dominicans, and is an adjunct professor of interreligious theology at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis. He has a Ph.D. in theology from Boston College with a specialization in inter-religious dialogue, and is a Catholic priest. 
Scott, why do you suppose most people in Spain no longer believe in God? The message of Christianity, in its historical context, is the message of a miracle-working Savior who touches the lives of individuals in the community with the life-changing experience of redemption from our sins by faith in Jesus Christ.
wayne, what Scott observes about Spain is generally true across Western Europe. Personally, I think it has a lot to do with the primacy of the State Church, that the Church and the State are totally intertwined.
hs, thanks for your insight. Even if it is a bit chilling. Sounds rather like the Church is business rather than a ministry.
Wayne,
I have also asked why Spaniards no longer believe in God and have always gotten hs’s response. In Spain, for the past 40 years, there was no space between the Catholic Church and the State. I think this compromised the Church’s teaching and integrity in people’s minds.
I don’t think I understand your other comment. The nuns, at least, are the opposite of a business. Everything they do for the community they do for free. They don’t charge rent, they don’t lease their space. They let others use it for free, even on a permanent basis (like the hospital).
Thanks for your clarification, Scott. It is commendable the service the nuns are doing in the communities. Your point is well taken concerning the compromise of the Church’s teachings and integrity . Perhaps church members may be more aggressive in communicating the historical resurrection of Jesus Christ to the doubting community.
What a wonderful experience–meditating in community, in a room that has held devotional energy for centuries. Such a lovely blending of traditions the Sisters are offering. Daily meditation has changed my life in many ways. It’s good to hear about so many people continuing to discover it.