Fruitful Endeavor
Story by Clay Gaynor
Photography by Casey Templeton
Imagine a monastery. Ages-old stone buildings, heavy oak doors banded with iron and men in meditation or prayer, all set on a misty hill in Middle Ages Europe, is probably what comes to mind. Now fast forward 500-odd years, replace the stone structures with a turn-of-the-century farmhouse and adjacent buildings reminiscent of a country day school. Add a modern bakery producing fruitcake, give it a Blue Ridge Mountain backdrop and the transition from imagination to reality is complete.
Located on a tree-lined country road that meanders alongside the Shenandoah River, near Winchester, Holy Cross Abbey is one of 12 Cistercian monasteries in the United States. Home to 24 men ranging in age from 31 to 86, it was founded on Nov. 18, 1950. Known as “Trappists” after an early French monastery called “La Trapp”, the monks at Holy Cross practice a simple life of community worship, personal prayer, reading and manual work.
Between rising at 3 a.m. every morning for prayer during what is called the Night Office of Vigils and retiring at 8 p.m. after a prayer service called the Office of Compline, held in a darkened church, the monks hold Mass, sing praise, eat vegetarian meals, perform manual labor and have vespers.
Cistercian monks are “meant to live by the labor of our work,” says Father Robert Barnes, abbot of the monastery. In his 44 years at Holy Cross, Father Robert, 63, has seen many transformations in the monastery. What began as a working cattle farm changed to a bread bakery and has now evolved into making fruitcake for financial support.
“We do about 630 cakes a bake,” Father Robert says, adding that the monastery bakery has been featured on two Food Channel shows, “Food Finds” and “Roker on the Road.” “We get swamped with orders whenever we’re on TV.”
Ernie Polanskas, general manager in charge of the bakery and sales, says plans call for 26,000 of the cakes — which contain candied fruit, nuts, raisins and dates — to be baked this year. The cakes are handmade — passed from monk to monk as they add ingredients and prepare them for baking. Before coming to the bakery five years ago, Polanskas had visited Holy Cross in the mid-1980s to learn about monastic life. “Things haven’t changed much since then,” he says.
In addition to fruitcake the monks make fraters, creamed honey and chocolate truffles. Fraters are fruitcake slices dipped in dark chocolate and creamed honey is locally produced natural clover honey whipped with one of six flavors, including brandy, raspberry or cinnamon. The truffles, new this year, are produced by the brothers at the facilities of a candy shop in Martinsburg, W. Va.
“We have a gift shop where we sell our products and products from other monasteries,” Polanskas says. Fraters, creamed honey and truffles are available through direct mail and can be found at other monasteries and small shops. Fruitcake is available only at Holy Cross’ gift shop and through direct mail. Polanskas adds that the monastery is currently working on a more user-friendly Web site.
The monastery is open to visitors from 3:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. Guests can attend services, spend time in prayerful silence or just visit the gift shop. Those looking for a longer stay can reserve a space in the abbey’s guesthouse, a brick ranch with 15 single rooms containing private baths. A sixteenth room is kept for a traveler who may appear at any time or someone in sudden need. The stays, open to both men and women, are from Monday to Friday or Friday to Sunday, include simple vegetarian meals, and cost only a donation. The monastery hopes for $50 a night, but has no set charge to avoid dissuading anyone.
“It’s not a high-gear thing,” Father Robert says, stressing that it isn’t a scheduled program. Guests are free to do as they please, be it silent meditation, walking the grounds, participating in services or conferring with a brother. It’s a “personal sharing with God,” where guests can “slow down, get quiet, listen to God,” he says. With upwards of 1,000 guests a year, Holy Cross instituted a rule limiting people to no more than two stays a year.
Men who express an interest in monastic life can become a part of the Holy Cross community for an initial three months. Whether or not the man and brothers feel that life at the monastery is the right choice, the individual must return home for two months to decide if monastic life is their calling and to sort their affairs.
“We don’t move too quickly,” says Father James Orthmann, the man who potential monks work with throughout the process of becoming a brother. After a one-year postulate, or trial period, a man becomes part of the community. He takes his first vows two years later, but doesn’t make his life commitment until three years after that. “All told it’s about a six-year process,” Orthmann says, adding that nowadays most learn about the monastery on the Internet.
Interest in monastic life peaked in the 1950s and ’60s, when many young men entered religious communities. Today more men show interest in their 40s and 50s. Any single, practicing Catholic male with no dependents or debt and who is in good health is welcome to try out life at Holy Cross. “We help people discern what God wants them to do,” Father Robert says. “The majority of those who come won’t remain in the monastery for life.”
Whether a visitor is just curious about monastic life, wants to shop, schedule a stay or perhaps more, Holy Cross Abbey provides a welcoming and friendly environment. While taking the country road leading to the monastery won’t send visitors back 500 years, it will show where monastic tradition meets the present.