A Visit to the Abbey

Marya Hayes shares a tour of the new St. Michael's Abbey, a Norbertine community in Silverado, California.

This Advent season I took the opportunity to visit our local Norbertine abbey,St. Michael’s Abbey. We attended Mass (parts were in Latin) and walked around the newly constructed Church and buildings. I had my first exposure to the Norbertine Fathers when I was attending Masses in my 20s at the Militia Immaculata in West Covina, California. A Norbertine Father would come to say the Rosary and Mass for us and would give a talk. They always seemed deeply reverent and learned, so my respect and trust in them started with these first encounters. This shaped my young adult life. I visited their Abbey one time, but it seemed far away in Orange County of Southern California.

Since I moved to Orange County more than a decade ago, I have been visiting the Abbey on occasion. Their old location was private and serene but old, and they were outgrowing it. They currently have 38 seminarians and 52 priests!

There are six Norbertine Communities in the US, and 30 around the world. The majority of them are in Europe. Norbertines are often also referred to as “Order of Prémontré" or "Canons Regular of Prémontré" or "Prémonstratensian Order." The Norbertine order was founded on Christmas Day, in the year 1120 by Saint Norbert of Xanten (Germany), in the French forest valley ofPrémontré, along with 13 companions. Norbert adopted the rule of Saint Augustine and some practices of the Cistercian monks. Norbertines are the 5th oldest Catholic religious order still in existence.

According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Norbert and instructed him on the habit for the Order, saying it should be “white, like those worn by the angels who announced the Resurrection. At the same time, not dying the unbleached fabric will match your poverty.” Saint Norbert’s family was very wealthy, and in the wool business. The lambs’ wool is white, and is a gift from the lamb. The habit consists of four parts: the tunic, scapular, cincture (sash), and shoulder cape. There is a small hood which is reminiscent of medieval monks’ hoods.

The life of the Order is centered around communal prayer, the action of bringing Christ to the people through various ministries, and the Eucharist. St Norbert became Bishop of Magdeburg in 1125, defended Pope Innocent II, died in 1134, and was canonized in 1582. His goal was moral reform, through a contemplative yet active faith life.

We are lucky to have one of those six communities here in our Southern Californian backyard of Silverado, CA. The community of St Michael’s chose Jean-Louis Pagès, a French architect, to build their new Romanesque Abbey. Here is a video about the 90-year-old architect, a genius, a man of faith and suffering. He brings all that is good in the new, and all that is good from the old. He states that on the Feast of St. Michael, the sunlight will stream in a straight line across the Church. Pagès also was the architect for the Benedictine Abbey of Le Barroux, France, which he worked on for 22 years!

Take a virtual tour of the property and explore photos of the development. The grounds and artwork are not yet completed. While the Norbertines celebrate over 900 years of history, the priests of this community teach in local grade schools and high schools and serve as chaplains for colleges, prisons, and hospitals. If you live locally, this is a great destination to visit to recharge with opportunities for Confession, Adoration, Vespers, Rosary, Compline, and Mass. (And you might feel like you took a step back in time.)

Copyright 2022 Marya Hayes
Images copyright 2021 Marya Hayes, all rights reserved.