N RURAL IOWA, along the banks of the Mississippi River, 17 nuns have a
simple goal for their lives together. “We try to follow Jesus Christ through a
life of prayer, silence, simplicity, and ordinary work,” they declare on their
website.
They are the Trappistine Cistercian nuns of Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey.
They carry on a tradition that stretches back to the year 1098 when the first Cistercian monastery was founded in France. Their modern lives follow a centuries-oldpattern. In keeping with Catholic monasteries around the world, they pray the
The nuns of Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey follow an
ancient, communal tradition of prayer, contemplation, and
work, which lifts their hearts to God each moment of the day.
I
Carol SchuckScheiber ismanaging editor of VISIONand editor ofHORIZON, bothpublications ofthe National Religious VocationConference.
Living simply,
centered on prayer
PHOTOS COURTESY OF OUR LADY OF THE MISSISSIPPI ABBEY AND BY DAVID PETERSON.
TEXT BY CAROL SCHUCK SCHEIBER.
THE NUNS of
Our Lady of
the Mississippi
Abbey, along with
visitors who have
joined them for
Mass, celebrate
Palm Sunday
with an outdoor
procession.
SISTERS
