St. Benedict's Farm began in the mind of George R. Gannon sometime in the late 1940's. Reading Thomas Merton's story of medieval Cistercian monks, George was fascinated with St. Bernard's invitation to would-be monks "to come learn about God from the brooks, the trees, the flowers and forest." Then, and even now, a deeply rural setting is typical monastery turf.

Our Trappist Background

Merton's poetry led George to enter the Trappist monastery at Conyers, Georgia, in July of 1950. The crushing pace of Trappist life in the mid 1950's was poetry of another kind. It was not as idyllic and reflective as it was sincere, tough-on-the-body and tough on the spirit. All the same, George's one-year stint as a novice at Conyers added new pieces to the vision that would someday become St. Benedict's Farm. "These men really love one another," George reflected.

Jesus On The Cross

The Conyers Trappist experience prompted George to craft one of his most favorite sayings: "The Lord is looking for someone to `stand in the gap.'" (cf Ezk13:5; 22:30) Standing in the gap means obeying the Lord's every wish, especially the hard things -- things that oppress the spirit -- the cross! While at Conyers, George had translated the Rule of St. Benedict from its original Latin into English. As so many before him, he was struck by its great simplicity, balance and discretion. The Rule engages all our faculties to praise God, physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually.

St. Benedict's Farm was born January 10, 1956 from the pieces described above. For a deeper walk into our history, go to Our Struggle and/or Our Founder. For the whole story, there's our book, Your Friendly Neighborhood Monks.