Life Photos St. Benedict's Abbey 1955 [LARGE IMAGES]

[stvincentferrer]

All images from Life Image Archive. Photographer: Gordon Parks. St. Benedict's Abbey, Atchison, Kansas in October, 1955.



Monks dipping their hands in a font of holy water following lunch in the refectory. During the meals one monk reads scripture while the other monks remain silent.



Priest elevating host and performing other functions of mass, at St. Benedict's Abbey.



Monk preparing communion host by stamping pattern on white wafer sheets at St. Benedict's Abbey.



Parish priest walking in field of wheat with parishoner.



Priest leading novices in prayer at St. Benedict's Abbey where they prepare for to take vows.



Priest teaching monks preparing for the priesthood to swing incense at St. Benedict's Abbey.



Visitators, abbots chosen by congregation to make rounds of its monasteries to evaluate their performance, appearing on altar with Abbot Cuthbert McDonald ® at St. Benedict's Abbey.



Monk praying in Benedictine monastery.



Novices being received into the order at St. Benedict's Abbey where they will prepare to take vows for the priesthood.



Mother holding sleeping infant at altar while priest pours holy water on his head and blesses baby in baptism at St. Benedict's Abbey.



Benedictine monks crossing the lawn at St. Benedict's Abbey.



Monks attending mass at St. Benedict's Abbey.



Monks leaving chapel at St. Benedict's Abbeys wearing their hoods up, customary from November to Easter.



Parish priest from Benedictine monastary walking with parishoner in field of winter wheat.



Holy water is sprinkled on praying monks by Father Theodore, the prior of St. Benedict's Abbey, at the day's last service.



Novices being received into the order at St. Benedict's Abbey where they will prepare for the priesthood.



Novices being received into the order at St. Benedict's Abbey where they will prepare to take vows for the priesthood.



Monk churchmen attending mass at St. Benedict's Abbey.



Mother holding sleeping infant at altar before baptism at St. Benedict's Abbey.

[DomineNonSumDignus]

Thank you for posting those. That's some beautiful, striking photography. I graduated from Benedictine College in 2002 (B.S. in Biochemistry). I miss that place and hope it can someday fully recover its Catholic identity...it's fighting the tide.

[James02]

+10 fishies on this.  You rule.  Incredible post.

[Lee Timmer]

*SIGH*

[Ravenonthecross]

Stunning and sheerly beautiful! :o
:pray:

[Historian]

Very nice!  Thanks for posting it! :)

[viking]

Thank you very much! I wonder if they had already started to become influenced by modernism by then, and how many Brothers there are in the monastery today.

[WhollyRoaminCatholic]

It's hard to tell from these photos, but remember that the 1960's didn't just come out of nowhere.  Having been to this Abbey a number of times, it's easy to see how the '55 Abbey seamlessly became the V2 Abbey of today.  It's hard to explain, but whenever I see these pictures (there's a lot more on the LIFE magazine photos in the google), it's kind of surreal and bittersweet.

[jovan66102]

Thank you very much! I wonder if they had already started to become influenced by modernism by then, and how many Brothers there are in the monastery today.

According to Wikipedia there are about 35 today. When I spent a week there in the very early 70's there were at least twice that many.

[WhollyRoaminCatholic]

Thank you very much! I wonder if they had already started to become influenced by modernism by then, and how many Brothers there are in the monastery today.

According to Wikipedia there are about 35 today. When I spent a week there in the very early 70's there were at least twice that many.

39, according to my count.
http://monks.kansasmonks.org/?page_id=19