Glastonbury Abbey

A Community of Benedictine Monks
A living tradition of prayer and service.

Our Lady of Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham, Massachusetts was founded in 1954 by Benet Lake Abbey in Wisconsin to carry on the 1500 year living tradition of St. Benedict (480-547 CE), patriarch of western monasticism. We are a community of Benedictine monks committed to seeking God within the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church as specified by the Benedictine way of life.

The principal work of every Benedictine monk is prayer. The Glastonbury community gathers five times daily to celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours and the Eucharist in common, and all are welcome to join us. Twice a day the monks spend time in private prayer – lectio divina – the slow contemplative reading of the Scriptures which enable the Bible, the word of God, to become a means of entering into the presence of God.

We are also engaged in a variety of ministries through which the special character of our monastic life is shared with others. Our spiritual retreat program, begun in 1975 and thriving today, welcomes guests to spend time in our retreat houses and share in the prayer life of the monks. We offer theological courses and prayer workshops to deepen participants’ knowledge of theology and sacred scripture and provide opportunities for personal spiritual growth. We also provide assistance in priestly ministry to local parishes.  For over two decades our well-stocked Bookstore has provided a valuable resource on the South Shore for religious books and gifts for all sacramental occasions.

Glastonbury Abbey has become a regional center of educational, cultural, social and spiritual outreach for our Boston South Shore community and beyond. We are happy to share our facilities with numerous community service organizations (including twelve-step recovery programs, the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and many others), as well as with spiritual retreatants and those wishing to explore monastic life as a vocation.

Also, the Abbey is home for inter-faith dialogue through its popular annual lecture series, “Listening to Other Voices,” which is offered free to the public. These lectures are held in the Glastonbury Abbey Conference Center, which was built in 2001 to extend our ministry of hospitality.  We also interact with local food pantries, offer monthly Sunday Suppers to those in need of wholesome nourishment, and prepare meals for the residents of Father Bill’s Place.

Thank you for visiting our website. Please visit, in person, our beautiful facilities – all are welcome!

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