Engelberg Abbey

This is Engelberg Abbey, the Benedictine Monastery that sent a few monks from Switzerland to establish Conception Abbey in Northwest Missouri.  I spent five days at this monastery after completing my exams at the Gregorian University.  It was a nice time to relax and to enjoy the beauty of central Switzerland.  The Abbey welcomes guests to come and stay at the monastery.  However, I also learned that they emphasize that they will not try to impress the “Catholic faith” on the guests.  I ended up spending my meals with mostly non-Christians that just wanted to stay at a cool place.  It was a strange experience.  There was one woman guest that was a great Catholic and she also helped translate some of the German conversations for me.  The Benedictine Motto is to “Welcome all as Christ.”  The monks at Engelberg could learn a few things from the monks at their daughter house in Missouri!  Don’t get me wrong, the place was beautiful, but it turned out not to be the best place to pray for five days.  If I ever go back, I will bring a few friends!