Spirituality

St. Michael’s Abbey is a place for common worship and prayer. All that we do is directed at giving glory and honor to God. Walk with us as we work, daily, to strengthen our devotion and love for Christ, Who first loved us.

Let Us Watch For The Lord

Let Our Faith Be Awakened

Christ, in His tremendous free gift of the liturgy, given for our consolation, for our right up-building (or edification), for our correct formation of those acts we must necessarily give back to Him—our religion—, He has given us this day at least the single lesson of learning to listen, to long for, to hope for that one thing just out of sight.

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Holy Souls Novena

Praying for the dead is an important work of mercy, and a meaningful reminder of own mortality. In this Novena, Fr. Victor guides us through short, thoughtful reflections on our relationship (and obligation!) to the dead.

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"The Lord is with You"

“Mary knew that the acceptance of her queenship was perfectly compatible with her own lowly circumstances.”

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Sacred Heart of Jesus

There is no sorrow we can feel that the Sacred Heart does not want to alleviate for us.

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Homily: Anniversary of the Dedication of the Abbey Church

The Church is so profound a mystery that no one image fully plumbs it depths and explains it exhaustively. Each image has its own aspect to emphasize and bring to light in ways the others do not.

The Good Shepherd

The mystery of our Blessed Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection is so central to our faith, such an immovable foundation upon which everything else is based, that He spoke of it not only openly once, twice, and a third time at least, but He also alluded to it in riddles and images, so that by uncovering the truth beneath the veil the hearts of His disciples might be the more confirmed in their conviction that what He had said in plain words was true indeed.

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Homily 3rd Sunday of Easter 2023

"What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast.

Fixing Your Gaze on Eternity

An Easter message from Abbot Hayes, O.Praem.

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The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Worthy and fruitful holy communions increase our faith in the rising of Christ and the hope of our own rising on the last day. Such faith answers the deepest need of the human heart; such belief is itself a witness and proclamation—heart speaking to heart, deep calling on deep.

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Helping Him Die

It was in this Gospel, the Passion according to John, that we heard that the Mother of Jesus stood at the foot of the cross, so close that He could speak to her, in an agonizing rasp, and expect to be heard. Ask yourself for a moment, How is it possible that any mother in such a situation could actually stand?!

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Holy Saturday: A Blessed Night, A Glorious Night

Truly this is a blessed night, a glorious night, when the catastrophic fall of mankind in Adam is revealed in the New Adam to be a happy fault. This is the night whose wonder gleams as bright as the day.

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Good Friday: No Answer

We have no excuse for our ungrateful rejection of His kindness. The liturgy’s only answer to His reproaches is to beg for mercy, from the Greek East to the Latin West

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Holy Thursday: As He Has Loved Us

“A new commandment I give you: love one another…” For this to make sense, we must love ourselves, and love ourselves rightly.

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Stay up-to-date with the Abbey

The Abbot's Circle is a first-of-its-kind virtual monastery—an evolving, curated library that offers an inside look at the artistic, cultural, intellectual, and spiritual work that the Norbertines of St. Michael’s Abbey carry out each day for the praise and honor of God.

Hidden in the stillness of southern California’s desert mountains, St. Michael’s Abbey goes about a timeless and supernatural mission: the common worship of God. This is a place for all to encounter the unfathomable beauty of God and to enter into the mystery of His unrelenting love.

Against a culture in ever desperate need for beauty, St. Michael’s Abbey stands as a refuge for reverent liturgy, inspiring art, and captivating sacred music and chant. Through our work, we are laying the foundation for the sanctification of our society and a renewal in our Church.