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Beginning March 5
Rediscover the essence of Lent and draw closer to Christ through a transformative 40-day fast.
Join our virtual Lenten journey. You will receive daily emails thoughtfully curated by our priests to help you grow in love for Christ through prayer and fasting.
Throughout this sacred season, we will hold all who join us in our prayers.
Ancient and Evergreen. Captivating and Austere. This is Lent in it's simplest, richest, and most traditional sense.
This Lent, we challenge you to reclaim the sacred discipline of daily fasting—a practice that, though unfashionable, remains as vibrant and fruitful as ever. Just as Our Lord fasted in the desert, preparing His heart for the mission that would change the world, we too must journey into this holy season with reverence and purpose.
The Norbertines invite you to take up the discipline of daily fasting, a sacred tradition that Holy Mother Church and her saints have practiced through the centuries. Through this practice, you will draw closer to Christ, strengthen your spirit, and find renewal in holiness.
Will you answer the call to make this Lent a profound time of transformation and renewal?
In the footsteps of saints and with whole of the universal Church, we can encounter six millennia of spiritual wisdom.
Rooted in the communal spirit of Lent, this exclusive St. Michael's Abbey program offers a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in this sacred season of penance through the lens of the canonical tradition.
Experience the profound depth of this season as the canons regular do—following a holy and ancient path of liturgical observance, sacred devotion, and spiritual discipline. Walk in solidarity with the saints and the universal Church as we embrace this time of preparation and renewal, drawing you closer to the heart of Lent and the enduring monastic way of life.
Throughout the season, you will be remembered in our prayers, culminating in the joy of Easter Day. Together, we walk this sacred path of spiritual preparation for the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Fasting is nothing without prayer. Each day, you will begin the great fast with traditional morning prayers and the recitation of the Penitential Psalms, led by the Norbertine confreres. A short reflection from Fr. Ambrose Criste, O.Praem. will guide your heart and mind, setting the tone for a day of penance and spiritual renewal.
A mainstay of monastic life, the "table reading" offers a selection from Scripture, the Church Fathers, or other great Catholic authors, all while the community eats in silence. This Lent, we’ll listen to the Roman Martyrology and excerpts from The Approach to Calvary by Hubert van Zeller, O.S.B.. For a true monastic experience, listen during your one main meal of the day. The readings will help shift your focus from food to higher things, nourishing your soul.
Join us each Lenten Friday for the virtual Stations of the Cross, led by the confreres from the abbey church. This year, we will reflect on our Lord’s Passion through the beautiful reflections composed by St. Alphonsus Liguori. Let each Friday in Lent become a solemn day of prayer, as you walk with Christ in His suffering and draw nearer to His sacrifice.
This is a season of grace and hope. During these forty days, the Norbertine Canons Regular of St. Michael's Abbey will remember all who accompany us this Lent in our daily prayers and penances. Be sure to add your name to this list.
JOIN USIn accordance with the Church's current guidelines, fasting entails one full meal, with two smaller meals that together do not equal the main meal, and a conscious avoidance of snacks.
As an additional form of penance while fasting, one may choose to abstain from animal products such as milk, cheese, eggs, and meat, which reflects the ancient norms of fasting practiced by the early Church.
**According to Canons 1251 and 1252, Catholics are required to abstain from meat on Fridays throughout the year, unless it's a solemnity. Fasting and abstinence are also required on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The law of abstinence applies to all individuals who have reached the age of fourteen, while the law of fasting applies to adults up to their sixtieth year.**
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.
