II. Introduction: A Sense of Place

For over forty years there has been a community of Cistercian monks near Conyers, Georgia. The place where they first came, once a cotton farm, with but a few scattered buildings, is now a complete monastery with a large physical plant. The state of Georgia is only four percent Roman Catholic, but the Monastery of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit is a place much appreciated by regular visitors from Atlanta and the Southeast, as well as by tourists to the Atlanta area.

(#3) Facade of the Holy Spirit Abbey Church

Whether one-time guests, or those who regularly draw spiritual sustenance from the place, everyone recognizes that this monastery is a special place. What makes it so different is a question that question that will elicit different answers. There is a sense of peace, in spite of the presence of many people on some days. It is a place of beauty. The presence of monks in black and white habits is also obviously different. Most who know Conyers' monastery would agree with the statement that one senses here a degree of calm and peace - an essence - not found easily in other locations, even where some, or several ,of the individual items mentioned, might be found.

A monastery is a different place, and its difference draws visitors to it. Its purpose is to create an environment in which its members can grow closer to God. A traditional life, with roots reaching back some two thousand years, it is also a life in dialogue with the present and one which looks forward to the next century. Different as it seems, the contemplative vocation impinges on everyone's life. At a time when many are becoming more aware of the value of alternative lifestyles, its otherness becomes more readily comprehensible. This small book will help make it so.

The following essay seeks to do several things. It was conceived of first as a history of this particular Georgia Cistercian monastery. But in order to give some indication of the life as it is lived here , it seemed necessary to consider the nature of monasticism itself. In this way it would then become evident how the Conyers community fits into the tradition, how it is continuing, translating, and adapting the essence of the tradition into the present.

So readers will find first a brief introduction to the institution of monasticism and of Cistercian monasticism in particular. They will then learn the particulars of this foundation's more than forty years in Georgia. In the course of that presentation, they will gain further insight into the nature of monasticism, for the personality of the Conyers community today is the result of an on-going process, both within the Catholic Church and within the Cistercian Order. The book will also provide visitors with suggestions of what to look for in the church and grounds. Finally, there is a brief list of sources readily available for those who might wish to learn more about this vital, modern, centuries-old way of life.

(#4) Monk strolling in the Cloister Courtyard