Prince of Peace Abbey

A Benedictine Monastery in Oceanside, California

Hospitality is one of the paramount injunctions of Saint Benedict in his rule for monks. He says that visitors are never lacking so he supplies us with a well choreographed ritual for the reception guests. This included a formal welcoming both physically and spiritually and even included washing the guests’ feet because of the distances they had to travel on dusty roads. Of course that was also a sign of humility because Our Lord’s act of washing the feet of the apostles which was usually relegated to servants. Jesus came to serve and not to be served.

 

Another of St. Benedict’s directives concerning the guests is that they eat with the abbot, which would necessitate a special kitchen and dining room.

This would free the rest of the community to eat in their own dining room and follow the very detailed prescriptions for dining while listening to the required readings.

 

Beside praying with the guests and briefly reading from Sacred Scripture for their instruction, the guests were to eat with the superior or a deputed brother, which afforded an opportunity to further inform them of the divine law.

 

For over 50 years we monks have been receiving guests. They range from the causal and curious visitors to those which chose to spend an extended time of prayer on a retreat. Although we no longer wash the feet of guests, we still seek to share our knowledge and experience of the divine, while humbly offering all the other services of hospitality.

 

The electronic age has greatly amplified, if not changed, the whole concept of hospitality. As we learn the drawbacks and dangers of the digital age we also stand on the threshold of a revolution in sharing and exploring an increasing number of fields on every level of human existence. And because the human person is inextricably bound with the divine, we are constantly being invited into a deeper union with, and a more fruitful service to, our brothers and sisters who seek entrance into their inner monastery.

 

So, by means of this website, we monks hope to hold a perpetual "open house" where the dust of your journey may be humbly, but thoroughly, removed and where you may be refreshed and fortified on your spiritual adventure.

  • Our Monastery

    Our monastery was found in 1958. Our beginnings are rooted in Benedictine monastic tradition which is nearly fifteen hundred years old which is still fresh and alive to this day. The history of St. Benedict and the Benedictine Order is beyond the scope of our humble web site but the reader is encouraged to visit our library or speak to a monk or just pray with us to learn more about us than we can reveal here.

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    Our Monastery
  • The Abbey Church

    Daily Mass is at 10:30 AM


    Confession and spiritual direction is by appointment

    The Abbey Church
  • The Stations of The Cross

    Retreatants and other guests are welcome to walk the one mile circular, dirt road as it winds around one edge of the monastery mesa. The fourteen stations of the cross are situated along the trail and benches are located near each station for people to sit, contemplate or just view the ocean and the scenery. The prayer walk begins and ends near the church at the edge of the lower parking lot.

    The Stations of The Cross
  • The Library

    Like most libraries, the abbey library is a repository for books and periodicals as well as many other different collections. Our library also has audio cassettes, CDs, DVDs, and VHS films, phonograph records, foreign and domestic postage stamp albums, rocks, sea shells, some photography/artwork, picture and news files. Since this is a monastic library, our schedule follows the regular work-prayer schedule for all the monks.

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    The Library

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