St. Benedict's Monastery, Colorado
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St. Benedict's Monastery is a Catholic monastery in Pitkin County, Colorado, in the unincorporated community of Snowmass about 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Aspen. The monks are members of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, commonly called the Trappists.
St. Benedict's is located on over 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) in the foothills of the Elk Mountains, near the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. The monastery protects a large amount of open space in a sensitive area near important wildlife migration routes. The monks manage their ranchlands, operate a cookie bakery, and offer retreat facilities for groups and individuals. A retreat house and guest hermitages are located about 1 mile from the main monastery building.
The monastery was founded in 1956 as a foundation established by the Trappist community at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts. The community celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006.
St. Benedict's was the home of Father Thomas Keating, a popular writer on centering prayer and one of the founders of Contemplative Outreach.
In April 2023, St. Benedict's signaled that it would close, and that Dom Damian Carr, former abbot of St. Joseph's Abbey, had been appointed as monastic commissary to oversee the closure process.[1]