Holy Cross Abbey

Holy Cross Abbey is an abbey of Olivetan Benedictine monks founded in 1998 by monks from Le Bec-Hellouin, in Rostrevor (Northern Ireland), near Carlingford Lough. Its guest house welcomes those who come for a retreat, and the offices are open to all.

Holy Cross Abbey, a recent monastery in the valley of Saint Bronagh

To make a retreat at Holy Cross Abbey, you come to Rostrevor, a village in County Down, in Northern Ireland, on the shore of Carlingford Lough. The abbey is built a little above, in the Kilbroney Valley.

The monks are not the first to settle here. In the sixth century, Saint Bronagh founded a community in this valley overlooking the village. What remains, in the Catholic cemetery, are the ruins of a church, a Celtic cross known as the Cross of Bronagh, and the saint's well. Her bell, dating from the ninth century, is kept in the Catholic parish church of Rostrevor. Saint Bronagh's feast day is April 2.

The monastery of today, however, is brand new. The monks blessed the land on November 6, 2002, the feast day of all the saints of Ireland. No Benedictine house had opened in this part of Ireland since 1183, when monks from Chester had settled in Downpatrick. Chester itself had been founded a century earlier by the abbey of Le Bec, so the connection with Normandy is an ancient one.

The cornerstone of the church was blessed in 2003. The monastery opened and the church was consecrated on January 18, 2004, the first day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is a bright church, with wooden pews and an open-work ceiling. In 2010, three bells were placed in the metal bell tower beside the church.

The Olivetan monks of Rostrevor, who came from Le Bec-Hellouin Abbey

The monks of Holy Cross Abbey are Benedictines of the Congregation of Santa Maria di Monte Oliveto, known as the Olivetans. Like all Benedictines, they live according to the Rule of Saint Benedict. Their congregation traces its origins to Saint Bernard Tolomei, a jurist from Siena born in 1272, who withdrew around the age of forty with a few companions to the southeast of the city. The monastery of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, born from this group, has remained the mother house. Since their founder, the Olivetans have been clothed in white.

The community of Rostrevor comes from Notre-Dame du Bec-Hellouin Abbey, in Normandy. Le Bec had already sent a few monks to Northern Ireland from 1983 to 1987, for a small presence of prayer for peace and Christian unity. The community arrived in January 1998, welcomed into the Diocese of Dromore, and initially stayed in the former retreat center of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles, in Rostrevor.

The founding decree gives them a specific mission: to contribute to reconciliation between Catholics and Protestants, in a land marked by violence between the two communities. This is evident in the history of the house. On the eve of the church's consecration, the Catholic bishop of Dromore and the Anglican bishop of Down and Dromore together carried the icon of the Holy Cross into the church. Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, preached the first sermon there. Today, oblates, men and women, including members of several Churches, are linked to the abbey and make a retreat there each year.

The monastery became an abbey on February 1, 2019, to mark the 700th anniversary of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, and the community elected its first abbot in March. The monks also do some monastic crafts: handmade candles for a baptism, a communion, a confirmation, a birth, or a wedding.

A retreat at Holy Cross Abbey, between the church and the grounds

A retreat at Holy Cross Abbey, in Rostrevor, follows the rhythm of the offices that the monks chant in the church. The day begins with Lauds, the morning prayer, at 6:45 a.m. This is followed by Terce at 9:20 a.m., the Eucharist at 11:30 a.m., None in the early afternoon, Vespers in the late afternoon, and Vigils at 8:30 p.m. Guests take their place alongside the other faithful, as the church is open to all.

Between offices, the time is free. The grounds surround the buildings and look out over the valley, with their paths, benches, tall pine trees, and hydrangeas in summer. In the distance, the hills slope down toward Carlingford Lough.

Those who wish may speak with a monk. Monks provide spiritual guidance for guests and receive them in the sitting rooms on the ground floor of the guest house, in the monastery parlors, or in the grounds. To get a sense of the place before coming, you can follow the offices on the abbey's webcam, which broadcasts them live.

Staying at Holy Cross Abbey

Holy Cross Abbey welcomes retreatants in its guest house, individually or in groups: a stay request can be for one to eight people. Arrivals and departures take place at one of three times set by the monks: before lunch (12:45 p.m.), between lunch and dinner (6:45 p.m.), or after dinner, until 9:15 p.m.

The guest house does not normally accommodate minors. A group of young people, for a school retreat for example, comes under the direct responsibility of an accompanying adult. The monk in charge of hospitality may ask for references before accepting a stay.

The length of stay, meals, and contribution to expenses are discussed with the monks at the time of the stay request.

Around Rostrevor, Carlingford Lough and the Mourne Mountains

Rostrevor, the village of Holy Cross Abbey, stretches at the foot of Slieve Martin, on the northern shore of Carlingford Lough. This sea inlet, a former glacial fjord, marks the border with the Republic of Ireland. Across the water, you can see the Cooley Mountains and the village of Carlingford.

Just above the village, Kilbroney Park is a former estate turned public park, with a collection of ancient trees and a trail dedicated to Narnia: it is said that these landscapes inspired C. S. Lewis to create the land of his novels. On the slopes of Slieve Martin, nearly 300 meters above Rostrevor, the Cloughmore Stone is a 30-ton granite boulder left by the glaciers. Local legend has it that the giant Finn Mac Cool threw it there.

Rostrevor also opens onto the Mourne Mountains, a granite massif where Slieve Donard, the highest peak in Northern Ireland (850 m), stands. Nearby, toward Warrenpoint, Narrow Water Castle is a 16th-century fortified tower. Further into the county, Down Cathedral, in Downpatrick, has in its churchyard the stone that marks, according to tradition, the grave of Saint Patrick.