Conception Abbey
Contact
Rev. Paul Sheller O.S.B.
Vocation Director
PO Box 501
Conception, MO 64433
monks@conception.edu
www.conceptionabbey.org
Dioceses
Kansas City-St. Joseph, MO
Mission
We, the monks of Conception Abbey, are a group of Roman Catholic monks—priests and brothers—who seek the Kingdom of God by:
- Following the Rule of St. Benedict.
- Living in community under the leadership of an abbot;
- Embracing vows of obedience, stability, and fidelity to the monastic way of life.
We live out the Benedictine motto Ora et Labora (Pray and Work) by:
- Offering the Eucharist and chanting the Liturgy of the Hours each day in service to the Church and the world;
- Personally seeking God in lectio divina and individual prayer;
- Forming and educating candidates for the diocesan priesthood and the diaconate;
- Welcoming guests and conducting retreats to let them share in our life of prayer;
- Sharing our faith through the creation and distribution of Christian greeting cards and religious gifts;
- Ministering to the wider Church in parishes and chaplaincies.
Qualifications
We are looking for Roman Catholic men, ages 18-35, who desire prayer and community life, an appreciation for the Psalms and Sacred Scriptures, and silence and simplicity of life. We seek men with integrity, intelligence, and initiative.
Formation
After a man applies and is accepted to enter the monastery, the period of postulancy may last between one month and one year, depending upon one’s background and how well the individual is acquainted with the community. The postulancy is a time of becoming accustomed to the monastic way of life primarily by living it. It is a period for discerning whether one should proceed to the novitiate. After living as a postulant, the candidate may petition the community to enter the novitiate. The novitiate lasts one year, and is an intensified period of discernment of one’s vocation. During this year, the novice studies the Rule of St. Benedict, Sacred Scripture, Monastic History, is introduced to the practice of lectio divina, and is engaged in a variety of work around the monastery.
Province
Autonomous
International
The Benedictine Order is worldwide.
