The Abbey of Gethsemani sits in the Kentucky knobs country southeast of Bardstown, on a substantial rural property the Cistercian community has occupied since 1848. Gethsemani is the oldest Trappist monastery in the United States, founded by monks from Melleray Abbey in France who came to Kentucky as the Cistercian Order's first North American foundation. The abbey has continued in unbroken contemplative life for over 175 years, with a community of monks following the full Cistercian way of life: liturgy of the hours, manual labor, silence, lectio divina, and Eucharist. Gethsemani is widely known beyond Trappist circles as the monastery of Thomas Merton (Father Louis), one of the most influential Catholic spiritual writers of the 20th century. Merton entered Gethsemani in 1941 and lived there until his accidental death in Bangkok in 1968 while attending an interreligious monastic conference. His autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain (1948), his journals, his contemplative writings, and his later work in interreligious dialogue with figures including the Dalai Lama, D.T. Suzuki, and Thich Nhat Hanh shaped a generation of Catholic and post-religious contemplative readers. Merton's hermitage on the abbey grounds remains a pilgrimage site within the contemplative community. The abbey hosts silent retreats through its retreat ministry, with the retreat house separate from the cloister. Retreats are typically self-directed silent stays following the monastic schedule, with retreatants attending the seven daily liturgical hours, eating in silence in the retreat dining room, and walking the grounds. The retreat ministry does not run structured Centering Prayer intensives in the way that Snowmass and Spencer do; Gethsemani's character is more traditionally Cistercian, with the silent contemplative form held in the standard monastic shape. Retreats at Gethsemani are donation-based, in keeping with the Cistercian tradition of monastic hospitality. There is no published fee schedule. Retreatants are invited to give what they can at the close of their stay. The arrangement reflects the monastery's commitment to welcoming serious contemplatives without financial barrier and the broader Cistercian economic model funded primarily by the abbey's commercial operations (cheese, fudge, and bourbon-fudge sauce, in Gethsemani's case).
Retreats are largely self-directed silent stays. Retreatants follow the monastic schedule, attending the seven daily liturgical hours: Vigils at 3:15 a.m., Lauds at 5:45 a.m., the morning Eucharist, the daytime hours, Vespers in the late afternoon, and Compline at 7:30 p.m. Meals are taken in silence in the retreat dining room. Walking on the grounds is encouraged. A retreat director is available for individual conversation if desired. The form is the traditional Cistercian silent retreat, less programmed than Centering Prayer intensives at Snowmass or Spencer.
The teaching line is the Cistercian / Trappist contemplative tradition descending from St. Benedict and the Cistercian and Strict Observance reforms. Gethsemani is the oldest Trappist monastery in the United States, founded in 1848 from Melleray Abbey in France. Thomas Merton (Father Louis), who lived at the abbey from 1941 until his death in 1968, was one of the most influential Catholic contemplative writers of the 20th century and brought Gethsemani international visibility through his books, journals, and interreligious work.
Christian contemplatives able to use largely self-directed silent time within a working monastic schedule, without the more programmed Centering Prayer or other structured retreat formats.
Practitioners drawn to Merton's life and writing who want to spend time at the monastery where he lived from 1941 to 1968 and visit his hermitage on the grounds.
Retreatants for whom the donation-based pricing model removes the financial barrier of fee-based retreat houses and allows extended or repeated stays.
Arrival is at the retreat house, separate from the cloister. Retreatants check in, receive orientation, and settle into rooms. The retreat house holds full silence outside designated meeting times. The chapel is accessible for the liturgy of the hours. Walking on the grounds is encouraged; Merton's hermitage is on the property and can be visited. Cold-weather clothing for Kentucky winters and warm-weather clothing for hot humid summers are needed depending on the season. Departure is at the close of the stay.
The retreat house has shared and single rooms with shared bathrooms. Meals are vegetarian or vegetarian-accommodating, taken in silence. The abbey grounds extend through the Kentucky knobs country with walking paths, fields, and forest. The chapel is accessible during liturgical hours. The setting is rural Kentucky with seasonal weather typical of the region.
Retreats are donation-based. There is no published fee schedule for the standard self-directed silent stays. Retreatants are invited to give what they can at the close of their stay. Some specifically structured retreats may have suggested donations published. The arrangement reflects the Cistercian tradition of monastic hospitality and is unusual among US contemplative retreat houses, where most have published fees.
Thomas Merton's monastery, the oldest Trappist abbey in the US, with donation-based silent retreats.
Yes. The standard silent retreat at Gethsemani is donation-based with no published fee. Retreatants are invited to give what they can at the close of their stay. The arrangement reflects the Cistercian tradition of monastic hospitality and the abbey's commitment to welcoming serious contemplatives without financial barrier.
On the monastery grounds, accessible to retreatants during their stay. The simple block-and-frame structure where Merton lived in the final years of his life remains preserved. Many contemplative retreatants make a visit to the hermitage during their stay; the cabin and the surrounding woods carry significant resonance for readers of Merton's later journals.
The monastery welcomes contemplatives from all Christian denominations and from non-Christian backgrounds. Merton's later interreligious work with figures including the Dalai Lama, D.T. Suzuki, and Thich Nhat Hanh shaped a tradition of openness to non-Christian contemplatives at Gethsemani that continues. Many retreatants are from Protestant, Orthodox, post-religious, or non-Christian backgrounds.
Not as the principal offering. Gethsemani's retreat ministry holds primarily traditional self-directed silent retreats following the Cistercian form. Centering Prayer intensives in the structured Contemplative Outreach format are more typically offered at Snowmass, Spencer, and other sites in that movement's network.
Compare upcoming retreat dates, prices, and availability for Abbey of Gethsemani and similar centers.
OMP earns a small commission if you book through Tripaneer's network. Editorial ranking isn't affected.