General Info

St. Bernard Abbey is a community of Benedictine monks, who, through lives of prayer and work, strive to seek God and glorify Him in all things. As Benedictines, the monks of St. Bernard Abbey are the recipients of a rich and time-honored tradition that spans fifteen centuries, back to St. Benedict of Nursia (c. 480-547 AD), who, desiring nothing to the love of Christ, gave up all trappings of the world and his affluent Roman lifestyle, eventually becoming the most influential figure in Christian monasticism and the author of its defining guide known as the Rule of St. Benedict. In the nineteenth century, the first Benedictines came to the United States from Germany, and subsequently established St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama. Since 1891, always under the direction of an abbot and the Rule, the monks of St. Bernard Abbey have daily offered themselves to God daily by the regular praying of the Divine Office, the Mass, and Lectio Divina (“sacred reading”); as well as through their dedicated work as educators, pastors, and manual laborers. Today, St. Bernard Abbey stands as a vibrant and growing monastery, which is known with affection and respect for the role it continues to play in the life of the Church. From the abbey’s foundation, the monks’ primary apostolate has been their school, known presently as St. Bernard Preparatory School, a coeducational boarding school. Additionally, the monks pastor several parishes in the Diocese of Birmingham. On campus, the monks also operate a retreat center, serving the needs of pilgrim groups and individuals. Many know the abbey as the home of the Ave Maria Grotto, a garden of shrines and miniature models of famous religious sites created by Br. Joseph Zoetle, O.S.B. Finally, there are monks engaged in various crafts and the manual tasks necessary for the operation of their more than 850-acre property, including its farm, buildings, and grounds.