Gesta Monastica – Fall 2022
Gesta Monastica – Summer 2022
Gesta Monastica – Spring 2022
Gesta Monastica – Fall 2021
Gesta Monastica – Summer 2021
Gesta Monastica – Winter 2021
Gesta Monastica – Summer 2020
Gesta Monastica – Spring 2020
Gesta Monastica – Winter 2020
Gesta Monastica – Fall 2019
Gesta Monastica – Summer 2019
Gesta Monastica – Spring 2019
Gesta Monastica – Winter 2019
Gesta Monastica – Summer/Fall 2018
Gesta Monastica – Spring 2018
Gesta Monastica – Winter 2018
Gesta Monastica – Summer 2017
Gesta Monastica – Spring 2017
Gesta Monastica – Winter 2017
Gesta Monastica – Fall 2016
Gesta Monastica – Summer 2016
Seeking God at this place of New Clairvaux, we are a community of Cistercian monks living the Rule of Saint Benedict. We witness God’s love for the world according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by a life of prayer, labor, and sustainable stewardship of our resources in a simplicity and openness to the signs of the times. Our monastery welcomes all people in the spirit of hospitality, and engages others in collaborative relationships.
In his role as Christ’s representative in the monastery, the Abbot delivers his teaching to the monks through weekly Chapter Talks. These conferences are given in the Chapter Room where monks traditionally gathered to listen to a reading from a chapter of the Rule of Saint Benedict. We’ve uploaded the Abbot’s talks here so that you too may find a source of inspiration to live out your faith journey.
17th Sun of O.T 2022
16th Sun of O.T 2022
Holy Week 2022
5th Sun of Lent 2022
4th Sun of Lent 2022
2nd Sun of Lent 2022
1st Sun of Lent 2022
4th Sun of O.T 2022
3rd Sun of O.T 2022
4th Sun of Advent 2021
Our Digital Display Board was installed in the Ovila Room, which is next to the New Clairvaux Vineyard Tasting Room. This interactive board allows us to give updated recognition to the countless individuals and organizations who have supported our construction projects.
The board also has an array of information regarding the Abbey, the individual monks, photos, videos, and timelines. As of April 2023, this board is now accessible via our website here as well. *If there are any comments, questions, or corrections to be made, please reach out to us at development@newclairvaux.org or (530) 839-2161.
If any of our guests on retreat would like to share a short written reflection, an essay, prose or poem, please fill-in the request form on the button below. NB: All submissions are subject to a process of review by a team of monks. Final approvals are granted solely by the abbot who is the superior of our monastery.
“I am coming to the end of a month-long retreat at New Clairvaux and I am dreading going back home. I live in a nice condo, a mile and a half from the ocean, in a walkable neighborhood in Southern California so seriously, why don’t I want to leave? I realize it’s because, even with the level of privilege I enjoy, the world I am returning to is not a very peaceful place…there is so much noise. There are the typical sounds of city life – traffic, doors slamming, sirens blasting, airplanes overhead, dogs barking. Yet, there are also other kinds of noise: the noise of having too much stuff; the noise of having too many choices (truly, how many kinds of peanut butter do we need); the noise of digital distractions (soooooo much content); the noise of the news (weather-related disasters, political infighting, crime); the noise of tasks and errands that need to be ticked off my To-Do list. Here, though, the noises I hear are a balm to the soul – the cry of a vulture, the rustle of the trees, the chattering of squirrels chasing each other up a tree, the sound of water burbling out of a fountain, the chanting of the monks. Here, there is The Grand Silence, when the world closes up shop for the evening so prayer, reflection, and rest can take center stage. Here, there is a quiet simplicity – few choices, a daily routine, the soothing color pallet of nature and centuries-old stone, and minimal furnishings. This lack of noise gives rise to peace, and peace gives rise to all manner of things – deep conversations, healing, discernment, clarity, and transformation. Is it any wonder that, though my life is calling me home, my heart wants to linger here.”
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