Welcoming you
Hospitality
Monastic communities have always welcomed guests to their abbeys.
In his Rule for monks, St Benedict specifies that we also receive Christ in our guests.
In another passage, he insists on a welcome that shows all possible humanity. Today, on the island of Saint Honorat, this tradition of hospitality is practised in the monastery's hotel buildings, which have around forty rooms.
The Abbot delegates the reception service to a brother of the community, who manages requests for retreats - which do not exceed one week - throughout the year, except in November, when the shop and guest house are closed.
Welcoming a retreatant for a few days at the abbey means offering him or her a place to stay,
in an atmosphere of silence, rest for the body, a search for God through prayer and personal reading.
Guests can take part in Mass and various prayer times with the monastic community throughout the day. Meals eaten together and dishes washed in common provide an opportunity for community experience. The retreatants have the opportunity to meet a father for a spiritual talk or to go to confession. In addition to this traditional welcome, in recent years we have developed other forms of welcome in response to needs and requests from outside the community.
In partnership with the Fondacio community, we have created an association, ALF, Amitié Lérins Fondacio. The aim of this association is to promote the rich spiritual, cultural, artistic and monumental heritage of the island of St Honorat for the benefit of its many visitors.
