Gethsemani
Location
Official Name Abbey of Gethsemani
N° 18
Country USA
City Trappist, KY
Address 3642 Monks Road
Postcode 40051-6152
Contact Information
Telephone [1] (502) 549-3117
Community Email [email protected]
Website www.monks.org
Superior Dom Elias Dietz, Abbot 2008-2026
Other Information
Juridical Status Abbey
Diocese Archidioecesis Ludovicopolitana (Louisville)
OCSO Region USA
Founded/Restored 1848
Origins
Founded by Melleray 21 December 1848; raised to the status of abbey 1851.
History
1848: Founded on a former property of the Sisters of Loretto.
1851: Abbatial election and blessing of Dom Eutropius on 26 October. It was the first of its kind in the U.S.A.
1864: The new church is finished.
1886: Consecration of the church.
1949: Celebration of the monastery’s centenary. The church is raised to the status of basilica.
Foundations
Holy Spirit (Conyers) 1944; Holy Trinity (Huntsville) 1947-2017; Mepkin 1949; Genesee 1952, New Clairvaux (Vina) 1955
Father Immediate
Melleray; New Melleray; Delegated Father Immediate: Mother Kathy Ullrich of Crozet (2024- )
Daughter Houses
Conyers ; Mepkin ; Genesee ; Vina; Miraflores (since 1966).
Holy Trinity (Huntsville) ; Spencer (1912-1952).
Lay Associates
Lay Cistercians of Gethsemani Abbey
Important Figures
Thomas Merton; Raymond Flanagan
Past Superiors
Eutropius PROUST — Titular Prior — 1848-1851
Eutropius PROUST —Abbot — 26/10/1851 – ?/ ?/1859 (v.25)
Benedict BERGER — Abbot — 19/ 04/1861 – 02/09/1889
Edward CHAIX-BOURBAN — Abbot — 02/09/1889 – ?/ ?/1896
Edmund OBRECHT — Abbot — 24/01/1898 – 04/01/1935
Frederic DUNNE — Abbot — 06/02/1935 – 04/08/1948
James FOX — Abbot — 23/08/1948 – 30/12/1967
Flavian BURNS — Abbot — 13/01/1968 – 31/01/1973
Timothy KELLY — Abbot — 15/03/1973 – 24/03/2000
Damien THOMPSON — Abbot — 08/04/2000 -30/03/2008
Work and Sources of Income
1) Production of cheese, fruitcake and Bourbon fudge, all sold by mail order;
2) Forestry (ecological);
3) arable land either rented or used for hay;
4) vegetable garden.
Guest Facilities
29 individual rooms and 2 double;17 further rooms for men.
Transportation
Airport and Bus Station : Louisville, Ky.
