The order has survived because if it's commitment to liturgical prayer and service to the People of God.

A Day in the Life of An Abbey

by Rob Kaiser

He wakes before dawn.

Blinking in the 5 a.m. darkness of eastern Pennsylvania, Father Andrew Ciferni of the Daylesford Abbey in Paoli may be the first Norbertine awake in America. But as the new day slowly blooms west across the United States, it will engulf other priests in other abbeys and priories in other time zones: men like Father James Herring and Father Brad Vanden Branden of St. Norbert Abbey in De Pere, Wisconsin; and Father Eugene Gries and Father Joel Garner of Santa María de la Vid Abbey, in Albuquerque; and Father Chrysostom Baer, prior of St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado, California. And it will start all over again – a day in the life of a Roman Catholic order that in some parts of the world is 900 years old.

That’s how long ago a headstrong young preacher called Norbert of Xanten established the first Norbertine abbey, in Prémontré, France, in 1121. Beginning this fall and extending through Christmas Day 2021, Norbertines around the world will celebrate the order’s 900th anniversary with a jubilee of 12 events whose U.S. schedule will culminate right here, at Ciferni’s Daylesford Abbey, which will host Founders’ Day on November 14, 2021.

The story of the Norbertine order, however, is best told not in years but in days – those that define and are defined by the lives of the people who make the order go, from the time they get up in the morning to the time they go to bed at night. As Ciferni writes a letter of recommendation for a student at St. Norbert College, where he is chair of the board of trustees, Herring – in the next time zone over, is waking, saying a prayer, making his bed, and getting dressed. 

And as Herring is drinking his orange juice and coffee, Ciferni is saying a morning prayer and Garner is getting out of bed and beginning to exercise – “in an attempt,” he says, “to keep my aging body functioning as well as it can.”

At 7:30 a.m. EST – 6:30 his time – Herring is settling into his office, checking his calendar, email, and voicemail, and following up on the previous day’s work.

A good day with a ‘fine’ ending
The rest of the day typically plays out like something like this:

7:45 a.m. EST
It’s 6:45 a.m. in Vanden Branden’s world. He’s getting up, showering, and brushing his teeth.

8 a.m. EST
Vanden Branden is praying the Office of Readings. One day recently the readings were from the Book of Esther. 

8:30 a.m. EST
It’s 7:30 for Herring. He’s praying the rosary and Office of Readings in the chapel or walking outside. 

Vanden Branden is singing Lauds with his community. Psalm 57 sticks with him: 

“My heart is ready, O God; my heart is ready. I will sing, I will sing your praise. Awake my soul, awake, lyre and harp, I will awake the dawn.” 

9 a.m. EST
Vanden Branden, for whom it’s 8 o’clock, eats breakfast. His usual: a bowl of oatmeal with a large spoonful of creamy peanut butter mixed in, two pieces of wheat toast, a hardboiled egg. And, of course, coffee.

Garner goes to morning prayer followed by the Eucharist, then eats breakfast: It is 7 a.m. for him.

Herring, for whom the time is 8 a.m., goes to chapel for Community Morning Prayer – one morning recently it was Liturgy of the Hours – then eats breakfast.

9:30 am. EST
In Albuquerque, where the time is only 7:30 a.m., it’s Morning Prayer.

Vanden Branden arrives in his office and chats with his assistant about the day.

10 a.m. EST
Herring goes back to the office.

Vanden Braden meets with the communication manager to discuss an upcoming release of the abbey magazine. They make final decisions on suggestions for the layout editor. 

Later, Vanden Branden meets with the abbot to talk about immediate needs in the community. One of their members is going in for surgery the next week, so they work out the details to have a celebration of the Anointing of the Sick during Vespers the evening before the surgery. 

11:30 a.m. EST
Herring goes to chapel for community Mass.

12 p.m. EST
Ciferni is in Noon Prayer.

Herring is going to the chapel for Community Angelus and Midday Prayer. Then comes lunch.

1 p.m. EST
It’s noon for Vanden Branden. Time for a nap. 

Gries is preparing a homily for the weekend.

Baer is praying.

4:30 p.m. EST
Ciferni says Vespers.

5 p.m. EST
For Herring, it’s time to go to the chapel for Community Evening Prayer. Then comes dinner.

7:30 p.m. EST
In Albuquerque, where it’s 5:30, the time has come for Vespers.

9 p.m. EST
After Vespers and dinner, Garner spends time in his office and watches “a little news and sports.” 

Herring says a private night prayer and goes to bed.

1 a.m. EST
Garner goes to bed.

How will the day end for Gries?

He has a one-word answer:

“Fine.”

Nov. 18, 2020