Editor’s Note: “Sent to Serve: Profiles of religious life in Atlanta” is a regular series of The Georgia Bulletin and looks at the charisms and work of the religious order priests, brothers and sisters serving in the archdiocese. 

CONYERS—In late March of 1944, a group of 21 monks left Gethsemani Abbey in the hills of Kentucky to establish a new monastery in rural Georgia. Their destination was a farm in Conyers, a relatively unknown location with few Catholics, but with all the natural beauty and solitude essential for a monastery.  

The monks first settled in a barn on the property as they began to plan for a more permanent home, which would become the Monastery of the Holy Spirit. Father Luke Kot, the last surviving monk of the original 21, before he passed away, described the joyful perspective he and his brother monks had in the early days. “If Our Lord was born in a stable, how could we complain about living in a barn?” 

Brother Methodius Telnack, who joined the original monks in 1949, was 21 years old when he entered the monastery and has been living there for more than 75 years. When he first arrived, the monks were living in a pine board building they had built, which was meant to be a temporary home while they built the present-day monastery. At that time, only the foundation had been poured for the permanent monastery—a building that was thoughtfully designed to allow all those who enter to experience the presence of God. Brother Methodius worked on the architecture of the present-day monastery.  

“One of the ways to God is beauty, and we tried very hard to keep that in mind while we were building,” he recalls.  

The monastery’s design is simple, with clean lines and plenty of natural light flooding through the stained-glass windows. Each day the church welcomes around twenty to thirty visitors seeking a quiet place to pray. The retreat house allows those who want a longer visit to attend weekend silent retreats. The retreatants enter into the life and schedule of the monks; some even attend Vigils at four in the morning. 

The monks of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit are Cistercians of the Strict Observance, a monastic order focused on contemplation and imitation of Christ. The monks live a hidden life ordered to the worship of God under the Rule of St. Benedict. They meet seven times a day to pray the Divine Office as a community. Throughout the day the monks alternate between prayer and work, living out St. Benedict’s maxim of Ora et Labora. 

At 7 a.m. the monks pray Lauds, or morning prayer, and they attend daily Mass. After this, they begin their morning work. The Cistercian Constitutions call for each monastery to be self-sufficient, so each of the monks has a specific job that contributes to the monastery’s operations. One of the monks is the head baker, with several assisting him to make the delicious cookies, fruit cake and biscotti the monastery has become known for.  

Several monks create stained glass in the studio on the monastery grounds, while others distribute food to those in need at the food bank. A novice master guides the newest members of the community, and one of the monks welcomes participants and facilitates the popular weekend silent retreats. One plans the liturgy, another handles buying and public relations, and all the monks assist their brothers who are in the infirmary.  

Brother Callistus Crichlow stands outside the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers in the shade of the church. Daily the church welcomes around 20 to 30 visitors seeking a quiet place to pray. The property is also home to a retreat house which allows visitors to attend weekend silent retreats. Photo by Julianna Leopold

After their morning work, the monks eat their main meal together in silence as a selected text is read aloud. After a period of rest, the monks return to their tasks until Vespers at 5:20 p.m., followed by a last meal of the day, and then Compline at 7:30 p.m. After Compline, the monks observe a Grand Silence until four o’clock Vigils the following morning.  

Brother Mark Dohle, the prior of the monastery, explains the freedom that comes from following such a strict schedule.  

“We have a highly disciplined life, which can be very freeing. It takes a lot of discipline to keep it up day after day,” he said. “You can only do that if you have time to ponder, to meditate, and to pray.” 

A tradition of hospitality 

According to the Cistercian Constitutions, “every monastery is to continue the tradition of welcoming guests and the needy as Christ.” In keeping with this tradition of hospitality, the gates of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit are open to the public between 4 a.m. and 8 p.m., and all are welcome to find in the church a quiet place for prayer and reflection.  

As Father Augustine Myslinski, OCSO, the abbot of the monastery, explains, “People trickle in all day long, not in droves, but we get 20 to 30 people during the course of a day. They love to sit here and pray. Most of them have heavy burdens on their minds and hearts and they find a place where they can be in touch with God and find peace.” 

The monks have a strong connection to the community in which they live, and to the land itself, reflected in their vow of stability. When they make their final vows, each monk promises to stay in one specific monastery for the rest of their lives. Promising a life-long commitment to one monastery in one geographical location, the vow of stability makes it possible for the monks to become a mainstay of support in the community in which they live, pray and work.  

The Cistercians’ connection to the land is further reflected in their burial traditions. When a monk dies, he is buried in a simple shroud, with no casket.  

“That’s probably the most significant moment in our community life, when we bury one of our brothers and send him off to eternity. The beauty of the burial here is that it’s simple … there’s not a lot of tapestry around it. We send him directly into the ground, into the earth, but of course, always with the belief that he’s going to rise and be with all of our other brothers who have gone before us here at the monastery,” Father Augustine explains. 

The remains of each of the original monks who founded the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, along with all who have lived and died there over the past 82 years, rest in the monastery cemetery. The cemetery, which lies within the cloister, reflects the simplicity of the monks’ lives. The lawn is well cared for, and each grave is marked by an unassuming white cross, with the monk’s name, date of birth and date of death.  

Each cross is a visual testimony to a hidden life of solitude, prayer, work and charity that led to intimacy with God in this life, and union with

About the Monastery 

To plan a visit to the monastery or to learn about the retreats offered there, visit https://trappist.net/. 

The monastery is located at 2625 Highway 212 SW in Conyers.