The Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky is home not only to a community of Trappist monks who lead a quiet and contemplative life in observance of St. Benedict's Monastic Rule, but is also a center of inter-religious life, hosting retreats for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Indeed, it is a place where Buddhists monks may be heard chanting in the halls not too far from a Catholic mass or the biannual meeting of the Thomas Merton Society. Two years in the making, filmmaker Morgan Atkinson's Gethsemani offers a history of Merton's life and spiritual teachings (he lived at Gethsemani, and died in 1968), and looks at his continued influence on the abbey itself: its abiding serenity, position as a center of religious pilgrimage, and deeply-held spiritual values of self-sufficiency and selflessness. Passages of St. Benedict's Rule are read in voiceover, while Atkinson's camera follows a handful of monks through religious ceremonies and the course of their daily work--including a foray into the abbey's famous cheese, fudge, and cake shop. Revealing interviews with several of the monks detail their varying personal quests for spiritual fulfillment, as well as their collective concern for the viability of the contemplative life in a contemporary culture that places a high value on noise and bustle. In Gethsemani, where the median age is over 60, and three out of four who enter ultimately leave, such reflections are wistful hints at a fading way of life, as well as a deep-seated concern for our country's spiritual well-being. A finely tuned, thought-provoking look at monastic life, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (A. Cantú)
Gethsemani
(2002) 60 min. VHS: $25. Duckworks (tel: 502-637-7840, <a href="http://www.morganatkinson.com/">www.morganatkinson.com</a>). PPR. Color cover. July 28, 2003
Gethsemani
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