Deep in the rolling hills of Southern Indiana, where empty corn fields sit and bales of hay are stacked high waiting to fill stables for the winter, lies St. Meinrad Archabbey. Perched on a hill, this Benedictine Monastery might remind you of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts castle. Over 150 years ago, the Benedictine Monks came to this part of the U.S. from the Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland to minister to German speaking immigrants.

St. Meinrad’s Mother House, Einsiedeln Abbey, draws nearly a million pilgrims to her doors each year and is a major resting stop for pilgrims along “The Way of St. James” – I had to stop and visit.

Each day the monks chant the Liturgy of the Hours (The Divine Office), the psalmists’ prayers echo across the centuries and into the rafters above. The Office is recited five times a day here and at monasteries and churches throughout the world.

Hope you enjoy this short Photo Essay.

The Monte Cassino Shrine – Built in dedication to Our Lady of Monte Cassino for having saved the village of St. Meinrad during a smallpox outbreak.