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As time goes on, I am ever more grateful for my internship at Regina Laudis. I did not grow up on a farm, and my year at the Abbey immersed me in the patterns of nature, the cycles of the land, and the
rhythms of animals. I loved the discipline of doing the same simple things every day: milking cows, walking through the woods, praying the psalms. Working closely with the elements of life, I rediscovered wonder in the most ordinary things: wood, sunlight, dirt, water, cheese. I was taught to see
life as an integrated whole, a union of body and soul. My formation during the internship was far more valuable than I could have imagined, and the more I turn and reflect afterwards on that year, the more I find new sources of richness and reasons for gratitude.
Emily Felsheim, 2015-2016 Abbey
Intern,
Wyoming Catholic College Class of 2020 The Monastic Internship Program at the Abbey of Regina Laudis offers a small number of committed individuals  between the ages of 18 and 40 the opportunity to immerse themselves for a year in the ancient Benedictine rhythms of prayer and manual work. Our “campus” is the land of the monastery, the place where one directly encounters the laws of nature in the soil, plants, and animals that both sustain and are sustained by the monastic Community. Through exposure to a life of prayer attuned to the world of creation and an intensive relationship with the Community, an Intern has the rare opportunity to embark on a gradual process of spiritual growth and personal transformation.PROGRAM CURRICULUM  By drawing on the diverse expertise of members of the monastic community in collaboration with other qualified professionals, we offer each Intern an individualized program that educates him or her to the inescapable challenges of living close to the earth, but also seeks to reflect as much as possible his or her particular interests. Because the work is governed by the agricultural cycle, activities depend on seasonal demands, as well as on the availability of particular monastic faculty members. However in all cases, the Benedictine ideal of a holistic educational approach is reflected in the three inter-connected areas of study. Each student is expected to partake of all three areas, though one might be a prime area of focus:
Land Stewardship: Animal Husbandry (beef and dairy cattle, chickens, sheep); Beekeeping, Composting, Dairy Management and Dairy Products; Ecological Initiatives; Hay Field and Pasture Management; Horticulture (vegetables, herbs, ornamentals, small fruits); Landscaping; Orchard and Tree Care; Woodlot Management, Forest ManagementMonastic Arts: Cheesemaking, Baking, Bookbinding, Candle-making, Carpentry, Food Processing and Preserving, Weaving and Spinning Monastic Studies: Gregorian Chant, Latin, Monastic History, Monastic Liturgy, Monastic Theology, Scripture Studies, The Rule of St. Benedict Throughout the year, Interns develop a specialty in a particular area as well as explore connections between their varied activities. Thus, an Intern might learn to make a leather belt from the hide of a cow he or she has raised, develop the spiritual analogies of the food fermentation process, create a sculpture from scrap metal at the blacksmith’s forge. The diverse practical and personal skills learned during the Internship lay the foundation for a transformative experience that resonates throughout one’s life, no matter what professional path one eventually pursues. APPLICATION PROCESS  The Monastic Internship Program is open to men and women who are 18 years of age or older. Enrollment is limited. Acceptance is discerned through a process of personal interviews during time spent as a guest of the Abbey, as well as through a written application. Interns live in housing provided by the Abbey. No religious affiliation is required, although openness to the spiritual orientation of the Community is essential for the experience to be fruitful. A person may begin the Internship at any time of the year, but it requires a full year’s commitment in order to complete the organic cycle of all four seasons on the land. The Monastic Internship Program is certified to accept international students.
If you would like to inquire further into the Monastic Internship Program at the Abbey of Regina Laudis,
please write to:
Monastic Internship Program Abbey of Regina Laudis 273 Flanders Rd. Bethlehem, CT 06751 CULTIVATING BENEDICTINE WONDER—ARTICLE BY A FORMER INTERN OF THE ABBEY  Read the entire article: Cultivating Benedictine Wonder by Jane Sloan Peters at the Church Life Journal site. READ AN INTERN STORY—BY BRENNA CUSSEN 
Laboring with my hands, using my body to participate in these acts of creation, has infused me with a new understanding of the relationship of man to work. I am beginning to understand Maurin's conviction that it is necessary for human beings to perform manual labor,'to use all of himself' in order to make him a 'whole man and a holy man'. Peter Maurin was convinced of the necessity to utilize man's creativity and intellect to make beautiful and useful things. He knew that in a society 'where it is easier for people to be good', a society filled with happy, healthy human beings, people would need to be able to use both their minds and their bodies to invent and to create...
Read Brenna Cussen's entire article: Craft and the Holiness of Matter GALLERIES OF THE MONASTIC INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Land Work
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