Benedictine Brotherhood
The Rule of St. Benedict guides us at Mary, Mother of the Church Abbey. Work, prayer and contemplation fill our days and keep us centered on God. Although we come from different backgrounds, we unite as one Benedictine brotherhood following the path given to us by God.
In the 1920s, the priory was built for the Richmond monastic community. With education as their primary apostolate, the monks helped provide education in the area from grade school through the college level.
On August 31, 1988, the Richmond monks petitioned for independence from Belmont Abbey. In 1989, they were granted autonomy to become an independent monastery under the patronage of Mary Mother of the Church. Abbot Benedict McDermott, OSB, was elected as the first Abbot.
In 1993, the monks purchased their current 50-acre parcel of land in rural Goochland County from the Bishop of Richmond. This was the first step in the long-term vision to grow the Abbey and integrate the monastery and preparatory school.
In 1994, the monks moved to the newly-built monastery overlooking the James River. Benedictine College Preparatory School was finally brought to the campus in 2013.
In 2020, Saint Gertrude High School moved from downtown Richmond to the abbey campus. This all-girls school was unified with the boys’ preparatory school under the new corporation the Benedictine Schools of Richmond. The two schools now operate next to each other on the abbey campus as an all-boys division and an all-girls division.
Our History
In 1860, Fr. Leonard Meyer, OSB, arrived from Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to staff St. Mary’s Parish in Richmond. From that time forward, the Benedictines began to establish and staff parishes in the Diocese of Richmond.
In 1911, under sponsorship of Belmont Abbey in North Carolina, the Richmond Monks opened Benedictine College Preparatory “to form Christian young men of conscience, discipline and achievement.” Belmont Abbey in North Carolina assumed sponsorship of the school and provided monks.
In the 1920s, the priory was built for the Richmond monastic community. With education as their primary apostolate, the monks helped provide education in the area from grade school through the college level.
On August 31, 1988, the Richmond monks petitioned for independence from Belmont Abbey. In 1989, they were granted autonomy to become an independent monastery under the patronage of Mary Mother of the Church. Abbot Benedict McDermott, OSB, was elected as the first Abbot.
In 1993, the monks purchased their current 50-acre parcel of land in rural Goochland County from the Bishop of Richmond. This was the first step in the long-term vision to grow the Abbey and integrate the monastery and preparatory school.
In 1994, the monks moved to the newly-built monastery overlooking the James River. Benedictine College Preparatory School was finally brought to the campus in 2013.
Contact Us
We’re here to help you discover the way of life God created you to live. Ask us anything!
Send a message to our vocation director, arrange for a virtual conversation or schedule an
in-person visit to our abbey.
