Mount Saviour Benedictine Monastery

Our Story: The Founding of Mount Saviour Monastery

Four monks came together in upstate New York in 1951 to dedicate their lives to God and to one another. Their founder, Dom Damasus Winzen, wished to offer a monastery sustained by the labor of the monks themselves — in the garden, orchard, kitchen, arts and crafts, and farm — rather than tied to a Benedictine school.

• 1950–1951: Community founded; purchased farmland in Pine City, NY (later expanded to about 1,064 acres).
• 1953: Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel built.
• 1955: Chapel and a domicile built adjacent to the old farmhouse at the top of the hill.
• 1960: Community had again doubled in size; larger buildings constructed; monastic cemetery established.
• 1964: East and West Buildings added.
• November 13, 2014: Transferred to the Subiaco Cassinese Congregation.
• January 27, 2015: Property added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Founder: Dom Damasus Winzen, OSB

Dom Damasus Winzen founded Mount Saviour as a return to what Thomas Merton described as 'the primitive simplicity of Saint Benedict.' Merton observed that, until Mount Saviour, 'North America had only known the Benedictines of the great missionary congregations,' and argued that the new monastery represented the particular kind of monastic life the American Church now needed.

Monastic Life: Prayer and the Work of God

The worship of God, in union with Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, is one of the central pillars upon which Mount Saviour stands. The monks' day revolves around what St. Benedict calls The Work of God — the Divine Office — sung seven times a day in the chapel, plus the daily celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Augmenting and flowing from communal prayer is each monk's personal prayer, consisting of prolonged periods of lectio divina — a reflective reading of Holy Scripture and the Patristic Fathers and Mothers — and meditation.

• Vigils (Matins) — 4:45 AM, sung in the crypt of the chapel.
• Lauds (Morning Prayer) — 7:00 AM, sung in the upper chapel at dawn.
• Mass — 9:00 AM (7:00 AM on Mondays).
• Sext — 12:00 noon, followed by dinner.
• None — 3:00 PM (circa 1:15 PM on Sundays).
• Supper — 5:30 PM (circa 6:45 PM on Sundays).
• Vespers — 6:30 PM (6:00 PM on Sundays).
• Compline — 8:15 PM, three psalms accompanied by a brother on the harp.

Work: Manual Labor and the Crafts

A second pillar of Benedictine life at Mount Saviour is manual labor. St. Benedict says that 'they are truly monks when they live by the labor of their hands.' The monks engage in a variety of ordinary tasks: work on the farm, in the orchard and garden, in the business office, the guest house, the kitchen and the laundry. Brothers are also involved in various arts and crafts such as music-making, tying rosaries, leather sandals, painting, pottery, and wood carving.

• Farm and pasture (sheep raising; annual shearing event)
• Orchard, vegetable garden, apiary
• Pottery, sculpting, wood carving, painting
• Tailoring and leather sandals
• Rosary-making
• Library, translation, and administration
• Guest reservations for retreats

Visitors and Retreats

Calling to mind the Gospel precepts and the traditions of the earliest monks, Mount Saviour welcomes guests to the monastery. Retreatants are invited to structure their own day according to the monastic schedule of the Divine Office, Eucharistic celebration, silence, and reflection. At times guests are invited to join the monks in the daily work. The monastery has offered hospitality to people making retreats since its beginning, providing dwellings for individuals, couples, and groups.

• Minimum stay: two consecutive nights.
• Suggested donation: $65.00 per night per person.
• No pets allowed at any retreat house.
• No smoking on monastery grounds.
• No scented products (perfume, aftershave, fragrances).
• Linens and towels provided.
• Contact the Guest brother at [email protected] or (607) 734-1688.

Guest Accommodations

Retreat housing ranges from a men's guesthouse with fifteen private rooms to private stone farmhouses and twin cottages overlooking the meadows. Several of the houses are 19th-century farm buildings that have been thoughtfully adapted for retreat use, giving guests a sense of staying on a real, working monastic farm.

• St. Joseph's Guesthouse — formerly the monastery domicile; 15 private bedrooms, common washroom, common room with simple kitchen, library of spiritual classics. Primarily for men; retreat groups welcome.
• St. Gertrude's Guesthouse — farmhouse a half mile up a hill from the monastery; primarily for women, sometimes couples or small groups; two double rooms (two twin beds) and four single rooms; meals provided.
• East Casa — twin cottage, one bedroom (two twin beds), private bath, kitchenette, panoramic meadow views.
• West Casa — twin cottage, one bedroom (two twin beds), private bath, kitchenette, pull-out couch for a third guest, fireplace.
• St. Peter's Farmhouse — fully furnished stone apartment built just after the Civil War; once used by the first monks as a chapel and welcome area.

Community and Governance

Mount Saviour is an autonomous monastery within the international Subiaco Cassinese Congregation. The community is led by a Prior; the canonical superior has historically been the Abbot of Saint Michael's Abbey, Farnborough (UK). In September 2024, Brother John attended the Subiaco Cassinese General Chapter at Montserrat Abbey outside Barcelona and the worldwide meeting of Benedictine Abbots and Priors in Rome.

• Prior: Br. John
• Founder: Dom Damasus Winzen, OSB
• Canonical superior: Abbot of Saint Michael's Abbey, Farnborough
• Member congregation: Subiaco Cassinese Benedictine Congregation (since November 13, 2014)
• Brother Matthew (celebrated his name day in 2024)
• Brother Luke (solemn vows in 2016)

Historic Campus and National Register Listing

The monastery campus is a 1,064-acre historic district with ten contributing buildings and three contributing sites. The property has been a working farm in continuous operation since 1865 and is owned by the Benedictine Foundation of New York State. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 27, 2015 (NR reference #14001213). Architectural styles include Gothic Revival and Abstract Modern, with work designed by Shanley & Fisher.

• Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel (1953)
• St. Joseph's House (1954–1957)
• East and West Buildings (1964)
• St. Peter's House / Former Nagel-Hofbauer House (1874)
• St. Gertrude's House / Former Durmstadt House (1865)
• Mount Saviour Monastic Cemetery (1960)
• Good Shepherd Lay Cemetery (1955)
• St. Peter's Barn / Former Nagel-Hofbauer Barn (c.1890/1942)
• Main barn (1959)
• Arts & Crafts Building & Storage / Former Shop Building and Kiln (1962/1973)
• Wagner House / Former Neilitz House (1879)
• St. James's House / Former Harding House (1870)
• Annex / Former milk house, now monastery guest house (1870/1961)