About St. Andrew Abbey · Cleveland, Ohio
St. Andrew Abbey is a Benedictine monastery of the American Cassinese Congregation located at 10510 Buckeye Road in Cleveland's Buckeye-Woodland neighborhood. Founded in 1922 by monks sent from St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, Illinois, the community grew out of ministry to the city's Slovak-Catholic immigrants and today numbers roughly two dozen solemnly-professed monks, plus those in initial formation. The monks pray the full Liturgy of the Hours together daily in their abbey church, run Benedictine High School next door, sponsor Loyola Retreat House, and serve in parish, chaplaincy, and health-care ministry throughout northeast Ohio.
- Established
- 1922
- Patron
- St. Andrew the Apostle
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
Why belong here
St. Andrew Abbey welcomes anyone who wishes to draw near to the Church's oldest monastic tradition. Visitors and parishioners are invited to join the monks in praying the Liturgy of the Hours in the abbey church, attend daily Mass, or simply find a quiet corner of the twelve-acre grounds for prayer. The community's Benedictine hallmarks—stability, conversion of life, and obedience—are lived out in the heart of the city through the staffing of Benedictine High School, sponsorship of Loyola Retreat House, pastoral ministry, chaplaincy, and care of the sick, making the abbey a rare urban oasis where ancient monastic life meets ordinary Cleveland ministry.
Mass times at St. Andrew Abbey
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- Vespers with Benediction: Sundays at 7:30 PM
History of the Abbey
St. Andrew Abbey traces its origin to the Slovak Catholic Federation's 1921 meeting in Youngstown, Ohio, where Fr. Gregory Vaniscak, OSB, of St. Procopius Abbey helped propose a Slovak Benedictine foundation in Cleveland. Two monks arrived on February 5, 1922, to take over St. Andrew's Slovak Parish on Superior Avenue at Bishop Joseph Schrembs's invitation. They soon opened Benedictine High School in 1927, moved the monastery to the former Notre Dame orphanage on Buckeye Road in 1929, and were declared an independent abbey on July 13, 1934. A succession of abbots has guided the community from its first abbot, Stanislaus Gmuca, OSB, through Theodore Kojis, OSB, Jerome Koval, OSB, Roger Gries, OSB, Abbot Christopher, and the present seventh abbot, Gary Hoover, OSB.
- Founded 1922 as a foundation of St. Procopius Abbey
- Benedictine High School opened September 12, 1927 with 35 students
- Independent priory August 12, 1929; raised to abbey July 13, 1934
- Abbots: Stanislaus Gmuca, Theodore Kojis, Jerome Koval, Roger Gries, Christopher, Gary Hoover
- 90th anniversary of the Cleveland foundation marked in 2012
Buildings and Grounds
The twelve-acre property sits at Cleveland's highest point and is described as a little oasis in the heart of the city. The west wing houses the cloister and was dedicated in 1952 from a design by Evans Woolen that blends traditional and modern forms. The abbey church and east wing—containing a calefactory, refectory, five guest rooms, and the BHS advancement team—were dedicated in 1986, made possible in large part by the generosity of Benedictine alumnus Jim Trueman '53. The former abbey chapel now serves as the community library.
- 12-acre campus at Cleveland's highest elevation
- West cloister wing dedicated 1952 (Evans Woolen, architect)
- Abbey church and east wing dedicated 1986
- Marian grotto, Sacred Heart and St. Michael statues
- Benedictine High School and practice field on the property
Monastic Community
St. Andrew Abbey is a community of Benedictine monks of the American Cassinese (Cassinese) Congregation, a daughter house of St. Procopius Abbey. As of recent reporting the community numbers roughly 26–33 members, including one bishop, about eighteen priests, and five brothers, with several men in initial formation (a postulant named Thomas Corrigan and seminarians Brothers Louis and Conrad have been named in published material). The monks live under vows of conversion of life, obedience, and stability, the Benedictine hallmark that has kept the community rooted in the Buckeye-Woodland neighborhood.
- Order: Benedictine (American Cassinese Congregation)
- Mother house: St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, Illinois
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
- Approximately 26 monks including about 18 priests and 5 brothers
- Men in formation include seminarians Br. Louis and Br. Conrad and postulant Thomas Corrigan
The Abbot
The abbot is the spiritual father of the community and is elected by the solemnly-professed monks. The Right Reverend Gary Hoover, OSB, the seventh abbot of St. Andrew Abbey, was elected on August 6, 2014, after serving as administrator following Abbot Christopher's resignation for health reasons in July 2013. Bishop Richard G. Lennon, Bishop of Cleveland, blessed Abbot Gary on October 5, 2014. Retired abbots of the community include Bishop Roger William Gries, OSB.
- Current Abbot: Rt. Rev. Gary Hoover, OSB (since 2014)
- Preceded as administrator by Prior Gary Hoover after Abbot Christopher's resignation
- Retired Abbot-Bishop: Roger William Gries, OSB
Daily Liturgy and the Divine Office
The monks pray the Liturgy of the Hours together in the abbey church, with Lauds and Vespers chanted and accompanied on organ. Mass is celebrated each morning immediately after Lauds. The Divine Office follows a two-week cycle of Psalms from custom-printed office books and is presided over by a monk-priest or transitional deacon unless designated otherwise by the abbot.
- Lauds and Mass: Monday–Friday 6:10 AM / 6:25 AM; Saturday and Sunday 7:10 AM / 7:25 AM
- Midday Prayer: 11:45 AM daily
- Vespers: 5:20 PM Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat; 5:00 PM Wed; 7:30 PM Sun with Benediction
- Vigils (Office of Readings): 7:05 PM daily except Wed and Sun (private)
- Silence observed from conclusion of Vigils until Lauds
Monastic Customs
Life at St. Andrew Abbey follows the traditional Benedictine rhythm of prayer and work, marked by distinctive customs that give shape to the day. Friday breakfasts are taken in silence during Lent, Advent, and Ordinary Time, and the community fasts and abstains from meat on Fridays except on feast days. On Wednesdays after Vespers the monks share a 'haustus,' a light refreshment, except during Lent.
- Silence from end of Vigils (7:05 PM) until Lauds
- Silent Friday breakfasts in Lent, Advent, and Ordinary Time
- Friday fast and abstinence from meat (except feast days)
- Haustus on Wednesdays after Vespers (omitted in Lent)
Apostolates and Work
The monks live out the Benedictine motto 'ora et labora' (pray and work) through a range of apostolates that reach beyond the monastery walls. The community staffs Benedictine High School, sponsors Loyola Retreat House, and operates the Slovak Institute as a center of Slovak culture in the Buckeye-Woodland neighborhood. Monks also serve in parish ministry, chaplaincy, and health care, while the everyday operations of the monastery—maintenance, finance, information technology, and health care—are carried out by monks and lay staff together.
- Benedictine High School
- Loyola Retreat House
- Slovak Institute
- Parish, chaplaincy, and health-care ministry
- Internal assignments: guest master, vocation director, oblate director, formation director, infirmarian
Vocation Discernment
Men considering a monastic vocation are invited to pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance and to visit the abbey to become acquainted with the community before applying for admission. Formation follows the classic Benedictine path: a four-to-six-month postulancy, a one-year novitiate in which the candidate is tonsured and receives a religious name from the abbot, three years of temporary vows, and finally solemn vows of conversion of life, obedience, and stability.
- Postulancy: 4–6 months
- Novitiate: 1 year (tonsure and religious name)
- Temporary vows: 3 years
- Solemn vows of conversion, obedience, and stability
- Vocations contact: [email protected]
Visit and Contact
The abbey church is open to the public for daily Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. Guests are welcome, and the east wing provides five guest rooms for those wishing to spend time in the monastery's rhythm of prayer. Inquiries about visiting, vocations, or parish matters can be directed to the abbey office.
- Address: 10510 Buckeye Road, Cleveland, OH 44104
- Phone: (216) 721-5300
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://standrewabbey.org/
- Public Mass and Divine Office daily in the abbey church
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Stanislaus Gmuca, OSB1934–1946
First abbot; arrived in Cleveland Feb. 5, 1922; built new high school in 1940.
- Abbot Theodore Kojis, OSB1946–1966
Second abbot; directed construction of the new abbey dedicated in 1952.
- Abbot Jerome Koval, OSB1966–?
Third abbot, elected 1966.
- Abbot Roger Gries, OSB
Later ordained bishop; listed as a retired abbot of the community.
- Abbot Christopher (name unknown)until 2013
Resigned for reasons of health in July 2013.
- Rt. Rev. Gary Hoover, OSB2014–present
Seventh Abbot; elected August 6, 2014; blessed by Bishop Richard G. Lennon on October 5, 2014.