"Stewardship is a value which, like hospitality, captures the essence of Benedictine life. On a most basic level, Benedict prescribed care and reverence of material things ('treat all goods as if they were vessels of the altar'). For Benedictines, the idea that gardening tools were just as important as chalices has come to mean a total way of life which emphasizes wholeness and wholesomeness and connectedness. The body, the mind, the spirit, material things, the earth — all are one and all are to receive proper attention. All created things are God-given, and a common-sense approach to resources should prevail. Thus, Benedictine communities are ready to accept the most recent technology but will use the same bucket for thirty years. "Taking care of things" has been elevated to a virtue of surpassing value in Benedictine monasteries." 1

Please choose from the drop down menu above to see the ways in which Portsmouth Abbey Monastery and the School community are working toward a higher level of sustainability on our beautiful 500-acre campus on Narragansett Bay.

1. Sister Jane Michele McClure, OSB, of the Sisters of St. Benedict, Ferdinand, Indiana.