Mepkin Abbey monks live a life of prayer, work, and silence

In a world of push notifications and packed calendars, 13 men in Berkeley County have chosen silence. 

They wake at 3:30 a.m. 

They eat in silence. 

They surrender phones, sideline family life, and personal ambition. 

And they insist they’ve never been more free. 

Just 45 minutes from Daniel Island, Mepkin Abbey sits along the Cooper River near Moncks Corner and moves at a pace that feels almost defiant in 2026. Founded in 1949 by Trappist monks from Kentucky, the monastery is home to 13 men whose lives are centered on prayer, manual labor, study, and hospitality – the guiding principles of the 1,500-year-old Rule of Saint Benedict. 

A DAY MEASURED IN PRAYER 

At the time most of Berkeley County is still asleep, the monks at Mepkin Abbey have already been awake for hours. 

“We rise early at 3:30 a.m. and come together in the abbey church to pray vigils at 4 a.m.,” said Father Kevin Walsh, the monastery’s vocation and novice director.  

From there, the day unfolds in measured blocks: chanting psalms, extended silence, two hours of Lectio Divina – a slow, contemplative reading of Scripture – followed by a simple, meatless breakfast eaten without conversation. 

At 7 a.m., they pray the Eucharist and Lauds. By midmorning, they are working: some in the gardens, others on the farm, in the kitchen, library, abbey store, or retreat center.  

At noon, they return to prayer. Then to work. Then to prayer again. 

The repetition is intentional. 

“Silence allows one to be open to God and listen not only from the mind but from the heart,” Walsh said. “God is present to us at every moment. Choosing carefully how we use our time is very important in making oneself available to God.” 

Their life is hidden by design – what monks call "intercessory prayer." 

“To live a life of ceaseless prayer, one strives to offer God praise and adoration, ongoing thanks and prayer for all humanity, especially God’s needy ones and those undergoing distress,” Walsh said. “We live a hidden and focused life, always bringing to God prayers on behalf of all our sisters and brothers, particularly aware of those who have no one to pray for them.” 

A MONASTERY WITH LOWCOUNTRY ROOTS 

Mepkin Abbey was established in 1949 on the former Mepkin Plantation, a site layered with history. Revolutionary-era statesman Henry Laurens once lived here, as did Time and Life magazines founder Henry Luce and his wife, Clare Boothe Luce, who donated the property to the Catholic Church. Traces of that past remain – the Laurens family cemetery on a wooded bluff above the river, and the terraced Luce Gardens, first designed in the 1930s, now blooming with camellias, azaleas, and reflecting ponds. 

“For many, God’s fingerprints are to be found in the creation all around us,” Walsh said. “To see the marvelous varieties of camellias, to behold the array of colors in the reflecting ponds… is restorative for the spirit.” 

Today, visitors can walk to the Laurens family cemetery via a wooden boardwalk through the woods, visit the labyrinth, sit at the Charleston Firefighters' Memorial, stroll the Claire Boothe Luce Library, or explore the newly constructed Meditation Garden of Truth and Reconciliation completed last spring, offering additional quiet space for reflection. 

“When asked how people will find God in the 21st century, Hans Urs von Balthasar answered, ‘in beauty,’” Walsh said. “Mepkin is blessed to be a place of acre upon acre where one can feast their eyes.” 

NOT JUST FOR MONKS 

While it may seem sheltered off from the rest of the world, Mepkin welcomes visitors for day trips, tours of the gardens and church, volunteer opportunities, and overnight retreats. Guests can stay for a weekend or a full Monday-through-Friday retreat, following a modified version of the monastic schedule, unplugged from electronics, and daily demands. 

“Retreatants often speak of how grateful they are to have space, exterior and interior, to unplug and simply be with God,” Walsh said. “As one psalm tells us, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ For people living in a nation that prizes freedom, coming apart to embrace a monastic schedule can help you realize how programmed you are. It is good to feel free.” 

Walsh said the abbey regularly welcomes guests from nearby communities. 

“We have a number of folks from Cainhoy, Clements Ferry Road, and Daniel Island who make an annual retreat.” 

Daniel Island resident Laura Bennett began going three years ago. 

“The first time, I was anxious about being away from my phone and all my comforts in life,” she said. “But by the second day, I felt lighter. You realize how much noise you carry. It’s the quietest place I’ve ever been, and somehow the fullest.” 

Clements Ferry resident Marcus Williams described it as a reset button. 

“You don’t have to talk. You don’t have to impress anyone or feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. You just pray, walk the gardens, sit by the river. I came home thinking differently about how I spend my time, and felt closer to God than I have in years.” 

Many guests describe leaving with a desire to incorporate more reflection into daily life. 

“Being able to leave behind their hectic and pressure-filled lives brings many to want to explore how they might introduce more time each day to be reflective and pray,” Walsh said. 

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED 

What draws someone to this life in an age of smartphones and streaming? 

“Each person has a very singular story to tell of their coming to recognize that God was inviting them to take this path,” Walsh said. “As Robert Frost says in his poem, ‘I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.’ One has to be willing to swim against the current – not to draw attention to oneself, but because one realizes nothing else will do.” 

The reward, Walsh says, is “to say yes to the invitation God offers to come apart and surrender the many things that give so much satisfaction to human beings, brings one to a focus… and, with time, to be overwhelmed by the faithful God loving me without measure.” 

In a county expanding by the year, Mepkin Abbey offers a rare pause – a place where time is measured not in achievements, but in prayer.