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Abbey Church 'alive again'

Tribune photo by JAY CONNER

The abbey is now open to individuals and groups for spiritual retreats.

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By MICHELLE BEARDEN

mbearden@tampatrib.com

Published: June 6, 2009

ST. LEO - Abbot Isaac Camacho had a promise to keep.

In 1999, when he was a brother at Saint Leo Abbey, the monastery's leadership vowed to restore their historical church building.

"Please help us with the fundraising campaign," the Benedictine monks asked supporters and the community.

But you know how things go.

Every time a substantial amount of money filled the till, other unexpected needs arose and the money would be redirected. Donations to survivors of the Sept. 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina. Repairs to Abbey Hall after the 2004 hurricanes.

"It was one thing after another," Camacho recalls.

http://snap.tbo.com/galleries/index.php?id=356868g... a new roof, but that was it. The mission-style structure, built in 1948 from bricks and Indiana limestone traded for sweet Florida oranges, needed so much more.

When Camacho was elected the abbey's sixth abbot in October 2007, he promised the church would finally be restored.

"People didn't think it would really happen," he says.

They were wrong.

The stained-glass windows are redone, the tile floors waxed and polished. New tapestries take the sanctuary platform back to its pre-Vatican II design. The whole interior has been painted a brighter color.

It took five people, including in-house staff and those donating their time, five months of labor and cost about $100,000.

"We had let it go for so long," the abbot says. "Now it has become alive again."

This gorgeous restored church is not the only reason to pay a visit to the abbey. Take Interstate 75 to State Road 52, head east, and you get your first surprise. Florida's typically flat surface transforms into rolling green hills, rising some 200 feet above sea level. Pull left into the abbey's 99 acres and you will enter a quieter world where the country silence is broken by the calls of birds and the clanging of the church tower bell.

The abbey dates to 1889, when a group of Benedictine monks moved here from Latrobe, Pa., to serve the growing German Catholic community of San Antonio and other nearby towns.

Up to 100 priests and brothers lived in the monastery at one time, but like many Catholic religious orders, the numbers have declined steadily.

Today, Saint Leo is home to 23 monks who follow the 1,500-year tradition of The Rule of St. Benedict, based on the teachings of a sixth-century Italian monk. His monastic handbook is built on the practice of humility and holy obedience.

It is a communal life of prayer and good works. According to "A People's History of Christianity," Benedict envisioned a "school for the Lord's service" where "our hearts would overflow with the inexpressible delight of love."

Ah, if we could all escape to a nirvana like this and for such a noble purpose.

We can. The abbey is now open to individuals and groups for spiritual retreats. Prices vary, from donation-only to $150 a person for a weekend group program, but it's all affordable. The best part is what you won't get in your sparsely appointed guestroom.

No telephone, no Internet, no television. "Nothing that you would expect with a hotel," Camacho says. "Even people who have problems with money should come here, because they will realize money is not the most important thing."

The amenities are experiences unique to this special place. A walk around the property's Lake Jovita. A visit to the grotto where statues of Mary and St. Joseph dwell in man-made caves of native fossilized coral, surrounded by lit candles and notes left by pilgrims. Contemplative time in the church, where the monks gather several times a day for prayer and chanting. Visitors are also welcome to dine with the residents.

But the greatest benefit to visiting Saint Leo Abbey is the unspoken experience. In a letter left for guests in their rooms, Camacho notes: "Be in silence, listen to the Word of God, pray and be still! Don't run away as soon as the silence becomes a burden. Remain, and you will discover that silence is the door to God's relationship with you."

The monks refer to their piece of paradise as a "spiritual oasis in a chaotic world." I second that. I can't think of a more ideal place in our area to recharge your fading batteries. God knows we need it more than ever these days.

CELEBRATION MASS

WHAT: Mass in the newly restored Abbey Church of the Holy Cross, with refreshments and fellowship afterward

WHEN: 10:30 a.m. June 13

WHERE: 33601 S.R. 52, St. Leo

INFORMATION: Call (352) 588-8624. To book a group retreat, call (352) 588-8182. To schedule a private retreat, call (352) 588-8184. Additional details are at http://saintleoabbey.org

Michelle Bearden gives a tour of the church and grounds on her "Keeping the Faith" segment Sunday on the 8 a.m. newscast on WFLA-TV. She can be reached at (813) 259-7613.

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