Holy Trinity Abbey now offers a program that permits someone to live in the monastery for a prolonged but limited period of time without intending to become a monk.

Our long-term residency program is offered to practicing Catholic men who are twenty-one years of age or over and who meet the specified criteria. After the first month, if all is favorable, a long-term resident may stay up to two more months; after that, he may renew his residency for another three months, at the discretion of the abbey.

Long-term residents are permitted and expected to live, pray, eat, and do assigned work (at least four hours per day) along with the monks. Since the spiritual growth of the residents is of fundamental importance, they will attend classes in monastic formation during the school year, except classes on the vows. They are under the guidance of the novice director and his assistant. Throughout their residency, they are expected to know and follow the day schedule and the guidelines of the monastery in all matters.

The monastery will supply the long-term residents with all daily necessities except health-care benefits; residents are expected to show written proof of health insurance covering the length of their stay. Long-term residents also sign a legal document promising not to seek financial compensation for the work they do as residents.

An applicant for long-term residency does the following:

1. Makes a week-long retreat in the monastery retreat house, during which he has interviews with the admissions board, answers a general questionnaire, and writes a brief autobiographical statement. He then leaves the monastery while his application is under consideration.
2. If accepted for an initial one-month residence, he furnishes the following documents before returning:
   ÷Original (not photocopy) certificate of Baptism and Confirmation
   ÷Record of dental check-up
   ÷Record of physical exam
   ÷Photocopy of health insurance policy covering his expected length of residence
   ÷List of three people from whom the abbey can request letters of recommendation
   

After all the paperwork has been accepted by the abbey, the applicant returns to begin his trial month of residency. During this time, and later, the residency can be terminated for sufficient reason either by the resident or by the abbey.

The primary purpose of the Long-term Residency program at Holy Trinity Abbey is to share the benefits of our monastic lifestyle with those who are unable, for various reasons, to join our monastery as prospective lifetime members. The program is for men who are sufficiently free of obligations to be able to devote some months to deepening their spirituality in an environment of silence, solitude, and natural beauty, in the company of monks who have been seeking God for most of their lifetime. Please note that this program is not intended for those who may need a therapy program or recovery program. Likewise it is not a sabbatical for those wishing to pursue their academic or artistic goals. Instead, it is for those who wish to experience the Cistercian charism of love for God and neighbor in a traditional setting that has been called "ordinary, obscure, and laborious" (Constitutions #5).