St. Michael’s Abbey is an autonomous abbey of the Norbertine Order. The Abbot is assisted in his governance of the community by members of his council. The canonry currently has 47 priests, and 18 seminarians studying for the priesthood. All members of the abbey live a full priestly and monastic common life; with daily attendance at the choral Office in the abbey church and life in community.

The abbey’s principal apostolate is its school, St. Michael’s Preparatory School. Confreres also provide Sunday ministry at over thirty parishes and institutions in the diocese of Orange and other dioceses in Southern California. They teach at schools – from elementary to college level – throughout the Orange and Los Angeles dioceses.

Because of its ever growing number of young priests and its liturgical apostolate, St. Michael’s Abbey draws people from distances who wish to assist at the community’s liturgy. 

Priests from St. Michael’s Abbey give spiritual direction and retreats to many different religious communities, both in California and internationally. Among these groups is a community of Rosarian Dominican Sisters from Panay in the Philippines who have maintained a convent at the abbey since 1978. The sisters provide service for the kitchen and do sacristy laundry. 

Confreres assist in many Catholic organizations locally and nationwide, prison ministry and staffing of parishes in the dioceses of Orange and Los Angeles. Confreres regularly give retreats; spiritual direction and counseling; sacramental care to the dying; and assistance to Catholic cemeteries. Confreres – who have a variety of graduate degrees from Roman, American and European institutions – also write and publish books and articles.

The seminarians conduct an annual day and night summer camp for boys on the abbey grounds for five weeks each summer, and teach in the community’s schools before their final vows and ordination. The time of formation before ordination is at least ten years for those who enter the community with a bachelor’s degree, and proportionately longer for younger men.