“Looking Ahead From The Vantage Point of Tradition”
The Norbertine Fathers’ Campaign for the Relocation of St. Michael’s Abbey

About 5 o’clock, every morning, we -- the priests and seminarians of St. Michael’s -- proceed to the abbey church to chant the glory of the Lord and of His creation.  In this peaceful setting, we begin a day that will bring us together seven times to praise God.  Through prayer we seek to sanctify ourselves, those who support and work with us, and the whole world.  Prayer is the fire that animates everything we do.

Visitors often remark, “How peaceful it is here!” – and they are correct.  Within the confines of an abbey, there is indeed peace, tranquility, and order:  All things are seen in a proper perspective, the perspective of Eternity.

Because of this perspective, St. Michael’s Abbey transforms lives.  People seek out the church as a place to drink deeply of the peace that reigns over the site.  They come to hear the Gregorian chants we sing every day, and they come away changed.  Many come back again and again – and many young men come to stay forever. 

St. Michael’s attracts many vocations to the priesthood – so many, in fact, that we have trouble housing all its members.  Why?  Young men come to us because they have a burning desire for a personal encounter with Truth - they want a challenging program of life that will enable them to sanctify themselves by prayer, work, and living in community. In a secularized world they witness the unwavering love of God through the practice of a rule rooted in the teachings of St Augustine and St Norbert.

St. Michael’s Preparatory School

St. Michael’s Abbey is the home to St. Michael’s Preparatory School, one of the premier boys’ boarding schools in the United States.  All of our graduates attend college – 100%.  They write us and say things like: “I am head and shoulders above my class in school now, because you taught me how to discipline my time, how to study.”  The Norbertine education stresses the importance of the reverence for God and the human person.  It fosters respect for learning and order.  The small class size and committed teachers make the learning experience unique, engaging, and active as abbey life extends from the Abbey Church to the school and provides students with a focus.

The Norbertines have been a quiet presence in Orange County for over 50 years. We have grown rapidly during a time other orders in the Church have suffered decline.  Why is this?  Because the Norbertines of St. Michael’s are committed to unchanging values.  Our school has quietly produced students of excellence who continue to university studies and make a difference in our world.  We need to safeguard this treasure for future generations. 

History of the Norbertines of St. Michael’s

Who are these men who live at St. Michael’s Abbey?  We are priests and members of the Norbertine Order (Canons Regular) – an order founded in the 12th century, by St. Norbert of Xanten (1080-1134).  We lead a full monastic life with apostolic work that includes teaching in schools, parish work, and chaplaincies at colleges and prisons.  We regularly travel to give retreats to priests and religious across the US and abroad; spiritual direction and counseling; sacramental care to the dying; and assistance to Catholic cemeteries. 

Every day the priests and seminarians of the Abbey chant the Liturgy of the Hours in the Abbey Church – the beautiful Gregorian chant of the Church echoing through the building.

In a world that hungers for beauty, for proportion, for contemplative peace, and for eternal values, St. Michael’s enriches the life of Orange County.  It provides a haven where young boys from the area and the world can grow into mature, well-adjusted young men.

St. Michael’s Abbey, Seminary and Preparatory School are at the threshold of an historic project that will safeguard the presence of the abbey community and preparatory school in Orange County for centuries to come.  The scope of this project is a bold and visionary enterprise for Orange County, southern California and the West Coast.