Monastery of the Holy Spirit

I visited the Monastery today to purchase a bonsai tree. They have the widest selection I have ever seen, even though it had been depleted by the holiday shopping season. The prices were fantastic on the bonsai as well… with small starter ones as low as $ 10, and some very nice ones for around $ 50. (You can also spend hundreds on some very outstanding specimens).
I can’t recommend enough to make the trip to their garden center if you have any interest in bonsai. The woman on staff today was extremely kind and helpful (but not in the least bit pushy) as well.
The shop on the grounds is worth a visit for the plethora of food products made on site. It also has everything you could ever want for your Catholic needs — I saw a couple there buying a thurible!
Don’t plan on eating a meal at the ‘café’ on site. It’s just a few pre-​made sandwiches. But the jams, juices, ciders, candies, pasta, and more that you can buy and eat later — definitely take some home!

I learned about this place very recently just by clicking through Unilocal Talk conversations. Once I visited there website and learned there Lithonia/​Conyers location I became enamored.
I went on a late Saturday afternoon, around 4pm. I just knew this place would be kinda packed, busy, and maybe not as peaceful, but man was I wrong. It was nice and serene.
THE GROUNDS:
We first visited the Gift Shop (very cool stuff in their, its basically like a christian bookstore), this led into their café (very nice design and free wifi), then we visited the Bonsai/​Garden Store (nice selection of pottery that is shipped to them from Japan and of course beautiful selection of Bonsai trees.)
Next we made our way into the Visitor Center, the woman at the front desk was SO friendly. She invited us to watch the video (which is about 20 minutes and very informative). She was hands down the nicest friendliest staff we met, the brother/​monk in the book shop seemed sorta mean, but maybe he was just serious, the woman working the bonsai garden store seemed unwelcoming, but maybe she was just having an overwhelming day… either way, we didn’t see ‘God’ in the staff aka smiling, helpful faces until we went into the Visitor Center. I wish I had gotten her name… either way Thank You!
We then followed the map into the reclaimed barn which is now a museum. We followed a path over to the church and it was beautiful! The architecture is amazing. There’s holy water and you can pray and even observe their official prayer service at certain times. There were several painters on the lawn painitng the church doing an amazing job btw. Lastly we made it down to the lake, plenty of geese (and their poop, lol), but it was nice. There were a few visitors down there praying and being at one with God.
With over 3,800 acres there was alot I did not see, but we visited all the main buildings and landmarks. It’s a fairly quick experience depending on how fast you walk and who you talk to.
SUMMARY:
This place was beautiful! The campus is downright gorgeous and well kept! I’ll be honest and say it was not as breathtaking and monumental as I thought it would be, but it felt great being on holy grounds!
I’ll definitely be coming back. I think this a place all christians in the metro area should visit! They even offer weekend retreats.

Peaceful and wholesome place…

Set up a special casual lunch and tour for a group of 14 from our church, and arrived here around 11 am today. The new Visitor Center, Bookstore, Gift Shop, Plant Nursery (complete with dozens of exquisite bonsai trees for sale), and Heritage Museum just opened this week. Had sandwiches made with Monastery’s own organic whole grain bread, grounds-​sourced salad greens and tomatoes, with their own brand of fruit mustard applied, .served with a huge, fresh baked oatmeal and cranberry cookie. The tour included a historical video and interactive exhibits about Trappist and Monastic life, all housed in the newly refurbished barn that originally housed the monks in the 1940’s and 1950’s. The grounds are tranquil and good for a ‘soul walk’. Wonderful, helpful staff and really beautiful and humble monks make for a great day journey!

The Monastery of the Holy Spirit is an abbey of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, also known as the Trappists. The Monastery was founded in 1944 and as of this writing (2007) is the home to more than forty monks. The Cistercians date back to the year 1098, and there is a sense of timelessness about visiting the Monastery: whether you simply walk around the lovely grounds (with a lake and a picnic area), shop in the monastery greenhouse or gift shop — be sure to sample the fudge and fruitcake that the monks make — or spend time praying in the majestic Abbey Church (built entirely of concrete but in a neo-​Romanesque style, with colorful stained glass windows and soaring arches). The retreat house is open for both personal/​private retreats and regularly scheduled group retreats led by the monks or by other retreat directors. The monks chant everyday at 4 am (!), 7 am (morning prayer and mass), 5:20 pm (evening prayer) and 7:30 pm (compline). It’s a beautiful place and very peaceful; in the words of T.S. Eliot, it is a place «where prayer has been valid.»