by
AMBI birds outside
NARR
Cistercian monks have lived and prayed at Mount St. Joseph Abbey for 130 years.
The grey limestone church stands at the front of 600 acres where bright yellow daffodils dot glowing green fields.
SOUND footsteps
Inside, Brother Malachy (MAL-uh-key) walks in silence down a vaulted hallway. His sandals squeak against the stones.
SOUND footsteps in the clear
ACT MALACHY
Time :06
That's the cloister. It's one of the areas where we have strict silence.
NARR
Malachy is the newest member at the abbey.
He's almost 40 and one of the YOUNGEST monks.
More than half of the 20 brothers are over 80.
Fifty years ago, 120 monks lived here.
Brother Malachy joined two years ago. But it wasn't an easy decision.
ACT MALACHY2
TIME :12
When I started to speak to people about it, they all says, You know, what are you crazy? You're giving up everything to go off to join a monastery. It was a very scary decision. It wasn't going away and I believe this is where God wants me.
SOUND bells
NARR
Bells call Malachy to prayer seven times a day, starting at 4 a.m.
SOUND cross fade to singing, hold under
The brothers chant, sing and read the Bible.
SOUND sing fades
NARR
After the first prayer before dawn, Brother Malachy exchanges his long, white cloak for jeans and work boots.
SOUND sound walking
He walks from the church to the abbey's dairy farm, their main source of income.
It's calving season and Malachy has to help a newborn calf learn to eat.
SOUND gate and hay
He steps through the hay, slips inside the gate and holds an oversized bottle to the calf.
SOUND of calf sucking the bottle
ACT Malachy3
TIME :02
This is an easy fellow he's sucking immediately.
NARR
Brother Malachy says this work is PART of his calling.
ACT MALACHY4
TIME :09
Part of the monastic tradition is you have a constant awareness of God. And working on the land, you only have to look around you to have an awareness of God.
NARR
It's almost dawn and time for the monks' next prayer.
This is Laura Isensee, Columbia Radio News.