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“Clairvaux” derives from the Latin clarae vallensis, which means “valley of light” or “clear valley”.  The early Cistercian monks built their monasteries upon a vision – an endeavor that brought countless others down the centuries to seek the clear light of God and allow that light to shine through the valleys where they worked and prayed.  By supporting the Abbey of New Clairvaux, you join in the countless throngs of benefactors in welcoming fellow-pilgrim visitors and future generations of monks to seek that clear light of God and allowing it to shine in our world today.  So thank you for your generous gift to the Abbey!

Donations: Annual Fund
Master Site Plan
Volunteer
Digital Display
Legacy Giving

Donations – Annual Fund

The Abbey of New Clarivaux community

Your prayers and contributions help sustain the sacred traditions of our Cistercian charism and we remain humbled by the support of our contemplative life.

You form a true part of our New Clairvaux family.

Through the gifts of friends like you, we have realized the dream of our new church and continue to make progress on our long-range master site plan. For our monastic community, buildings are more than brick and mortar, they are a place we live and follow the ancient Rule of Saint Benedict – to offer hospitality to guests, serve in mutual charity, and live out our contemplative witness of silence, stillness and solitude in today’s often frenetic and busy world, in other words to make visible the Kingdom of God.

The Our Lady of New Clairvaux Annual Fund has been created for those who wish to provide an unrestricted gift – where the need is greatest.

Hospitality to guests is a fundamental aspect of our monastic tradition. We have a beautiful and eclectic campus with maintenance needs just like your own home. Support of the annual fund enables us to address on-going maintenance and special projects from maintaining our parking lots and surface roads to ensuring our retreatants have a comfortable space to reflect and pray and our devoted staff and volunteers have the tools they need to provide witness to our charism.

We believe that all people who come to the monastery are endowed with the dignity and value of Children of God and are to be welcomed as Christ, as a gift sent to us by God.

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Map of the Abbey of New Clarivaux

Master Site Plan

The Redesigned Cloister Area

The cloistered area is where the monks live in community and is not opened to the public, outside of medical professionals. In consultation with project architects and construction specialists, the following project phasing has been determined to address the Abbey’s most immediate needs.

Senior Wing

As part of their calling as a family of brothers, Cistercian monks continue to care for each other throughout their lifetime. The Infirmarian is the brother appointed by the Abbot to look after the health needs of the whole community, particularly the infirm and elderly members. Daily duties of the Infirmarian include coordination of all the infirms’ needs, consulting with health care professionals, accompanying brothers to medical appointments, monitoring medication, assisting with bathing and dental care, preparing meals, laundering and ensuring an attending monk is with the most vulnerable 24-hours a day. Here at the Abbey, over one-third of the monks are over the age of 75, including the oldest monk in the history of the Abbey who recently celebrated his 98th birthday. Even though the Abbey has a Certified Nursing Assistant on staff, local physicians who volunteer their time with regular visits, and a caring team of doctors, dentists, and specialists in the surrounding area, the current facilities make it very difficult to care for the aging brothers onsite. The distinctions of a cloistered community are lost when the aging, most fragile members of the “family” are transported miles away to an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar caregivers for what amounts to their last days on earth. Above all, monks recognize, honor, love and serve as Christ the brothers in their care. With three new postulants and a record number of requests for observerships, the Abbey has reached capacity to welcome new vocations. Cells typically used for younger monks, postulants and observerships, are currently occupied by aging members of the community – making the need for a new, more centrally located Senior Wing vital. The current Senior Wing is located at the furthest part of the cloistered area, beyond the Library Stacks labeled in the illustration. Since Cistercians remain in community with each other during “Liturgy of the Hours,” Chapter Talks, and meals until their final days, the current location challenges the way in which aging monks live in community with their family of brothers.

Built upon a 1700-year tradition, the Abbey preserves and sustains a history of beauty, sacrifice, and a life-long dedication to prayer – the greatest force for transforming our world.

In keeping with a cloistered design to preserve and respect the monastic lifestyle, the proposed Senior Wing will include:

  • Six ADA compliant, private rooms, an examination room and dispensary.
  • Improved overall lighting that is responsive to older adult vision and the distinction between day and night.
  • An optimum floor plan to maximize the mobility of the infirmed and efficiencies of the attending monk.
  • Motorized chair parking and recharging stations that are conveniently located and easily accessible.
  • Upgraded safety systems throughout, including an intercom system for communicating with the attending monk.
  • A separate entrance, away from the main cloistered area for lay medical staff, including a reverse swinging door, wheelchair ramp and push button entry door operator.

Pastoral Center

To improve administration efficiencies, a new Pastoral Center is needed to replace the office space and workrooms lost through the demolition of the old church in April 2018. Located adjacent to the new church and Senior Wing, the Pastoral Center will provide offices for the Abbot, Second Superior and Abbey secretary. Renovated areas include a meeting room and workspace for liturgy, finance and administration. The Center will also provide resident monks with expanded common rooms to read, meet and seek spiritual direction. Construction related requirements and economies of scale call for concurrent construction of the Senior Wing and Pastoral Center.

View Master Site Plan PAnel (PDF)
Due to the very large size of this file, it may not be viewable on mobile devices

Volunteer

We welcome persons who wish to share their talents and time to support our contemplative monastic mission for God at New Clairvaux!

The mission of the Volunteer Program: to invite people to partner with the monks in collaborative effort by assisting the Abbey with specific services or tasks.

We require volunteers to be 18 years or older. Please fill out the contact form below and we will be happy to be in touch about your volunteer interest.

Volunteer Program Director:
Br. Luis Cortez, OCSO

CURRENTLY WE ARE IN NEED OF VOLUNTEER HELP IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: Docents, walnut shelling, garden weeding, restoration work on historic brick buildings.  Join us!

    Donor Recognition

    Please visit our Ovila Room Digital Display Board to find our Donor Recognition.
    Note: Not viewable on digital devices

    Go To Digital Display Board

    Bequest to the Abbey in Your Will/Trust (Saint Bernard Society)

    To discuss supporting the Abbey with the option of a planned gift, listed below, please call or email Brother Luis, Director of Development at 530.839.9936 or donorservices@newclairvaux.org

    • Bequest to the Abbey in Your Will/Trust
    • Gift of Charitable Remainder Trust or Lead Trust
    • Gift of Life Insurance
    • Gift of Appreciated Stocks or Mutual Funds
    • Gift of Retirement Plans IRA, 401k, 403b – Avoid income and estate taxes
    • Gift of Savings Bonds – Received tax-free by the Abbey
    • Gift of Real Estate – Avoid paying capital gains and receive a charitable deduction
    • Gift of Life Estate Reserved – Receive a current federal income tax deduction for the present value of the remainder interest in your property and preserve your lifetime use and control of your home, ranch or farm while you are still alive.
    Download Brochure