PEOSTA, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The hidden lives of devout Trappist Monks living in a remote rural area of Iowa are explored in-depth in a newly-released feature documentary titled “God Alone.”
The hour-long documentary, produced by Salt River Production Group of St. Louis, gives an inside look at the everyday lives of the monks of New Melleray Abbey in Peosta, Iowa. The film is available, upon request, for general screening.
“We were given extraordinary access to document their prayer life, as well as their daily work in the Abbey’s casket business,” said Chuck Neff, Salt River Executive Producer.
“We witnessed the monks’ holiness and spirituality through their steady, everyday rhythm of work and prayer. It was a wonderful look at a life most people never get to see.”
More than a year in the making, “God Alone” focuses on the ascetic life of the Trappist Monks and how the monk’s vocation is expressed in work, in prayer and in solitude. The film chronicles the seven times of daily prayer, starting at 3:30 a.m.
While the Trappists at one time supported themselves through farming, today the monks support themselves by making handcrafted wooden caskets. One segment shows how the monks plant and harvest trees on their own property and use them to produce the caskets.
The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, trace their roots back 14 Centuries to St. Benedict, who is quoted as saying: “Nothing … absolutely nothing … is to be preferred to the work of God.” The monks at New Melleray Abbey follow that calling in a life of stark simplicity.
The Abbey is located 12 miles outside of Dubuque, Iowa. The producers used aerial photography to highlight the medieval-like limestone monastery built in the late 1800s. Today, nearly 40 men make up the community at New Melleray.
The documentary also includes personal stories of some of the men who have devoted their lives to service in the church through their personal prayer and daily work.
For more information about “God Alone,” or to receive a complimentary copy of the DVD, contact Sam Mulgrew at 563-585-0793 or email at mulgrew1962@gmail.com.