Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey

Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey is a Trappistine monastery located near Dubuque, Iowa, within the Archdiocese of Dubuque. It is a community of nuns belonging to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance.

History and Foundation

The abbey's origins trace back to the 1960s when the Trappistine nuns of Mount Saint Mary's Abbey in Wrentham, Massachusetts, found their monastery to be at full capacity due to a surge in religious vocations. Initially, plans for a new foundation were considered in Argentina, but these did not materialize. Following this, the abbess, Mother Angela, sought assistance from abbots of Trappist abbeys in the United States. The abbot of New Melleray Abbey offered support for a new foundation. After an extensive search for a suitable location and with the generous contribution of a benefactor, the "Hickory Hill" estate south of Dubuque became available in July 1964. The abbey was officially founded in 1964 when the first thirteen nuns, led by Mother Columba Guare, O.C.S.O., settled on the site. To support the monastery, the nuns began making candy, farming, and raising livestock.

On May 3, 1968, the monastery was declared an autonomous community and elevated to the status of an abbey. Mother Columba Guare was elected as the first abbess on May 7, 1970, and served until 1982. Subsequent abbesses have included Mother Gail Fitzpatrick, Mother Nettie Louise Gamble, and Mother Rebecca Stramoski, who was elected in 2012 and re-elected in 2018.

Life and Operations Today

The abbey currently houses approximately 20 nuns who dedicate their lives to a balanced routine of choral and private prayer, lectio divina, and manual labor, as prescribed by the Rule of St. Benedict. The community sustains itself primarily through the production of candy, notably their "Trappistine Creamy Caramels," which are shipped worldwide. The nuns also farm the land they own, situated on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. Visitors are welcome to make retreats in the abbey's guesthouses, though these are popular and often booked far in advance. The daily schedule begins early with the Office of Vigil at 3:45 a.m. and concludes with Compline at 7:15 p.m. The onsite gift shop offers their famous caramels along with various religious gifts, including prints by Sister Grace Remington.

Expansion and Outreach

In 1999, the nuns of Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey initiated a daughter foundation in Tautra, Norway, known as Tautra Abbey. Five nuns from the Mississippi Abbey, along with two Norwegian nuns from other monasteries, established this new community, which became an autonomous priory in March 2006.