St. Joseph's Abbey (Massachusetts)

Trappist monastery in Spencer, Massachusetts

St. Joseph's Abbey is a Trappist monastery in Spencer, Massachusetts. Jams and beer produced by the monks are particularly popular. The monastery is also known as one of the origins of the centering prayer movement in the 1970s. Certain parts of the abbey are generally open to the public. The next Abbot, Damian Carr, was elected in June 1996. Dom Vincent Rogers was elected as the new abbot on 23 July 2020. Dom Vincent was born in Santa Monica, California. He is a graduate of the University of California where he majored in engineering, psychology and education. He entered the monastery in 1977; made his solemn profession in 1986 and was ordained a priest in 2010.

Trappist Preserves is a brand of fruit preserves produced and sold by the abbey. In 1954, shortly after their arrival in Spencer, a small, stove top batch of mint jelly was made by Brother John Berchmans, one of the monks, with mint from their herb garden. The Trappist breweries made three recommendations for the new enterprise: hire a skilled brewing engineer; build a modern, state of the art facility; and only brew a single beer for the first five years. Over twenty test batches were developed before settling on the final beer's recipe. The first beer produced was a blonde ale at 6.5% alcohol by volume which was called Spencer Trappist Ale. as of 2016, it was the first and only certified Trappist beer brewed in the United States. The brewery occupied 36,000 square feet and had a capacity of 50 barrels. It held its first open house on August 6, 2016, to 2,500 visitors. In May 2022, St. Joseph's Abbey ceased beer production and closed Spencer Brewery. In addition to the economic impact of the COVID 19 pandemic, the New England region had grown to have over 600 craft breweries (according to the Brewers Association), so it is believed that the abbey's brewery might have needed an advertising budget disproportionate to its production.

The monks at the abbey also make the highest quality liturgical vestments under the brand of The Holy Rood Guild.