Saint Bernard Abbey

Saint Bernard Abbey Saint Bernard Abbey is a Catholic monastery of Benedictine monks who, through prayer and work, strive St. In 1891 those monks gathered to establish St.
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In the 1840s monks from Metten Abbey in Germany, a monastery founded c. 700 A.D., came to America to plant the Benedictine monastic life in the United States and to minister to the growing German-speaking immigrant population. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, became the first foundation, and in the 1870s monks from St. Vincent were sent to Alabama to serve the needs of German Catholics

here. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama. One year later, 1892, a school was opened at the new Abbey. At overlapping intervals from 1892 to 1979 the monks operated a high school, junior college, four-year college, and seminary. The present St. Bernard Preparatory School, opened in 1984, is the recipient of this Catholic educational heritage. In 1934 the Ave Maria Grotto, a religious devotional creation of Brother Joseph Zoetle, O.S.B., was dedicated in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Abbey grounds. This garden walk through Brother Joseph’s miniature replicas of famous Old Testament and Christian buildings has welcomed visitors every day since. Most famous among the miniatures are the buildings of ancient Jerusalem, thus the creation’s popular name “Little Jerusalem”. In 1981 the monks opened the St. Bernard Abbey Retreat and Conference Center. This center welcomes religious retreat and pilgrim groups as well as Abbey guests, school groups, and others.

Yesterday we celebrated the feast day of St. Augustine, patron saint of our Br. Augustine! A newly professed monk and fo...
08/30/2026

Yesterday we celebrated the feast day of St. Augustine, patron saint of our Br. Augustine! A newly professed monk and former Navy submariner, Br. Augustine serves as Webmaster. As the son of an Air Force officer, he was born in Pittsburgh, PA, and grew up in Dayton, OH, San Angelo, TX, Azores, Portugal, and Wichita Falls, TX. He has also lived in Hungary, Spain, and Hawaii.

St. Augustine was one of the greatest Christian thinkers and writers of all time. He was born in 354 in Algeria and converted to Christianity after a long and restless search for truth. He became the bishop of Hippo and wrote many influential works, such as Confessions and The City of God. He is also known for his doctrines of original sin, grace, and predestination. He died in 430 during the siege of Hippo by the Vandals. St. Augustine’s life and writings inspire us to seek God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. He is the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, sore eyes, and many cities around the world. Let us ask for his intercession today and always.
St. Augustine, pray for us!

🎟️ Have you gotten your sweepstakes tickets yet?Enter for your chance to win our $10,000 grand prize or one of three add...
08/28/2026

🎟️ Have you gotten your sweepstakes tickets yet?

Enter for your chance to win our $10,000 grand prize or one of three additional cash prizes! Purchase your tickets today at bernardbluesbbq.com.

The drawing will take place during the 10th Annual Bernard Blues & BBQ Festival on September 12–13. You do not have to be present to win!

St. Bernard Preparatory School mourns the passing of Roy Drinkard, a beloved member of the Class of 1938, who passed awa...
08/25/2026

St. Bernard Preparatory School mourns the passing of Roy Drinkard, a beloved member of the Class of 1938, who passed away at the remarkable age of 106.

Mr. Drinkard leaves behind an extraordinary legacy. A respected Cullman businessman, member of the Flying Fifty and the nation’s oldest living U.S. Marine, his life spanned more than a century of history and through it all, he remained a treasured member of the St. Bernard family.

We are grateful to count Mr. Drinkard among our alumni and for the lasting impact he made on Cullman and beyond.

Our prayers are with his family and loved ones.

Three days of in-service are officially in the books! Our faculty and staff are ready, our classrooms are prepared, and ...
08/09/2026

Three days of in-service are officially in the books! Our faculty and staff are ready, our classrooms are prepared, and we can't wait to welcome our students back tomorrow. Here's to a wonderful school year! Welcome back!

We have double the reason to celebrate today! Following Compline last night, it was officially announced that our very o...
08/08/2026

We have double the reason to celebrate today! Following Compline last night, it was officially announced that our very own Father Dominic Lee, O.S.B., has been appointed as our newly minted Prior.

To make the occasion even more special, today, August 8th, is also Father Dominic’s feast day!

We join in celebrating the Feast of St. Dominic, founder of the Dominican Order. Renowned for his deep intellect and spirituality, St. Dominic is famously connected to the Rosary devotion, which he popularized as a primary instrument for contemplation and conversion. Intriguingly, St. Dominic is also the patron saint of astronomers—a patronage stemming from the legend that a star shone from his chest at baptism, a celestial sign that mirrored his bright mind and heavenly focus.

Here at St. Bernard, Father Dominic carries on that same blend of intellectual rigour and spiritual devotion. From his homeschooling days under St. Peter’s Academy to his monastic profession and priesthood, he has dedicated his life to serving God and our community. With dual degrees in mathematics and philosophy, we pray that he guides our community’s daily logistics and monastic routine with fine-tuned mathematical precision.

In addition to his new leadership role in the Abbey, Father Dominic continues to serve as Assistant Headmaster at St. Bernard Preparatory School—where he keeps students on the straight and narrow in charge of discipline—as well as teaching in the classroom. We are abundantly blessed by his priesthood, leadership, and service. Please join us in praying for Father Dominic as he steps into his new duties as Prior and continues his vital work in our school.

Calling all artisans! 🎨 Applications are still open for our juried arts & crafts festival at the 10th Annual Bernard Blu...
08/04/2026

Calling all artisans! 🎨 Applications are still open for our juried arts & crafts festival at the 10th Annual Bernard Blues & BBQ. If you've been thinking about applying, we'd love to have you! Apply here: https://www.bernardbluesbbq.com/artisans

More from the Thanksgiving service of Abbot Brendan
07/31/2026

More from the Thanksgiving service of Abbot Brendan

07/30/2026

Thanksgiving Service of Abbot Brendan by Joshua Viola

July 29th, 2026. A historic day for St. Bernard Abbey.
07/30/2026

July 29th, 2026. A historic day for St. Bernard Abbey.

Address

1600 St Bernard Drive SE
Cullman, AL
35055

Telephone

+12567348291

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