Netherlands: about thirty monasteries will open their doors on June 9th. “A contemporary life choice”

For the eleventh year, monasteries in the Netherlands will be open on June 9th, with about thirty male and female monasteries ready to welcome visitors and people who may be interested in or just curious about them. “They will tell their stories: who they are, what they do, and why they choose to live a life in the service of God and people. And they will be pleased to listen to the visitors’ stories”, says the website of the event, which is coordinated by the Conference of Religious Orders of the Netherlands and which in 2024 has been named: “what’s your story?”. “Through this event, the monks and nuns want to show that religious life is a contemporary life choice. They want to show how they shape religious life today”, the organisers explain. Every participating monastery has prepared a programme that includes exhibitions, guided tours, talks with monks and nuns, and opportunities to celebrate and pray, since “central to this day will be coming into contact with the monks and nuns, and with their spirituality, not with the buildings they live in”. Some of those places will also offer the visitors the opportunity to stay for longer in their guest-rooms.Valentina Bombelli