A very spiritual retreat from the bustling of the city. Rollins fields, hills and serene beauty all around make this a peaceful place. The noise of the swimming Ducks in the pond and the Robins near the statue of Our Lady of Genesee are the only sounds that break the deep quiet of the surroundings. The Chapel is a circular area making one feel embraced while praying and meditating. Books of Psalms are present at the pulpits and the Psalms for the day are posted in the Chapel board encouraging their readings. Next to the right of the Chapel a store selling bread, honey, sweets and religious merchandise is found. The Monk's Bread is made here. I bought a loaf and a Parmesan crusted crackers that were delicious. I also got A Book of Psalms and some sacred music cds. I found a magic place to visit when I want some solitude and inner peace. read more

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Great place to stop. Beautiful chappel, quaint store, and all sorts of Monks bread flavors you can't get in the store. At least I haven't seen so many options. Worth a stop. The grounds are absolutely stunning. read more

Abbey of the Genesee - Monks Bread - Religious Organizations Near Me - Piffard, New York

Wonderful grounds and services. I go to Jesuit retreats when I want a busy, but well thought out, program, and I visit the Trappists when I want a more 'contemplative' experience. The liturgical schedule is varied and the grounds are beautiful. I brought my bike and there is plenty of good roads and trails nearby. Housing is private with wonderful views. Here is the schedule; attendance at all of these is NOT required, but they are all very moving in their own way. Vigils is almost eerily inspiring. If you are not on retreat, stop in for any that are convenient - and stop by the store as well! 3:30am Vigils 6:30am Lauds followed by Mass 8:00am Terce 12:00pm Sext 2:00pm None 5:30pm Vespers 7:30pm Compline read more

Abbey of the Genesee - view from front porch of Nazareth House - Religious Organizations Near Me - Piffard, New York

Nice new big store. Lots of items to buy. Bread biscotti, jams, cheese, pie, cookies, coffee and more! read more

Abbey of the Genesee - Abbey at the Genesee - Religious Organizations Near Me - Piffard, New York

Fun experience! First time visitor, nice selection of products and gifts. Beautiful building and gift shop, and also got to see the church.. awesome. read more

Monk's bread at Wegmans!? This is where they make it on-site!! Having attended Geneseo, it took me awhile to even give this place a shot. However, now that I did, I'm addicted to it! The abbey is a monastery(only one in NYS), where the monks must make themselves self-sustaining , so they have a bakery. They make bread, cookies, and muffins all right on-site. Hours are really convenient if you are passing by on Rt 63, as you'll see the small sign a few miles outside of the village of Geneseo. Walking in and going to the right you'll find the little shop. The overwhelming smell of amazing breads fills the air. I haven't checked the prices at Wegmans lately, but this place seems like a steal with almost all loafs under $2.50! The maple cinnamon bread caught my eye and I just had to grab a loaf. Asking what else is their speciality, I got a few dozen cookies from mint chocolate chip to molasses! Definitely some unique flavors! They also have sales each week, when I went it was buy 2 dozen cookies, get 1 free! Every monastery/nunnery produces something, so when I saw the huge selection of jams/jellies, I was only further intrigued! I picked up some pomegranate jelly and some boysenberry jam(made in MA by monks there). Both were absolutely stellar, and I will need replacements shortly. Don't be scared of the monks: great bakers, and jammers, you'll be blessed that you've stopped! read more

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This was the very first monastery that I ever visited and at which I made a retreat of several days duration many years ago when still living on the east coast. Brother Anthony Weber was retreat master at the time. I still remember walking from Geneseo (the nearest town to Piffard) with my luggage since it was impossible to contact anyone at the only available taxi service by telephone. And that somewhat longer daily, early morning walk from Bethlehem Retreat House to the relatively dark church and back again at around 2:00 a.m. for vigils with flashlight in hand was quite the memorable experience. Not only has the church been remodeled since then, but the bakery also has expanded quite a bit over the years and is no longer just making Monks Bread (I still regularly order their cinnamon bread out here on the west coast.) but also biscotti, fruit bars, cakes and the like. Their prices are quite reasonable if you realize that these Trappist monks are engaged in their business enterprise solely to support and pay the bills associated with their God-centered religious life. It is the latter which is of primary importance. Thus. they are definitely not capitalists in the traditional sense of the word. This is a unique, special and holy place well worth visiting on a recurring basis to relax, refocus and mitigate some of the spiritual damage done by the incessant stresses of the Action Jackson, win-at-all-costs mentality of modern life while contemplating the one thing - the only thing - that really matters. read more

My wife brought home some Cinnabon Cinnamon Raisin Bread. We were very disappointed with its flavor. I told her about a great Cinnamon Raisin Bread I use to get when I lived in upstate New Your baked by Monks at the Abbey of the Genesee. Did a web search and found they shipped. We purchased a six pack and it arrived in two days. It was as good as I remember. We ate one loaf the first day! Told my brother about it and now they are hooked! We'll all be buying more in the near future. read more