Whats the difference between an abbey and a monastery?
Mount Michael is an abbey, but is also talked about as being a monastery because these terms are often used interchangeably. Technically, a monastery is any place where a group of men or women have come together to live a monastic style of life. The definition of a Benedictine abbey for men is a monastery which is not dependent on a larger abbey. An abbey must be self-supporting, must have at least 12 monks who have professed solemn vows, and have an abbot as their religious superior. Mount Michael meets all these criteria.
