The Monastic Community of Ekklēsía Iwigá Abbey

Ekklēsía Iwigá Abbey is an Old-Catholic monastery once located in the Spartan-Keyes neighborhood of San Jose, California, and now operating as a dispersed community. We dedicate ourselves to living our Catholic Faith through the time-honored Benedictine values of prayer, work, and study (Ora, Labora, et Legere). We are consecrated to God by monastic vows and united to each other as brothers and sisters in deep, shared monastic charity.

Our Devotion & Liturgical Life

Founded on a solid devotion to Our Blessed Mother, la Virgen de Guadalupe, our priests, brothers, and sisters celebrate the Church’s liturgical life with deep reverence, simplicity, and spiritual vigor, remaining unswervingly focused on Christ in the Eucharist.

Canonical Connection

We are a self-governing, autonomous monastic house operating under the synodal leadership of our current Brother Abbot Mateo Silva-Anaya, O.S.B., Th.D. and Mother Elena Montes, O.S.B., Ph.D., Prioress.

We are proud members of the Old-Catholic Worldwide Communion Benedictine Congregation, a vital network of autonomous monastic houses residing across the United States, Canada, and Central America. Whether gathering in person or across our global digital sanctuaries, we live out a "monastery without walls,” proving that the breath (Iwigá) of the Spirit knows no borders.