It was the monastic scholar Sr Aquinata Böckmann OSB who first observed that there was a 'theology of three tables' in the Rule of St Benedict and this is at the heart of monastic hospitality. It begins with the table of the Eucharist where God the Father gives his only Son as food for us. This overflows to the table of fellowship in the monastic refectory, which in turn overflows to the table of welcome in our monastic guesthouse. The pictures below demonstrate this progression.