Yes, I visited Mount Angel Abbey this last month because I thought our group was going to have a retreat there. They are building a new building for dorm rooms as well as classrooms.
One thing to consider, though, is that one of the seminarieis in California closed down.
But they are, indeed, bursting at the seams. It buzzes -- and we were up there on a Saturday.
A lot of my friends go up there for vespers becuase the chanting is so beautiful.
California is often a great example of what is wrong with the AmChurch type movement...I don't know about the seminary that closed, but in the areas where the church is not encouraged to be faithful, you see things going awry, you have problems with vocations, and other things that lead people away.
I know that there are people who desparately want the church to validate their lifestyles or choices, but the truth is, that when religious groups trade in the gospel for the desire to use man as the measure, they begin the long road back into a type of paganism, as we see in a number of liberal churches whose leadership denies the divinity of Christ and even have groups in their seminaries who worship Gaia.
These groups are fading as people leave them looking for authenticity. The great interest in Benedict has been because he stands for the authentic Gospel, and is seen as a light against the darkness. The church may shed its nominal members, as the cost of living the life of a Christian begins to go up in the West, but those who stay will be committed, and good witnesses of the calling of Christ. Or so I believe!