MONK LIFE From the Vocations Office of Saint Meinrad Archabbey
The Evangelical Counsels: Poverty Benedictine Perspectives: Stability on the Move
Summer 2015 • No. 6
MONK LIFE From the Vocations Office of Saint Meinrad Archabbey
Summer 2015 • No. 6
On the cover: Br. Hugh Ernst, OSB, leads the procession to the cemetery for the burial of Fr. Cyprian Davis, OSB, on May 21. FEATURES 2......................................................................From the Editor 4-5 ..........................................................The Evangelical Counsels 6-7............................................................Year of Consecrated Life 8-9......................................................Benedictine Perspectives 10-11 .............................................Hospitality Begins at Home
This online publication can be viewed at www.saintmeinrad.org/monk-life Produced by the Vocations Office and the Communications Office of Saint Meinrad Archabbey. Vocations Office, Saint Meinrad Archabbey 100 Hill Drive, St. Meinrad, IN 47577 vocations@saintmeinrad.org, www.saintmeinrad.org (812) 357-6318 © 2015
From the Editor Br. William Sprauer, OSB Transitions. Whether it’s something small like breaking in a new pair of shoes, or big like the death of a loved one, inevitably the journey through such transitions is a tremendous opportunity for selfdiscovery and growth. This is the metaphor of the Christian life, and certainly the monastic life, that to be a disciple of Christ means to constantly be in transition. The minute we think we have arrived at perfect charity, we have certainly arrived at nothing but vainglory.
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Change is difficult; it hurts. And because of the discomfort we often feel in periods of change, we perceive its occurrence as altogether something to be avoided. But when we learn to see transition, change, journey, as our means to conversion to the life of Christ, any associated pain becomes our cross that we bear in the hopes of seeing resurrection. We must not only not avoid change, but seek it out if we expect to make any progress in the spiritual life. This summer, the monastic community will undergo its own collective transition, by moving out of our current living space to make room for much-needed renovations.
We are fortunate to have enough space in our seminary buildings to accommodate each of the monks in a “temporary monastery” during the 14-month project. This temporary exile will be difficult for everyone, needless to say, yet it can and will be a great opportunity for spiritual growth. And the spiritual growth that happens within the individual monks will inevitably effect a positive change in the community as a whole. Living in a temporary space is just another reminder that this life we live is not our true home. We are all on pilgrimage together to our heavenly home, with the hopes that one day we will see the Author of Life as He truly is. +
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COME & SEE WEEKEND
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NOVEMBER 8
Clockwise from top: The monks celebrate Mass in the Archabbey Church. Fr. Sean distributes worship aides to guests before Mass. The monk softball team, “Bad Habits,� poses for a team photo. Monks enjoying an evening walk together after supper.
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The Evangelical Counsels: Poverty Br. John Mark Falkenhain, OSB In the last issue of Monk Life, I began a threepart series looking at the evangelical counsels of poverty, obedience and celibacy as characteristic and charismatic features of the consecrated life. I said that I would try to convince you that these three disciplines, which some might see as reasons not to take up the consecrated life, are actually the characteristics that make a young man or woman living the life of a monk or nun more attractive – more charismatic. I began in the Spring 2015 issue with obedience. Here, we’ll look at poverty. I’ve been trying a little experiment lately. Each time I speak to a new group of young people, I ask them what most people would say are the most important things to have in life. Invariably, the same three or four answers roll in: Money! Power! Sex! Love! This shouldn’t surprise us. Watch a little TV. Scan a few magazine ads. Check out the billboards along the highway. Sex is the hook that sells just about everything from toothpaste to beer. Power and influence are the real commodities that come with having the top job, the platinum card, the degree, the title, the Lexus. There’s even the “power tie,” “power couples” and the corporate ladder upon which the goal is to increase the 4
number of people working for you and decrease the number of people to whom you report. And if you don’t think money is important … well, then, show me a magazine ad in which the model for the product is a poor man or a homeless woman. It’s the message we are surrounded by: if you want to be happy, you need power, sex and money. Now don’t get me wrong. Power, money, sex and love are good things. Wonderful things, in fact. So, why is it that consecrated religious seem to promise to live without these important things: power (obedience), money (poverty), and sex and marriage (celibacy)? It’s because the message sent out in our society by advertising and media is only partially true. Yes, power, money and sex are important. But (and here’s where they get it wrong) power, money and sex are not the most important commodities in life. And, contrary to the magazines and movies, they are not “un-live-without-able.” (Okay, I made that term up.) The fact is, millions of people in our world are oppressed, living without power and control over their lives. There are so many people around us – widows, orphans, unwilling singles, sexually marginalized folks – who are lonely and living without someone to love. And of course, our cities, our countries, the world is populated with people involuntarily living in poverty.
If the billboards were right – that money, power and sex and intimacy were necessary for happiness, for fulfillment in life – then the poor, the lonely and the powerless might as well just hang it up. It would be hopeless for them. Enter the evangelical counsels: poverty, obedience and celibacy. Pope Francis has reminded us over and over what the Catholic Church has been telling us for centuries: there is a prophetic dimension to the lives of consecrated religious. This means that religious men and women point to something beyond what much of the rest of the world is accustomed to seeing. They are supposed to “wake up the world” to a reality – a joyful reality – which, to participate in, requires no money, sex or power. This reality is the Kingdom of God. And while we will be totally immersed in it in the life to come, we can begin tapping into its great promise amid the struggles and challenges of this world. Think of it this way: A monk who agrees to live poorly reminds everyone, but especially the poor, that contrary to what most people in our materialistic world think, it’s possible to be happy, joyful and even fulfilled if you don’t have money. The nun’s witness of poverty is not so much for the rich, but for the involuntarily poor. A brother who lives poorly says to one who struggles financially: “I find joy and fulfillment in life without having a
lot, and I find it in Christ!” (Of course, this means that the monk really has to live poorly and joyfully!) Imagine the potential impact of a young, caring, maybe even cool religious brother in a pair of Walmart shoes could have on the poor kid who wished he had the same expensive shoes as his more advantaged peers. Imagine the relief that child’s mother might feel when she worries that her son won’t be happy unless she can give him “the best.” Imagine the bit of hope restored to the man about to suffer a pay cut or who is worried about his job upon hanging out with a brother who has even less than he has, but is still full of life and satisfaction. I had a colleague recently apologize to me for the junkiness of his car. He seemed embarrassed. I looked at him and said: “I’m a monk! You think I care? This is great.” He smiled, and maybe he was a little more grateful and unashamed for what he had.
joy?”, their answer could only be Christ – Christ in our hearts, and Christ in one another.
It keeps us mindful, and perhaps even appreciative, of our brothers who are also drawing from the common coffer.
Didn’t I tell you these evangelical counsels – obedience, and now poverty – could be compelling? Charismatic? Attractive?
And if the monk keeps working at living poverty a little more radically each year, and if he spends time meditating on what the experience means, he will eventually understand what we hope the teen in the inner city or the unemployed single mother will know: that in a life partially defined by the humbling experience of having to ask for just about everything, there is one commodity that is in endless supply, and for which we never have to beg. That is God’s love.
Truth be told, we Benedictines don’t live in abject poverty. Franciscans do a better job of that. But we Benedictines do try to live simply. We don’t have a personal budget or a personal bank account. And when we need something (a new pair of pants, new shoes) or want something (a new CD or a new book), we have to ask our superior if it can be provided. In so doing, we depend on the community to provide for us. Having to ask for what we need and want makes us accountable, keeps us poor and a bit powerless.
Be brave. Be charismatic. Give hope. Do with a little less. Maybe a lot less. Work at being poor and powerless with us, that we might offer Christ, our hope, to the rest of the world, especially the poor and powerless. +
Their great gift to the poor was not to give the poor all the money and possessions they had, but rather, to live happily, contentedly, gratefully and faithfully with little or no more than what their comrades in poverty had. And when someone wondered or asked, “What accounts for their
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We have some wonderful models in our Church of men and women who have voluntarily taken on poverty to ease the burden of the poor (some of them weren’t even consecrated religious): St. Francis, St. Vincent de Paul, Blessed Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa, Catherine de Hueck Doherty.
Br. Zachary Wilberding, OSB, reflects during a quiet moment in the Archabbey Church.
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Year of Consecrated Life Testimonials In honor of the Year of Consecrated Life, we asked several religious to give short testimonials about their experience of consecrated life in the monastic setting. Each issue of Monk Life during 2015 will feature their responses to these questions: • What does monastic life mean to you? • What is most important to you about monastic life? • What is it about monastic life that brings you joy? Fr. Eugene Hensell, OSB In my experience of Benedictine life, the one aspect that I have grown to appreciate over all others is the community context within which the life is led, day in and day out. This community context is relentless, and that is one of the reasons it is so significant. While much of monastic life seems to be lived alone, it is always living alone together. From the moment I get out of bed in the morning to the time I go to bed at night, I am surrounded by a community of others. What this means is that there is no time during the day or night that I am the sole focus of my attention. This forces me always to think of others, no matter what I do or do not do. Every action I take affects not only me, but also the other monks in the community.
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Community is the context within which personal and spiritual formation take place in a monastery. It is unending. It begins when one enters the monastery and it does not end until one's final trip to the cemetery. Much of monastic life is learned by doing. It is not a theory of how to live. Instead, it is a way of life. It is not easy to live faithfully in a monastic community and remain isolated. The community will bring out the best in a monk, as well as expose those less-than-admirable characteristics that need confronted and changed. Perfection is not a requirement to be a monk; willingness to change is. Community life provides the needed support to make the necessary changes. This is not always easy and enjoyable. A monastic community is not a mutual admiration society. It is an ongoing environment teaching the monks how to be real. And ultimately, Benedictine monastic life is about being real.
Fr. Godfrey Mullen, OSB If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” These words from the Gospel of St. John show that true joy finds its source in the love of Christ. Monastic life brings great joy to my heart and soul by reminding me daily of my Christian call to love deeply, faithfully and regularly. In our three vows, particularly, I’m daily called to greater love, according to Christ’s command. And in the struggle to live those vows faithfully, there is great joy, through God’s good grace! The vow of stability calls me to the joy of finding Christ in an ordinary place made extraordinary by the presence and power of God. Living
with a vow of obedience brings joyful freedom by entrusting my life to the wisdom of others – the abbot, the Rule and the community. Finally, there is much joy in living the vow of fidelity to the monastic life, simply by the daily conversion that the life requires. Each day of monastic life calls the monk to greater holiness, greater charity, greater compassion. Each of these vows brings joy by calling the monk to greater virtue in the Christian life.
Having had assignments within the monastery and outside the cloister, I have found that genuine joy obviously resides in the heart and mind of the believer. Living our Benedictine vows wherever we are leads to a joyful life.
Nov. Peter Szidik, OSB I love God, and, perhaps more importantly, He loves me back. In my eyes, this unadulterated and purely free love is not only the sturdy foundation for, but also the perpetual driving force behind, any solid vocation. By no means am I perfect. I am broken. I am fallen. I struggle to
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True joy in the Christian and monastic heart – at least as far as I can see – is always paired with grateful humility, a fundamental understanding that God accomplishes great things through me and with me for the Church and the world. Novices Peter Szidik, OSB, (left) and Timothy Herrmann, OSB, compare shirts from their alma mater on their first day of the novitiate.
love my neighbor. It could be a lack of patience with another or even my own hardness of heart. In the midst of my imperfection, monastic life is teaching me how to love with listening ears, an open mind and a welcoming heart. I like to view monastic life through the lens of the parable about the sower found in Matthew’s Gospel. The farmer spreads his seed across the ground. The seed lands in all different kinds of places: a path, rocky ground, thorn bushes and fertile soil. Metaphorically, I think the seed can be viewed as God’s Word and these varying locations as the condition of our hearts. When the Word dwells in our hearts, it grows similar to the seed in all its different
environments outlined in that parable. It is not until the seed lands in fertile soil that the growth bears abundant fruit. Monastic life is showing me how to cultivate that fertile soil. Our patient prayer and vigilant work spread the seed of God’s Word in my heart every day. Through the fertilization of my soil, which comes in the form of God’s infinite mercy and grace, conversion of heart happens. This monastic community provides me a fresh opportunity every day to respond to my neighbor with “no strings attached” love and charity, instead of hesitation and hate. My community has shown me that, when I love another wholeheartedly with listening ears, an open mind and a welcoming heart, I truly love the Lord. +
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Benedictine Perspectives: Same Life, Different Space: Stability on the Move By Abbot Justin DuVall, OSB The Benedictine vow of stability makes the place where we live an important value in our monastic life. Each monk belongs specifically to Saint Meinrad, not to the Benedictine order in general. So Saint Meinrad, with its beautiful grounds and its sandstone buildings and its Abbey Church, is home, even if one of us is temporarily assigned away from the monastery. And within the monastery each monk has his monastic cell, the place where he sleeps, reads and meditates. We do have common rooms, too, like the church where we pray and worship together, the refectory where we eat, and our calefactory where we have recreation.
monastery that was renovated for student housing after we built the present monastery. Despite temporarily relocating to the former monastic space, it is still an uprooting experience for us. While we will remain at Saint Meinrad, we will have to give up the familiarity of our cells and our common rooms here in the house. However, the larger sense of our vow of stability means we have the spiritual resources to learn from our circumstances. This temporary move means basically that it is the same life, but in a different space. Our prayer will continue. Our meals in common will be provided three times a day. Our recreation will bring us together every evening. And we will be living with the same
people with whom we are now living in the current monastery. The community within which we live our stability – the monks who are at “home” for us even if we are assigned away – remains and it is where we seek God. Homelessness is a terrible problem in our larger society. Many generous benefactors made the current monastery building possible. We monks are blessed not only to have a good home, but to have brothers with which to share the life we live here. As we temporarily relocate our community, we have the opportunity to grow in gratitude for the blessings that are ours as monks of Saint Meinrad. Generations of monks before us worked to build our home and to build up our community, and it is our
A few short weeks ago, all the monks moved out of our cells for 14 months, while some extensive work is done on our monastery building. Ironically, we have moved to St. Anselm Hall, which was the original 8
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But within our home here at Saint Meinrad, each of us has his little “home,” his monastic cell. Abba Moses, one of the great Desert Fathers, would counsel his monks: “Go, sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.” Our cells can be said to be true emblems of our vow of stability.
In preparation for the renovation, several trees were removed from the monastery courtyard.
responsibility to pass on this great gift to those who will succeed us. God willing, we will not just hand on what we received, but hand over a place and a life that we have done our best to make even better. Along with our vow of stability we have our vow of conversatio, the conversion of our life more and more to the monastic way. These two vows are complementary, helping us to hold to our roots while at the same time making progress in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. It comes down to a matter of faith. Faith has brought us this far. We trust that it will not only get us through the months ahead, but will sustain us for the long term. God is faithful to us, and for this unwavering fidelity, we are grateful. +
From top: Saint Meinrad grounds crew prepare a temporary parking lot for the monastery’s fleet of cars. During the renovation, monks will reside in St. Anselm Hall. The house chapel was moved to this temporary location in St. Anselm Hall.
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Hospitality Begins at Home: The Story of My Handicap, Recent Foot Surgery, and Discernment By Novice Charles Peñalosa, OSB
My story begins 24 years ago, in Quezon City in the Philippines. One fateful August morning, I was born. The doctor delivered me alive, but noticed a birth defect. There was an opening in my lower back, surrounding the spinal sac. Recognizing this condition as spina bifida, the doctor advised my family that I had to be operated on, or else I would develop hydrocephalus (spinal fluid could accumulate in my head) and I could become mentally disabled. Or perhaps I could die. My relatives agreed. Several hours later, the doctor declared the operation a success, but said that the damage in my spinal cord affected my lower extremities. Despite the surgery, I still had a club foot. I would grow up wheelchair-bound. 10
God, however, had other plans. As the doctor expected, I grew up with club foot – my right foot was turned out to the side – but I was able to walk. I had trouble walking long distances, standing for more than a few minutes and using stairs. Otherwise, I functioned well and excelled in my studies.
On January 16, 2015, I had my hindfoot reconstruction surgery. The surgeon fused some bones in my right foot and placed an external fixator to keep them in place as they healed. After the operation, I stayed in the monastery infirmary to recuperate.
In 2006, my mother and I moved here to the United States, and in 2009 the Archdiocese of Indianapolis accepted my application to study for the priesthood. I never allowed my handicap to get in the way of my life. I knew that I couldn’t walk long distances on my own, but God Himself moved me like a chess piece to places even beyond my wildest dreams.
An overwhelming number of monks came to visit me and ask about my recovery. It was then that I realized what had been obvious for the past several months: this was my community now. As a novice, and not yet a professed monk, in some sense I am both an “insider” and an “outsider,” but in this difficult time of recovery, the monks already made me feel as if I was one of
After years of seminary studies, I felt the call to monastic life. I applied to Saint Meinrad Archabbey and began my candidacy in May 2014. It was then that the monks showed me their first act of hospitality: they welcomed me as a person, not simply as a handicapped man. They accepted both my limitations and strengths. Vocation, however, is not just about acceptance, but also conversion. Challenging me to become my better self, my superiors, Fr. Guerric DeBona, OSB, and Br. John Mark Falkenhain, OSB, encouraged me to take my health more seriously and consult podiatrists regarding my foot. I found out that, although it would be impossible to “fix” my foot, the doctors could reconstruct my ankle to make it more stable. My superiors gave me their blessing.
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I knew that Benedictines were known for their hospitality, but I didn’t think I would actually experience it in such a real way. In the past 11 months, I’ve had a chance to immerse myself in the life here at Saint Meinrad Archabbey, first as a candidate and now as a novice. Let me share with you my story: my handicap, my recent foot surgery, and how Benedictine hospitality has affected my discernment.
Novice Charles poses for a photo during fitness class.
So, after 11 months in the monastery, what have I learned about my discernment? I found out that hospitality begins at home and that it is transformative. In the chapter on hospitality, St. Benedict, in his Rule, writes, “Proper respect must be shown to all, especially fellow monks and pilgrims” (RB 53:2).
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The monks welcomed me despite my disability, and in my convalescence they “served me as Christ Himself” (RB 36:1). Hospitality, thus, challenges both the “hosts” and the “guests” to become their better selves. My situation challenged the community to exercise fraternal charity. I, in
turn, felt the monks’ support and responded by pushing myself to become more the person God created me to be. As I write this, I continue to recover from my foot surgery. Each day brings small improvements and soon I hope to walk better than ever. Although my mobility will always be imperfect, God still calls me “to run in the way of His commands” as best as I can (RB Prologue 49). In less than a year, I have come to experience Benedictine hospitality in a very real and personal way. I look toward the future with hope, and with immense gratitude I thank the monastic community for its overwhelming support and challenge for conversion. +
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them. One senior monk even said that I “belong to the family now.”
Novice Charles sings with the Latin Schola.
In addition to undergoing foot surgery, Novice Charles has worked hard to lose weight and increase his level of fitness.
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Interested in the Monastic Life at Saint Meinrad Archabbey? Contact Us: vocations@saintmeinrad.org www.saintmeinrad.org
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S I PRAY, REveal to me your way for me to you, lord god.
Amen