Novices embrace Winter Olympic Spirit

It might be cold outside, but the Novices are in good spirits, finding some free time to go ice skating!

Br. Mark, Br. Matthew & Br. Ignatius

Novices Skating for a Gold Medal!

And when the Novices are not out and about having fun, they are keeping busy with their Monastic Formation Schedule:


Tuesday 
8:30 am - Monastic History with Br. Bruno

9:30 am - Community Life with Archabbot Douglas


Thursday
8:30 am - The Rule of St. Benedict with Fr. Warren (Novice Master)

9:30 am - Psalms with Br. Benedict 


Friday
8:30 am - Monastic Customs with Fr. Warren

9:30 am - Gregorian Chant with Fr. Cyprian
  

Novices' First Ridge Trip

Br. Matthew H., Br. Miguel, Br. Matthew L., Br. Charles, Br. Mark & Br. Ignatius

Four Novices begins their first week-long Retreat on Chestnut Ridge today; they will return to the monastery next Sunday, 9/22.  Accompanying them will be Fr. Warren (Novice Master) and two Socii (Br. Miguel and Br. Matthew - seen in the picture above), two monks entrusted by the Abbot to help the novices grow in the monastic way of life

Ridge Chapel

Beginning in the mid 19th century, our founder, Archabbot Boniface Wimmer, utilized timber from monastery property on Chestnut Ridge in order to construct buildings on St.Vincent Campus. Similarly, in the 20th century, the monks continued to use the Ridge grounds; however, this time it was utilized more for the purposes of farming. Today, although it still functions as farm land, the natural peace and silence of the Ridge is used most effectively as a place of retreat where monks can simultaneously find time for prayer, leisure, and fraternity.

A Young Man's Monastic Journey (Part III)

This passage is taken from the Epilogue of Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation, by Martin Laird.  It is a beautiful example of radical openness to God from the depths of our hearts. http://www.amazon.com/Into-Silent-Land-Christian-Contemplation/dp/0195307607

Part 3 of 3

He carried on with these jobs for what seemed like years.  One day the abbot asked the novice master, “What about that man who was so intent on making his profession in our monastery.  Is he no longer interested?” 

“He doesn’t mention it much anymore,” said the novice master.

“Is he unhappy?” asked the abbot.

“No, he seems content enough,” responded the novice master.  “He doesn’t say much to anyone.  He goes about his tasks in the garden; he consoles the old monks in the infirmary, and encourages the new ones in the novitiate.”

“Bring him to me,” said the abbot.

The man was brought to the abbot who began to question him: “I was wondering if you were still interested in making your profession.  You don’t seem as keen to do it as you once were when you were making such a thorough study of our tradition.  Have you gone off the idea altogether?”

The man looked at the abbot.  The lines beginning to show round the man’s eyes reflected the fact that he’d been in the monastery a number of years now.  But his face had the freshness and peace of those whose poverty had taught them they had nothing to defend.  The man said to the abbot, “Jesus Christ is my monastery.”

The abbot sat up in his chair and leaned forward.  He gazed into the man as though looking for something, looked into him as though gazing into the heart of mystery.  His gaze fixed on the man, sifting him, assessing every turn taken, every decision made in order to know if this man really knew what he had said.  The abbot stood up slowly, towered over him and said, “You have learned our tradition well.  May I have your blessing?”

A Young Man's Monastic Journey (Part II)

This passage is taken from the Epilogue of Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation, by Martin Laird.  It is a beautiful example of radical openness to God from the depths of our hearts. http://www.amazon.com/Into-Silent-Land-Christian-Contemplation/dp/0195307607

Part 2 of 3

After more than a year the young man was convinced that now he would be able to answer correctly any question the abbot might put to him and he could see, moreover, the abbot’s wisdom in putting him off for a time.  And so the young man told the novice master that he felt he was now ready to make his profession and could he please see the abbot.  The novice master arranged this, and soon enough the young man was brought to the abbot.

The abbot said, “I’m very happy to hear that you still want to make your profession and to live your monastic life among us.  But tell me, why do you feel you are ready to make your profession?”

The young man responded, “I’m convinced that this is what God is asking of me.  I don’t claim to understand it.  I only know it is something I must do.  Moreover, I have been studying our tradition and our charism.  I identify with it very deeply and think it confirms the sense of interior call that I feel.”

The abbot was obviously listening to him very intently and sincerely.  He said to the young man, “What you say is very edifying indeed, and I feel even myself encouraged in the life just listening to you speak the way you do about your conviction of God’s love for you and of his call.  But I think you should go back to the novitiate, back to the novitiate until you are really ready.”

The man was in quite a state as he left the abbot’s office.  He was in fact completely shattered.  He couldn’t imagine what on earth the abbot could possibly have wanted to hear.  He knew he belonged more in the monastery than half of those other wretched monks.  But he returned to the novitiate.  He had already completed his formal studies, so he took to helping in the garden, pruning vines and thinning carrots and also served in the infirmary.

A Young Man's Monastic Journey

This passage is taken from the Epilogue of Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation, by Martin Laird.  It is a beautiful example of radical openness to God from the depths of our hearts. http://www.amazon.com/Into-Silent-Land-Christian-Contemplation/dp/0195307607

Part 1 of 3

The young man settled into the novitiate with relative ease.  He found he liked all his fellow novices and pretty much all the monks he came across.  It wasn't long before he felt certain he wanted to stay here for the rest of his days.  So he went to the novice master and said, “I believe I’m ready to make my profession.”  The novice master said, “Well, the abbot will have to see you about this.”

In due course an appointment with the abbot was arranged, and the young man sad down to speak with the abbot about his vocation.  The abbot asked him why he felt he was ready to make his profession.  The young man said, “Well, I've come to like it here very much.  Everyone is nice to me, and I like all the monks.”

The abbot said, “Well, that is very encouraging to hear, and I’d have to say that we are very happy to have you and we hope that you stay.  But just the same, I think you should go back to the novitiate for a while longer.  It’ll do you no harm.”

The young man left in great distress.  Why didn't the abbot want him to make his profession?  Did he say something wrong?  Was he deluded about his vocation?  Not a little disappointed, the young man returned to his life as a novice.  The abbot’s gentle rebuff ended up teaching the young man a great deal about his own faults and failings and presumption.  He began to grow in self-knowledge and applied himself with great dedication to the study of the monastery’s long history, its traditions, and various customs.  He soon mastered all of this.

Novices Invested with the Monastic Habit

From Left to Right: Br. Mark Liatti, Br. Ignatius Camello, Fr. Bonaventure (Vocation Director), Br. Matthew Hershey, and Br. Charles Hopkins

Before the Novices were Invested with the monastic habit they listened to a reading from 1 Samuel 3, the Lord's call to the young Samuel.  This reading reminds us that the Lord calls each of us in our own special way.  Sometimes we fail to recognize the voice of the Lord, but when the Lord's voice becomes clear, Samuel shows us that our only response should be one of complete obedience, receptivity, willingness, and Love.  May these new novices continue to be open to the Lord's voice and may they be given the grace to persevere.  Amen.    

1 Samuel 3: 1-10

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. 2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 3 the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called, "Samuel! Samuel!" and he said, "Here I am!" 5 and ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down. 6 The LORD called again, "Samuel!" Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, my son; lie down again." 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8 The LORD called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

Novice to Profess First Vows

"If after due reflection he promises to observe everything and to obey every command given him, let him then be received into the community" (Rule of St. Benedict, Ch 58)

At Evening Prayer, on July 10, 2013, Br. Lawrence will profess the monastic vows of: Stability, Conversatio Morum  (Conversion of Manners, or, Fidelity to Monastic Life), and Obedience.

By the vow of Stability, Br. Lawrence will seek to live the monastic life in the context of a specific community (St. Vincent Archabbey), mutually supporting the community through his work and prayer.

By the vow of Conversatio Morum, Br. Lawrence promises a life of constant conversion, taking up his Cross each day, dying to self in loving service to God and others.

And by the vow of Obedience, Br. Lawrence will strive to hear and obey the Word of God through the loving discernment of the Abbot.  Such obedience is liberating and it enables the monk to cast aside any doubt and fear to completely embrace the will of the Only True Master.

For more on the Benedictine Vows: http://www.stvincentmonks.com/vows-freedom-in-communion   

Four Men Preparing for Novitiate!

St. Vincent Welcomes Four New Postulants

From Left to Right: Edwin Camello (from Lakewook, CA), Mark Liatti (Auburn, AL), Matthew Hershey (State College, PA), Ed Hopkins (Fort Worth, TX)

In Chapter 58 of his Holy Rule, St. Benedict tells his monks not to grant easy entry to the newcomers of monastic life.  Rather, "The concern must be whether the novice truly seeks God".  

For the next eight days, these men will be spending their time in prayer, preparing to enter into a year long novitiate.  On the morning of July 10, Edwin, Mark, Matthew and Ed will each receive their new religious name, the monastic habit, The Rule of St. Benedict, and holy tonsure.

      

Investiture 2009!!!

Just a few pictures from this year's investiture ceremony. Our community welcomed 4 new novices (Br. Romuald, Br. Michael, Br. Matthew, and Br. Matthew).  Please pray for these 4 young men (all in their 20's) as they pray and work in our community and discern more intensely the call to monastic life.

 

  

  

 
 

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

Investiture 2009

Tomorrow our 4 new Novices will be invested in the holy habit, receive the monastic tonsure, a new name, the Rule of our Holy Father Saint Benedict and begin their year long novitiate under the guidance of the Novice Master.  Please remember these 4 new brothers in your prayers as they discern the call to monastic life here at Saint Vincent Archabbey.

Brother Albert Gahr, n.O.S.B.

From: stvincentmonks.com

I was born and raised in a devout Catholic Family in Kersey, PA. My family was very active in the Church and School of St. Boniface parish in Kersey. Whether helping at the fish fries on Fridays, working bingo on Sunday night, cleaning the school in the summer or helping park cars for Easter and Christmas masses, we definitely spent more than just Sunday morning at the church. The example of my parents is in large part what kept my faith alive during my high school and college years. Although I may have not been considering a Benedictine vocation, Benedictines have played a central role in my education, starting with the Sisters of St. Joseph's Convent for grade school and high school and the monks at St. Vincent for college. When I began to discern my vocation, the educational experiences sparked my interest in seeking an educational outlet as part of my vocation.

As I reflect back on the journey that brought me back St. Vincent, I can not help but see the patience of God working in my life, and how he wanted me to have other experiences to bring me back to the monastery. As I mentioned above, I was a college student at St. Vincent, but I can not say that I had the least inkling to consider the monastic life at that point in my life; in fact it took 12 years after leaving the college to bring me back to St. Vincent. After leaving here, I went on to work for a couple of years back home before moving on to graduate school at West Virginia University. All during this time I would say that I was a good Sunday Catholic, I gave my one hour each week to God and may be a short prayer when I needed something from God, but other than that I had my own plans for life and my own ideas of how to get there.

After finishing graduate school, I moved to Charles Town, WV and joined St. James Parish. Although I moved there for work, I quickly discovered that God had other plans for me. The Deacon in the church grew up in Kane, Pa and had the same Benedictine Sisters as I for his grade school education. With his encouragement, I started to help out the youth group and boy scouts. Eventually, I began to see how the example given by my parents growing up was being lived out in my life in West Virginia. At around this time as my involvement in the Church activities began to increase, I began to feel that there was something missing at work. I did truly enjoy the work I was doing, and the people that I was working with, but I just did not feel the motivation to keep working for my own personal advancement, but wanted to be more active helping others. It was at about this time, the pastor of St. James gave a very good homily about the seven men in his parish that should be considering a vocation. These are men that would make good priests and/or religious. I remember thinking how great it is to know that there are these men in the parish that I belong to, but I never really thought he was talking about me. About a week or so later, I had run across the pastor and the deacon who both said you know that you are one of the seven men I was talking about. I said are you sure? They said "yes" and they will help me in any way that they can.

From that initial meeting, the pastor and the deacon helped me to find a spiritual director and allowed several opportunities to explore different religious orders and diocesan vocations. I was still in a bit of shock that I could be considered for a religious vocation, but early on, my spiritual director told me something that was very helpful for my considerations, and that was One will never see in oneself what others see in them . He also encouraged me to open my heart to different possibilities. I found that by entering into situations with a completely open heart allowed me to find myself as I was searching for my vocation. Being familiar with the area and parts of the community, for me a visit to St. Vincent's was an obvious 1st step. This first visit was nice and good chance to be reintroduced to the community from a completely different point of view. Although I was definitely not convinced I belonged here at that point, I knew that I would have to make a return visit. In the mean time I visited the Dominicans, Capuchins, Jesuits and a couple diocesan retreats. The one thing that was lacking in all the cases was the sense of community and family that I found at all the Benedictine houses. After about the third or fourth visit I remember thinking as I was getting ready to leave that I was home and I really did not want to leave, and shortly after that I started to formal application process that eventually lead me to be part of the Novice class at St. Vincent Archabbey. As I have taken the time to reflect back on my life, I do think God was calling me at earlier points in my life, but I was not ready to hear or respond to His call. I believe to circuitous route that lead me away from here after college and back here for the rest of my life was necessary for me to mature and be ready to respond to God's call. I thank God for all the help that I have been given to find my vocation and am very happy to have found my way home to St. Vincent Archabbey.

Br. John Paul, n.O.S.B.

From: www.stvincentmonks.com

How does a twenty two year old, freshly graduated from Penn State, end up a novice monk at Saint Vincent Archabbey? It was a result of prayer.

I experienced a conversion of heart from a nominal Catholic to a truly practicing one during my freshmen year of college. After this conversion, by praying more and sinning less, vague ideas of a vocation to the priesthood arose in my mind and heart. Shortly after my reversion, I responded to an offer in our campus ministry bulletin to visit St. Vincent Archabbey for a vocation retreat. Through this retreat, the Holy Spirit inspired an urge in my heart to seek a spiritual director.

With the assistance of Father Boniface Hicks OSB, I was able to give myself more generously to Jesus by gradually expanding my prayer life and remaining stable in it. It was through this stability in prayer, the frequent reception of the Sacraments, spiritual direction, and lots of holy reading that I was able to hear the voice of God more clearly. He was tugging on my heart saying to it "Feed my sheep" and "Come,follow me" . Through two profound experiences in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, this tugging became something I could no longer ignore in good conscience.

With my vocation more solidly discerned and after a few more visits to Saint Vincent and one to St. Paul's Seminary in Pittsburgh; I requested to stay at the Archabbey for six weeks during the summer after my junior year for a prolonged period of discernment. During this time, I experienced many sides of monastic life, began to feel at home in the community, and received the grace of a deepened prayer life.

Additionally, during my junior and senior years at Penn State, Our Lord powerfully called me to leadership positions in the vibrant Catholic community, and used me as instrument of His grace. In teaching and defending the faith, in leading the officers of the Newman Catholic Student Association spiritually and temporally, in suffering for and praying with other students, the priestly vocation, discerned in personal prayer, became more apparent through experience.

Thus, I knew that I had to pursue the priesthood after graduation in order to respond faithfully to the graces of discernment I had received, but I remained unsure as to whether I was being called to the Diocese of Pittsburgh or the Benedictine Order at Saint Vincent. This confusion was cleared-up in three ways: my extended visit in the summer of '07; my participation in the pilgrimage to Rome that St. Vincent offers annually for vocation candidates; and through the intercession of many dearly beloved friends in a prayer group at Penn State.

At the beginning my senior year I intended to enter St. Vincent. After the first semester I felt even more confident that this was God's will. I had a firm sense that by becoming a Benedictine monk I would be a holier priest and that my desire to surrender my being to God in thanksgiving for his love would be more readily fulfilled as a monk.

Ultimately, it was through much prayer, prayer before the Eucharist and to Our Lady, that I was able to hear the voice of God more clearly. I urge all that may be reading this in response to Jesus tugging on their own heart to be open before Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and to give their hearts to Our Lady. Jesus and Mary will take care of the rest. All that has left to do on our part is to surrender. Totus Tuus Maria.

Meet the Novices

From: stvincentmonks.com

Br. Isidore, n.O.S.B.

The 2008-09 St. Vincent Archabbey Novitiate Class

The choice to enter a Benedictine monastery is not the result of an intellectual proposition which could be neatly expressed in a syllogism. Instead, it can be "unpacked" only as a fundamental act of conversion, involving the entire person dedicated to the pursuit of God in a specific way at a specific monastery. Sacred Scripture asserts that God "knit us together in our mother's womb" and "dedicated us before our very birth". Therefore, our whole being must be, from its first moment, permeated with a sense of our calling, whatever that calling may be. When asked to elaborate on this sense, I feel somewhat like Chesterton's description of a man who was asked to justify human civilization. Nevertheless, the reader is asked to bear with me for a few minutes as I consider several major themes in my life which drew me to Saint Vincent Archabbey.Br. Isidore and our spending time with our deceased brothers

My first experiences of the Faith were not accompanied by lightning, levitation, or other extraordinary phenomena. Although baptized Catholic, I was generally raised to have more interest in material success and liberal culture. Nevertheless, Grace preserved me by giving me a sense of wonder and that there must be more to reality than the material. In spite of my intellectual disposition, my early years were permeated with a deep yearning for silent contemplation of the unseen grandeur hidden in the material phenomena of the world. Blessed with an active imagination, I was able to transform my bedroom into the fantastic worlds of Super Mario Brothers or The Legend of Zelda with my friend. As late as students of Junior High, we bestowed names from J.R.R. Tolkien s mythology upon the places that we hiked on the outskirts of my hometown. Of course, this was still a far cry from a true vocation, given that the blight of materialism was still in my mind, always threatening to divert my attention. Although there were various preliminaries, my explicit encounter with faith came during my sophomore year of High School. In dating a young lady of active Christian faith for two years in High School, I felt a pull toward her Protestantism because of the apparent depth of her sanctity. In short,"I wanted to be as loving as her!"Br. Isidore and his classmates receive the Holy Rule at Investiture

During this time, I began to delve into the Church's teachings in a critical frame of mind but could not shake the suspicion that I was being intellectually dishonest. Motivated by this sense of a haunting attachment, I continued to delve into the Faith and eventually had to admit that I was dishonest in my rejection of the Church. Instead of feeling shame at this, I was blessed with the feeling of being a small man in a huge world, filled with wonders beyond my imagination. The Church herself was a Cathedral upon the world. From the depths of the crypts of darkness to the vaulted heavens, I now found myself profoundly at home. Eventually, I asked my girlfriend what I should do if a sense of calling to the priesthood would persist. Bless her forever! She smiled and said that I should do what God is calling me to do. Unfortunately, I wrote off this sense of calling as the pious aspirations of naïve excitement. However, this wasn't the last time that the call rested upon my heart with great force. I always had an affinity for things traditional from my youth through my last days working as a Software Engineer in Virginia before entering the novitiate. I had a certain sense that contemporary culture was analogous to a rather stagnant pool in comparison to the refreshing depths of things more ancient. However, like Tolkien I had a profound desire for dragons as well as many other things which had something of a mythical or ancient sense. In spite of my love of technology, I often imagined what the world would be like if it we could be more concerned with fundamental matters than with mere technical prowess. In a sense, I felt more at home with those who were much older than me, for they always seemed to have deeper, more ancient wisdom than my peers.

In retrospect, it is of little surprise that I fell in love with praying the Psalter when I came to Saint Vincent College, for in the Divine Office, the Church prays in her most ancient mode, united with millennia of God-fearing humanity. As a student at Saint Vincent College, my praise of God found profound fulfillment as I joined the monks in praying the Divine Office. In place of a frequent sense of abandonment in my prayer, my whole person was taken into the rhythm of millennia of praise of the God for whom my heart yearned. I felt a potential vocation to the monastic life. However, this incipient urge was choked by the thorns of my prideful desire for worldly success. Moreover, there was something else deficient in my character for which I sought amelioration. Although, I profoundly desired to love, I was paralyzed with fear of the vulnerability of being loved. It was during a happy period of dating another young lady in college that I truly began to open my heart to the perilous but beautiful dialogue of love. With this groundwork in place, I finally understood the Johannine summation that "God is Love".

During the last days of this relationship, I struggled with the vacillating sense of a vocation. In due time, it finally erupted into a realization that I was lying to myself by running away from the abbey's doors. Though I hesitated once more in the application process, I finally assessed the various signposts erected by God in the fabric of my life and admitted that they all seemed to be pointing to Saint Vincent Archabbey. Of course, one can misread signs and make incorrect judgments, but this remains true for all choices. Why did I come here? In short: to seek God and configure myself to Christ according to the vocation which appears to be "written upon" my soul. When one truly senses the potential of running toward the Heavenly Jerusalem, one should not delay another moment. Therefore, I came and knocked upon the door of the Novitiate at Saint Vincent Archabbey. So here I am.

Investiture 2008 - New Novices!!!

We intend to establish a school for the Lord's service (RB Prologue)

The same set of scissors Archabbot Boniface Wimmer used to tonsure the first American Benedictine Novices in 1846.

New habits waiting for new brothers to wear them!!!

The new habits and the Holy Rule of our Holy Father St. Benedict prior to investiture

(L-R)Peter (now Brother Pio), Scott (now Br. Albert), and Ryan (now Br. John Paul) prayerfully wait for vigils

We also accept them...Thanks be to God.

Father Archabbot instructing the new Novices and giving them their monastic names: Br. John Paul, Br. Isidore, Br. Albert, Fr. Jean Luc, Br. Pio

Br. Albert receives the Monastic Tonsure which reminds him of his consecration to God Almighty and his renunciation of worldly ways
(L-R) Br. John Paul, Br. Albert, and Br. Pio receive the holy habit of our order.

Br. Albert is invested in the cincture and scapular. The Brothers will not receive the monastic cowl until first profession - the cowl signifies that the monk is completely covered and consecrated, by his vows, to Jesus Christ

Br. John Paul is invested in the Scapular

Father Sebastian Samay, O.S.B. (Novice Master) presents the new brothers with a copy of the Holy Rule which they will study for a year in preparation for first profession.

Pax et Gaudium!!! Fr. Jean Luc receives the Benedictine Pax from Br. Sub-prior Anthony

First day on the job...the novices serve the community breakfast following their investiture.

The 2008-09 St. Vincent Archabbey Novitiate Class (L-R) Br. Albert, n.O.S.B., Br. Pio, n.O.S.B., Br. Isidore, n.O.S.B., Br. John Paul, n.O.S.B., Fr. Jean Luc, n.O.S.B....please pray for these brothers that they will persevere in their prayer and truly find be attentive to the Lord's voice.