Year of Consecrated Life

BenedictinePerspectives: Living a Life of Prayer

MONK LIFEFrom the Vocations Office of Saint Meinrad Archabbey Winter 2015 • No. 4

Monk Spotlight:Br. André DeDecker

On the cover: Br. André DeDecker, while holdinghis vow chart, prepares to process into theArchabbey Church.

FEATURES2.....................................................From the Vocation Director

4-5............................................................Year of Consecrated Life

6-8...........................................................................Monk Spotlight

9-10....................................................Benedictine Perspectives

11 ................................................................Ministry Spotlight

This online publication can be viewed atwww.saintmeinrad.org/monk-life

Produced by the Vocations Office and the Communications Office of SaintMeinrad Archabbey.

Vocations Office, Saint Meinrad Archabbey100 Hill Drive, St. Meinrad, IN 47577vocations@saintmeinrad.org, www.saintmeinrad.org(812) 357-6318

© 2015

Last year, PopeFrancisannounced thatthis coming yearwould be theYear ofConsecrated Life.That’s exciting.Consecrated life

includes those men and women livingin monastic and apostolic religiousorders, as well as those who live insecular institutes and societies ofapostolic life.

These distinctions can be a littleconfusing, but all these forms of life inthe Church share the common goal ofmaking Christ and the Kingdom ofGod present in our world right now bypracticing the evangelical counsels ofchastity, poverty and obedience. Thatis our charism, our gift to the Church.

A charism is a gift that is bothreceived and then given. As monks,we have discerned that God hascalled us to this life and that He hasgiven us the desire, the grace, theunderstanding and the fortitude tolive it out. Once we have receivedor accepted the gift of our vocationas monks, our consecrated lives, inturn, become a gift to the Churchand the world – a particular witnessthat only monks give.

All of us who have professed vowsin the monastery have said, “This iswho I am and who I am going tobe for the Church.” The result of ourdiscernment is that we have bothlimited and freed ourselves. Asmonks, we won’t marry or havechildren. We have given up thesingle life and we have ruled outbeing diocesan priests.

Our choice limits our ability toserve out in “the world” – in themarketplace, the sports arena, andthe social life of city and town. Buthaving made our choice, we knowwho we are and we have thefreedom to give our lives to theworld as only monks do: stepping alittle aside, cultivating silence,dwelling on the Word of God in ourliturgy and our lectio, cultivatingbeauty for the glory of God,providing a foretaste of what heavenmight look like, and serving Godand the Church from our privilegedspot on top of our Holy Hill.

When I first began consideringreligious life in high school, Iremember asking one of my teachersif he thought it made sense for meto want to be a religious brother.He responded, “If not you, who?”

From the Vocation DirectorBr. John Mark Falkenhain, OSB

MONK LIFE

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Every time I saw him in thehallways or outside the buildingafter school, he would just say thosesame words: “If not you, who?”

I still repeat that phrase to myself. Ipull it out when my enthusiasmbegins to fade or when thechallenges of this life stack up andleave me tempted to water downmy monastic observance byskipping prayer, missing commonmeals, not doing my lectio, orabsenting myself from communitylife. I remind myself: “If not you,who? Who will live the life of themonk if I don’t? Who else is goingto give that gift?” It’s my gift to givenow, my charism, my responsibility.

Pope Francis’ proclamation of theupcoming Year of Consecrated Lifeis a reminder to us all of therichness of the different vocationsthat make up the Church, the bodyof Christ. Just as the Church and theworld need young men and womento marry and to work at being thevery best spouses and parents theycan be, so does the Church needmen and women who will chooseto consecrate (set aside and makeholy) their lives to give witness tothe Kingdom to come.

The Church depends on thiswitness, and if it has occurred toyou to provide such a witness withyour life, then I pass on to you thelittle lesson that was offered me …If not you, who? +

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Monks enjoy coffee together in Jack’s, the on-campus coffee shop.R

Pilgrims hike up to Monte Cassino Shrine during the Benedictine Hills Pilgrimage 2014.R

The men in formation have a pumpkin carving party each year the evening beforeHalloween.

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For more photos of Saint Meinrad events, visit:

http://saint-meinrad.smugmug.com

Smugmug

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Everyone is called to praise God.And some of us are set aside andconsecrated exclusively for thispurpose. A monk who does notpraise God needs a tune-up.

We all wear different hatsthroughout our lives, play differentroles. But what unites all of thesedisparate experiences into asingular identity? The call and thechoice to dedicate oneself to thepraise of God puts the whole worldinto focus for us.

Suddenly I realize that the worshipof God is not something I do onlyin church. Praise of God makes mewho I really am, and so praisepermeates everything I do. Or, atleast that is the ideal, the hope westrive toward.

When the people of Godconsecrate some object or someperson to a sacred purpose, Godperfects this election by making thatone shine with a singular light. Themonk who praises God in all hisdeeds shines with the joy of onewho fits into his place perfectly.

In honor of the Year of ConsecratedLife, we asked several monks to giveshort testimonials about theirexperience of consecrated life in themonastic setting. Each issue of MonkLife during 2015 will feature theirresponses 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. Thomas Gricoski, OSB

What doesmonastic lifemean to me?

One of the littlebenefits of beinga monk is thatyou don’t have topick out what

clothes to wear. You already made thechoice of the habit a long time ago.But the deeper meaning of thissingular wardrobe is that it reflects themonk’s singular purpose.

There’s no other choice of clothing togo to choir because there is no otherpurpose for a monk to live except forthe praise of God. That is how Iinterpret the consecration of a monk.

Consecrated chalices can be usedonly for the Eucharist. You cannot takethe chalice to the dinner table. In asimilar way, you cannot take the monkaway from the praise of God. Nomatter what else the monk does,everything is directed toward hissingular purpose.

Br. Stephen Lawson, OSBSaint Anselm Abbey,Manchester, NH

There is apopularparable ofthreestonecutterswho wereasked whatthey weredoing. The first

stonecutter replied, “I am making aliving.” The second kept on cuttingthe stone and said, “I am doing thebest job of stonecutting in the entirecountry.” The third one looked upand said, “I am building acathedral.”

While this story is often used inbusiness management classes, I amdrawn to it as a description ofmonastic life. While the thirdstonecutter should be the ideal wehold up, often we feel like the firstor second stonecutter.

On some days, the Divine Officecan feel like a job you are rushingto get done. Other days we are sofocused we miss the bigger picture,but we are always drawn to the

Year of Consecrated LifeMonks’ Testimonials

ideal. I might be in the middle ofwriting a paper or studying for atest, when I will hear the tower bellsring and think to myself, “If I onlyhad an extra 30 minutes!”

It is at these moments that monasticlife can be its most fulfilling. Even inour busiest and most stressfulmoments, we turn to the DivineOffice to direct our minds and soulsback toward God.

If you look closely at a cathedral,you will notice that no two stonesare exactly alike; each is slightlydifferent from the next. In a similarway, in a monastic community, notwo monks are alike; yet thecommunity is attempting to build acathedral that is worthy of God. Forme, that is the meaning of monasticlife: a group of imperfectindividuals working as one toshape our souls.

Br. Francis Wagner, OSB

What doesmonastic lifemean to me?

Ideally, themonk shouldponder this atmany differentpoints along

his journey. I have discovered thatthe answer continually changesover time – just as the mystery ofthe monk’s vocation continues tounfold and deepen.

For me, at this point (I entered themonastery in 2006), monastic life isprimarily about digging beneath thesurface of life. In his Rule, St.Benedict says that whether thenewcomer “truly seeks God” (RB 58:7) is of primary importance.

The monk does this – as Benedictexplains so poetically in the Prologue

to the Rule – by listening with theear of the heart to the voice of theLord while at prayer, at work, orwhile interacting with the community.

This listening involves reflectingupon (rather than simply reactingto the “surface” occurrences of life)such questions as: What is Godsaying to me through this? Whydoes this situation or person makeme feel this way? What can Ilearn from this situation or person?How can I change? What fruitmight this produce?

All human beings are in need ofsuch interior self-examination. The

unexamined life is not worth living, asthe saying goes. Monks, however, arecalled to this in a more particular andintense fashion – and not only for theirown benefit. They serve as witnesses,evangelists and intercessors for a worldthat thirsts for transcendence, yet isoften too confused, uncertain orfrightened to peek beneath the surfaceof things.

In the long run, this interior aspect ofmonastic life should lead to a giving –and forgiving – disposition rooted inthe love of Christ, the Grain of Wheatwho fell into the earth and died inorder to sprout new life and producemuch fruit (cf. John 12:24). +

A monk prostrates himself as a burial cloth is placed over him during his solemn profession.R

Br. Stephen Lawson, OSB, (center) a monk of Saint Anselm Abbey, Manchester, NH,professed solemn vows last July. Br. William Sprauer (left) and Br. David N’Djam were inattendance.

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Q. What is some of yourbackground information?Where and when were youborn? Where did you grow up?

I am the youngest of seven, and Ihave six older brothers. My familybackground is a little unique becauseboth of my parents were previouslymarried. My Mom had four sons fromher first marriage and my Dad hadtwo sons from his first marriage. Theymarried in 1970, and I was born onFebruary 23, 1977, and I am the onlychild from their marriage.

With six half-brothers who weresignificantly older than me, I grew upbasically as an only child because bythe time I was 3 or 4 years old, theyhad all moved out either startingfamilies of their own or going tocollege and beginning their careers.

I was born in the small northwestIllinois town of Geneseo with apopulation of 6,500, and I grew up inthe even-smaller town of Atkinson witha population of 850. Atkinson and thesurrounding areas are small farmingcommunities with very rich Belgium,Swiss, German and Irish heritages.

Q. What is your educationhistory?

I graduated from Geneseo HighSchool in 1995. That summer I wasaccepted as a seminarian for theDiocese of Peoria and was sent tostudy at Immaculate Heart of Mary

college seminary in Winona,Minnesota. The seminary is locatedon the campus of St. Mary’sUniversity.

While St. Mary’s is run by theChristian Brothers, the seminary isowned and operated by theDiocese of Winona and all classesare taken at St. Mary’s. Toward theend of that school year, I came tothe realization that I was not calledto the diocesan priesthood, and Idecided to leave and return home.

Q. What is your priorwork/life experience?

After leaving the seminary, I startedworking for my Dad and uncle inthe family plumbing, heating andcooling business, which was startedby my grandfather in 1945 and isstill going strong today. However,after about a year of trying this, Icame to the realization that I wasnot meant for the plumbing business.

MONKSPOTLIGHT

After my plumbing adventure, Iworked in the home improvementretail business for five years, and inMarch of 2001, I became a long-distance truck driver. I drove a truckuntil 2013, and during those 12years I made it to the 48continental states.

I am glad for all of the different lifeexperiences that trucking providedme with, but it was never somethingI enjoyed doing for a living. It wasnothing more than a job for me.With that being said, it providedme with a fairly comfortablelifestyle. I bought a house in 2004,but one of the many downfalls oflong-distance truck driving is I wasrarely home long enough to enjoymy house, family or friends.

In 2012 at 35 years old, I came tothe conclusion that I needed to lookat where my life was going. After alot of prayer and soul searching, I

Br. André DeDecker, OSB

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Br. André and his parents pose for a photo in the Archabbey Church.R

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came back to the full practice of myfaith after several years away, andonce again I started to get thefeeling that God was still calling meto service in the Church.

With the guidance of my pastorand my spiritual director at thetime, I was introduced to religiouslife. I knew from the beginning ofrediscovering my calling that I wasnot being called to the diocesanpriesthood. After researchingreligious life, I did not feel that Iwas being called to be a religiouspriest either, but rather I felt thatGod was calling me to be areligious brother.

My spiritual director was aBenedictine priest, and heencouraged me to look at severaldifferent communities. I looked veryseriously at the Franciscans and theBenedictines. My spiritual directorwas a monk at St. Bede Abbey inPeru, IL, and I looked at theminitially, but I did not feel that I wasbeing called there. After lookinginto the Franciscans, I decided tolook seriously into monastic life.

I was somewhat familiar with SaintMeinrad because, during my timeas a seminarian, the Diocese ofPeoria was sending some guys herefor theology. Of course, my spiritualdirector was familiar with SaintMeinrad and he highlyrecommended that I come for avisit. I came for my first visit in Aprilof 2012, and I knew I had found theplace that God was asking me tofind from the very moment I got here.

Q. Describe your currentwork for the monastery.

Currently, I work in the Archabbeykitchen assisting them with cookingand other food preparations. I have

always loved to cook. By beingassigned to the kitchen, I truly getto do the work I love every day.Recently, in addition to my work inthe kitchen, I have been appointedby Archabbot Justin as assistantmaster of ceremonies.

I will be pursuing a culinary artsdegree starting in January atSullivan University in Louisville, KY.I am really looking forward to myupcoming studies. By gaining thisprofessional training as a chef, Ican’t wait until I am able to bringback those skills to Saint Meinrad.

Q. What are some of yourhobbies? What do you like todo in your free time?

I have several hobbies that I enjoy,and I would have to say the onethat I love the most and the one thatI think the monks appreciate themost is my love for baking. I love tobake bread, and I also enjoybaking cookies and other kinds ofsweet treats. When time allows, Itry to make fresh bread for dinneronce or twice a week. I also try totreat the brethren to cookies orbrownies on Sunday night.

I also enjoy flower gardening andlandscaping, and I am thecaretaker of the St. Joseph Shrine.I also enjoy making rosaries and Ieven offer some for sale in the giftshop from time to time. In additionto all of this, I am a huge Universityof Illinois Fighting Illini football andbasketball fan, as well as a ChicagoBears fan, so fall is definitely myfavorite time of the year.

Q. What attracted you tomonastic life?

Several things attracted me to themonastic life. I think the biggest thingfor me was that personal prayer,spiritual growth and especiallycommunity prayer are the primaryfocus of Benedictine monastic life.These are the most important andmost appealing parts of this life.Everything else in monastic lifecomes second to prayer.

While we take a vow of stability tothis particular monastery, manythings about this life can change,most especially our work, but theone thing that will never change isour commitment to prayer and thedaily schedule that guides us.

Archabbot Justin DuVall gives Br. André the sign of peace after professing his vows.R

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Another important thing that attractedme to monastic life was that a collegeeducation is not a requirement to comehere and serve Jesus and his Church.

When I began to gain a greaterunderstanding of the life of aBenedictine brother, I knew I hadfound what it was that God wascalling me to do with my life. While Ilove to learn and gain knowledge, Ido not and have never enjoyedschool. I felt that God was simplyasking me to live a life in the model ofSt. Joseph and that of my holy patron,St. André Bessette, CSC, and that is toserve Him as a simple, humble,devoted servant in His vineyard.

Q. What are some of thechallenges and rewards thatcome with monastic life?

For me, the greatest challenge and oneof the biggest rewards that come withmonastic life are the brothers withwhom I share this life. I love, honor andrespect all of them, but no matter whatprofession that a person may choose,you will most likely run across somepeople who rub you the wrong way.

My life prior to coming to themonastery was one that allowed me

to spend a great deal of my timealone. I worked alone and I livedalone. So, needless to say, thebiggest adjustment I had to facecoming to the monastery waslearning to live with 70 otherpeople who range in age from22 to 96, and this has notalways been easy for me.

However, these 70 othermen also provide me withthe greatest joy, becausethey help me to truly liveand appreciate the vowsof obedience, stabilityand conversion of my lifeto the monastic way oflife. The men with whom Ishare this life every dayare a continuous witnessof what it means to be aBenedictine monk in 21st-century America.

What I have been able todiscover about these menis that, while some mayhold several higherlearning degrees and afew did not graduate fromhigh school, they all haveone common goal and

Master of Ceremonies, Fr. Prior Kurt Stasiak, patiently awaits the beginning of liturgy.R

that is to grow closer to Jesus Christand to serve Him and His Churchas best as they can in the life ofmonastic discipleship He has calledus to.

The monks of Saint Meinrad areunique in their own ways, and theyare also humble, loving andprayerful men trying to live this lifeas best as they can, as acommunity and individually.

Q. What advice would yougive to those considering amonastic vocation?

Listen to what your heart is tellingyou, and place all of your trust inJesus Christ because He will neverlet you down. Also, if you don’talready have a spiritual director,find one you feel comfortable with.When you do find a spiritualdirector, be honest with him or herand they will take you the rest ofthe way if you let them. +

Archabbot Justin DuVall processes into Church forBr. André’s first profession of vows.

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St. Teresa ofAvila, the16th-centurySpanish mysticand Doctor ofthe Church,offers a classicdefinition ofprayer: “an

intimate sharing between friends; itmeans taking time frequently to bealone with him who we know lovesus.” By unfolding this richdefinition, we can come to a bettersense of the life of prayer for allChristians, and for Benedictines inparticular.

Prayer is, first of all, like aconversation. We talk to God as toa friend. The other part of thisinterpersonal exchange with God,often neglected but equallyimportant, is that we listen. We tryboth to express and revealourselves as we are and to beattentive and open to God’spresence and word.

But note that St. Teresa speaks ofsomething more fundamental thanconversation. Prayer is an “intimatesharing” between friends.Conversation, of course, is animportant part of such sharing. Butfriends share time. They shareexperiences. They share a bond.The intimacy between close friendsruns deeper than occasional, oralconversation.

There can be a precious, silentsharing between friends, as whenthey stand together in grief, in joy

or in wonder. Deepening prayermeans a more intimate sharing thatis, from time to time, increasingly, amore profound and silent sharing.

Prayer, then, is grounded in afriendship with God – a relationshipthat must grow outside moments ofprayer by our efforts to learn ofGod, especially as revealed inChrist in the Scriptures, as well asby our endeavor to see others andthe world as God does, to act asGod does and as God wills, and tolove as God has loved us in Christ.Prayer is a relationship, and it is asharing that must become a life ofprayer.

Prayer is “frequently to be alonewith him who we know loves us.”Note that St. Teresa is telling us thatprayer requires times of solitude,away from the noise anddistractions of our ordinary lives.But note, too, that our friendship

with God and our intimate sharing arerooted in our coming to know thatGod is truly the One who loves us.

Divine friendship and prayer can onlybegin with the Good News that Godloves sinners – that God loves thissinner, as I am. It is God who firstseeks and initiates this friendship, andit is God who makes it possible. Inprayer, our understanding andembrace of this Good News of God’slove grows. And, as our confidence inthe divine love deepens, we discoverthe invitation to grow still deeper inprayer and in still more intimatecommunion with our God.

The Benedictine monastic life remindsus that our friendship with God isshared with others in community. Ourprayer is always personal, and we allneed times of personal prayer insolitude. But, as Christians, our prayeris, at the same time, always a prayershared in the Church, which is theBody of Christ.

The God who loves me and invites meinto intimate sharing is inviting thosearound me; and, unlike us, God isable to attend to each of usindividually and intimately, even as

Benedictine Perspectives:Living a Life of PrayerBy Fr. Mark O’Keefe, OSB

Fr. Mark O’Keefe prays during Mass in the monastic choir.R

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God attends in the same way to thosearound us. The Eucharist is the perfectmanifestation in this life of both ourdeeply personal communion withChrist and our sharing in thatcommunion with those around us,present or scattered across the world,on earth and in heaven.

The monastery, like a Christian familyof faith, is a domestic church. It is alocal realization of the universalChurch. In the monastic community,brothers in faith gather regularly eachday as a family to pray, to praise, toadore and to intercede for the world.At the same time, the monasticstructure and rhythm of the dailyschedule provide and encourage the

solitude and silence that is essentialto our personal, intimate sharingwith the God who we know loves us.

Lectio divina, holy readingespecially of the Scriptures, helps usto grow in our knowledge and ourlove of the God who has first lovedus. The daily living together and thework train us to see as God sees, todo as God wills, and to love asGod loves through our dailyencounter with these brothers withwhom God unites us in the bond ofmonastic fellowship.

An intimate sharing with God infriendship is the amazing divineinvitation to all people. The

monastic call is a special gift fromGod that provides the structure, theencouragement, and the support togrow in this friendship with Godwithin a community of brothers andwithin a long and proven traditionof prayer and of holiness. +

Clockwise from top left:

Monks celebrate Mass in the ArchabbeyChurch.

Fr. Thomas Gricoski speaks at MonteCassino Shrine.

Fall colors decorate the campus duringOctober.

Candidate Jonathan Blaize entertains at theHalloween party.

In our day,many forms ofservice in theChurch arecalledministries, fromthose whoserve asgreeters at the

doors of the church to the priest whostands at the altar to preside atSunday Mass. While the word“ministry” appears in the Rule of St.Benedict only infrequently in referenceto very ordinary, menial tasks, theRule generally refrains from using theword in reference to the abbot.

The Rule does use a word to describethe duties, both ordinary and formal,of several other important positions inthe community, and that word isofficium, or in English, office.Although the word is not used inreference to the abbot, theBenedictine monastic tradition hascome to apply it to the abbot. And sowe commonly speak of the office ofabbot. In this sense, it is similar to theway we speak of someone who holdspublic office.

Within the monastic context, theabbot “is believed to hold the placeof Christ in the monastery” (RB 2.2).In exercising his office, the abbotshould always “recognize that hisgoal must be profit for the monks, notpreeminence for himself” (RB 64.7).

In speaking of the abbot’sresponsibilities and duties, St.Benedict is careful to remind himfrequently of the account he must giveto God of how he has carried outthose duties. With this admonition inmind, there are a few things we cansay about the office of abbot.

First, it is an office that is entrusted tothe abbot. The community elects him tothis office and, in so doing, mustconsciously and deliberately choose theone who will be worthy of their trust.The Rule says that the one to be placedin office should be chosen for his“goodness of life and wisdom inteaching,” even if he is the last incommunity rank (RB 64.2).

So the office of abbot is something thatis handed on, not something that isdeliberately sought. Every abbot willbring his particular gifts and person tothe office, but the community chooseshim for this office; he does not run for iton his own merits. It is entrusted to him.

Secondly, the office of abbot isaccepted by the one chosen. He mustexplicitly agree to undertake itsresponsibilities and duties and in faith to“hold the place of Christ in themonastery.” For the one chosen abbot,the office entails an act of obedience.Here Christ himself is the model, whoseown obedience unto death was for thesake of those whom he came to save.

Just as Christ freely accepted the will ofthe Father, as God’s Chosen One, andthen freely carried it out in His life ofloving service, so the abbot freelyaccepts the will of the community forhim to hold the place of Christ. He willdo this best by his own obedience toGod, to the Rule, and to whateverparticular demands the office of abbotplace on him at any given time. Theoffice of abbot is something he freelyaccepted, and with that acceptancecome consequences, not only for themonks he serves, but for his ownsalvation as well.

Lastly, then, this office is meant to beexercised. Once it has been entrusted

and accepted, the office of abbot isan ordinary means by which the dailylife of the monastery is governed andcherished. As noted above, theabbot is not to seek preeminence forhimself, but advancement in themonastic life for his monks.

His wisdom in teaching, one of thequalities for choosing an abbot, findsexpression in the way he governs thecommunity that has entrusted himwith the office. Drawing on thiswisdom, “he must so arrangeeverything that the strong havesomething to yearn for and the weaknothing to run from” (RB 64.19). Thisis a tall order, but one that the abbotcarries out in love, adapting hisapproach to the differenttemperaments of his monks.

The good order of the community ishis responsibility and, in working toestablish it, he has to consider boththe strong and the weak, rather thansome abstract principle of goodmanagement. In this way, he willexercise the office of abbot for thegood of the whole house.

While no particular responsibility ofthe office of abbot is called aministry, the Rule does use the worda single time in regard to the abbot.After admonishing him to “keep thisrule in every particular,” it tells himthat “when he has ministered well hewill hear from the Lord what thegood servant heard who gave hisfellow servants grain at the propertime: I tell you solemnly…he sets himover all his possessions” (RB 64.20-22). The whole of his life is thereforea service, a ministry, carried out inresponse to the office entrusted tohim. It is the way he holds the placeof Christ in the monastery. +

Ministry Spotlight: The Ministry of AbbotBy Archabbot Justin DuVall, OSB

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A S I PRAY,

REveal to me

your way for me

to you, lord god.

Amen

Interested in the Monastic Life at Saint Meinrad Archabbey?

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