new monks of my community

The birth of a new monk is always a blessing to a community. In the holy rule of Saint Benedict, it says that a newcomer in a community is always a blessing to its members. However, it is always not easy to have one as it takes a lot of trials, challenges and difficulties that square with the struggles in a newcomer to be able to eventually become one and be born a monk in a monastery.

As of this writing, our community is blessed with at least three newly-born monks. One is a Canadian, another is an American and the other one is Vietnamese.

From the three, the eldest in terms of length of stay, is Dom Bruno Boyko, OSB. I guess I already featured him here in my blog sometime last year when he came for a visit and observe our way of life. He used to carry the name of Dunstan but eventually that name has been forgotten by almost everyone else in the community as he is now fondly called by our community brothers as Dom Bruno, OSB after he started his novitiate some months ago. Dom Bruno is a forty-eight year old hardworking Novice.

The second one who's been with us for a visit three years ago to observe our monastic life is Dom James Rhoades,OSB. Dom James is a former monk of St John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, a monk in Simple Vows at St.John's but decided to seek an inner kind of lifestyle in a more contemplative setting. He seems to be doing very well with the brothers of my community.

I met Dom James three years ago and found him endowed with some potentials for a contemplative way of lifestyle. That was three years ago and just very recently, I learned that he came back to my community to formally join and live with us.

Right now, he is under probation in our community and will have to complete a number of years before he gets finally accepted and profess his Solemn Vows. On the night of June 24th, and during the recreation of the community brothers on the occasion of the Solemnity of Saint John the Baptist and the Solemn profession of Dom Francis' monastic Vows, Dom James renewed his Simple Vows infront of the Abbot superior and the community.

Dom James reads his Profession Chart of renewal of his Simple Vows infront of the Abbot and the community of the Abbey of Christ in the Desert. Dom James is in his early forties

The third one is a very young (in terms of length of stay) Vietnamese postulant. His name is Jonathan. He is fluent in English as he had lived most of his life in the US. He arrived last week and that makes him the youngest of the monks (in terms od length of stay) in my community. Brother Jonathan is twenty-nine years old.

To these three fine gentlemen of God: I wish you all the best and my prayers are with you for perseverance.

My dear friends, please join me in my prayers for these three young monks in my community that they may strive to persevere in their monastic vocation and live a holy life under the guidance of the Holy Rule of Saint Benedict.