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.

a new monk is a blessing to a monastery...

Introducing our newest monk, Dom Dunstan...

He is from Canada and for quite sometime, he has been in contact with the monastery while doing his process of discernment. Finally, after a period of a year or two, he came to a decision to come over and start with his monastic formation as postulant of our monastery.

Dom Dunstan arrived in the last week of March this year and he was warmly welcomed by us with so much hope that he will persevere in his monastic vocation. In six months time, he will receive his Novitiate habit and scapular as well as a new monastic name.
So, dear reader, please include him in your prayers for his perseverance...

Dom Dunstan while taking part in a banquet during the Profession of Solemn Vows of two Vietnamese monks of our community.



Dom Dunstan with yours truly on his left and our 89 year-old German-American Claustral Oblate Dom Benedict on his right







Dom Dunstan with Dom Benedict

another big challenge...

from the Abbot's email:

1/7/08

Dear Brother John Baptist,

Blessings to you! I was told the other day that you need a computer in order to study English and that you have only had one class in English since you arrived here.

As you prepare to enter the novitiate here, I want to encourage you to speak with Father Romualdo, even if it means only writing to him in English on e-mail, or asking someone to come with you and translate.

Also, please try to speak with me about once a month.

I will work to get you a computer so that you can study English. Our policy in our Customary says this:

Novices, postulants and candidates generally do not have access to the Internet except on Sundays in order to keep their time of formation more focused on the monastic life.

So your computer would not be hooked up to the Internet, but on Sundays you are still free to use the computer in the Computer Work Room outside of the Accountant's Office.

As you know, I have assigned Brother Lawrence to work with you one day a week on English. Probably this will change to two half days a week, since that would allow him to work more consistently in the Gift Shop as well, but we can work that out with Subprior Christian when he returns home.

I am very happy that you are here in our community. May the Lord bless you as you continue your life here and help you become a very good and holy monk.

Your brother in the Lord,

Abbot Philip


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So, this is it. I am gonna go back to teaching again! The other day, the Abbot already talked to me about the possibility of teaching brother John baptist English. Of course, I am always willing to do any job the Abbot gives me!...So be it. I am gonna start with ABC's on him, then will plunge into syllabification and sentences etc etc...

John Baptist (Vietnamese Postulant) and me during one of our recreations

welcome party for Postulant John The Baptist and a monk in Simple Vows, Dom Anselmo, OSB

The other night, November 27th, we welcomed a postulant who arrived in that same day day from Thien Phouc Monastery in Vietnam. He will try to live with us and hopefully be able to persevere in his monastic journey with the community of monks of Christ in the Desert Monastery.
Dom John the Baptist ( i failed to catch him to ask his Vietanamese name ) is a former nurse before he joined his community in Vietnam.




On the other hand, a week before Dom John D Baptist arrived, a Mexican Junior monk from one of our foundations in Mexico came over to finally join the ranks in our community. Dom Anselmo is 48 yrs old and a practicing gynecologist before he came to the Monastery of La Soledad in Mexico, but he left his profession after years to join La Soledad Monastery.

more photos:

meet our 'newest' monks: Dom Henry and Dom Gabriel

the other day, we greeted them welcome to our monastery...today, we greet and say to them 'welcome to your monastery', your new house, and your new place of refuge!....

Dom Henry was vested with his tunic and chastity belt yesterday by no less than our Abbot superior. In the past, incoming postulants were vested with blue short tunic (like, when i entered postulancy, i was clothed with a blue short tunic) but the customary was changed to give the postulants fervor and enthusiasm in the pursuit of their six months of Postulancy. He also had his new haircut, which he chose as his ascetic practice. (like many of us, who opted to have our hairs cut and shaved as our ascetic practice rather than to pick another one that won't fit in). Likewise, Dom Gabriel had his hair shaved , too.

Dom henry and Dom gabriel officialy and formally started their monastic journey today. May they persevere with their monastic travails and survive the tests and expectations of the community. So help them God!....

Dom Henry before he was vested: click image to enlarge...
Dom Henry with his vestment: what a transformation!

Dom Gabriel before accepting his ascetic practice:

Dom Gabriel after embracing his ascetic practice:

Monks come and go...

one truth about monastic life is: monks come and go.... in a matter of months or a year, a monk leaves the portals of my community (this happened two weeks before Holy Week when Dom Josemaria, mexican juniormonk decided to leave CID for good after almost two years of stay in the cloister.) and a new one comes along just after one monk left. Dom Gregorio, another Mexican- none-English speaking monk from Sta maria Y Todos Los Santos Monastery in Mexico arrived the same week Dom Josemaria left.

dom jose maria finally came back to CID

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meet the new recruits of my community!!!

Sam is from Quezon City, Philippines. 36 yrs old. has just gotten his US VISA. hopes to come over CID to start his Postulancy maybe, before  the Holy week celebration.

Oswaldo  is an American from Chicago.  He is 21 years old. He is  currently with us taking his  observation for one month. He hopes to join us by God's grace.

The newest is Rommel from Pasig City, Philippines. He is 22 years old. He hopes to join us too, but still, he  needs to get a US VISA in Manila US Embassy to be able to come over... To Rommel:  "i wish you goodluck and i  will keep you in my prayers..."