Newly professed

On this feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, congratulations are in order for our Br. Luke Waugh, who today professed his solemn and perpetual vows as a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey. (For those who are wondering, the specific vows are: obedience, stability, and conversatio--or fidelity to the monastic way of life and all that it entails.)

Br. Luke's solemn profession is the first here in three years--ever since that of yours truly.

Please keep Br. Luke in your prayers. Pray as well for all the monks of this archabbey, that they may be sustained by God's grace in their monastic prayer and work, and for an increase of vocations to our way of life.

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"Uphold me O Lord, according to your promise,
and I shall live.
And do not confound me
in my expectation."

 

Solemn profession formula
(Psalm 119:16)

Live Jesus!

St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

A few words of wisdom from St. Francis de Sales, whose feast we honor today, and from whom I received my monastic name: 

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“Engrave and inscribe on your heart this holy and sacred motto, ‘Live Jesus!’ I am certain that your life, which comes from the heart just as the almond tree comes from its seed, will thereafter produce all its actions—which are its fruits—inscribed and engraved with this sacred word of salvation. As our beloved Jesus lives in your heart, so too he will live in all your conduct… With St. Paul you can say, ‘It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me’ [Galations 2:20].”

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“Bear patiently the slight injuries, the little inconveniences, and the inconsequential losses that daily come to you. By means of such trifles as these, borne with love and affection, you will completely win God’s heart and make it all your own… Practice those little, humble virtues which grow like flowers at the foot of the cross: helping the poor, visiting the sick, and taking care of your family, with all the tasks that go with such things… Great opportunities to serve God rarely present themselves but little ones are frequent. Whoever will be faithful over a few things will be placed over many, says the Savior.”

From Introduction to the Devout Life

St. Meinrad, hermit and martyr

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Meinrad--hermit and holy martyr. He is often called the “Martyr of Hospitality,” a virtue esteemed by Benedictine monks. Upon the site of the hermitage (einsiedeln in German) where he was killed by two robbers in 861 was built the venerable monastery of Einsiedeln in Switzerland (portrayed in the upper left of the mural above, which is in the Memorial Lobby of Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology). Centuries later, the monks of Einsiedeln established an American foundation—Saint Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana.

On this blessed day, the solemnity of our holy patron Saint Meinrad, please remember in prayer the living and deceased monks of both Saint Meinrad Archabbey and Maria Einsiedeln in Switzerland, as well as their families.

Click here if you would like to read an English translation of a 10th-century Latin account of the life and death of St. Meinrad.