Br. Zachariah's First Profession
This past Sunday, May 24th, the Feast of Pentecost (and
also Our Lady, Help of Christians), our novice Br.
Zachariah Ryan formally entered monastic life here at
St. Benedict Monastery. At a Eucharistic
celebration presided over by our Prior, Fr. Damien
Gjonaj, Br. Zachariah read aloud this first profession
of the monastic vows of obedience, conversion of life
and stability, and signed these vows upon the
altar. He then received the scapular, an
apron-like cloth with attached hood, which was placed
atop the tunic Brother had been wearing during his
twelve months of novitiate. The community embraced
him with the “sign of peace”, a gesture of welcome and
prayerful support as Br. Zachariah begins the next phase
of his monastic formation.
Br.
Zachariah was formally known as Zachary or “Zach” and
comes to our monastery after a successful career in the
hotel industry. A native of Garden City, Michigan,
Brother also has roots in Presque Isle, Michigan where
he spent many a summer with his family. His
professional and personal life had taken him to many
parts of the country over the years. And along the
way, Brother was also in formation with another
Benedictine monastery, so he is in fact not a stranger
to monastic life.
In his
homily, Fr. Damien emphasized the importance of the vows
we make as Sylvestrine Benedictine monks. By
faithfulness to these promises, we are to find our way,
day by day, to a fruitful living and following of
Christ. For at least three years, a “junior monk”
such as Br. Zachariah will renew his vows annually in
preparation for his final and complete monastic
consecration. During this time, Brother will
continue to test and nourish his vocation, receiving
additional training and responsibilities along the way.
This joyous occasion was attended by St. Benedict’s monastic community, long-time friend and Br. Zachariah’s sister Sheryl, his long-time spiritual guide, Monsignor Tim Hogan, and a few friends and family members. As is our custom, a delicious dinner followed, prepared by our Br. Marty Singer.
We ask all of our friends who read this article to keep our new Brother, Zachariah, in your prayers, that the Lord may continue to give him peace, wisdom and perseverance to follow His loving call.
For the current news story, click here!
Br.
Zachariah was formally known as Zachary or “Zach” and
comes to our monastery after a successful career in the
hotel industry. A native of Garden City, Michigan,
Brother also has roots in Presque Isle, Michigan where
he spent many a summer with his family. His
professional and personal life had taken him to many
parts of the country over the years. And along the
way, Brother was also in formation with another
Benedictine monastery, so he is in fact not a stranger
to monastic life. In his
homily, Fr. Damien emphasized the importance of the vows
we make as Sylvestrine Benedictine monks. By
faithfulness to these promises, we are to find our way,
day by day, to a fruitful living and following of
Christ. For at least three years, a “junior monk”
such as Br. Zachariah will renew his vows annually in
preparation for his final and complete monastic
consecration. During this time, Brother will
continue to test and nourish his vocation, receiving
additional training and responsibilities along the way.This joyous occasion was attended by St. Benedict’s monastic community, long-time friend and Br. Zachariah’s sister Sheryl, his long-time spiritual guide, Monsignor Tim Hogan, and a few friends and family members. As is our custom, a delicious dinner followed, prepared by our Br. Marty Singer.
We ask all of our friends who read this article to keep our new Brother, Zachariah, in your prayers, that the Lord may continue to give him peace, wisdom and perseverance to follow His loving call.
For the current news story, click here!