An important bit of news...

Some of you who have been following this blog for a while will remember that I was Benedictine monk for nearly eleven years and, after a long and careful period of discernment, I decided to seek a dispensation from my monastic vows. This was certainly a difficult decision, but those events in 2013 were not the end of the story...

Late last year I began to actively discern the possibility of returning to religious life. Early this year I contacted a handful of religious communities, including the Society of the Divine Savior (the Salvatorians). Those conversations and my discernment have continued and the past months have been a time of challenge, opportunity, reflection, and blessings.

With all of this in mind, I am happy and humbled to announce that I have been accepted as a candidate for the Salvatorians and will enter formation in January.

 

I am especially grateful to so many people who have supported my ongoing reflection and discernment, particularly dear friends in Los Angeles and in Louisville, my former Benedictine confreres, and the Salvatorian vocations and formation team.

Although I will be in formation in Milwaukee, I will be able to continue my work as managing editor of Abbey Press Publications and Deacon Digest Magazine, as well as my work as a writer and catechist. The Society of the Divine Savior was founded by Venerable Francis Jordan on December 8, 1881, and is an active and diverse community whose mission is to spread the Gospel by "all ways and means." Salvatorian priests, deacons, brothers, sisters, and lay women and men currently serve in nearly 40 countries.

As I think about what the coming months will bring, especially the changes in my personal and professional life, I find myself feeling many emotions, including excitement and fear, joy and sorrow. The coming weeks will, no doubt, also be a whirlwind of activity (including the holidays!), and I ask for your prayers and support as I anticipate officially beginning this new chapter in my life.