Echoes from the Bell Tower

Read the full transcript of this episode

"What do you do all day?"

That's not an uncommon question of monks and seminarians. In this week's podcast of "Echoes from the Bell Tower," hosts Br. Joel Blaize, OSB, and Br. Kolbe Wolniakowski, OSB, offer a glimpse into the daily lives of monks and men studying for the priesthood.

Archabbot Kurt Stasiak, OSB, and Br. William Sprauer, OSB, give us some insights into the daily life of a Benedictine monk, while the seminary's President-Rector Fr. Denis Robinson, OSB, and seminarian William Burmester look at everyday life in the seminary.

Br. Simon Herrmann, OSB, who is a monk and a seminarian, walks us through his day as well.

Perhaps what may surprise you is how ordinary their days are - eating, working, going to class, enjoying a coffee break, working out - the same things many of us do.

But for each of these men - and the others who live and study at Saint Meinrad - prayer lays the foundation for the day. One of my favorite comments in this episode comes from Archabbot Kurt. When asked how anyone gets any work done with so many interruptions for prayer, he explains, "It's actually the reverse…. It's the work, in one sense, that interrupts our prayer."

You can listen to the episode at the top of this page or go to iTunes, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts and download "Echoes from the Bell Tower." Thanks for listening!

Extra! Extra!

This week's podcast extra is a gallery of photos depicting everyday life in the monastery and in the seminary. Photos are by Krista Hall, Sam Oldenburg, Minh Vu, and Br. Lorenzo Peñalosa, OSB