On the Hill

In a brief ceremony at the monastery entrance, two men were clothed in the Benedictine habit at Saint Meinrad Archabbey on August 5. They began a year of monastic formation, including study of the Rule of St. Benedict and monastic history. 

It is also a year of discernment, and one novice has already discerned out.

Novice Andrew, 24, is a native of Libertyville, IL, where he was a member of St. Joseph Parish and attended Vernon Hills High School in Vernon Hills, IL.

 He earned a bachelor’s degree in Christian theology from Hope College in 2021. After graduating from college, Novice Andrew worked as a forklift driver.

 As a novice, he will take a year off from formal studies and trades. The novitiate is a time of prayer and learning intended to help a novice discern his vocation as a monk. At the end of this year, a novice may be permitted to profess temporary vows of obedience, fidelity to the monastic way of life and stability in the community of Saint Meinrad.