Order Priest: 'I fell in love with monastic life'

When I am asked, "How did you know you were called to the Benedictines?" I wish I could say I had a vision or heard God's voice. It would be even better if I could say I had a "Joan of Arcadia" experience and encountered the Divine in one of God's disguises. But, alas, it did not happen that way.

As a student at Benedictine High School in Detroit, I was impressed with the monks who taught us. They seemed to me like men of peace who were quietly trying to make the world a better place. They "quietly" attracted me because I am a shy person who does not enjoy the spotlight. Although I had some back-up dreams (sportswriter or sportscaster), I decided to give this "monk thing" a try. I gradually fell in love with monastic life: the brotherhood, the common prayer, the manual work, the daily opportunities for private prayer, the variety of ways to serve God's people, the whole package. There is no one moment, not even one day that I can point to, as the time I knew I was called. It was just a gradual awareness that I was where God wanted me.

As far as what I do, I later felt called to the priesthood. Upon ordination, I served for six years at our parish in Detroit, St. Scholastica. For 29 years I have worked in youth ministry at our Subiaco retreat house here at St. Benedict.

How the monastic way fulfills one's faith life is difficult to put into words. Giving up wife and family, surrendering one's own will, and placing all material goods at the disposal of the monastic community does bring a sense of fulfillment and the joy of moving toward God with your brothers.

We monks realize that the monastic life is only one way to go to God. As Benedictines we have a 1,500-year history, and are considered the oldest community in the Church. At times, our monastic life has been well lived and there also have been periods of decadence and decline. There are times we have been considered irrelevant and useless, and there have been other times that our life has been almost "trendy." Much like the Church at large, the Spirit enables us to persevere. In his famous Rule for monks St. Benedict asks, quoting Psalm 33: "Is there anyone here who yearns for life and desires to see good days?" It has been a privilege for me to answer as best I can, for 44 years so far: "I do."

Benedictine Fr. Dan Homan is a retreat leader, speaker and author of several books.