We are monks living a radical form of Christian life like the early Church. Subiaco Abbey is a Roman Catholic monastery founded in 1878 as part of the missionary efforts of the Archabbey of St. Meinrad in Indiana and the Archabbey of Maria Einsiedeln in Switzerland. We are located on 1,800 acres nestled in the foothills of the Ouachita mountains of Arkansas, USA. We take the ancient monastic vows of stability, conversatio morum (ongoing conversion to the monastic way of life), and obedience. Preferring nothing whatsoever to Christ, we dedicate ourselves, under the Rule of St. Benedict and an Abbot, to strive to support one another in community, to serve God, the Church, and the larger society. Begun 1,500 years ago, we Benedictine monks number just under 7,400 and are located in over 280 abbeys throughout the world. Like the early Apostles who lived and worked together whilst sharing everything in common, we continue to seek God by following that biblical example found in the Acts of the Apostles and codified by Saint Benedict into a way of life known as Benedictine Monasticism.
I have described my childhood in the past as storybook-- lots of love, a great family, great parents, good friends, and lots of wonderful memories. The only educational point of interest would be obtaining my Master’s degree in theology and apologetics from a Protestant University. I am fairly certain I am the only Catholic to graduate from there, which is something I am curiously proud of. I first considered pursuing a vocation in 2009. At the time, I was a veteran ski instructor at Copper Mountain in Summit County, Colorado. I believe St. Therese was instrumental in bringing me to Subiaco. She is the patron saint of vocations, and she helped me discern. Not much attracted me during my first visit to Subiaco, especially since it was like 105 degrees. For a Northern boy, I could barely stand to step outside...
We asked some of our monks to share the story of how God led them to come to Subiaco Abbey. Feel free to click on one of the images below to read their vocation stories. Likewise, you can also read more of the other vocation profiles by clicking HERE.