SOLEMN PROFESSION OF BROTHER IRENAEUS

Br. Irenaeus Petree, O.S.B made his solemn profession of vows as a monk of Subiaco Abbey at Mass on August 31, 2019, in the Abbey Church. Having completed the period of triennial vows, he professed this life-long commitment as a Benedictine monk. Br. Irenaeus has served at Subiaco Abbey as a Bell Ringer, Recycling Coordinator, and Peanut Brittle and Hot Sauce Assistant, amongst a multitude of other tasks, chores, and duties. Br. Irenaeus grew up in Jefferson City, MO, and he worked in several restaurants, bookstores and various other jobs before spending most of his career with the State of Missouri in clerical work. He has now been assigned by Abbot Leonard to the Development Office, working at the front desk and helping with other necessary duties.

During the rite of Solemn Profession, Br. Irenaeus chanted the Latin: “Suscipe me, Domine,
secundum eloquium tuum et vivam, et non confundas me ab expectatione mea” which in English is “Sustain me, O Lord, as you have promised, that I may live, and disappoint me not in my hope.” These words from the 116 th verse of Psalm 119 have echoed throughout the centuries in the profession rites of Benedictine monks. This prayer of supplication, however, is only one example from the rite of the solemn profession of a monk that has shed some light on the journey toward God. The mystical burial and the sign of peace also show glimpses of the great task that lies before the newly professed as he continues his search for God in the monastery until death. In the mystical burial which follows the chanting of the Suscipe me, Domine (Psalm 119:116), the newly-professed monk lies prostrate before the altar, and is covered with the funeral pall, symbolizing death to his former way of life. The paschal candle, symbolic of the Risen Christ, lights his path in his exodus from death to life. Accompanying him on this journey are all of the saints, represented by a solemn plea for their assistance in the Litany of Saints. The sign of peace given by the solemnly-professed members of the community to the newly-professed monk most eloquently expresses the command of our holy founder Saint Benedict, in the words of chapter 72 of the Rule on the good zeal which monks ought to have. In this beautiful expression of fraternity, the newly-professed receives the assurance that his confreres
will support him in the tasks which he has undertaken for the salvation of his soul and also their promise to be a source of strength and encouragement as he continues to persevere in his commitment to God.

Subiaco Abbey is a Benedictine monastery of the Swiss-American congregation located in
Subiaco, Arkansas. It was founded in 1878 by monks from St. Meinrad in Indiana and the Abbey of Maria Einsiedeln in Einsiedeln, Switzerland. Today the abbey is comprised of thirty-five solemnly professed monks and four members in formation. More information can be found at the Abbey website of www.subi.org.