What Led You to Become a Monk at Subiaco?

I was born just a short distance from the abbey in Subiaco on a dairy farm.  We milked cows and farmed with horses.  I went to St Benedict’s grade school for eight years.  We had daily mass.  During the summer months as a family, we went to mass on first Friday.  We would get up and go to the 4:45 mass.  There was benediction on Sunday afternoon.  We would go and then we could visit school mates for a few hours before we had to be home for the milking.

We were taught by Benedictine sisters who always encouraged all of us to be monks or nuns.   After grad school I went to Subiaco Academy as a scholastic.  I graduated in 1962.  Then I went to St Bernard College in Alabama for two years.  In 1964 I came to the abbey to be a novice to join Subiaco Abbey. My job as a novice was taking care of the inner court.  After my novice year I was sent to Saint  Louis University. Subiaco Abbey had a house of studies there.  For a country boy the city was too much.  After that first year at the House of studies, I asked Abbot Michael if I could go back to St Bernard College to finish my schooling.  He let me return to St Bernard.  They were a country monastery like Subiaco.  I graduated from St Bernard after two more years with BA in Business Administration and I took enough math classes to teach math.

Our class was the first class who could major in a field besides Philosophy. I started teaching in 1968 with three sections of Algebra I and two Typing classes.  I also became the statistician for football and basketball games.

After four years of teaching Abbot Michael asked me to become a dean in the school.  When being a dean, it was hard to get lectio and private prayer in some days. You could squeeze some prayer while monitoring study hall.  He also asked me to be the treasure of the school.  No computers at this time, all work was done with pencil and paper.  Still with teaching and being a dean Fr Benno told me that I was to become the tennis coach.   I was told to get some matches.

The first year our team had only one match and we won the match.  For the next forty five years I coached the team for forty years and never had a losing season.   Then I was asked to be a bus driver.  My job on Friday nights was driving the first bus of spectators to the game.  I then could take the football stats or basketball stats.  Later when computers came, I put all the academy business accounts on computer.

I ran the Candy store for the students.  This was as popular place because the students got their weekly allowance here and the store carried school supplies.

Fr Benno told me that next years I would be teaching Basic Computer language and I was to go to summer school to learn the course. 

When Abbot Jerome was elected, he asked me to take care of the business office in the monastery with the school and the alumni association.  After a few years I took care of the Bunkerstube and the Trojan Shop.  I have been working in the business office most of my years at Subiaco—either in the school, The Alumni or the monastery.  In the last few years I have been a substitute dean in the school and a substitute teacher in the math classroom.  Now I help make peanut brittle and can beer.

I worked at Subiaco Academy for fifty years being a teacher, dean, statistician, bus driver, coach, mailman, manager of the candy store, manager of the shirt shop, manager of the Bunkerstube, and Treasurer. 
 

Tell Us More About Yourself!

Favorite Book of the Bible?
The Epistle of St. John

Favorite verse/verses in the Bible? 
1 John 4:7--
Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God.

Do you play a musical instrument? If so, which instrument?
No

Favorite Day of the Liturgical Year?
Christmas

Prefer to read a book or watch a movie?
Read a Book

Starting after high school graduation, what are the schools/colleges/universities that you have attended?
St. Louis University; St. Bernard College, Sacred Heart College, Oregon University, University of Central Arkansas, University of Florida, Arkansas Tech. University, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith

Right-handed or left-handed?
Right-handed

Favorite sport to watch?
I like all sports whether it is the Subiaco Trojans or the Arkansas Razorbacks or the St. Louis Cardinals

Favorite sport’s team?
Subiaco Trojans

What time do you wake up in the morning?
4:45 AM

Favorite saint or saints?
Mary Magdalen and Adrian

Favorite place you have travelled?
Monterrey, Mexico

What are some of your hobbies?
Woodworking and Gardening

What is the name of a book you have recently read or a movie you have recently watched?
Book:  The Wisdom of the Benedictine Elders: Thirty of America's Oldest Monks and Nuns Share Their Lives' Greatest Lessons by Mark McGinnis

If you could meet any person dead or alive, who would it be?
Pope Francis

Do you prefer beer or wine?
Wine

Who is the monk that inspired you the most—and why?
Fr. Robert Lazzari, Fr. Fintan Oldham, and Fr. Maurus Gerke-- all always had time for you

What type of music do you usually listen to?
Country

What are your three favorite foods?
Fried Chicken, Pizza, Spaghetti and meatballs

What are your three favorite drinks?
Bourban, Wine, Beer

If you could have just one dessert for your last meal, what would it be?
Ice Cream

Why did you choose the name you were given in Religious Life?
It was my favorite name all my growing-up years

What were the other names you requested to receive at profession?
Alan and Jude

Who had the most influence on you growing up?
My Mother