Br. Joseph Heath, O.S.B.

WHAT LED YOU TO BECOME A MONK AT SUBIACO?

I grew up in a Roman Catholic family in Neptune Township, NJ. I have two sisters and a brother. As a child, I became a sports enthusiast as well as a history buff. At church, I served as an altar boy, lector, and Eucharistic Minister. My education began at Holy Innocents Catholic School. For my high school education, I attended St. Joseph’s Prep, a minor Seminary, where I was educated by the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers. For my junior and senior year, I attended Red Bank Catholic. The education I received from the Filippini Sisters and the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers left a lasting impression on me. They were outstanding role models.  

I first considered pursuing a religious vocation in seventh grade. I had learned about religious brothers from a Franciscan brother who gave a talk at my school about religious life. I was attracted to teaching, ministry, and community life, and I thought to myself, “I could do this.” I learned that religious men and women are ordinary people. 

After high school, I attended Mount Saint Mary’s College for a year. Then I worked several odd jobs. I worked as a dishwasher, a factory worker, and I was an assistant production manager at a bakery. Then I became a Revenue Billing Clerk at Chase Manhattan Bank. Lastly, just before coming to Subiaco, I was working for Covenant House, caring for youth at a Crisis Center. 

On January fourth, 1989, I saw an ad for Subiaco Abbey in Our Sunday Visitor. I wrote to the vocations director and received a prompt reply inviting me to make a visit. One reason I was attracted to Subiaco was that I didn’t need a college degree to join. I was interested in living in community as well as teaching at the Academy. During my first visit, Subiaco felt like home. The monks were hospitable, and I loved the surroundings. 

Currently, I provide transportation to monks to appointments or airports. I’m also assistant refectorian and work part-time in the health center. I work on necrologies for the monks, and I’m on the strategic planning committee. Previously, I worked in the Academy as a teacher and a dean. 

I enjoy the solitude, peace, and order of monastic life. I have learned acceptance and can be at harmony with the community. Also, the Rule of St. Benedict begins with an important word: Listen. As a monk, I hear the Word several times a day, and I am given spiritual nourishment every day. Subiaco has a true community spirit. Our brothers are here to share our burden and have our backs. 
 

Tell Us More About Yourself!

Favorite Book of the Bible?
Sirach
Favorite verse/verses in the Bible? 
Matthew 25:31-46; Sirach 51:1-12; Psalm 63; Philippians 4:4-9; John 8:1-11
Do you play a musical instrument? If so, which instrument?
Guitar and Keyboards
Favorite Day of the Liturgical Year?
Christmas
Prefer to read a book or watch a movie?
I enjoy both; but a movie if I had to choose one.
Starting after high school graduation, what are the schools/colleges/universities that you have attended?
Mount St. Mary's College; Writer's Digest School-Redding Ridge, CT; American Radio Network; Rutgers University; Arkansas Tech. University; St. John's College Graduate Institute
Right-handed or left-handed?
Right-handed
Favorite sport to watch?
NFL Football
Favorite sport’s team?
All New York teams: Giants, Mets, Rangers, Knicks
What time do you wake up in the morning?
20 minutes before LAUDS (Morning Prayer)
Favorite saint or saints?
Mary, our Blessed Mother; St. Joseph of Nazareth; Sts. Peter and Phillip (Apostles); St. Paul of Tarsus; St. Vincent de Paul; St. Sir Thomas More; Popes Sts. Leo the Great, Gregory the Great, John XXIII; St. Therese of Lisieux; St. Teresa of Avila; St. John Bosco; St. Phillip Neri; St. Lucy Fillippini; (last, but not least) Sts. Benedict and Scholastica
Favorite place you have travelled?
Arizona, Britain, and Ireland
What are some of your hobbies?
Reading, music, history, professional sports enthusiast
What is the name of a book you have recently read or a movie you have recently watched?
Book:  The True Story of the Mutiny on H.M.S. Bounty by Caroline Alexander; Movie: The Irishman
If you could meet any person dead or alive, who would it be?
Jesus Christ
Who is the monk that inspired you the most—and why?
Fr. David McKillin inspires me most because of his wisdom, counsel, compassion, and perseverance in his vocation-- a TRUE monk!!
What type of music do you usually listen to?
Classic Rock 'n' Roll
What are your three favorite foods?
Cheese Pizza, Beef Burgers & Steaks, Mashed Potatoes
What are your three favorite drinks?
Coca-Cola, Cranberry Juice, Water
If you could have just one dessert for your last meal, what would it be?
Breyers Vanilla Ice Cream
Why did you choose the name you were given in Religious Life?
I chose Joseph of Nazareth because he was ordinary, and we don't have any scholarly treatises attributed to him or reports of extraordinary accomplishments that the "world" in all its attentiveness to vain-glory would ever appreciate. Joseph's unwillingness to expose Mary as an adulteress, and subject Mary to punishment ascribed in the Law of Moses has always made a deep impression on me. Joseph is also a popular name among my kinsfolk. I attended St. Joseph's Preparatory Seminary (Plainsboro, New Jersey) from 1975-1977, an experience which produced lifelong friendships, a wonderful fellowship, and solid spiritual roots thanks to those equally wonderful Vincentian Fathers and Brothers.
What were the other names you requested to receive at profession?
Boniface and David (Bede was another name I considered). I chose Boniface because I did a 45-minute presentation on St. Boniface for Fr. Hugh's (very blessed memory) Benedictine Saint's class near the end of my novitiate year.
Who had the most influence on you growing up?
The Vincentian Fathers and Brothers; My Dad, the late David Heath, Sr.; for the practice and teachings of my Catholic religion it would be my maternal grandmother Mary Boyle-Bachmeyer and great aunt Helen "Nennie" Boyle-Strauch who each played key roles in this regard.