Br. Mel Stinson, O.S.B.

What Led You to Become a Monk at Subiaco?

I grew up on the beautiful West Coast of Florida, 22 miles from Tampa International Airport, and a half-mile from the Gulf of Mexico, in the small little town of Palm Harbor (Palm Harbor is neither small or little any more; about eight miles north of Clearwater and beautiful Clearwater Beach).

I grew up in the Baptist Faith and was active in my church in Sunday School, youth activities, choir, a quartet, and a duet.  My best friend from 9th grade till I entered the Navy was my Pastor's son. We went camping, fishing, boating and exploring Honey Moon Island which was 3 miles off shore before they built the causeway and made it a State Park and began charging an entrance fee. We did everything together. Sometimes we would finish each others sentence or say the exact same thing at the same time.  When you saw one, you saw the other. 
  
In the 10th grade I began to question my faith and began to talk with some of the students who were Catholic, especially Dennis Neal and his identical twin brother, David, who were Altar Severs at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Tarpon Springs. Sadly, Captain Dennis Neal, US Army, is still MIA in Vietnam. I first began to question my Baptist Faith when I came to believe the Blessed Sacrament was the real presence of Christ. Dennis introduced me to Fr. William Neauhaus and he answered a lot of my question. Another friend introduced me to Fr. William Duboise at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and I talked with him on several occasions.   

After graduation from Tarpon Springs High School in 1963, I worked for a couple of years, then enlisted into the Navy, and left for Boot Camp on July 30, 1965. After completing Boot Camp at Great Lakes, IL, in October of 1965, I received orders to a small dispensary at the Norfolk Naval Air Station, VA. Then in August, 1966, I received my orders to Hospital Corps School at Great Lakes, IL, which is what I had requested. After Corps School in November 1966, I would be stationed in Norfolk, VA, U.S. Naval Hospital; Camp Lejeune, NC, where I worked on a Medical floor, the Burn Unit, and eventually as 3-11 Corpsman in charge of the ER at the Naval Hospital.  In August of 1967, I received orders to the 2nd MAF, to learn the Marine's way of doing things in preparation to serve with the Marines as a Corpsman in Vietnam. In February of 1968 I was stationed at Camp Schwab Counter Guerilla Warfare Training Facility, Okinawa. Then in April of 1968, I was off to my Marine Company, CAP Papa 6, a Combined Action Platoon in the village of Cam Lo, Vietnam, with 15 Marines and 30 Vietnamese Troops who live in the village.  I returned to the States in November, 1968, and was discharged in May, 1969.

When I got to my first duty station in Norfolk, VA, I began to take instructions with the Catholic Chaplain. While I was in Hospital Corps School at Great Lakes, I completed my instructions from Chaplain Lt. Daniel Finn.  Finally, after 7 years and 5 or 6 priests, Fr. Daniel Finn baptized me at the U.S. Naval Hospital Chapel at Great Lakes, IL.  

I was then stationed at Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital when I met Chaplain Lt. Fr. John.  We talked and I expressed my interest and desire for Religious life as Brother. I knew very little about the different religious orders, but I was interested in the Orders that did hospital work. 
 
After I was discharged from the Navy in 1969, at the U.S. Naval Hospital, Jacksonville, FL, my two buddy's and I, all discharged at the same time, became the first of four male Nursing Assistants hired by Memorial Hospital of Jacksonville; all of us were Navy Corpsmen.
  
I became active in my parish as Mass Lector. One day I went for a long walk on Jacksonville Beach, and GOD and I had a long talk. I was trying to decide about that deep desire to serve GOD in a religious vocation. I spoke with Fr. Thomas Gordon at my parish, and also Fr. Michael at another parish. In 1973, I accepted a position as a Surgical Technologist at Lakeland General Hospital, Lakeland, FL. I became very active in my local chapter of Surgical Technologists and accepted an appointment as a member of the National Education Committee for our region, which was four South Eastern States, and eventually chaired the committee. I was appointed to the Onsite Visitation Team for Accreditation of Surgical Technology Programs. I later ran for the National Nominations Committee, was elected, and also chaired that committee.  I was also very active in my parish of St. Joseph, in Lakeland, as Lector, Cantor, training of Altar Servers, and Eucharistic Minister.

I enjoyed my work, had a nice apartment, nice car, my comfortable old Siamese (Rufus), 3 weeks paid vacation a year, and was close to my family. My dear Aunt Maggie lived in Lakeland along with her daughter and family.  I developed some great friendships, some of whom I still keep in contact with, but something wasn't right.  My life was missing something.
  
I spoke with Fr. Les Brown, an assistant pastor. After our conference he said: "I hear you saying what you want, but have you ever asked GOD what He wants you to do?" WOW! ! !  It was like someone turned on the light!  We talked a little more and then I left, went to the church and knelt before the Tabernacle, and with tears said:  "Lord, I've tried and I don't know what to do. Do you want me to enter a religious community, or stay and do what I am doing now?  Lord, what do YOU want me to do?"  

It was close to Christmas, and friends asked me to join them for Midnight Mass at St. Leo Abbey, a Benedictine Monastery just 35 miles N.W. of Lakeland. After Mass, we went to the refectory for coffee and hospitality.  One of the monks who was speaking with my friends, turned to me and asked:  "Have you ever thought about religious life?"  Ah!?  I answered, "Yes, I have."  Brother then asked me what orders I had looked at. I mentioned them and after each one he said "So did I."  I said these are nursing orders.  He then said, "I'm an RN!"  I said I didn't think Benedictines did nursing.  He said: "When you join the monastery, whatever gifts or talents you have you use in helping to support the monastery and its work. We continued our conversation and I was invited back for a visit. Being only 35 miles from where I lived, I visited many times. 

Five months later, I resigned from Lakeland Regional and entered St. Leo Abbey.  After my Candidacy, I entered the Novitiate.  I was assigned as Guest Master, Assistant Youth Minister at the Pilgrim Center, St. Leo's Retreat Center.  However, there was still the strong longing to work as a Surgical Technologist.  Lakeland and Tampa had hospitals where I could work, but they were 35 miles away. In surgery you have to be "on call" in case of  an emergency, and you have to be at the hospital within 15 - 20 minutes; so, that was not going to work.

On vacation in 1996, I visited a friend who was a former Youth Minister in St. Petersburg, and had entered St. Pius X Abbey in Columbia, MO. There were five (5) hospitals within 4 miles of the Abbey. I spoke with the Abbot before I left and did a lot of praying, soul searching, and crying.  I spoke with Abbot Fidelis when I arrived back, a couple of close brother monks at St. Leo, and with my family and a few close friends.  So it was with a very heavy heart, and again a lot of tears, that I submitted my request to transfer from St. Leo Abbey to St. Pius X Abbey.
 
About 8 months after I arrived at Pius X Abbey, I asked the Abbot if I could place my application at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia. I enjoyed my return to the O.R. and was surprised how fast a lot of techniques and procedures returned. Though a lot of advances in instruments, techniques, and procedures had been made in the 7 years since I last scrubbed, a lot was very much the same. 
 
St. Pius X was a small community with 16 monks.  The monks were given Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Columbia to become the new monastery and to staff the parish and school. A few decided they wanted to go and serve as priests in a diocese. so we began to have monks leave monastic life.  Vocations are not as plentiful as they were in the 50's and 60's.  Unfortunately, we became a very small community of nine, so the decision was made that St. Pius X Abbey should be suppressed (closed).  That was extremely difficult, painful, and heartbreaking for all of us.  It was like a death. 

Abbot Jerome Kodell, OSB, the Abbot of Subiaco at that time, then extended an offer of hospitality for a year so that we could visit other monasteries and make our decision as to what monastery GOD might be directing us.
 
I had already visited and spent time at five different Benedictine monasteries.  So, I was in the process of trying to decide where I would like to go. Then, I began to look at Subiaco which had fifty-two monks at that time. It was a rural community in the beautiful Arkansas River Valley. The monastery was surrounded by forest and pastureland for the herd of cattle they owned.  The monk priests staffed many parishes in Arkansas and Texas and Subiaco Academy provided a great opportunity for those who wanted to teach. Coury House Retreat and Guest Facility offered opportunities for those who wanted to serve the monastery providing retreats and hospitality to church groups and individuals, youth groups, families of the academy students, and individuals whom GOD sent our way. Plus, there was maintenance,  the grounds,  gardens, vineyards, snd even a Health Center.
  
The Office and Mass are at the heart of our daily activity, and time for personal and private prayer is worked into the daily Horarium.  So, I spoke with my spiritual director and said that I believed Subiaco was where GOD was directing me. I had the opportunity to serve GOD and the community in many different ways. Some, I soon found out, I had never in my wildest imagination thought I would be doing.  I was assigned to teach Religion for the Freshman and Sophomore Class. The Abbot next appointed me Assistant Guest Master to Fr. Aaron, Director and Guestmaster of Coury House.  Eventually I would be assigned as Master of Ceremonies, Oblate Director, and then to the Abbey Health Center.  So, God opens new opportunities for us when we least expect it!
  
On the occasion of my 25 Anniversary of Monastic Profession, I was asked how I felt after 25 years of monastic life.  I stated:  "God has been good.  He has given me all I need, more than I expected and a lot more than I deserve.  I would like to hang around for another 25 years to see what else he has in store."

On August 6th, The Feast of Transfiguration of Our Lord, I quietly celebrated my 39th anniversary of Monastic Profession.  "Deo Gratias!"  So far, GOD has not disappointed me. I have no regrets. I have a wonderful community of brother monks here at Subiaco, and I know I am where GOD wants me to be!   
 

"Ut in Omnibus Glorificetur Deus."  
 

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“There is time for rejoicing here. You may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials.  That is so that your faith, which is more precious than fire tried gold, may by its genuineness be revealed for praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ appears.  Although you have never seen him, you love him; even though you do not see Him now, yet you believe in Him, and rejoice with an indescribable joy, as you attain the goal of your faith, your salvation.”