On Aug. 28, Br. Paul celebrated the 60th anniversary of taking his first vows as a Cistercian monk. To mark the occasion, he addressed the community during the weekly Chapter meeting on Aug. 23.
During the talk, Br. Paul gave a brief overview of his experiences as a monk. “I spent the first 10 years thinking I wasn’t good enough for the monastery and then the next 10 years thinking the monastery wasn’t good enough for me,” he laughed. Br. Paul lived through many changes in the monastery, the Order and the Church. He spoke about living through the renovations – architectural and otherwise – in the 1960s and afterward, about his role in Thomas Merton organizations, his poetry, photography and experiences as a Junior Master both at Gethsemani and in Nigeria.
Please join us in saying a prayer of thanks for Br. Paul’s perseverance in our community. Ad multos annos!
