Keith Connelly has completed his year of postulancy here at Gethsemani and has been welcomed into the novitiate. When a member of the community enters the novitiate, he receives the habit and officially becomes a brother, with an official name.

Postulant Keith chose the name Br. Gerard after the Redemptorist saint, Gerard Majella. His feast day will be Oct 16.

During the ceremony for the reception of a novice, which took place during our regular Sunday chapter meeting, Abbot Elias gave a talk to the new novice and to the community about the meaning of the novitiate and monastic life in general.

The novitiate lasts for two years, during which time Br. Gerard will learn more about the history of monasticism, the history of our Order, Gethsemani’s place in that history, and monasticism’s relevance in the world today.