2026 Vocations Awareness Supplement
The ‘habits’ of Saint Meinrad monks are seen in their daily prayer and work
Benedictine Father Kolbe Wolniakowski coaches youths in proclaiming Scripture on June 27 during a One Bread One Cup youth liturgical leadership conference at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad. Formation of youths, lay adults, future deacons and future priests is a central part of the ministry of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad. (Photo courtesy of Saint Meinrad Archabbey)
By Fr. Simon Hermann, O.S.B. (Special to The Criterion)
Habits are the clothing that Benedictine monks wear at Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad. But more important than the black tunic, scapular and belt they wear are the “habits”—the gifts and virtues—that the monks of Saint Meinrad embody in their common life together.
In learning about these “habits,” maybe you will see them reflected in a young man in your community and invite him to consider being a monk. Or maybe you are that young man. Maybe you’ll see the habits of the monks in yourself. If you do, then maybe you can have a discernment conversation with me, Father Simon. I serve as Saint Meinrad’s vocations director.
Our primary formation ministry is that of our seminary. Many monks are involved in teaching and forming men for the priesthood. This year, we have 117 men in formation for the priesthood, so it takes many monks to be professors, spiritual directors and formation mentors for the seminarians.
Some of our other formation ministries include our graduate theology program, our permanent deacon formation program, One Bread One Cup, which is our high school youth and summer college internship, our retreats at our Guest House and our external ministries like parish missions, parish Mass assistance, chaplaincies and retreats in dioceses or at religious communities.
Each monastery is different. Our primary focus at Saint Meinrad is that of formation ministry. It is beautiful to see the creativity of the Holy Spirit at work in the broad variety of ministries found in Benedictine communities across our country and around the world. Many have guest houses for guests to make retreats. Others have high schools and colleges. Some are involved with hands-on labor, arts and other crafts. But the foundation of any monastic community’s work is prayer.
At Saint Meinrad, we pray together five times a day, including at a Mass celebrated daily. We also have two times set aside each day for lectio divina (prayerfully engaging with Scripture or other spiritual texts). God nourishes and sustains us in our prayer, and he gives life to our work through our communal and private prayer.
All of this prayer and work is the framework of the Benedictine life going all the way back to St. Benedict himself 1,500 years ago. “Ora et labora,” the Latin words for “prayer and work,” is a motto for Benedictines around the world that summarizes their vocation and the common life they share together.
It is in this prayer and work that the habits of the Benedictine monks of Saint Meinrad Archabbey are seen and come to life.
One way for a person to think about his or her vocation is to take to prayer with God and conversation with trusted friends and mentors the question of where you can best love God, best love your neighbor and best love yourself. What might it look like for a man to love and serve in those three ways at Saint Meinrad?
The first and last areas go hand-in-hand. To love God and self well at Saint Meinrad as a Benedictine monk looks like desiring to love God in communal prayer and personal prayer, and growing in a deeper love of oneself through receiving from God in prayer.
A man who realizes he is a sinner and is in need of God’s grace and mercy makes for a great monk, and a great person seeking to become a monk. It was once said by a monk at Saint Meinrad that a monk is a man who falls down every day and, by God’s grace, gets back up again. When we realize how far God loves us into wholeness and holiness and growth, we are patient, kind and caring toward others who are on their journey as Christians, too.
How do we love our neighbor at Saint Meinrad as Benedictine monks and those whom God might be nudging to consider loving through the Benedictine way of life? We primarily love and serve and minister through our care of each other in the monastic community. That love, care and the ongoing transformation of our life and prayer together helps us monks at Saint Meinrad do formation ministry well.
Our formation ministry includes work in our seminary and school of theology as professors, formators, spiritual directors and administrative leadership and support. Formation ministry also includes leading retreats at Saint Meinrad or off campus, forming youths and college students through One Bread, One Cup, preaching parish missions, working in trades, developing and sharing artistic skills and working in other areas that support these formation ministries.
God may place on a young man’s heart the desire to help form various facets of the Church like those we serve at and through Saint Meinrad. He may sense a nudge to be part of our formation ministry. After a successful application to the monastery and in the initial formation stages of monastic life, a young man may discover new and growing gifts that God stirs in him to put to service for the glory of God at Saint Meinrad.
We do important work at Saint Meinrad for the sake of the Church. The Benedictine monks here contribute to building up a sacred and essential part of the Church’s life. We firmly believe God is calling young men to contribute to this formation ministry and the life of prayer at Saint Meinrad that serves as its foundation.
Maybe you or someone you know is a Catholic, single young man between the ages of 20 and 40 who sounds like he would make a great monk after reading this article. You or he are a young man who desires to know and love God in a community of 70 monks, knows he is a sinner in need of God’ s grace and mercy and has some gifts—known and unknown—that he is stirred to put to service for the glory of God, especially related to formation ministry at Saint Meinrad.
The Lord continues to call young men to be part of our Benedictine monastic life at Saint Meinrad. Look us up and let us know how we can aid you in your discernment. Contact me, Saint Meinrad’s vocation director, by e-mailing vocations@saintmeinrad.edu. You can also learn more about Saint Meinrad Archabbey by visiting saintmeinrad.org. †
