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I want to apologize for closing the Abbey for the third time during the ongoing pandemic.
December 14, 2020
Greetings to our friends of Saint Leo Abbey,
It was necessary to close again because we are under quarantine as one of the kitchen employees
tested positive for the coronavirus. Since we were exposed to her, the monks were all tested.
Thanks be to God, the monks have tested negative, but we will be tested again this week to
ensure we do not have the virus at the end of our quarantine. We will send an email telling you
if we are infected or not.
In one of his recent meditations given during Mass, Brother Lucius told us that we were acting
as the Desert Fathers, the monks of the early Church. These early monks lived in cells, many
times caves, and only came together for the Eucharist. During these days, we are doing that
under quarantine, praying in our monastic cells, eating alone, and only gathering for the Eucharist.
We are such a small community that we cannot risk putting each other at risk; if Godforbid,
we are ill.
I invite you to join us from your homes to meditate on the idea of praying. To pray is something
that Saint Paul says we should do without interruption. That, my friends, is the call of the
monks to pray without ceasing.
Many books try to teach us how to pray. However, Saint Benedict offers a simple path for the
Monks, and I am inviting you to follow it. Benedict says that we should pray using the psalms.
Then Benedict strongly recommends the Bible, the Holy Scriptures, which we call Lectio Divina.
If we do Lectio Divina every day, we will be able to read, pray, meditate, and finally contemplate
God every single moment of our lives.
If you want a one or two pages long explanation of how to do Lectio Divina, please let me
know, and I will send it to you.
Once again, I want to say that I am sorry for closing the Abbey to the public. I hope and pray
that we will have good news by the end of this week; please pray for us. I cannot wait to have
you with us for the Midnight Mass of Christmas.
May the Lord God bless you and keep you. May He smile upon you and give you peace.
Peace,
Abbot Isaac
Death notice: Br. Bill Orosz
Death notice: Fr. Robert Velton
ASH WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE
MASS AT NOON
ASHES DISTRIBUTED FROM 1:30 – 4:30
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Brother Lucius Amarillas, O.S.B.,
to Profess Solemn Vows on July 14
Brother Lucius Amarillas, O.S.B., a junior Benedictine monk of Saint Leo Abbey, will profess solemn vows during Mass at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 14, 2019, at Saint Leo Abbey. Professing solemn vows will bind Brother Lucius to the monastery and the Benedictine order for the remainder of his life.
All are invited to attend this joyous occasion! If you cannot attend in person, you are invited to pray for Brother Lucius and watch the live video stream of the Mass via Saint Leo Abbey’s Facebook page.
Brother Lucius was born in Manteca, California and grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada. After graduating high school, he moved to Florida and began studying religion at Saint Leo University. There, he started discerning a vocation with the Benedictine monks who founded the university.
For the last four years, Lucius has been through monastic formation, which consists of studying monastic history, Scripture, liturgy, and community life. Within the Abbey community, Lucius has been assigned several jobs from baking bread, cleaning and caring for the Abbey Church, and serving as the Abbot’s master of liturgical celebrations. With immense gratitude to Abbot Isaac, the monks of Saint Leo Abbey, as well as many others who have prayed for and accompanied him on his journey, Lucius looks forward to professing solemn vows of obedience, stability, and conversion of life. Following his profession of solemn vows, Lucius will continue graduate studies in theology at Saint Leo University and Saint John’s University, Collegeville.
Becoming a monk and taking Solemn Vows
The formation of a monk consists of a few stages the candidate progresses through: postulancy, novitiate, and juniorate. Following at least three years of the juniorate, if approved by the community, the junior monk may profess solemn vows, which binds him to the monastery and the Benedictine order for the remainder of his life.
These vows are unique to the Benedictine order. “Obedience” requires that the monk obeys his superior, the Abbot, and his successors. “Stability” requires that the monk remains a member of the particular monastic community in which he is making his vows, in this case, Saint Leo Abbey. Finally, “Conversion of Life” declares that the monk is indeed promising to live a life differently than the rest of the world, a life which is centered on monastic practices aiming for holiness.
Half way point of Lent: Some Encouraging words!
March 29 2019
Half way point of Lent; Words of Encouragement!
Lent is a time to direct ourselves a little more intentionally to grow in holiness. We prepare ourselves to welcome the Lord of light, truth, and goodness into our hearts and minds. Anything that can bring us closer to Christ is a treasure to be fervently desired. We are turning away from darkness by welcoming the Light of Life.
It is only through God’s grace that we can find the courage to look upon our lives to search for the times we have turned our backs on God. If we dare look we will find where we have at times failed to heed His voice and instead pursued our own agenda. We have often found ourselves unprepared to turn away from our personal pursuits in order to respond to Jesus when he has called us to a better way. Lent is a time to foster our resources to turn to the Lord, asking for his grace to cleanse our hearts and abide with us. Come Lord Jesus!
If we consider the many words of Jesus that we have cast behind our backs we may find cause for great concern. There is a powerful latent force within us that slows our response to the inspirations of God. There are the many times we heard Jesus’ voice but were too busy to grasp them. We have heard his voice many times and acquiesced to the thoughts of our imagination that said we would find a more opportune time to grasp his words and make them come true in our life.
Let’s look for some of the words behind our backs and put them into effect. When we please God by doing what he wills for us to do he gives us the happiness of a clean conscience. Jesus is always ready to help us when we call upon him. He is a God who transcends our smallness of heart and resources to do good.
CONCERT AT THE ABBEY FEATURES PETER McKINZIE ON THE ORGAN. DECEMBER 22 2018 AT 7PM
There will be an organ concert celebrating Christmas Music by Mr. Peter McKinzie. All are invited to enjoy the rich sounds of the Abbey Organ as Peter displays it’s many bells and whistles (and horns). The concert will be held December 22nd 2018 at 7 PM in the Abbey Church. Enjoy!
Below is a sample from one of Peter’s previous recitals.
A
THE ABBEY’S OBLATE CHRISTMAS PARTY-2018

Silent Night Monks and Oblates from John Bakas on Vimeo.
ABBEY’S NEW POSTULANTS
ON DECEMBER 3 2018, THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, ST LEO ABBEY WELCOMES TWO NEW POSTULANTS: BR FELIX AND FR MICHAEL.
Welcome Brother Felix – The Abbey’s Newest Candidate
VOCATIONS

The vocation process at St. Leo Abbey is designed for a young man to simply explore the reality, beyond many misconceptions about monastic life, without any final decisions at this point.
The abbey perhaps even more than the candidate wants all candidates to be sure when the time comes. The vocation process is slow and supportive, personal and positive. Up to the final vows far in the future, the young man is free to leave as a friend of the abbey and with its blessing.
A Postulant. Second step to become a monk. All men enter the abbey as a candidate for a period of several months which leads to his postulancy. The postulancy is a time of discernment while living in the community. It allows time to learn if his attraction is something he wants to continue. A postulant will wear the monastic tunic. It is about a six-month period. At the beginning of the Advent Season this year Br. Felix will become a postulant if he desires to proceed a step further in his monastic vocation and the abbot agrees. But he still has not made a final commitment. This is a long journey of faith. A man does not become a monk overnight or without having lived as one for several years in the fellowship of the abbey’s brotherhood. Going through all the steps to become a monk and a life-long member of a monastery takes a minimum of five years and may be ten years or more. At some point the young man comes to see that the rigor and disciplines of monastic life are ways to greater freedom in Christ, not less.
The Novitiate. Third step to become a monk. After the postulant and the abbot agree that the postulant is ready for the next step, the postulant enters the novitiate, a time of learning more deeply of monastic life. He is given the monastic scapular to wear over the tunic and is given a new name, often the name of one of the desert fathers.
The Junior Monk. Fourth step to become a monk. After a yearlong time of growth and discernment the novice may become a junior monk by the profession of simple vows. During this time he realizes another basic truth: monastic life is not so much what one gives up, but about the riches of God’s grace and love that are gained.
As a junior monk he receives the full monastic habit. These simple vows are for one year. He repeats these simple vows each year for a total of three years. The junior monk is free to leave at the end of each of the three year periods if he discerns with the help of the formation director that monastic life is not his calling. At the end of three years of simple vows the junior monk is still free to leave if he so desires.
The Solemnly Professed Monk. Fifth step to become a monk. After three years as a junior monk, the young man, now fully understanding the liberty of the monastic disciplines may enter into solemn vows if he is accepted by the community. At this point the monk is no longer free to leave the monastery and in fact no longer wants to leave. Throughout the 1,500-year history of the Benedictines, the path to become a monk is not the path of the weak or timid. Nothing is equal to the spiritual courage, the full armor from the Lord, and strength he receives from our loving God.