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Abbey is Open. Quarantine is over!

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We are pleased to inform you that the Abbot and monks of Saint Leo Abbey have ended their quarantine after testing negative for the virus. 
 
The Abbey Church and gift shop will reopen tomorrow morning by 9:00 am. Mass tomorrow will be celebrated at 12:00 pm.
 
As we hope to avoid another shutdown or worse, we will enforce the following safety measures on all our guests that wish to worship in the Abbey Church or visit the Abbey Gift Shop. No exceptions will be made. 
– All guests will wear a mask when in the Abbey Church and Abbey Gift Shop.
– All will enter through the front doors of the Abbey after washing their hands at the sinks in front of the main entrance. 
– Once inside the Abbey Church, please find a seat by using the center aisle and choosing a pew that is not blocked off. 
– Please respect social distancing by sitting at least six feet from other guests, families, of course, may sit together in the available pews. 
– Guests will not be permitted to sit in the choir stalls with the monks until further notice. 
– For the reception of Holy Communion, please remain at your pew as a minister will bring the Eucharist to you so there will be less movement among the faithful. 
– The Consecrated Host will be received on the hand while the communicant stands, for those that do not wish to receive on the hand, please cross your arms on your chest so you may receive a blessing. Communion will not be distributed on the tongue for anyone during the ongoing pandemic.
– Once the celebration has ended, all will exit to the right of their pew following the designated signs, starting with the back rows going forward.
– Worship aids will not be given out during this time. Those who wish to pray with us or follow
 

I want to apologize for closing the Abbey for the third time during the ongoing pandemic.

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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

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ASH WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE

MASS AT NOON

ASHES DISTRIBUTED FROM 1:30 – 4:30

 

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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!

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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.

 

THE ABBEY’S OBLATE CHRISTMAS PARTY-2018

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On December 2, 2018:
About 60 oblates and their guests enjoyed the annual oblate Christmas party at Saint Leo Abbey. The oblates decorate the abbey’s lake room for Christmas and provide all the party supplies. Prior to the party the good monks prepare their Christmas-gift wish list.  Oblates may request the name of a monk drawn from a hat.  Those requesting the name of a monk are given the monk’s wish list as a suggestion for a gift the oblate may get for the monk. Oblates personally give the gift to their monk at the party.  All oblates bring a dessert to share as their ticket to the party.  Everyone had a fun time meeting and talking with the monks and the two new postulants Brother Felix and Father Michael. 

Silent Night Monks and Oblates from John Bakas on Vimeo.

 
Small groups of oblates and monks gathered for conversations. It is one of the main purposes of the party, meet and get to know the monks. Enjoying the desserts, the monks and oblates were catching up with old friends and new on the balcony of the lake room overlooking Lake Jovita, in the retreat library, or the coffee room.  The party included the monks and oblates singing Silent Night led by Brother Felix. Here is the video of singing and all the pictures of the party. [Links below]
 
If you are reading this, the oblates invite you to the next Christmas party which will be held near the first of December 2019.  For more information about the oblate program for all lay women and men, both Catholic and non-Catholic, contact oblate Brother Giovanni at stleooblates@gmail.com or call him at 813-228-8015.
 

Welcome Brother Felix – The Abbey’s Newest Candidate

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VOCATIONS

Brother Apollo-Vocations Director

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.