H I S T O RY
M
onastic mission
Small Beginnings: The Invitation to Tulsa
In 2007, His Excellency, Bishop Edward J. Slattery invited me to T U L S A , O K L A H O M A T O I R E L A N D the Diocese of Tulsa to pursue, under his paternal authority, a a recollection by Dom Mark Daniel Kirby, Prior simple monastic life under the Rule of Saint Benedict, characterized by adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, in intercession for the sanctification of priests, in reparation for the sins that disfigure the Face of Christ the Priest, and in a readiness to accompany priests on their journey toward holiness. I began living this “vocation within a vocation” after more than twenty–five years of monastic life, in the relative solitude of a little rented house in Tulsa. Soon, however, other men heard of what is, in effect, a new expression of traditional Benedictine life, and asked to discern whether or not God was calling them to embrace it. A number of men have come, tested themselves here, and gone on to other things. Such comings and goings are to be expected. For each of us, they are part of bigger design woven by Divine Providence. Dom Benedict Andersen, currently a deacon, will (God willing) be ordained to the priesthood this year. Other men are waiting to experience our life and, with God’s grace, pursue it.
From the beginning of my experience in Tulsa, I understood that this new expression of Benedictine life was to reflect the mysteries of the Cenacle, that is the “Upper Room” in which Our Lord washed His Apostles’ feet, instituted the Sacraments of the Priesthood and of the Most Holy Eucharist, and appeared to His Apostles after His Resurrection. The Cenacle is also the place wherein Our Blessed Lady and the Apostles persevered in prayer for nine days after the Ascension of Jesus, waiting for the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Considering these things, it seemed fitting that the new monastery, erected with Bishop Slattery’s blessing, should be named for Our Lady of the Cenacle. Before long the need for a larger house became evident. By an act of Providence, one Saturday morning a local physician, a devout Orthodox Christian, appeared on the doorstep of my provisional little monastery. This was the beginning of a blessed friendship with Dr. Tracy Loper. Dr. Loper recommended that I lease the house of one of his colleagues, suggesting that it might be a suitable place for our embryonic monastic community. This house, located at 1132 East 21st Street in Tulsa, became the Monastery of Our Lady of the Cenacle and, as such, has served us well.
Need for Silence and Space It became clear that a rural setting was needed both for the accommodation of men trying their vocations and for hospitality to priests in search of silence, rest, and spiritual refreshment in the radiance of Our Lord’s Eucharistic Face. We began searching for a suitable property within the Diocese of Tulsa. All our explorations came to nought. In June 2011 I was invited to address ADORATIO, an international convocation on Eucharistic Adoration, held in 4
Silverstream Priory • www.cenacleosb.org