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eturning to Fr. Bernard’s and what it means to “shine” and “little talk” to faculty in the “burn.” Br. Charbel and Br. Michael fall, he wrote a second quote Kattady ’20 agree that the two just under the first, one very familiar phrases have to be taken together. At to the entire Cistercian community: the prep school, Br. Charbel notes, ardere et lucere (“enkindle and there is a tendency to reward those enlighten”), the School’s motto taken who “shine” with end-of-the-year from John 5:35 where Jesus refers ribbons, certificates, books and to John the Baptist as a “shining pins, honoring those who achieve and burning lamp.” Fr. Bernard visible success. “But the shining,” Br. stood before us, a member of the Michael insists, “has to come after the Cistercian community for over 60 burning, after the passionate pursuit years. Now in his mid-80s and nearly of the Good and the Beautiful.” He Jim Reisch blind, he stared out at us with a look then related an analogy for a ’good Br. Charbel Salhab ’20 of exhaustion. Yet, when he began burn’ he had heard involving the speaking, his words clothed his proper use of incense. “If you take a infirmities with a simple joy. “To translate ardere as handful and throw it into a blazing fire, it will have very ’enkindle’,” he began with a vigorous waving of his arm, little effect. But if you place a charcoal in a thurible, “simply won’t cut it; it is too weak a translation. The carefully light and blow it slowly to a white-hot heat, sense is rather ’to burn or burn up.’ adding just a couple of teaspoonfuls There is such passion in that word, of incense will create a properly The priests who teach in the such desire for holiness!” billowing smoke, which will then School generally play an important The sense of sacrifice, made in “rise up to Heaven.” So it is, Br. role in the boys’ lives; their so many different ways, still lives Michael is discovering, with monastic constant presence makes them on in the Monastery, even though life in general. “We are preparing much more available for spiritual just about all the early Hungarian for the long, slow burn whose ’shine’ counseling and direction. founders now ’reside’ in the crypt. is seen in the aroma, the aura, the Novice Br. Charbel Salhab ’20 often vibrant life of daily prayer, of liturgy found himself looking at his college friends who and the gift of the sacraments performed over a lifetime were making great sacrifices for their studies, friend of service to the Lord, and we’re doing it together, as a groups, and career goals, and he wondered, “Sacrifice community of men with very different personalities but for what?” What, he wondered, was all that passion united around a single goal of serving God.” really being expended for? “For what purpose,” in the words of St. Bernard, “had they come?” For him that purpose had to be something transcendent, something s Fr. Bernard brought his “little talk” to a close, associated with a more radical identification, one he chose the metaphor of a candle to make his rooted in the good soil that produced a hundred or final point. “As we all know, a candle consumes sixty or thirtyfold. Spending some time praying in the its own substance.” Then he turned to his final crypt, Br. Charbel agreed, helps the younger monks get quotation, written out neatly below the other two, in touch with the sacrifices made by this very diverse written this time in plain English: group of men. The vow of stability which unites those currently living “The ’institutional’ slides easily into “the past is history, the future a mystery, and the present is a gift. out their lives in the Monastery and the ’familial’ and the deep sense That’s why they call it the present” School with those whose lives have of community revolves around the (spoken by Master Oog in Kung Fu carried them into the crypt, is a ubiquitous presence of the same Panda). After reading it slowly off the central fact of this ’good harvest.’ black and white habits worn by board, he then turned to face us. “On George Saliga, a member of the men who live a common life under a seven different occasions, I renewed senior class, noted that taking the single roof and who are addressed my vows, and on each occasion, I vow of stability “establishes a tone by the first names given to them began my response with ’Adsum!’ whose effect, like the effect of light when they enter the Monastery,” [I am present]. That ’present’ still on a prism, is felt everywhere in the said Peter Saliga, longtime history echoes through my life; I am still School,” while another senior, Josh teacher and mentor to many, both affirming that vocation, and it is still Hays, could see the beauty in that current students and alumni. a gift. Such obedience to that call, rootedness. “We’re surrounded by for all of us, however, has a cost. My men who are very different, yet each candle has about burned out.” takes his vocation seriously, and all live their lives With that, Fr. Bernard threw out his arms and joyfully. How can we not be inspired by that?” said finished his point: “What you see standing before you is Hays. a puddle of wax. Yet, I gave it my all… and I loved it!” • There is much discussion about the School’s motto
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Continuum SPRING 2025