Teaching God in m any Ways

The daily lives of 20 Cistercian Monks combine a prayerful, structured schedule with the challenges and opportunities of a college prep school

Dr. Tom Pruit

This year, among the 64 members of its faculty and staff, Cistercian had a record-setting 20 monks who were making the trek ’over the hill’ to the School to teach, and four novices helping with confirmation. Of the 63 courses offered in the fall, 24 were offered by monks, and there is at least one monk in every academic department. In addition, the headmaster, as well as the heads of both the middle and upper school, is a monk as are the dean of students and the director of maintenance. Monks sponsor various clubs, including those involved with community service, pro-life, the yearbook, and student council. Six of the teaching monks are alumni with two more alumni novices eagerly awaiting the opportunity to join the teaching ranks next year.

How does this influence of monks make Cistercian different from other schools—monastic, parochial, private and public? What sets us apart as an institution? Fr. Denis Farkasfalvy, whose firm commitment both to the School’s mission and to its mere survival throughout the early years never wavered, was once asked, “Why, given your expertise in and acclaim for your theological studies (he had been appointed by Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Biblical Commission), aren’t you teaching theology?” He responded to the question with his characteristic terseness, “I am teaching God through teaching math.” That sentiment certainly captures the current state of affairs among the monks who are teaching in the School. Fr. Lawrence Brophy ’01, who is now the Head of Upper School, has followed in those footsteps of his former teacher and mentor, teaching math, being a Form Master (in the midst of his second time around) and working in administration.

While unable to profile all 20 monks and four novices in these few pages, one can easily see the underlying theme—these men are monks and brothers, but they share life far beyond theology and religion with all who know them.

At the beginning of a faculty and staff meeting last fall, Fr. Bernard Marton began a short personal reflection by writing Bernarde, ad quid venisti? [Bernard, for what purpose have you come?] on the board behind him. In the quotation, “Bernard” refers to St. Bernard, who used this phrase to check himself, to examine his motives before taking an action. Fr. Bernard has posed that question to himself over and over again in his life as a Cistercian monk. Throughout his time at the School and well beyond, Fr. Bernard has been a witness of faith. He has offered Mass to countless students, shepherded a record six classes through as Form Master, taught a variety of subjects, served as headmaster and college counselor, and kept control of afternoon carpool pickup, all proof positive that the witnessing of faith appears in different ways.

What is perhaps most attractive about having so many “men in black and white” among the faculty is that they are all in a sense “teaching God” but are doing it through many different avenues. Graduating senior John Weinberg experienced this firsthand: “I’m not Catholic and therefore am not drawn to the priesthood for myself, but I have to say that my experience here for eight years around the monks has been that, though some of them do actually teach theology, none of them treat it merely as a subject to be learned. They live it every day for all of us to see. That’s very cool.”

Sitting atop his “sweet ride” (which he has affectionately named ‘Rhonda, the red Honda’), Fr. Christopher Kalan certainly represents a new phase in Cistercian “monkdom” as he is the first monk to oversee the entire 82-acre property as Director of Maintenance. In the words of Tim Parker, his immediate boss, “Fr. Christopher is simply doing an excellent job. He has an uncanny ability to identify problems, fix them quickly, and, like Superman, he can change quickly out of his clothes which identify him as part of the maintenance crew into his habit which identifies him as part of God’s crew.”

As the “maintenance monk” (though he also teaches computer, is a ’go-to’ for most issues either the boys or faculty may have with technology, and will be the Form Master for the incoming Class of 2033), he has a unique perspective: “No day is ever the same. The physical aspect of the Monastery includes not only the abbey buildings and those of the School but all the grounds as well, so something somewhere always needs attention. The variety of problems is a challenge, but one I take on gladly.”

Coming first to the University of Dallas from a farm in southern California, what attracted Fr. Raphael Schaner to the abbey was simply the community life, in which everyone seemed to be working so hard at so many different tasks. “I saw many very different, very normal men who were facing a lot of individual challenges but who saw them not as problems first but as blessings.” In addition to teaching theology, sponsoring the yearbook, and teaching visual art electives, Fr. Raphael offers farming electives, which give students the opportunity to get their hands in the soil as gardeners and to become more intentional stewards of the earth. In July 2023, Fr. Raphael and Fr. Ambrose Strong accepted, on behalf of the School, a gift of four beehives from the family of a Cistercian student, transporting them in the back of a pickup truck to the open landscape behind the abbey. Since then, an important segment of each of his farming electives, spring and fall, includes the intricate processes first of harvesting (properly suited up!) and then of “jarring” the honey produced by these now localized bees. “The students, both in and out of the elective, are universally intrigued by the way in which these little fellow creatures live. There’s something mystical about them—a grand design found in such a tiny package,” said Fr. Raphael.

On a different side of campus, one of Fr. Anthony Bigney’s deepest aspirations is to become a saint— and be known as the saint of third base coaches. He would be, we’re pretty sure, unique in that role. “Fr. Anthony is an integral part of our baseball program. I am appreciative of him, not only as a Form Master and spiritual advisor, but for all he brings as a coach. He knows the game of baseball, and his passion for the game ignites something in the boys and the coaches,” said Ricky Barrett, varsity baseball coach. Cheerful, witty, known for his nearly endless supply of unique socks and for uttering a kind word to everyone he meets, he is a second-time Form

Master and teaches both history and religion in the middle school. He has also served as director of admissions and still can be seen occasionally leading tours of the School. He simply seems to radiate the joy of the Gospel. Every alumnus who has had Fr. Mark Ripperger for Form III Science remembers the yearly rocket project, and some are likely still to have the remnants of their rocket stashed away. After a lengthy preparation over several days in the spring, third formers can be seen proceeding out to the Hidden Field behind Fr. Mark, who always dons a white lab coat over his Cistercian habit and will be seen sporting a red baseball cap—indicating that he’s the one who controls the button which sends the rockets “soaring into the air, to land who knows where.” The red cap is not random; it is the actual one Fr. Mark wore while teaching at the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Firefighting Training Program onboard his submarine. The red cap indicates the person in charge and the one whose job it is to teach and keep others safe. Fr. Mark, who serves God humbly and quietly, manages the computer network, teaches Form III physics, and is also the founding and current sponsor of the award-winning and wildly popular Robotics Club.

With more than half a century as student and then teacher, Abbot Fr. Peter Verhalen ’73 has insisted, both as Abbot and formerly as Headmaster, that he keep his hand in the classroom. That stability has not gone unnoticed by students. “Since he teaches my Form this year, I’ve noticed he gets the biggest smile on his face when he sees me at Mass with my family on Sunday morning,” said Levi Hebert, Form III. Abbot Peter currently teaches English Lab in the middle school, though for many years he taught the most grueling and difficult of classes—Form IV Latin. He began his teaching career, however, as a high school English teacher, shepherding sophomores through British literature. He has brought God to his students over these many years in many ways in the classroom—through Latin and English as subjects but also as the delicate balance between imposed discipline and personal interest, engaging the head and the heart in the pursuit of wisdom. “Fr. Peter is a tremendously important man, with a lot of things on his to-do list that might seem more important than seventh-grade English Lab. But it’s more than simply teaching boys how to diagram a sentence. It’s about being a presence in their lives, making a connection, establishing a relationship. By teaching them ELab, he shows them that they are important,” said Fr. Anthony.

In the classroom, Fr. Ambrose Strong teaches both religion and Latin while shepherding his second group of boys as Form Master. What really sets him apart in the students’ eyes is that as the sponsor for Student Council, he takes on the monumental task of coordinating the annual Homecoming preparations, remaining right in the thick of things from start to finish, as well as helping the boys coordinate all other StuCo activities—the various parties and other events which often involve hosting girls. He shares not only Mass and class time with the students, but he is also an integral part of their social lives. As Dean of Students, Fr. Ambrose finds himself “teaching God” indirectly in all these places. Junior Jack Landis has a unique perspective when it comes to Fr. Ambrose since he has been a member of the Student Council for the past three years and was recently elected to be the president next year.  “He’s a theologian and very smart, but he’s also a really fun guy to be around,” said Landis. “No matter how late we have to stay cleaning up after a party or event, he’s there until the last minute. He teaches us a lot about life and how to be a better person.”

Almost any board game ever played has a place in the repertoire of Fr. Philip Lastimosa ’00 and has been passed on to any interested students, especially those who happen to be in his Class of 2020 and his current Form V. He is patient and strategic. These traits come across as he performs his tasks as Head of Middle School, Form Master, and physics teacher. Perhaps most significant (and underappreciated) is his apparent easy mastery of the infamous scheduling board, which was invented by Fr. Bernard in the School’s early years before its arcane maneuverings were passed on to Mrs. Christine Medaille. The torch was passed to Fr. Philip, and the sequence and all its variations and frequent changes have never phased him. Quirky, funny without meaning to be, yet caring deeply for his students, Fr. Philip was the model for the Jedi Monk metal sculpture created by his Class of 2020.

Fr. Augustine Hoelke ’00 was drawn to the Monastery by the stable community of monks he saw there. “I hoped they could provide the sufficiently sturdy root structure for me to cultivate and live out faithfully my vocation. What I wanted when I looked inward was a deeper conversion within myself,” said Fr. Augustine. The role of teacher was almost an afterthought, something in the back of his mind as he thought about all he had needed as a Cistercian teenager. But as he nears the end of his second eight-year stint as Form Master, Fr. Augustine sees how important that life as a teacher has been to his spiritual growth as a monk. “Having just spent my Spring Break hiking in Utah with 25 of my guys, to the point of true physical exhaustion, I can only hope and pray that my investment, effort, and constant presence are giving off a light to the boys that will last.”

What makes the relationship here so special is that almost every student can find a monk with whom he can identify—one he can relate to as a mathematician, an artist, an athlete, a thinker, one who enjoys music or movies or board games or hiking.

Perhaps the true ’translation’ of ardere is no better illustrated than in the life of the current senior Form Master, Fr. John Bayer, who, besides teaching theology to sophomores, also conducts a senior seminar in philosophy, has attended several summer workshops on the intersection of faith and science, and recently helped lead a discussion at Hockaday on the moral implications of AI. This monk’s zeal for God is manifest in his seemingly endless energy, and he finds a more direct outlet in his sponsorship of Community Service. Yet, it is not uncommon to see him in the midst of his seniors, participating, encouraging, cajoling—whatever it takes to get them across the finish line as “young men of character.”

Returning to Fr. Bernard’s “little talk” to faculty in the fall, he wrote a second quote just under the first, one very familiar to the entire Cistercian community: ardere et lucere (“enkindle and enlighten”), the School’s motto taken from John 5:35 where Jesus refers to John the Baptist as a “shining and burning lamp.” Fr. Bernard stood before us, a member of the Cistercian community for over 60 years. Now in his mid-80s and nearly blind, he stared out at us with a look of exhaustion. Yet, when he began speaking, his words clothed his infirmities with a simple joy. “To translate ardere as ’enkindle’,” he began with a vigorous waving of his arm, “simply won’t cut it; it is too weak a translation. The sense is rather ’to burn or burn up.’ There is such passion in that word, such desire for holiness!” and what it means to “shine” and “burn.” Br. Charbel and Br. Michael Kattady ’20 agree that the two phrases have to be taken together. At the prep school, Br. Charbel notes, there is a tendency to reward those who “shine” with end-of-the-year ribbons, certificates, books and pins, honoring those who achieve visible success. “But the shining,” Br. Michael insists, “has to come after the burning, after the passionate pursuit of the Good and the Beautiful.” He then related an analogy for a ’good burn’ he had heard involving the proper use of incense. “If you take a handful and throw it into a blazing fire, it will have very little effect. But if you place a charcoal in a thurible, carefully light and blow it slowly to a white-hot heat, adding just a couple of teaspoonfuls of incense will create a properly billowing smoke, which will then “rise up to Heaven.” So it is, Br. Michael is discovering, with monastic life in general. “We are preparing for the long, slow burn whose ’shine’ is seen in the aroma, the aura, the vibrant life of daily prayer, of liturgy and the gift of the sacraments performed over a lifetime of service to the Lord, and we’re doing it together, as a community of men with very different personalities but united around a single goal of serving God.”

The priests who teach in the School generally play an important role in the boys’ lives; their constant presence makes them much more available for spiritual counseling and direction.

The sense of sacrifice, made in so many different ways, still lives on in the Monastery, even though just about all the early Hungarian founders now ’reside’ in the crypt. Novice Br. Charbel Salhab ’20 often found himself looking at his college friends who were making great sacrifices for their studies, friend groups, and career goals, and he wondered, “Sacrifice for what?” What, he wondered, was all that passion 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 associated with a more radical identification, one rooted in the good soil that produced a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Spending some time praying in the crypt, Br. Charbel agreed, helps the younger monks get in touch with the sacrifices made by this very diverse group of men. The vow of stability which unites those currently living out their lives in the Monastery and School with those whose lives have carried them into the crypt, is a central fact of this ’good harvest.’ George Saliga, a member of the senior class, noted that taking the vow of stability “establishes a tone whose effect, like the effect of light on a prism, is felt everywhere in the School,” while another senior, Josh Hays, could see the beauty in that rootedness. “We’re surrounded by men who are very different, yet each takes his vocation seriously, and all live their lives joyfully. How can we not be inspired by that ?” said Hays.

“The ’institutional’ slides easily into the ’familial’ and the deep sense of community revolves around the ubiquitous presence of the same black and white habits worn by men who live a common life under a single roof and who are addressed by the first names given to them when they enter the Monastery,” said Peter Saliga, longtime history teacher and mentor to many, both current students and alumni.

There is much discussion about the School’s motto and what it means to “shine” and “burn.” Br. Charbel and Br. Michael Kattady ’20 agree that the two phrases have to be taken together. At the prep school, Br. Charbel notes, there is a tendency to reward those who “shine” with end-of-the-year ribbons, certificates, books and pins, honoring those who achieve visible success. “But the shining,” Br. Michael insists, “has to come after the burning, after the passionate pursuit of the Good and the Beautiful.” He then related an analogy for a ’good burn’ he had heard involving the proper use of incense. “If you take a handful and throw it into a blazing fire, it will have very little effect. But if you place a charcoal in a thurible, carefully light and blow it slowly to a white-hot heat, adding just a couple of teaspoonfuls of incense will create a properly billowing smoke, which will then “rise up to Heaven.” So it is, Br. Michael is discovering, with monastic life in general. “We are preparing for the long, slow burn whose ’shine’ is seen in the aroma, the aura, the vibrant life of daily prayer, of liturgy and the gift of the sacraments performed over a lifetime of service to the Lord, and we’re doing it together, as a community of men with very different personalities but united around a single goal of serving God.”

As Fr. Bernard brought his “little talk” to a close, he chose the metaphor of a candle to make his final point. “As we all know, a candle consumes its own substance.” Then he turned to his final quotation, written out neatly below the other two, written this time in plain English: “the past is history, the future a mystery, and the present is a gift. That’s why they call it the present” (spoken by Master Oog in Kung Fu Panda). After reading it slowly off the board, he then turned to face us. “On seven different occasions, I renewed my vows, and on each occasion, I began my response with ’Adsum!’ [I am present]. That ’present’ still echoes through my life; I am still affirming that vocation, and it is still a gift. Such obedience to that call, for all of us, however, has a cost. My candle has about burned out.”

With that, Fr. Bernard threw out his arms and finished his point: “What you see standing before you is a puddle of wax. Yet, I gave it my all… and I loved it!” •