Br. Placidus Lee

I have noticed my general anxiety level has lowered. I am sure part of it comes from the routine nature of our horarium, but part of it also has stemmed from the vow of obedience. This vow frees you from having to worry about many details of your life, such as personal bills, where your meals will come from, or many of the other concerns of life outside of the monastery. I am free to focus my time, energy, and anxieties on the two things I am asked to do: pray and work. My prayer stays focused more often since I am not worrying about these sorts of details, and I am able to be so much more joyful in my work assignments (primarily as a high school religion teacher) than I ever could have been teaching outside of the monastery.

What are you most looking forward to after your solemn profession?

I am looking forward most to my vow of stability becoming permanent and becoming one of the living stones that make up this community. I first made this vow three years ago, but in solemn profession I’m here for good. We may date our profession back to our first profession, but it is solemn profession that makes us a full and permanent member of this community. The monks that have gone before me are now officially family for me. I know, for certain, that I am part of the legacy of this community, adding to the foundations already laid by past monks, and leaving behind some part as well, even if I just lay a single brick in that legacy. It will also be nice to have some sense of finality and closure to have my vocation figured out!

What is the greatest lesson you have learned during first vows?

Perseverance. Staying behind the commitments I made during my simple vows has been challenging at times. Our simple vows of obedience, stability, and conversion through a monastic way of life are made for three years. Other religious houses or orders may do these three a year at a time, but we do it the whole three years at once. There were times that, had I been offered the opportunity, I may have taken the way out because the life became difficult. I am glad I didn’t have that opportunity because I was able to see the truth in my calling. Everyone’s lives have periods of struggle, not just monks. Knowing that I had made a commitment to God for those three years helped me learn to persevere through adversity and hardship to finally discover that this really is God’s plan for me.

As a teacher, what about today’s youth encourages you for the future of the Catholic Church?

There is a genuine desire for something that is true in the youth today. That may mean they challenge or question a teaching of the Church, but as I tell them all the time, if they seek what is really true and good and not just what current society tells them is true and good, I am convinced they will always end up back at the Church. I am also always surprised at how quickly they can dive back into the spiritual side of things when they go on retreat. They might complain that they have to hand over their phones and unconnect for awhile, but they liven up and dive right in, back to the search for what’s true, because deep down, they know they aren’t finding it on their phones! Some of the most enlightening comments and penetrating questions about God and the Faith I’ve heard have come from the youth! • Parents: Tad and Tommie Lee • Born: November 26, 1986 • Hometown: Mobile, Alabama • First vows: December 8, 2014 • College: I started at Auburn and transferred to Southern Catholic College. SCC closed suddenly and I, with a few others, wound up at

Benedictine College • Favorite saint: St. Padre Pio has been a huge influence in my life over the years! He still follows me! • Favorite devotion: Sacred Heart / Divine Mercy • Reading now: “The Cut Flower Garden” by Erin

Benzakein • Favorite food: Seafood. Always seafood. • Favorite childhood toy: The Megazord from the original Power Rangers. • Favorite place: Yellowstone National Park • Best job I ever had: Groundskeeping, maintenance, and high ropes facilitation at

Covecrest, a Catholic summer camp in Georgia. • Worst job I ever had: Lab worker at a geotechnical engineering firm. • If I weren’t a monk, I’d be: Either a park ranger, teacher, or starting my own flower farm. • You didn’t know: I wouldn’t be at the monastery if one of my colleges hadn’t closed! • Why I want to be a monk: God has called me here! The community life is a huge attraction for me. • Qualities I admire in other monks: The ability to take things in stride, a solid prayer life, and staying active even when you get older. • Best advice I’ve received: The devil doesn’t want you in the monastery, so he’s going to try to get you out. Keep up your prayer life and he can’t win.