The Formula for Determining Monastic Age
By Ida Williams, Director of Marketing and Communications
To figure out the age of your dog, you multiply his or her age by seven. My dog is 14 years old and this would make him 98 in human years. His energy, attitude, and loyalty would make anyone question this mathematical equation.
Over the past six years, I have found myself trying to figure out the formula needed to determine the monastic age of the monks and nuns of New Skete. I know the year each was born, but what is their true age?
Their energy, attitude, and loyalty* belie their birth certificates.
Sister Patricia’s chronological age is 84, but what is her biological age? She gets up early for prayers and worship, heads to the bakery to make cheesecakes, orders the ingredients for the bakery and prepares the bakery schedule, makes cheesecake deliveries, works in the gardens maintaining the flowers and fruit-bearing bushes and trees, keeps the plants in the nuns’ greenhouse healthy and growing, participates in choir practice, attends business meetings as scheduled, and back to church for Vespers. Then after dinner, she is involved in the nuns’ house meetings and back to individual prayer. Given her energy, attitude, and loyalty, I would divide her chronological age by two and say she is 42.
Brother Luke’s chronological age is 67; what is his biological age? He is the first one to respond to my emails at 5 am. Personal prayer, early chores, then off to church singing bass in the choir. He grabs breakfast on the run, then to the puppy kennel to care for the dogs or a meeting with a new puppy owner. Many mornings there is a hike or walk with his dogs, then more kennel chores. On Tuesdays, it is grocery shopping for the monks and guests. In the afternoon he is either in his office working on a homily, a newsletter article, a presentation for a seminar or retreat, or he is working in the library, scheduling the next concert, or coordinating the production of a new CD. If he is not found there he can be found upstairs in the business offices handling his duties as the treasurer. At certain times of the year, he is in the smoke house, helping Brother Ambrose smoke and package cheese for local farms. Vespers, then after supper, back outside with the dogs playing and exercising them. He is the last to respond to my emails at 10 pm. Given his energy, attitude, and loyalty, I would say he is 34.
All the brothers and sisters have busy schedules filled with various activities and duties. Each member of New Skete has multiple roles to fulfill. Whether it is training and/or caring for dogs, maintaining the guest house, writing homilies, singing in the choir, working in the bakery, cooking for the house and guests, giving a tour or a presentation to a group, clearing overgrowth from trails, painting icons,… and being true to their monastic mission and vision.
Is monastic life at New Skete the fountain of youth?
Probably not, but I think we can all take a lesson from them on how to stay youthful.
Probably not, but I think we can all take a lesson from them on how to stay youthful.
Just try keeping up with Brother Stavros on a hike.
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*Loyalty to the mission of New Skete
New Skete is a monastic community of men and women rooted in the tradition of the Eastern Church. Through prayer, worship, and the work of our hands, we seek to respond to the mystery of God and the Gospel’s power to transform human living. Welcoming all, we seek to bridge the old with the new and to witness to the sacredness of all creation.
New Skete is a monastic community of men and women rooted in the tradition of the Eastern Church. Through prayer, worship, and the work of our hands, we seek to respond to the mystery of God and the Gospel’s power to transform human living. Welcoming all, we seek to bridge the old with the new and to witness to the sacredness of all creation.
