Brother Juan Makes Final Profession

Saturday, August 15, 2020 was a day of great celebration at Mepkin. Our Brother Juan Fahrner made his solemn profession as a Cistercian monk. The community joined him in a solemn liturgy in our temporary church. Brother Juan’s family was not able to attend because of the Coronavirus, but his siblings Lee, Mary, Bob, Charlie, and Sally joined in, thanks to the benefits of modern technology. A number of Brother Juan’s other friends from Chicago and abroad also participated in the ceremony online.

After the liturgy, the community had a wonderful festive meal prepared by our cook extraordinaire, Enzo. Our two nurses, David and Christopher, were also there and helped in the serving of the food.

Speaking after the ceremony, Brother Juan said he found it to be a very emotional experience; in fact, he didn’t expect to be that emotional, but he had trouble holding back tears. His experience was that Mepkin has been his life for six years, and he now is at home with the wonderful community of brothers. He felt the presence of his beloved parents, the late Eleanor and Charles, and also his grandparents with him on the day.

In his homily, Father Joe sketched brother Juan’s vocation and affirmed his call to monastic life. You can read father Joe’s homily here.

Watch Brother Juan’s profession