OCSO Junior Conference held at Mepkin
By Fr. Kevin Walsh, Vocations Director
How fortunate we were this year to host the Junior Conference for the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance houses of the United States Region.
Those having professed simple vows from two of our women’s houses and four of our men’s houses in the United States were with us for two weeks – May 3 to 17 – to study with Father Joseph van House, OCist. from Dallas, Texas and Father Simeon Leiva, OCSO from Spencer, Massachusetts.
Father Joseph’s seminar was on “Liturgy and Life”. Texts from Louis Bouyer, John Henry Newman, Joseph Ratzinger and Michael Lang (on Augustine) formed the starting points for five days of lecture, dialogue and synthesis in the mornings. In the afternoons the brothers and sisters met in small groups with questions for discussion provided by Father Joseph.
Father Simeon, using a critical edition of St Augustine’s Confessions (translated into English), led his seminar in a close reading of texts from the first 10 books of the Confessions. The overall topic was “Augustine’s Confessions: A Guide for Monastic Living.” Enthusiasm for the Augustine’s text and the life we share as Cistercian monks and nuns animated all the morning sessions.
As during the first week, afternoon discussions further enriched the day’s learning. Ample opportunity was provided for the juniors to share about their own experiences at home. Each Wednesday evening in chapter our visitors shared about their communities and the richness of “seeing” themselves within the larger context of the Cistercian family.
Father Joe, the superior of Mepkin, arranged for the juniors to travel to Charleston and see the International African American Museum. This gave our juniors from Massachusetts, Virginia, Georgia, Iowa and Kentucky a little sense of what is particular to the area where Mepkin has been a contemplative monastic presence for almost 75 years.
It was enriching for the monks of Mepkin, particularly our men in formation, to interact with the juniors and their presenters, helping us all to have a more expanded understanding of the Order and our relationship with those making a response to this wonderful call God has given us.
