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Answering the Call

Answering the Call will be a periodic series of stories describing the monastic journeys of several Mepkin monks. The series begins with one of the Abbey’s most beloved monks, Br. Mary Joseph Szwedo, who passed away on January 20, 2023, after seventy-nine years as a monk. It is hoped that the narratives of those who chose to become Trappists will demystify the many roads taken to this unique way of life. They are very human chronicles of seeking a meaningful relationship with God. The stories are an extension of those found in Between the Marsh and the Skies: The Mepkin Abbey Story, published on the Abbey’s 75th anniversary.
Robert R. Macdonald

Answering The Call
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Answering the Call, Fr. Francis Kline OCSO

The following is an excerpt from Fr. Francis Kline's monastic autobiography, written in 1987, three years before he was elected Mepkin Abbey’s third Abbot. In it, he describes his struggle to answer the call to a religious life and the…
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Answering The Call
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Br Edward Paul Shivell, Answering the Call

by Robert Macdonald Br. Edward Paul Shivell, “Br. Eddie,” was an impatient man on a mission, driven to seek a deeper relationship with God. His fervent longing led him to join the Trappists and continue his quest for fifty-seven…
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Answering The Call
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Br. Mary Joseph Szwedo, Answering the Call

We are all called to a purposeful life that has meaning for us and those we encounter during our life’s journey. The call can lead to life as a physician, teacher, skilled carpenter, long-haul truck driver, plumber, health care worker, and myriad other human endeavors. Contentment comes to those who answer their call. A life of unhappiness falls on those who decline to answer their call and choose a different path. Because that way denies who they are and are meant to be, it often leads to failure and disappointment.
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