Print Issue: March 28, 2002

Sext

Introduction • Vigils • Lauds • Terce • Sext • None • Vespers • Compline

By Deacon Michael Balfour
Photography by Michael Alexander

At 12 noon precisely, the abbey bell rings the Angelus and again calls the brothers to the chapter room for prayer. Sext or midday prayer is at 12:15 p.m. and is followed by lunch at 12:30 p.m.

As the monks eat in silence during the midday meal in the abbey refectory, Brother Gabriel Friend, background left, reads from John Kiser's book, "The Monks of Tibhirine." Brother Gabriel was named the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Player of the Year during his collegiate days as a basketball player in Wyoming. He recently took his simple vows.

Each monk serves himself and takes his place at table and remains standing until all are ready and thanks have been given to God for the meal. While eating in silence, a monk reads aloud from a book for 20 minutes. Currently the brothers are listening to "The Monks of Tibhirine" by John W. Kiser III, a recounting of the martyrdom of seven Trappist monks in Algeria in 1996. When the 20 minutes are up, a brother who is assigned to keep time rings a small bell and then, for a short period determined by the abbot, the reader continues from the previous day's reading from "the Rule of St. Benedict." The Rule is read on a continual basis each day, year in and year out.

Whether read aloud or studied in private, Scripture is ever present to the monks. Massive concrete beams spanning the austere dining room are engraved with scripture passages reflecting the use of the space: "They knew him in the breaking of the bread"; "The bread that I will give is my flesh"; "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life.'"

As each brother finishes his meal, he takes his plate and utensils to a collection table. Tasks are rotated throughout the community, from meal preparation to housekeeping duties. Those responsible for the day's cleaning will help with the dishwashing and cleaning in preparation for the next meal.

Leaving refectory you can run into a traffic jam. Just outside the dining hall is a series of bulletin boards. The one at the door is a popular place for information. This is where birthdays and feast days for the brothers are posted. Brothers can post notes for other brothers in case they don't see each other for a few days. Down the hall is a prayer board posted with prayer requests and messages from all over the country. One notice came from another Trappist community and simply read, "Father John passed away quietly in his sleep two days ago, please pray for him." Others read of the need to find a job, a daughter is ill with breast cancer, a family asks for prayers for a child suffering from drug addiction. I went back later in the day and left my own slip of paper confident that one of the brothers would pass by and take it down and carry my needs to God.

Brother Emilio Quiros, OCSO, reads the communication board in the cloister. Brother Emilio once served with the Christian Brothers. After witnessing the persecution of the church by the Castro regime, he came to the U.S. and he has been a monk since 1974.

While those duties are being performed for the community, the brothers are allowed their "siesta" or personal time from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. This "nap time" as some call it allows the monks a brief time to retire to their rooms and rest, read or simply add to their personal prayer time before mid-afternoon prayer.

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