"To prefer nothing to the love of Christ."

The first, and perhaps most honest answer is: I am in the process of finding out.

But if I had to name one thing, it would be prayer.

Of course, I like many things about the community. St. Vincent is very human. People who come here usually have the sense that they are valuable, and should be taken seriously. I think they feel respected, and more importantly, loved.

St. Vincent also has a wide range of apostolates, including parish and campus ministries, teaching in high schools, colleges, and seminaries, and work in foreign missions.

Further, St. Vincent is a large, well established community, with excellent resources. One example would be the college and seminary. Monks have the opportunity to study at both without ever leaving the monastery. Certainly that is a valuable asset.

But all of this would mean nothing if I did not feel -in prayer- that God wanted me to be at St. Vincent.

And so, again, prayer, for me, is the central thing.

But perhaps it is important to qualify what I mean by prayer, because by prayer I do not mean an activity that exists in a vacuum. On the contrary, I mean prayer rooted in a faithful sacramental life, strong devotion to our Eucharistic Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and fidelity to the Holy Roman Catholic Church that Jesus Christ Himself founded. Further, I mean prayer that arises from solid spiritual reading, particularly the works of the Doctors and the Saints (i.e. St. Francis De Sales, St. Louis De Montfort, St. Theresa of Lisieux, and St. Alphonsus Liguori), and prayer that is directed by a competent and orthodox spiritual director.

By God's abundant grace, all of these things happily flowed into my sinful, confused, and wandering life, and led me- in prayer- to St.Vincent Archabbey, which is increasingly feeling like my new home. Thanks be to God and His Holy Mother, Mary Immaculate!