The Monks

Father Michael Brunner

Students of the Priory School like to boast that theirs is the only high school in the country whose headmaster reads both Arabic and Latin. Although the claim has never been proven, we’ve never found evidence to the contrary either. The truth is that Father Michael is one of the abbey’s most eclectic and fascinating personalities. Looking about his office, one is immediately struck by the wide collection of religious artifacts that decorate his walls, including everything from Buddhas, to a Tibetan prayer wheels, to stacks of Daoist funeral currency, to Islamic prayer rugs, to a Sheik's headdress—and of course several crucifixes and icons. His office is always ringing with the rhythm of his World Music, and his two parrots (Salahuddin and Hassan) are frequent guests. In short, he is the archetype of the Comparative Religions teacher, a course he teaches to Seniors. He wrote his master's thesis on the topic, and is further qualified for it by his deep knowledge of both Islam and Catholicism.

It was this passion for prayer and union with God that led Michael Brunner to the abbey after 25 years of work in the hospitality industry in New York and Washington, D.C. In fact, he started his search for God as a young man in Washington, D.C. with the Josephites, a community of priests and brothers that ministers to African-American communities, with whom he attended Howard University. His wide-ranging journey has helped him to realize that the monastery is not the end but a new part of the journey to union with God.