A day in the life of Father Athanasius

Kitchen Master, Guest Master, and Monastic Bursar

Embracing the Dawn: Our Morning Ritual

Along with all the other monks, Father Athanasius’ day begins every morning with Matins in the Church at 6 am. This daily ritual is a cornerstone to life at the Abbey, and over time typically becomes a monk's favorite part of the day. Community prayer as the first action of the day orders the rest of a monk's day towards God and his labors in service of God.

After Matins there is time set apart for prayer and meditation. Father Athanasius uses this time for a walk and "mental prayer". Following his prayer he typically exercises in one of the workout facilities on campus. The physical intensity and discipline of a vigorous workout are often essential for a young monk to maintain a healthy balance, and to enter into the silent rhythm of community life.

A Life of Work and Service: Our Daytime Schedule

Following his exercise, Father Athanasius goes to his office at 9:00 where he catches up on emails and works as monastic bursar helping process payments on behalf of the Abbey. At 11:30 he moves to the kitchen to prepare for lunch as kitchenmaster, while the rest of the community prays Sext in the Abbey Church. After Lunch, Father Athanasius cleans the lunch dishes and then has some time to conduct personal research and catch up on news which facilitates his homilies. Due to the monk’s role as servants of the wider community, it is important that our monks stay informed to some extent with current events, so they can assist and counsel the people in their trials, and pray for the needs of the world.

Preparing for Rest: Our Evening Routine

In the late afternoon Father Athanasius spends a little more time working: during soccor season he may coach the students' team, or he may spend some more time completing office work as bursar or praying the Scriptures with students. Finally from 5:30 to 7:00 pm the community begins their evening routine during which they celebrate Mass together, pray Vespers and then have dinner. After Father Athanasius cleans the dinner dishes he joins the community in recreation time and lastly prays Compline before retiring for the night. While each of the monks has a different schedule based on the work they do to serve the community, the rhythm of work, service to the Abbey, service to the community, silence, and prayer remains the same.