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Brother Joseph, The Monk Who Wears Many Hats

In any monastery these days, it could be said that most monks wear more than one "hat." As there are fewer members in most monastic communities, it's necessary for any individual monastic to fill several roles. Nonetheless, Mount Michael has a monk who wears not only a variety of "hats," but also totally different costumes, depending on the occasion.

Here at Mount Michael, we have numerous occasions that demand entertainment, especially on holidays and at our annual Fall Festival. It's truly evident that God does supply all of our needs, at the right time, because our Brother Joseph Dugick loves to pose as a clown and even, in season, as St. Nicholas.

Brother Joseph's professional clown name is "Jojo". If the weather is not too humid and hot on the Fall Festival Day, "Jojo" is glad to work the Festival crowd, spreading cheer and candy to the youngsters (of all ages) whom he meets.
His all-time favorite impersonation, however, is St. Nicholas. Since St. Nicholas was a bishop, Brother Joseph has found a way to legally wear a miter and ring and carry a crozier for his costume. We all wonder if he always had a secret desire to be a bishop in his younger days, because he seems to enjoy this role so much. During the month of December, Brother Joseph even shares his goodwill and "goodies" with many after masses in some local parishes.

We consider our dear Brother Joseph, who hails from Omaha, Nebraska, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, to be quite a character. As Fr. Abbot would say,: "He's one in a million"!!!

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Brother Joseph has a knack for connecting with important events and people, bringing him his share of fame and notoriety. One such claim to fame is that he worked with Senator Robert Kerrey years ago, as Kerrey was starting up his Grandmother's restaurant chain in Omaha, Nebraska. Brother Joseph worked at Grandmother's for years before he came to Mount Michael.
Brother Joseph is the sacristan at the abbey and answers the phone in the afternoons. He is weekend cook on Saturdays and does lots of jobs around the abbey. He is well-known and appreciated for remembering us with cards on our birthdays and anniversaries. He wins first place every year at Christmas for sending the most Christmas cards. He probably even beats the Abbot in communicating with the most bishops in various different states. As the Abbot says, Brother Joseph is indeed "one in a million."