“Don’t
conform….be transformed.” Abbot Theodore Wolf used these words
from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans to welcome Br. Rick Varner to
Mount Michael Benedictine Abbey. During the Eucharistic celebration on August
28th Br. Rick professed stability, obedience, and fidelity to the monastic
life as lived by the monks of Mt. Michael Abbey for the next three years.
Br. Rick hales from the small farming community of Sanford, Michigan
where he grew up with his sisters Cindy and Renae and brother Blaine.
Br. Rick credits his parents, Earl and Helen, as well as his grandparents
for fostering a love of togetherness in his life. This sense of communal
work, prayer, and play that he learned on the home farm has drawn him
to life at Mt. Michael.
Br.
Rick has been very busy since coming to Mt. Michael. He especially enjoys
extending Benedictine hospitality to guests either through work at St.
Benedict’s Guest House, assisting with vocation work, or just welcoming
visitors to the campus. This fall he will also be teaching Morality to
the juniors at Mt. Michael Benedictine High School. Prior to coming to
Mt. Michael, Br. Rick received Masters of Divinity degree from Ss. Cyril
and Methodius Seminary in Orchard Lake, Michigan
Br. Rick enjoys community life here at Mt. Michael Abbey, speaking of
life in community he says “It’s humbling. It brings out the
best in me.” Benedictine life and spirituality fit well with Br.
Rick’s outlook on life, “Christian life is a journey—never
alone. We walk together in faith and go to God.”