August 17, 2007

Monk makes first profession of vows

Benedictine Novice Todd Mattingly professed temporary vows as a Benedictine monk in a ­ceremony on Aug. 6 at Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad.

Novice Todd completed his novitiate, a year of prayer and study of the Benedictine way of life. As is the custom during the profession of vows, he was assigned a ­religious name. He will now be known as Brother Matthew. Temporary vows are typically for three years.

Brother Matthew, 32, was born in Evansville, Ind., where he attended ­Memorial High School and was a member of St. Benedict Parish. He earned a ­Bachelor of Science degree in marketing management from Indiana University in 1997.

After college, he spent nearly 10 years in the home improvement industry, most recently at Do It Best Corp. in Fort Wayne, Ind., where he was a retail ­development manager for seven years.

The three-year period of temporary vows provides a continuing opportunity for the monk and the monastic community to determine whether monastic life is, indeed, the right vocation for this individual. †

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