Ordination and First Mass of Fr Christopher
This weekend we were blessed to celebrate the ordination and first mass of our very own Fr. Christopher Kalan, the “handy monk” of the monastery. Many thanks to Bishop Burns for his presence and homily (and for giving us Fr. Christopher’s new nickname – “spiritual gunslinger”).
Enjoy the photos, especially the one with Fr. Christopher’s mother. There is a beautiful tradition in which the newly ordained priest gives his mother the purificator used to wipe his hands after they’ve been consecrated during the rite with oil. When she passes away, she is buried with the purificator in her hands, testifying to her role in bringing into this world someone to share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
Let us pray for vocations to our monastery and to the Church everywhere.
Ordination of Br. Christopher and First Mass
With thanksgiving to Almighty God, The Most Rev. Edward J. Burns Bishop of Dallas will ordain to the priesthood Br. Christopher Kalan, O.Cist. during the celebration of the Holy Mass in the Abbey Church
Saturday, February 11, 2023
10:30 a.m.
With joy to Almighty God, the Monks of Our Lady of Dallas cordially invite you to attend the first Mass of Fr. Christopher Kalan, O.Cist., in the Abbey Church
Sunday, February 12, 2023
9:00 a.m.
Receptions to follow both Masses in the Abbey Courtyard.
On February 10th (8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.), there will be Eucharistic Adoration in the Abbey Church in thanksgiving for Fr. Christopher’s vocation and for future vocations to the abbey. All are invited to come.
Texas Society of Architects Award
Architect Gary Cunningham received the prestigious Texas Architect 25 Year Honor Award for the Abbey Church. The article is available here.
Photo by Jim Reisch
Art Exhibit at Cistercian
You are cordially invited to an exhibit of the art work of Fr. Ignatius, Fr. Raphael, and Fr. Lawrence which will take place on:
Friday, December 2, 2:30 – 4:30 pm
Saturday, December 3, 1:00 – 5:00 pm
Sunday, December 4, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Sunday, December 4, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Cistercian (guest house)
3500 Cistercian Road
Irving, Texas
Images of the artwork of Fr. Ignatius: https://www.instagram.com/ignatiuspeacher/
Br. Barnabas Makes First Vows
On Sunday, August 28, 2022, Br. Barnabas Robertson made his first temporary profession, committing himself to discerning his vocation within the monastery for the next three years. In the first picture, you can see him signing his vows on the altar.
Br. Barnabas was born in Texas, but he comes from a devout missionary family, and thus spent many years growing up outside of the country, including in Azerbaijan. He went to Wheaton College as an undergraduate, and then to Texas A&M for graduate studies in physics. He is one of five Aggies in the monastery. This year he will begin studying philosophy and theology at the University of Dallas, and teach Latin to Form I at Cistercian Preparatory School.
Please pray for Br. Barnabas! May God bless Cistercian with more monastic vocations, and may the monks strive always to search for God and to serve his people well!
Br. Matthew and Br. Christopher Ordained
Br. Matthew Hegemann and Br. Christopher Kalan were ordained to the priesthood and diaconate, respectively, on Saturday, August 13, 2022. The following day, Fr. Matthew celebrated his first mass, with Br. Christopher serving as deacon and Fr. Thomas preaching the homily. It was a joy for the monks to welcome the Hegemann and Kalan families into the monastery this weekend, and to celebrate with these milestones in the lives of their sons! Please pray for both young men, that they might draw ever closer to Christ the Good Shepherd and faithfully serve his people.
Enjoy the pictures!
- In the first picture, Fr. Matthew elevates the Eucharist at his first mass. Conformed to Christ the High Priest, he is now able to bring us into sacramental contact with Jesus offering his body “for you” (Luke 22:19).
- Abbot Peter and Bishop Burns flank the newly ordained Fr. Matthew and Br. Christopher. May God send many more vocations to Cistercian and to the Diocese of Dallas!
- At every ordination, the candidates lie prostrate as the Church asks for the intercession of all the angels and saints, so that these “chosen men” might fulfill the mission with which they have been entrusted.
- The rite of ordination involves “the laying on of hands” – that is, the ordaining bishop places his hands on the head of the one being ordained. This gesture has been repeated since apostolic times (cf. 2 Timothy 1:6). All validly ordained priests stand in this real and historical connection to Jesus through the Apostles. In this photo, Bishop Burns lays his hands on Br. Matthew to ordain him.
- The rite also involves the clothing of the newly ordained in the vestments of his ministry. Here Br. Christopher receives a strong embrace from Bishop Burns after he had been clothed with the dalmatic of a deacon.
- The rite also involves a moment where the vessels proper to the ministry are given to the newly ordained. In this photo, Fr. Matthew receives the paten on which the Eucharist is to be consecrated. As the Bishop entrusts him with the vessels, he charges the new priest with the following words: “Receive the oblation of the holy people, to be offered to God. Understand what you do, imitate what you celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s cross.”
Amen!
Br. Christopher’s Solemn Vows
On Friday, August 12, Br. Christopher made his solemn vows!!! Thanks be to God!!! In these pictures you can see many key parts of the ritual:
- Br. Christopher lies prostrate to ask for “the mercy of God and that of the Order” – and then he is invited by the Abbot to stand. We approach God in humility, trusting in his mercy. And we are invited by the Church to be confident in His love.
- Br. Christopher makes his promise of obedience in the hands of the Abbot. In monastic life we seek, as every baptized person, to conform ourselves to Jesus and his love for the Father. As Jesus said before going to the Garden of Gethsemane to embrace his Passion, “The world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me. Get up, let us go” (John 14:31).
- Br. Christopher signs his vows on the altar after reading them aloud. Monastic vows are an expression of our desire to offer our life to God in union with the self-offering of Jesus Christ – and thus we sign them on the same altar where we celebrate the Eucharist.
- Br. Christopher receives his cuculla, which is the garment worn by all the solemnly professed members of the monastery during the liturgy. It is a sign of simplicity of life, of the purifying gift of grace, and of a life consecrated to worship.
- Br. Christopher’s family brings forward the gifts at the offertory. Families are one of the most important means through which God gives his graces and prepares young men and women to offer themselves in their vocations, whether to priesthood, religious life, marriage or consecrated celibacy.
- Br. Barnabas brings in the cross at the beginning of mass – everything we do is, we pray, a participation in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Come join us at 9:00 on Sunday, August 28, when Br. Barnabas will finish his novitiate and make his temporary vows to the monastery for three years!
Confirmation 2022
As the sun shone brightly on the beautiful Sunday of March 27, 2022, many Cistercian students received the Sacrament of Confirmation. They had been prepared through campus ministry and the efforts of their theology teachers at Cistercian; they were instructed about the sacrament and its connection to Baptism and the life of the Church, and about the gifts of the Holy Spirit that it bestows. Before the celebration of the sacrament, the boys went on a full-day retreat, and many of them worked generously in service to their community, in imitation of Christ the servant.
Congratulations to these newly confirmed students! Let us pray for them. May all who have received this sacrament understand the personal love God has for each of us. May we be faithful to him every day of their lives, diving ever more deeply into the Gift we have received – the Holy Spirit – and discovering in Jesus the meaning of our lives by working with him for the salvation of the world.
Cistercian Hosts a Synod Listening Session
On Saturday April 2, 2022, Cistercian was happy to host the second public “listening session” in preparation for the Dallas Synod. Listening sessions are opportunities for people in the diocese to come together to discuss the life of the Church, and to offer their insights to the commission charged with assisting Bishop Burns in preparing the agenda for the Synod in 2024. The topic for discussion on Saturday was the liturgy. To learn more and participate in this important and ongoing initiative, visit the Synod website. Thank you to all the Cistercian students, alumni, faculty, staff and families who helped facilitate this event! May God bless the faithful of this diocese and enable us all to draw closer to him and fulfill our mission in the world.
Vows and Ordinations
On August 14, 2021, Br. Matthew was ordained a deacon and Br. Francis – now Fr. Francis – was ordained a priest. The following day, on the Solemnity of the Assumption, both monks served for the first time in their new roles within the Church, as Fr. Francis celebrated his first mass at Holy Trinity in Dallas, his home parish.
Bishop Burns presided over the ordination mass in the abbey church, which was attended by many friends and family of the Cistercian community. There are many powerful moments in the ordination rite. Fr. Francis says he was struck especially by the laying on of hands: “I think the most meaningful part of the ceremony for me was the laying on of hands that came not only from the bishop but from all the concelebrating priests present, some of whom were not even Cistercian nor men I knew very well. Yet it is precisely this universal aspect of the presbyterate, all of us being in it together, and not just me alone, that made me feel most concretely part of something much larger than myself.”
A vocation to the ministerial priesthood is a very special gift that comes with a proportionate level of responsibility. When asked about how his prayer life has changed after his ordination, Fr. Francis noted how strongly the words of consecration – “…this is my body, given up for you” – stand out to him as a claim upon his own life: “I feel more of a sense of involvement and responsibility during the words of consecration: a sober realization that I have to give myself up completely too.” Speaking the words of the sacraments in persona Christi, and especially the words of consecration, easily changes one’s spiritual life and experience of the liturgy.
Just before Fr. Francis was ordained a priest, Br. Matthew was ordained a deacon. He had professed his solemn vows the previous day. This year, he will continue his studies in theology at University of Dallas, but now as a full member of the Cistercian community. In the spring semester, he hopes to travel to Rome to continue his studies. While still in Dallas, he will continue to serve as guest master in the monastery, and at the prep school he will serve as a deacon and preacher for the class masses of Form VII. In addition, he will serve as an assistant to Fr. Lawrence, who is the form master for Form I.
The profession of solemn vows binds a man to the monastery for the rest of his life, in a way that is similar to marriage vows. When asked about spiritual discernment, or how someone could arrive to such a definitive commitment, Br. Matthew indicated the importance of silence and counsel: “In general, when discerning, one must be open to God’s will, which involves finding time for quiet prayer and reflection. It’s only in those times that one can possibly hear God speaking and trying to guide one’s discernment. For someone specifically discerning the priesthood and monastic life, I advise finding a sound spiritual director, preferably a priest or monk himself, to help you in the discernment process. It helps to have another voice other than one’s own in the conversation!”
On the same day that Br. Matthew made his solemn vows, one of his classmates from his time as an undergraduate at University of Dallas, Br. Christopher Kalan, renewed his temporary profession to the monastic life at Our Lady of Dallas. Having renewed his vows, Br. Christopher will continue his studies in preparation for diaconal and priestly ordination. When asked about spiritual discernment, Br. Christopher noted the sense of “adventure” our lives have when they are lived with God: “For someone newly entering the discernment process or thinking about religious life I would tell them that the process is always full of adventure. God never ceases to surprise. […] God is always working in new and surprising ways, opening doors that you never even imagined for yourself. You just have to allow yourself to be open to go along with His adventure.” Let us give thanks to God for our new priest, Fr. Francis, for our new solemnly professed member, Br. Matthew, and for the continued presence of Br. Christopher in our monastery. As Bishop Burns pointed out at the ordination mass, this moment is a true “regeneration” of the monastery through an increase in vocations. Praise God. Let us pray that Br. Christopher, Br. Matthew and Fr. Francis, along with all the monks, always search for God and serve His people well.