Novice joins Benedictine community at Saint Meinrad

St. Meinrad- In a brief ceremony, Novice José Angel Romero-Olivas was clothed in the Benedictine habit at Saint Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, IN, on August 5, 2022. He now begins a year of monastic formation, including study of the Rule of St. Benedict and monastic history. 

Novice Angel, 38, is a native of Chihuahua, Mexico, where he was a member of Santa Rosalia Parish. He attended the Autonomous University of Chihuahua Law School.

Before entering the monastery, he worked at the Mexican consulate and in law.

Novices take a year off from formal studies and trades. The novitiate is a time of prayer and learning intended to help a novice discern his vocation as a monk. At the end of this year, a novice may be permitted to profess temporary vows of obedience, fidelity to the monastic way of life, and stability in the community of Saint Meinrad.