Stages to Become a Monk

If you meet the basic requirements, have been in a period of discernment, can see yourself in our daily life, have visited us twice and at least one other religious community once, and above all seek God in order to become a saint, then Subiaco may be the place that God is calling you. An application process to enter our formation program is thorough but not overly harsh. It follows the following path:

STEP ONE - You will complete an application form where you will provide a detailed history of your life, a photograph, and provide all the necessary sacramental records.

STEP TWO: You will provide the names and contact information for six references to whom we will send a questionnaire (one family member, one priest or religious, one from your employer or a co-worker, and three others). 

STEP THREE: You will complete a full background, employment, and social media check through our Praesidium safeguarding affiliation.

STEP FOUR: You will have interviews with three monks and three lay people (our Director of Security, a member of our Foundation Board, and a member of our Campus Response Team).

Once you are accepted into our formation program and arrive at Subiaco, then you will be assigned a monastic cell and under the care of your Novice Master & Director of Formation. You will be issued a black tunic and black leather belt as you become a Candidate (or Postulant) for our abbey. In the years that follow, you and the monastic community will discern if this really is a calling from God for you to become a life-long Benedictine monk of Subiaco Abbey. The process will be as follows: