Brother Meinrad Camargo professes vows

By Sandy Cunningham
Contributing writer

Benedictine Brother MeinradCamargo professed his solemn vows March 21 during Mass at St. Joseph Abbey Church in Covington.

During the solemn vows ceremony, the Brazilian-born Brother Meinrad said he was at peace with his decision to become a Benedictine monk at the abbey.

“During the time I’ve been here I had to face many questions openly and honestly, and I had to find answers with the help of the formation director, the spiritual director and the elders of our community,” he said. “Nonetheless, the ultimate question I had to answer was if I was called to live in this community of monks for life or not. The answer I found was ‘yes.’”

When he prayed the “Suscipe” and sang the words “Accept me, O Lord, as you have promised that I may live. And let not me be put to shame in my hope,” the words expressed his desire as a monk perfectly.

While preparing for the liturgy, Brother Meinrad said he was struck by the petition to share the suffering of Christ until death “so that I may also share his kingdom.” He asked himself during this time if he really wanted to share Jesus’ suffering here and what that means.

“I remember talking to one of the elders about monastic vocation, and I said to him I was here to be holy,” he said. “To that he answered, ‘Stick around, and I guarantee to you that we (the monastic community) are going to be your cross.’ I think that was really insightful about the nature of our vocation.”

The youngest of three boys, Brother Meinrad was raised in a Catholic home and felt called to the priesthood at an early age. Yet, he chose a different path, graduating from law school and buying a house.

When praying about his next move – possibly studying for a higher degree – Jesus again tugged him toward the church.

A story featuring Benedictine Abbot Justin Brown discussing the multitude of apostolates at the abbey piqued his interest. It would allow him to perform different ministries, such as teaching at the Seminary College or making caskets or harvesting honey.

www.saintjosephabbey.com/vocations-home