Brother Anthony

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i still have two to go, but the domincian one is in. This summer it is v. likely that i will begin the process of becoming a monk.

― anthony, Tuesday, 16 March 2004 13:51 (twenty-two years ago)

My! So you've become clearer about this with yourself? In the past you seemed to have many doubts.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 14:11 (twenty-two years ago)

good luck to you anthony!

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 14:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Wow! That's pretty amazing, good luck with this!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 14:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Good on you Anthony, it may well prove to be precisely what you need.

― Matt (Matt), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)

(just make sure he does his fair share of the housework, y'hear?)

― Matt (Matt), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)

i figure the only way to know is to try.

― anthony, Tuesday, 16 March 2004 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Three cheers for the only Canadian monk who's read Deleuze!

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 14:33 (twenty-two years ago)

so eh, how you will handle all that vow of chastity stuff?

― DV (dirtyvicar), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 15:09 (twenty-two years ago)

dv sez wot i was thinking

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 15:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Wow, good luck with this anthony!

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 15:22 (twenty-two years ago)

by not having sex...(easy answer, more complicated one--god gave me the gift of sexuality, and i can reposition it, give it back to him, refigure what it means.)

― anthony, Tuesday, 16 March 2004 15:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't think of anything to add but my best wishes. God is good.

― Speedy (Speedy Gonzalas), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 17:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I keep on saying this thread title in my head in the same voice as the voiceover on the trailer of 'Brother Bear'.

All best to you, Anthony.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 17:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Blimey! Good luck Brother Anthony!

― jel -- (jel), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 17:58 (twenty-two years ago)

This sounds excellent! Are you going to a monestary somewhere?

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 18:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Take this brother may it serve you well. :)

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 18:01 (twenty-two years ago)

What is current Canadian monestary policy, Anthony?

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 18:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Congratulations Anthony.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)

right on brother

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)

*shoots self in head*

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)

wow. . .I hope this works out for you and makes you happy, sweetie.

― Ask For Samantha (thatgirl), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 01:46 (twenty-two years ago)

haha self-obsessed ass that I am, I thought this might be about my recent obsession with R&B. Hope everything works out for you, Anthony.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 01:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Anthony, wow, I hope you get everything out of this that you can.

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 02:08 (twenty-two years ago)

I hope you get it on with lots of monks and that you film it and make lots of money from the amateur DVD sales and send me a free promo copy. . . um wait no I hope that this works out for you and you find whatever spiritual peace you seek. Good luck!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 02:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Anthony, I hope you know how much I adore you. I wish you the best of luck with this and I hope you kick some serious booty as a monk. Er, um, well, are successful at it, anyway. The Lord be with you, sweetie.

Here I am, Lord, is it I, Lord?/I have heard you calling in the night/I will go, Lord, if you lead me/I will hold Your people in my heart....

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 03:25 (twenty-two years ago)

best of luck to ya anthony. are you gonna be a crime-solving monk like in "the name of the rose"?

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 03:36 (twenty-two years ago)

three weeks pass...

sent out the franciscans first form today, and the trappists yesterday

― anthony, Tuesday, 13 April 2004 07:30 (twenty-one years ago)

when become trappist, bring back beer

― chris (chris), Tuesday, 13 April 2004 07:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Thank you, Anthony, for sending me your information.
Part of the process of discerning a vocation is making contact with people (such as a Vocation Director for a Religious Order) and discovering more about the vocation that you are interested in. By knowing more about a certain vocation you discover your suitability or lack of suitability for it. As we do this type of inquiring it gives God a chance to direct us through opening and closing doors of opportunities.
I say this, Anthony, because I believe this is a moment in which God is directing you in your discernment. Your condition of autism and depression does not make it possible for you to enter the Franciscan Order. Through experience we have come to realize that people with your conditions and needs find Religious Life very difficult and they end up leaving.
We live in community. Communal life is a rather intense social situation. Being able to read social cues, and understand how and why people speak and do what they do is of utmost importance. People who have disabilities in this area experience this level of social intensity as difficult.
Secondly, we are not a monastic community. We are not monks, we are friars. The Franciscan life may from an "outside," uninformed perspective look as if it is a secure, certain, well regulated life with lots of explicit rules. This, however, is not the case. There is not a predominant routine that regulates and carries everyone's life. Our daily communal structure and order is rather minimal - (Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Mass and meals). For the rest of the time (which is most of the day) the friars are off involved in various ministries which often comes with a lot of responsibilities and can make their lives rather busy and even hectic at times. We do not live in large monasteries that have a structure that automatically involves the Brothers in some type of communal employment. Even as a Friars one still has to decide what he wants to do as a Friar. Then he must go through the training to achieve that goal.
Anthony, I hope that this news does not come as too great a disappointment. I want to confirm that you certainly sound like an extremely interesting person. I encourage you to continue your pursuit of God in Jesus through the Catholic faith. I pray that God will bless you as you continue to discern His will for your life.
"Pax et Bonum!"
Br. Gerry

― anthony, Thursday, 15 April 2004 05:03 (twenty-one years ago)

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 15 April 2004 05:08 (twenty-one years ago)

oh that's really awful. anthony i'm sorry.

― g--ff (gcannon), Thursday, 15 April 2004 05:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Aw, I'm sorry to hear that, Anthony.

That was actually a good response, though. And he does make good points. You are probably very disappointed in all of this, but maybe some good will come from this and maybe you can find an order that will fit better with what you're looking for. Maybe there are some honest-to-goodness monasteries out there. Maybe you can find yourself in an order that would highly benefit from your ability to write and say that that could be the way you serve the Lord. Or maybe something else will happen. I do hope that whatever happens, happens to your overall spiritual benefit. Until then, I will continue to pray for you.

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Thursday, 15 April 2004 05:14 (twenty-one years ago)

sorry to hear it.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 15 April 2004 07:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I think that's terrible.

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 15 April 2004 09:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Aww anthony, I am sorry.

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Thursday, 15 April 2004 10:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, how are the Trappists going? I hope that reply didn't hurt too much, A

― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 15 April 2004 10:36 (twenty-one years ago)

The Trappists aren't saying anything.

― curious person, Thursday, 15 April 2004 10:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Autism!?! Man of God not a brain doctor, clearly. Having met Anthony, I'd say that if he didn't mention Aspberger's the thought that he might suffer from same might not ever have occurred to me.

― suzy (suzy), Thursday, 15 April 2004 10:54 (twenty-one years ago)

yes, what suzy said. Good luck Anthony, I'm confident you'll find a place where you belong.

― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 15 April 2004 11:09 (twenty-one years ago)

but the thing is, i have to live w. these people 24-7, i only met you for a few hours over a couple of days...not that ididnt enjoy those days immensly.

― anthony, Thursday, 15 April 2004 14:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I think in the long term you might be happy this happened, Anthony, no matter how disappointing it may seem right now.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 15 April 2004 14:29 (twenty-one years ago)

The trappists want me to come down to louisville for a couple of days.

― anthony, Friday, 16 April 2004 20:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Anthony, I don't know anything about the Franciscan order -- do they state in their materials that the don't accept those with problems such as autism or depression? Are religious orders protected from following equal rights?

― Mary (Mary), Friday, 16 April 2004 21:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Probably ):

It seems sad, and very wrong, if there isn't an order somwhere that someone with Asperger's could thrive in.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 16 April 2004 23:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Gosh. :-( Well, let us wait on the Trappists indeed.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 16 April 2004 23:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Anthony I hope the disappointment isn't too severe but I do believe that this is for the best - the friars not monks distinction in his letter seems important to me.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Saturday, 17 April 2004 00:54 (twenty-one years ago)

so i havea confession to make, i lied to the trappists told them i was in good mental and physical health, my knees are fucked, my ankles are fucked, my back is fucked, i have aspies and i have depression

my room mate is angry, thinks im throwing my life away, thinks that i cant deal with them, thinks that i acted unethically, wants me to be a domincan or a benedectine, thinks that there is too much good for in other places.

im scared, im scared that i am fleeing from the world, that im doing this for the wrong reasons, that i hate myself enough to anihalte myself, that this is the equiv. of running off and joining the circus, that its irresponsible, that im not doing it for god.

im scared that i am doing it for god as well.

― anthony, Sunday, 18 April 2004 03:29 (twenty-one years ago)

& the other thing is this woman talks like shes a travel agent, saying that its the home of thomas merton, and donations are asked by some people but not her, so im not sure if shes encouraging a donation, and if she is, how much of a donation...and it doesnt sound like a time where i spend discerning but some borgie semi corperate retreat, but i havent told anyone that.

― anthony, Sunday, 18 April 2004 03:50 (twenty-one years ago)

WTF - the catholic church has been making saints out of folks with hallucinatory visions b ut some buttfucking group of animal lovers in bad hessian tracksuit pants won't let you join them because they're friars? Fuck dat shit - even Joan of Arc thought her walkman was melting when she was beeing friared. What are the rules in the Church as to starting your own order? You could call it the New Order...

― Queen G of the morning after, Sunday, 18 April 2004 11:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Anthony, I'd be wary of telling fibs to these religious orders... they will come back to haunt you.

It might be that while blunt the Franciscan guy's letter makes valid points.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Sunday, 18 April 2004 12:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Seconding DV here on both points.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 18 April 2004 12:39 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, i dont think i should have done that, but they took the application, and the questions were really rapid fire and i had no real chance to think before i sad something i regret.

two weeks is just two weeks though, they can weed me out if they have to.

― anthony, Sunday, 18 April 2004 12:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Anthony, can I ask a question - why do you want to become a monk? I'm asking because I have never wanted to be a monk myself and I'm curious as to what makes people want to take such a big step.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Sunday, 18 April 2004 16:52 (twenty-one years ago)

and did you ever consider becoming a lay missionary or am I way off track here?

― penelope_11, Sunday, 18 April 2004 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

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