By Theresia Titus
Newly professed Benedictine monk Dom Paul Forster has this week recalled the start of the journey of his vocation with The Record.
Dom Forster made his solemn profession on 29 June 2020 during a Mass celebrated by Abbot John Herbert, having started his journey in 2013 when he first contacted Holy Trinity Abbey in New Norcia.
“There aren’t that many monasteries in Australia, and it seemed like the kind of place where I could immerse myself in the Benedictine way of life and test my vocation,” Dom Forster said.
“I must admit that at the time I didn’t know too much about the contemplative way of life,” he said.
“I was working as a software developer for a few different companies for around 10 years, and I risked losing certain friendships as some [of my friends] couldn’t understand what I was doing, where I was going, why I couldn’t at least live in the same State as my close friends and relatives.
“What I perhaps failed to articulate to them was that God could no longer take a back seat in my life. He wanted to be front and centre, and my will would have to learn how to settle for second place,” he added.
His father’s death in 2014 led him to believe that he could no longer ignore God and began his Postulancy with the Benedictines in 2016.
“If God didn’t have his guiding hand throughout these times, then I can say with certainty, my vocation to monastic life would have been halted,” he uttered.
“I felt a sense of peacefulness and calmness descend over me. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was fulfilling what God had intended of me. I felt God was present and that I was entering something profound, taking the next step on a journey that began back in 2013.
“I recognise God in the other person now more than I have previously. This understanding has deepened as my monastic life continues. I feel blessed to be now considered a part of the Benedictine wider family,” he continued.
Speaking to The Record, Dom Forster said it is a blessing for him to be a part of the Benedictine community that regard praying as the central way of life.
“I can say that I have felt an overwhelming sense of peace that I have made the right decision in committing my life to this monastery,” he stated.
“It is a big commitment to take vows of stability; obedience and conversion of life bring with it a sense of responsibility.
“I am willing to embrace whatever God plans to do with the rest of my life here within the Benedictine order.”
Dom Forster also explained that he intends to embrace his role, “first and foremost, to the live the life of a monk at Holy Trinity Abbey.
“By taking a vow of Stability, I choose to live under the Rule of St Benedict, together with the Abbot and monks here at the Monastery,” he said.
“Now that I am solemnly professed I intend to continue to praise God every day. That is a big part of the Contemplative way of life.
“Overall my life is one of service, service to my brethren in the monastery and those who come to retreat from the busyness of everyday life,” he concluded.