Meet the Trappists' 100-year-old monk

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:40 pm by Deacon Greg Kandra

Meet the Trappists' 100-year-old monk 2016-09-30T17:40:03-04:00 Deacon Greg Kandra

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I had the good fortune of meeting him a few years back, when he was merely in his mid-90’s.

What an inspiration:

Father Luke Kot sits in the midst of the barn-turned-museum at Holy Spirit Monastery and reminisces. Stairs in the corner once led to the second-floor “cells,” as bedrooms for monks are called. Here was the abbot’s office. And over against that wall he had a close encounter with a chicken.

“She sat close by me. She laid an egg. I didn’t want to distract her,” said Father Luke, the only surviving monk of the two dozen who founded the Trappist monastery in 1944. On Wednesday, Aug. 3, Father Luke celebrated turning 100…

…The only son of devout Polish immigrants with a factory-worker father, Father Luke had three sisters, all of whom have died.

“One lived to be 99 and a half, but I beat her,” he said, with a chuckle.

At 14 he knew he wanted to be a monk but had no interest in traveling to Europe where monasteries were plentiful. He made a deal with God to show him a monastery in the United States and he’d go there. A magazine appeared in his mailbox about the Trappists, and shortly afterward at 27 he became a novice monk. (The formal name of the religious order is Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. The term Trappist refers to La Trappe Abbey in France where the order began as a reform movement in the 17th century.)

“I entered the monastery, and I lived it. That’s what I wanted,” said Father Luke, who lives in the infirmary and leans on a wheeled walker to keep himself steady.

Father Luke has never been a standout personality in the monastery. In a community that has a few published authors, Father Luke said he always wanted simply to be a monk. In fact, he never wanted to study to become a priest but just remain a brother. But on orders from his abbot he did become a priest.

“You like to do ordinary work. You didn’t want be scholarly at all,” he said about being a brother.

After ordination, he took on a role that allowed him to be that simple monk. Father Luke cut, sewed and repaired clothes as the tailor for more than 50 years and was responsible for the monks’ distinctive black and white habits.

Monks and monasteries are one of the oldest ways of life in the church. Father Luke’s life brings the past into the present. He entered the monastery when Franklin Roosevelt was in the White House. He had his head shaved bald, keeping only a narrow ring of hair until the practice of tonsuring stopped in 1950. He voted for John F. Kennedy, the only Catholic elected as the U.S. president. Monks saw the Second Vatican Council open the Catholic Church’s doors to the world. He joined the monks to watch the first moon landing on TV in 1969.

His pearls of wisdom are simple: “Be honest with God. Live your life as a good Christian. You are in the world to serve God, not to serve yourself.”

Happy birthday, Fr. Luke — ad multos annos! Read more.

Monks

Priests

Vocations

Monastery of the Holy Spirit

Trappists

Previous Post

August 12, 2011

Don't try this at home

Next Post

August 12, 2011 Why are we skipping church?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "Mad Men" 9/11 advent All Things New Amazing video amazing videos amazon america Anglicans Anti-Catholicism art ascension thursday ash wednesday Atheists baltimore Bible Bishops Blogging bonnie engstrom Books bridgeport Brooklyn Chaplains children christian art christmas Church Churches CNEWA Converts criticism Deacons Death Penalty easter eastern christian Eastern Christians Ecumenism education Education Eucharist Europe euthanasia Evangelization Exorcism Family Feasts Gay rights Good Friday Great links Great Moments in Journalism Hanging with the saints heather renshaw Hispanic Catholics Hispanics History homelies Homilies Humor Hymn of the Week Immigration indianapolis Inspiration Interfaith news ireland Jesus Jews Journalism Judaism lent Liturgy logos Marriage Mary Media Medical news Mental health Middle East Monks Movies Music Muslims My world and welcome to it New Evangelization new york News Nuns Parenting Parish life peoria Persecution Politics politics Pope pope francis pope john paul Prayer Preaching Priests Pro-life Quote of the day radio rebecca frech ripp Ripped from the headlines rippred from the headlines Sacraments saints Scripture sex abuse Sex abuse crisis SEX ABUSE CRISIS TAGGED WITH: SEX ABUSE CRISIS The people in the pews the visitation project theatre This & that Thomas Merton Trappists TV Uncategorized uncategorized VATICAN Vatican vocation Vocations Voices & Views Women Worth a thousand words Writing Year of Faith year of mercy young people

Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who had a dream of a ladder reaching to heaven?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Joseph Daniel Jacob Abraham

Books by This Author Books by Deacon Greg Kandra

See All Titles »