MONASTIC VOWS

Stability
By the vow of stability, the monk commits himself to remaining in the monastery where he professes vows until death (cf. RB Prologue 50; 4:78). This binds the monk both to the community itself and to monastic life in that particular community. Stability fosters his abiding love of Christ as he lives out his days within the concrete circumstances of this particular monastic family.

Conversion of Life
We are all called to "turn away from evil and do good" ( Psalm 34:14). By the vow of conversion of life (conversatio morum), the monk commits himself to the ascetical labor of sharing Christ's passion by dying to sin, and choosing that which leads to the life and freedom of the resurrection (cf. RB Prologue 50). This paschal character of the monastic way of life shines forth in the monk's following of Christ ithrough his poverty and celibate love.

Obedience
Christ, following the will of his Father, laid down his life for all and opened for the future the hope of resurrection. Through his listening for and heeding God's will as it comes to him both through the abbot and in the needs of his brothers, the monk seeks to express through his life that Christ is his Lord and King (cf. RB 5: 12-13). In this spirit, the monk vows to obey his superiors, in accordance with the Rule of Saint Benedict and the Constitutions of the congregation to which the community belongs.