Welcome Message from the Vocation Director
Greetings! 
My name is Fr. Mark A. Purcell, O.S.B. As director of vocations, I extend a cordial welcome to you, and hope I may be of some assistance in helping you discover God’s path for you. Below are some questions for you to consider:
How is your prayer life? - Do you have set times to pray throughout the day? Are you going to Daily Mass? Do you make frequent visits to the Most Blessed Sacrament? Do you read and pray with Scripture? Do you frequent the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)? Are you involved in your parish’s activities? Do you read spiritual books? Do you have a Spiritual Director that you see regularly? Have you talked with Priests and Religious about vocations? Do you work hard at your job?
But “how do I know whether God is calling me to Religious Life?,” is the question. Ask Him! It is doubtful that you’ll wake up one day and out of the blue say, “I’m going to be a monk,” although that IS possible. But more than likely you’ll see that you are attracted to what was mentioned above: frequent prayer and spending much time in front of the Blessed Sacrament; reading anything that has to do with Catholicism; being at daily Mass as much as possible; seeking-out priests and religious to talk to; volunteering and mission related work will be a part of your life. – If these things are happening over a long period of time (one to several years), it is vital to get a spiritual director if you do not already have one. He will be instrumental in guiding you in discerning God’s call.
The aforementioned things are great indicators that you have a religious and/or priestly vocation. But it is possible to be doing all of these things and yet be called to marriage or the single state! Working with your spiritual director and much prayer will ultimately lead you to a decision point, where you can: A.) Decide one way or the other, or, B.) Not decide and be forever riding the fence. I like to tell people that they can see the path God has been leading them down. He brings them to a precipice, with a deep chasm below the edge. On the other side of this chasm they can see the path continuing. But they have to jump to get there. Their heart–of–hearts knows the path is either religious life or marriage or single life. They either jump and make that firm decision, or loiter at the side of the cliff indefinitely. In other words, GO FOR IT! - In my own case, I knew that if I didn’t take the jump for religious life and had gotten married, I would always wonder, “what if…”
If you’ve read this far, congratulations, you have some perseverance in you! Give me a buzz or shoot me an Email if you’re interested in making a visit with us. I encourage you to explore our whole web site to glean a bit about our life.
Christ’s Peace to you,
Fr. Mark A. Purcell, O.S.B.
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What Monks Do
The Monks come from various background and are endowed with a variety of talents and skills. We are involved in numerousapoloates at the Abbey, around the local Diocese of Richmond, and the universal church.
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About Us
Mary Mother of the Church Abbey is a community of monks seeking God in the spirit of the Rule of St. Benedict as expressed through our prayerful Liturgy and the work of our ministries.
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News and Events
Men's retreat scheduled for August 15, between 9am-3pm.
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