John Michael Talbot Inducts New Protestant Novice: Not a Catholic thing to Do

John Michael Talbot is strange, and that produces strange results, like having Novices who aren't Catholic, while claiming to be Catholic, that's not consistent with a pro-life ethic, that's consistent with the contorted spirit of self-aggrandizement which insists on strange personal attachments of a past life.

Monastic life changes retired minister » Local News » The Commercial-News, Danville, IL

COVINGTON, Ind. — People who want to simplify and quiet their lives are becoming associated with monasteries, but not joining them.

Pat Kuhs, a retired Presbyterian minister who lives outside Covington, is one of those people.

“There is a current general trend of people wanting to be associated with (but not join) a monastery,” she said. “It has drastically changed my own spirituality and amazingly deepened my relationship with God.”

In the last couple of years, Kuhs has become associated with the Brothers and Sisters of Charity, a community founded by musician and author John Michael Talbot.

Talbot will present an evening of music and meditation at 7 p.m. April 19 at First Presbyterian Church. There are no tickets, but a free-will offering will be taken.

Kuhs became a novice in November 2009, and wears the Tau Cross and tunic (white or brown, depending on the season) during special activities. The wooden cross is shaped like the Greek letter “T” and is associated with the Franciscans.

This fall, she intends to commit to a “temporary profession” in the Brothers and Sisters of Charity-Domestic, which is a three-year renewable commitment. At that time, she will exchange the Tau cross for a wooden heart Tau, which all members beyond novice wear.

Journey begins

People often ask Kuhs how a Presbyterian became involved with a Catholic Franciscan monastic community.

Her journey began by accident two years ago when she came across an old audiocassette tape of Talbot’s music. She has been listening to his music since the 1970s.

“God’s timing is always perfect, and I was ready to come out of my dry wilderness time with the church,” she said.

On the Internet, she learned more about Talbot and the monastic community he founded, as well as his books, not knowing he was an author. She bought nearly all of his 22 books and has at least 35 of his 52 CDs.

All of a sudden, she was bombarded with information about monasticism, and stumbled across articles and books on the subject, without trying.

She started to get the idea that God was telling her something.

She contacted the North Central Regional minister of the Brothers and Sisters of Charity, and received a lot of answers to her questions. She also began reading about Benedictine spirituality and considered visiting a nearby Benedictine monastery.

Instead, she went to a retreat at the Little Portion Retreat Center, a ministry of the BSC, in Arkansas. She went to Talbot’s “Lover and Beloved: A Franciscan Way of Prayer” retreat, met many interesting people, and was hooked.

A few weeks later, she went through the application process and was accepted as a postulant (a time of questioning) at the end of the summer of 2008 and later became a novice in the domestic (lay associates) section of the BSC.

The BSC, started by Talbot in 1982, is the most fully integrated monastic community in the United States, she said, and the first in America with canonical approval by the Catholic Church. Integrated means there are celibate men and women, singles, marrieds, families, lay and clergy, Catholic and non-Catholic Christians, contemplatives and charismatics.

It is predominately Franciscan in spirituality, but includes elements of Benedictine, Celtic and Eastern monasticism. There are about 40 people living at the monastery and about 500 “domestics,” such as Kuhs, living in their own homes.

Balance in life

The members take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. They also commit to times of silence, solitude and study to simplify their lives, and continue to be involved in their own churches and usual activities.

“We try for a balance in life of work, study, prayer, meals, sleep and leisure,” she said. Family always takes priority.

Kuhs also keeps in touch with other “domestics” through phone, e-mail, Facebook, cell group meetings, semi-annual regional gatherings and an annual general gathering at the motherhouse.

“Being part of this community has been the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Kuhs said. “When you follow God’s lead and call, your life is truly blessed, and that call can come to anyone, anytime, to anything.”

Kuhs said she has no plans to convert to Catholicism, but encourages others to visit a monastery or retreat center. All welcome guests and inquirers from all religious backgrounds and states of life. Most monastic groups have some form of associate lay members.