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Guest Column

From Dunedin to Benedictine peace

By JACK BRAY
Published December 28, 2007

The colorful beauty of the rolling hills in a place of absolute quiet was captivating. It was love at first sight. I knew this was where I belonged. Don't ask me why. I just knew.

Greetings from Alabama. After 13 years in Florida, I have begun a new chapter in my life.

My home is the Benedictine Manor, a small retirement community owned and operated by the Benedictine nuns and open to seniors of all faiths. It is set in the small town of Cullman, population 14,000, between Birmingham and Huntsville.

No more shopping, cooking, cleaning and no more driving Alleluia! Good local transportation.

Why did I leave the oppressive heat, the torrential rains, the frightening lightning, the terrible traffic, the increasing crowds, the escalating costs and, most fun of all, the six month of incessant warnings about hurricanes? Am I nuts? Dunedin is paradise!

Yeah, right.

Seriously, that's really just the half of it. Why I chose to live in the Benedictine Manor is the other half.

Originally the convent for the Benedictine nuns, who now live next door in the Sacred Heart Monastery, the manor was converted to a retirement home - at the request of neighbors - when the number of their congregation began to dwindle. (And, yes, if it makes some of my Florida friends with a sense of humor happy, you might say I have taken Shakespeare's advice to "get thee to a nunnery.")

The spirituality of the manor and its surroundings is overwhelming. It sits in a region of three monasteries: Sacred Heart, St. Bernard's Abbey (down the road) and Mother Angelica's Our Lady of the Angels (in nearby Hanceville with the Shrine to the Blessed Sacrament).

There is a small, private chapel for daily Mass and communion. The monastery chapel next door is where we attend Sunday Mass. It is a prayerful place.

My life is totally different now. Having studied for the priesthood as a young man, I feel I have come full circle, back to my roots. This is not for everybody, but for me, it's what my inner self has been trying to tell me through the noise of these past too many years. I finally heard it.

Maybe, I thought, by writing about this dramatic change in my life, I just might encourage some to listen to their heart and make the change in their lives that is needed.

And, yeah, in case you're wondering, there are some people and places I miss and will surely return to visit.

In the meantime, y'all be good, y'hear?

Jack Bray is a retired broadcasting executive who recently moved to Alabama from Dunedin. He can be reached at brayjack@bellsouth.net For more information about Benedictine Manor, check the Web site www.shmon.org

[Last modified December 27, 2007, 21:31:10]