The Prior of Mount St Benedict, Fr Odo van der Heijdt, will be renewing his monastic vows at a simple ceremony on Monday, June 6. The actual date of his profession was June 5, 1955.

Fr Prior prefers to celebrate his 50 th anniversary of monastic profession in a simple way during the community Mass. He will be spending the day in prayer and reflection as he thanks God for the gift of his vocation and looks forward with joy to the future.

Many pilgrims to Mount St Benedict seek out Fr Odo in his parlour, where they are all received with warmth. He always has a word of encouragement and wisdom for each and often shares a moment of prayer with them.

Fr Odo always gives priority to the pilgrims who visit the Mount. He is there each day of the week and would not let anything get in the way of his encounter with them. He is very much appreciated by all for his kind words and prayer.

Pastoral counselling has been one of the hallmarks of Mount St Benedict, and Fr Prior has captured the spirit of the monks who have gone before. Many would remember the giants - Fr Hugh, Fr Peter, Bro Bruno and others. It is the spirit of this tradition that Fr Odo has entered into.

Fr Odo (IN PHOTO) is an astute and shrewd financier, and is partly responsible for the financial decisions of the Abbey. Thanks to his wise insight, the Abbey has been able to manage its finances with prudence and foresight.

The monastic life is one of community living, prayer, work, hospitality and solitude. At the age of 24 years, when Br Odo committed his life to the way of St Benedict, he did so with the firm conviction that it is in this way of life that God wanted him to achieve the happiness that we are all called to experience.

By his sincere application of the principles of monastic life, Fr Odo has indeed found this happiness and he encourages young men to follow in his footsteps in the Benedictine way of life. Fr Odo's sincere love of the monastery, the monks and the monastic life has marked his life at the Abbey.

As a young monk, Fr Odo was sent to Rome where he studied for five years at the Benedictine Institute of San Anselmo and was awarded the Doctorate in Theology.

On his return to Trinidad, he was assigned to the Seminary, where he taught for several years. One of the highlights of his time in Rome was his ordination to the diaconate, which took place at the cave of Subiaco , where St Benedict lived for three years as a hermit.

When Fr John Pereira was elected Abbot of Mount St Benedict on November 15, 2003, he immediately appointed Fr Odo as his Prior, as he recognised the sincerity of a man who has served the community well and has truly imbibed the spirit of our Holy Founder St Benedict.

Fr Odo will be spending two weeks with his family in Holland from the end of June to share the joy of the occasion with them. We wish Fr Odo continued happiness in the monastic way of life.