Dominican Daily
Sign up for our free daily email of news, events & commentary from the Dominican Province of St. Joseph.
Fr. Benedict Croell, O.P.
Born in 1968 in Arizona, Fr. Benedict Croell, O.P., grew up in Colorado as the youngest of nine children in a family that has since grown to include 27 nieces and nephews. Before entering the Order of Preachers, he studied at Colorado State University and Conception Seminary College for the Archdiocese of Denver. He obtained a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Providence College while discerning a vocation to religious life. He entered the novitiate of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph in 1992, and was ordained a priest in 1998. Fr. Benedict was assigned first to St. Gertrude Church and Priory in Cincinnati, Ohio as associate pastor for four years. In 2002 he was assigned to the Province's Vicariate of Eastern Africa, serving in Kenya for five years. He had the responsibility of being Novice Master in the Vicariate for novices from seven African countries. Returning from the missions, he ministered briefly at the University Church of St. Joseph at New York University before continuing studies in Rome. In June 2010 he completed the License in Sacred Theology (Spiritual Theology) from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) where he also served as a chaplain for two years. In 2010 he was appointed Director of Vocations for the Province of St. Joseph.
Recent Blogger Posts
Most Popular Posts
- Seeds of New Life (2060)
- Next Vocation Weekend (1166)
- Gregory Pine (22 years old) (993)
- Robert Murphy (22 years old) (849)
- Ryan Briscoe (22 years old) (797)
- "Usque ad Mortem" - Solemn Profession at the Dominican House of Studies (768)
- Ryan A. Kress (22 years old) (683)
- Dominican Spirituality, Chapter I (657)
Blogger Archive
Blogger Tags
Books
Michael Weibley (22 years old )
Meet the New Novices
Posted by Fr. Benedict Croell, O.P. on July 13, 2010
Michael Weibley
My hometown is Mentor, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. I have grown up in a loving Catholic family and I have two sisters, one older and one younger than myself. I have just recently completed my undergraduate degree in history and minor in philosophy from Walsh University.
As I was pursuing my undergraduate degree I began to ask myself the deeper questions in life. What really had ultimate purpose? What was going to make me truly happy? After having walked away from the Faith during my initial college years I soon found myself back in a confessional and back with our Lord. Through the discernment of happiness God planted a seed within me that could only grow with His Grace. I soon began to draw from the fountain of the Blessed Mother who led me to a relationship with Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. This relationship flourished and was fostered as I was introduced to the Dominicans by Fr. Chris Saliga O.P., the Chaplain at Walsh University.
One of the most attractive aspects of the Dominican life is the emphasis on sacred Truth. St. Dominic founded the Order so that Truth may be known to all. This same call is as necessary today as ever. It is the sacred Truth of the Gospel which saves humanity and it is the task of the Dominican Friar to bring the Truth of Christ to the faithful. Through much prayer, I have come to a realization of a calling to the priesthood in order to spread the Truth of Christ to the world.
The balanced integration of the communal, apostolic, intellectual, and spiritual pillars is what excites me about the Dominican life. It is a formation rooted entirely in the love of Christ in the heart of the Church.
Another aspect that has drawn me into a communal order has been my love of the game of baseball. I have played baseball my entire life up through college. Taking part in the fraternal aspect of a baseball team is very similar to the communal aspect of the religious life.
As I have many interests of study, I wish for nothing more than to be a simple Friar who contemplates the Truth and shares it with the world in whatever way God calls me to do so.