Who is the guy in the habit?
At last Sunday’s all-parish picnic, I had the pleasure of getting to know parishioner Chris Ndife (In-DEE-fay) and his wife, Kayla Ndife.
Chris has been a faithful 9:00er since 2019. He came to the Episcopal Church when a friend suggested he check it out when he was in the process of reconnecting to his Christianity after leaving the Methodist Church.
A few years ago, Chris, a software engineer by trade, found himself asking, “can I really do this for the rest of my life?” He felt called to something deeper. Someone from St. Paul’s suggested Education for Ministry (EfM), an intensive four-year small-group formation program based on study and practice in theological reflection. It was through this course, offered by the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, that Chris met Brother Jerome and Brother Ronan, members of the Companions of St. Luke.
The Companions of St. Luke is an official Episcopal religious community whose pursuit of union with God is hallmarked by individual prayer life, communal prayer offices, work, study, and ministry. The community is rooted in the ancient tradition of the Rule of St. Benedict which was written over 1500 years ago. The Rule has been modified to allow its members to be married or partnered. The community is non-residential, referred to as a “disbursed Benedictine Community.” Members (50 life-professed members and oblates throughout US, Canada, and Brazil) live in their own homes, staying connected through daily prayer, meditation and study, supervision, and twice annual gatherings.
Members live the Benedictine vows of obedience, stability, and fidelity and becoming a member is a long and intensive process. First, newcomers apply to the community and spend time in supervised discerning for a full year. Then, if it’s discerned that an applicant has a call to move on, they are received at one of the two annual convocations as a postulant. Again, for one year postulants pray the offices four times per day, engage lectio divina and other Bible study, read and study extensively, and receive spiritual guidance and supervision from a member of the community. The next step is living as a novice, a two-year process of deepening the practices began as a postulant, and at the end of two years the individual makes formal vows, is given a community name (Brother X, Sister X) and allowed to wear a habit.
At the end of July this summer, Chris will make his novitiate vows and will be given his community name. As you can see, his habit arrived in the mail this week – but he will not wear it until he has made his vows. The habit is worn for worship and any ministry out in the world.
After novice status, members take temporary vows renewed every year for three years, during which time each engages a major project to present to the community, one that reflects the sum of the person’s discernment process. The project is received and voted on by community council. A person may then make their life-professed vows.
I asked Chris how his call went down with his wife Kayla. She was hesitant at first because of the time commitment. Chris had to rearrange almost every aspect of his life to create the space for this life choice. “It’s like a part-time job,” he said. “Every day there’s 30 minutes of lectio divina and meditation, reading assignments and papers, reports, supervision, and attending the Great Silence that begins at 10 p.m. every night and lasts until Matins the next morning.”
“I spent a long time dealing with all of the excuses I could come up with not to follow this call. Once I ran out of excuses I finally applied and I was off.”
Knowing the amount of reading and study required, I asked Chris what he had read recently that made a huge impact. “With Open Hands,” he said immediately, “a book on prayer by Henri Nouwen…Nouwen writes that so many of us come at prayer with a clenched fist instead of an open hand. We want things, are asking for things, have an idea of exactly what we want God to do. But real prayer requires the unclenching of a closed fist – that we instead be open, silent, and receptive to God.”
When you see Chris at church, please introduce yourself and congratulate him on taking his vows to the novitiate. He is a diamond in our midst.
The Rev. Devon Anderson, Interim Rector
Driven by our mission to "create community," we plan to transform this space by featuring introductions to the people — both new and longtime — of St. Paul's Indy, replacing weekly rector’s reflections. Click here to email Meegan Kriner if you are willing to share part of your story.
