On September 8  the monks of Our Lady of New Clairvaux Abbey and guests shared in the joy of our Brother William Chng’s solemn profession and monastic consecration. In addition to being the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, the chosen day was also the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Memorial of Blessed William of St. Thierry, a 12th Century Cistercian monk and theologian who is our Brother William’s patron saint.

Brother William is a native of Singapore, who after many years in business, working with refugees with Maryknoll in Thailand, and a time at our daughter house in Hong Kong, eventually fulfilled his lifelong dream of finally becoming a Cistercian monk in Vina, California. We rejoice and give thanks to God for the gift of Brother William’s perseverance to his vocation!