Br. Damien Cafaro

I have described my childhood in the past as storybook– lots of love, a great family, great parents, good friends, and lots of wonderful memories. The only educational point of interest would be obtaining my Master’s degree in theology and apologetics from a Protestant University. I am fairly certain I am the only Catholic to graduate from there, which is something I am curiously proud of.

I first considered pursuing a vocation in 2009. At the time, I was a veteran ski instructor at Copper Mountain in Summit County, Colorado. I believe St. Therese was instrumental in bringing me to Subiaco. She is the patron saint of vocations, and she helped me discern.

Not much attracted me during my first visit to Subiaco, especially since it was like 105 degrees. For a Northern boy, I could barely stand to step outside.

I have been asked before about my favorite part of being a monk and have never known how to respond because I don’t think, in my case anyway, that God wants me to have a favorite part. I feel I am here to grow closer to Christ by being shaped in His image, and for me, this is not an easy process. This having been said, if I were to say that anything is my “favorite,” it is this very cross of growing closer to Christ and being shaped in His image. I never knew of it until I came here and now that I am carrying it, I see it as the foundation of my faith, the catalyst of my salvation, and the bedrock of my spiritual life. Yes, we can rejoice in the cross, but this comes after we learn to carry it, which I am still learning to do. This is not something I think falls under the category of “favorite” things, but it certainly, for me, is the most rewarding.