Three monks of the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat were ordained last November 24, 2002 during the Feast of Christ the King. Auxiliary Bishop of Manila Teodoro Buhain ordained the three-two to the Order of Presbyterate and one to the Order of Deaconate.
According to the Rt. Rev. Tarcisio Ma. H. Narciso, OSB, Abbot of the Abbey, Fr. Anselm Manalastas, OSB were ordained priests while Dom Wilfrid Corpuz was ordained deacon by Bishop Buhain in a simple and solemn ceremony held at the Abbey Church of Our Lady of Montsserat.
       The ordination is only one of numerous activities of the Abbey, the Abbot said, including the ongoing recruitment to the vocation of interested servants of the Lord.
Fr. Aelred Nilo, OSB, who leads the recruitment in the Visayas and Mindanao areas, and Fr. Rafaelito Alaras, OSB, in the Luzon area, are assiduously making the rounds to different dioceses, parishes and schools to give vocation talks and to promote and explain the Benedictine life of service to God.
       So far, there have been 140 inquiries from interested applicants.
       The recruitment program includes a "search-in" process in which applicants are separated in two groups of 20 each. Each group stays in the Abbey Church for one week to immerse themselves in the Benedictine life. After which, a series of examinations and interviews is conducted, followed by a more intensive three -day seminar.
       In order to become a full-fledged monk an applicant should undergo a series of life renewal and formation processes. The first is to become a postulant for six months to four years. If he is a high school graduate, he needs to finish college first. After college, he will be a novice for about a year. Then he will take his temporary vows. After three years, he will take his solemn vows to become a monk. If the community finds him fit and needs him to become a priest, the Abbot will ordain him as one. All of the stages to become a monk are in accordance with the Abbey community and the Abbot's observations and findings.
Meanwhile, the restoration of the six panels in the ceiling of the Abbey Church is still ongoing. Jodit Calabig leads the restoration of the msterpieces of the late Fr. Lesmes Lopez, OSB in the 1930s.