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Paul Quenon 669 Paul Quenon from Holy Folly The religious life, whether clerical or lay, is not all pious seriousness. Humor, which is surely a divine gift that humans need to endure the vicissitudes of their lives, is as much a part of life lived inside a monastery as it is outside. Here is an excerpt from the diary kept by Brother Paul Quenon, one of the novices who studied under Father Louis, as Thomas Merton was known at the Abbey of Gethsemani. Brother Paul’s diary is the first part of a three-part collection of light and serious writings by three monks,who,inadditiontoBrotherPaul,areBrotherGuerricPlanteandFatherTimothy Kelly, a former abbot at Gethsemani. Through Brother Paul’s diary, Holy Folly: Short and Tall Tales from the Abbey of Gethsemani (1998), you can enjoy the drama and comedy of life inside the monastery without having to wear the monk’s cowl. h January 4, 1984— Some pipes broke last week in the vacated Retreat House, because it was left unheated. Today a pipe broke alongside the tunnel. Charlie Boon was called in to dig with his backhoe, which crouches like Behemoth the Dragon outside the entrance. The basement is filled with sulfuric fumes of sewer gas. Will the night be filled with phantoms? h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h January 6, 1984— Brother Andrew, one of the cooks, tells me when things used to disappear from the ice box, they would always assume the culprit was Father Idesbald (now deceased). About age 80-going-on-14, he would take generously from the plates and trays prepared for others with their names on it. One day Brother Maurice, a cook, walked into the kitchen and found Father Idesbald peering into the refrigerator. Maurice gave him a swat on the rear. Idesbald grabbed a butcher knife and brandished it at Maurice. When Andrew walked into the kitchen, Maurice was backed up against the oven laughing uncontrollably. h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h January 7, 1984— Jeff Fagenbush, a young temporary resident, has decided to give up his 669 670 The Kentucky Anthology comic books. The inspiration came to him suddenly, during Mass, and he turned over the whole collection to Brother Anthony—a collection he has assembled over many years. In the world of comic book collectors, it would be worth much. Jeff was baptized the Sunday before Christmas. He has been at the monastery since early November. He lives in the vacated Retreat House, and works with Brother Ambrose in the kitchen, as well as in the Farms Building where cheese is packed. Jeff is 23. He was kicked out of every year of school he attended since 6th grade, the year his father left home. He has been in prison, and now is a fugitive from the law. Brother Ambrose has been helping him and his older brother, John Joseph, for years, getting them out of trouble. Now he has them both baptized. The change in Jeff since coming here has been noticeable , although he still likes to wear tight patchy jeans. So who has the comics? I do. I got them from Anthony. Now you know the worst about me. John Joseph Fagenbush, the older brother of Jeff, came here first with his uncle, a truck driver. John did not have the faintest idea of what kind of a place a monastery might be. He had never even heard of the term. The sign at the entry gate particularly frightened him: NO ENTRANCE UNDER PAIN OF EXCOMMUNICATION. He had no idea what excommunication meant. All he knew is that it didn’t sound good—like you might get shot. His uncle drove him up, opened the gate, backed up, then bolted forward at full roar past the threatening sign. John yelled: “Hey! this isn’t funny anymore, stop!” and ducked beneath the dashboard. They went to the cheese packaging to make the regular mail delivery. That is where John first met Ambrose. He began asking him questions, and when he asked what a monk is, Ambrose explained how the word comes from the Greek word monos, meaning alone. “Monks are called that because they live in solitude.” John said: “You are not alone because you live with God.” After that, Ambrose took real interest in John. At Christmas time Ambrose sent him a Gethsemani Farms fruitcake, and invited him back. John did...

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