Novice Simon Holden is joining the Benedictine Community at Saint Meinrad.
Holden was clothed in the Benedictine habit at the Saint Meinrad Archabbey during a brief ceremony on Sunday.
Holden now begins a year of monastic formation, including studying the Rule of St. Benedict and monastic history.
The Lexington, Kentucky native is 23 years old and earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Louisville in 2019.
While in college, he was also a music theory and music history tutor.
Holden is the son of Katrin and Roger Holden of Frankfort, Kentucky, and attended Western Hills High School in Frankfort.
Recently, his home parish was St. Leo Parish in Versailles, Kentucky, where he was a volunteer in the parish’s Alpha program.
As novice, he takes a year off from formal studies and trades.
The novitiate is a time of prayer and learning intended to help a novice discern his vocation as a monk.
At the end of this year, a novice may be permitted to profess temporary vows of obedience AND fidelity to the monastic way of life and stability in the community of Saint Meinrad.
