Joseph Hoffschwelle professed his temporary vows on Sept. 3, committing himself to three years as a Benedictine monk at Saint Joseph Abbey. He publicly committed himself to obedience, stability and fidelity to the monastic life, and as is custom for the profession of vows, he was given the religious name Rother and will now be known as Br. Rother Hoffschwelle. The ceremony took place in the Abbey Church during Vespers before Abbot Gregory Boquet, the monks, the seminarians and guests.

Abbot Gregory said the name chosen for Hoffschwelle is special as it comes from the Blessed Stanley Rother, an American Catholic priest from Oklahoma who was murdered in Guatemala in 1981. He was the first martyr from the U.S., officially recognized by Pope Francis on Dec. 16, 2016, and the first U.S.-born priest to be beatified. The Rite of Beatification took place on Sept. 23, 2017, in downtown Oklahoma City.

Br. Rother spent the past year as a novice acclimating to his new life in the monastery. The year was marked by a separation from the world. He took classes in monastic history and spirituality and contributed to the life of the community in prayer and work. After three years as a junior monk, Br. Rother may petition to profess his solemn vows.

Br. Rother, from Fort Worth, first visited Saint Joseph Abbey and Seminary College as a high school senior during a 2015 Seminary Come and See weekend. He then became a seminarian for the Diocese of Fort Worth, attended and graduated from St. Ben’s with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 2021, and moved on to Assumption Seminary and Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, where he studied through 2022. But he was overwhelmed with studies, missed the community here and felt a deeper call to religious life and a deep desire for work and prayer.

“After conversations with Bishop (Michael) Olson, we decided I should withdraw from seminary and discern monastic life. He told me of a Monastic Come and See at Saint Joseph Abbey, and after that Come and See I decided to come for a longer visit,” he said.

 He began the application process during that visit, was later accepted and entered into the postulancy phase of monastic formation during Holy Week in 2023.