After the death from cancer at age 57 of their beloved abbot Francis Kline last August, the Trappist monks of Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina looked to a member of their community who had been with them since 1959 but ordained a priest for only three years.

Father Stanley Gumula, originally from Philadelphia, had been in charge of the monastery’s provisions—a position known as the cellarer—since 1984. A few years ago his brothers at Mepkin called on him to pursue the priesthood, and he was ordained in June of 2003.

Speaking of the death of Father Kline and the community’s reaction, Father Stan said, “As in times past, the brothers have responded, regrouped and are ready and eager to move forward together. Our desire and hope is to continue to show the compassionate face of Christ in the Lowcountry and that reconciliation between divergent voices and groups and between human communities and our natural surroundings and ecosystems is always possible. Mepkin is above all a place of prayer where God and his people can become one.”

Visit Mepkin Abbey at www.mepkinabbey.org.