Ever wonder what really happens behind the walls of a monastery?
In this week’s episode, I welcome back our favorite Benedictine monk with a surfboard, Fr. Augustine Wetta. We’re stepping into a hidden world that’s been quietly defying the noise and chaos of modern life for over 1,500 years with silence, prayer, community, and a whole lot of humility.
But don’t expect some dreamy fairy tale. This is real life behind the habit: petty arguments over pens, broken irons held together with the wrong glue, and golf cart joy rides. It’s raw, funny, and surprisingly relatable. Turns out, becoming a monk doesn’t make you perfect; it just means you’ve committed to growing in love.
00:00 Intro
6:24 Why Fr. Augustine became a monk
12:11 What Fr. Augustine discovered about himself in his 1st years as a monk
13:24 Why silence isn’t scary; it’s clarifying
14:44 The monastic trick to handling distractions during prayer
17:49 The unexpected joys of Monastic life
19:22 And... the surprisingly holy story of a broken iron (short)
22:00 What monks fight about (spoiler: it’s hilariously petty and deeply human)
28:07 Why doing the dishes for someone who annoys you can be sanctifying
28:37 The power of apologizing even when you think you're right (short)
32:22 Settlers of Catan and golf carts in the monastery!?
35:51 Three simple ways to make your house more monastic (yes, even with kids running around)
36:26 Deliberately lose your next argument
This episode reminded me that monastic life isn’t about escape, it’s about living with radical intentionality. And that’s something every one of us is called to, whether you’re in a habit or a hoodie.
........
Sign up for the Daily Anchor for FREE and receive daily reflections, updates, and encouragement from Chris Stefanick to help you live with the joy you were made for: https://mailchi.mp/reallifecatholic/daily-anchor-landing-page-20
........
Help us transform hearts for Jesus! Join the mission and become a monthly donor (A Missionary of JOY!): https://moj.reallifecatholic.com/
........
The Chris Stefanick Show will soon be premiering on EWTN+ Streaming! You can start watching more great content at: EWTN.com/ondemand/
........
✈️ To learn more about all of Real Life Catholic Pilgrimages,...
Popular Podcasts
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com