Palm Beach Post, February 15, 2006, Wednesday

Former monk writes book about monastery life
By Lady Hereford
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/lakeworth/content/neighborhood/lake_worth/epaper/2006/02/15/npl5_kossmannpro_0215.html

As a cloistered monk in one of the Catholic Church's strictest orders, Joseph Kossmann spent nearly two decades in silence.
Kossmann later left the monastery, and he has much to say about his experiences in the Carthusian Order and life in the only Carthusian monastery in the United States.
His self-published book, Sounds of Silence... a monk's journey, guides readers through his calling to the religious life, his training at a monastery in Spain and his life at the Carthusian monastery in Vermont. Sounds of Silence is available in bookstores and on the Web site www.authorhouse.com.
"It is a very elite group of men that I was very privileged to be a part of," said Kossmann, a suburban Lantana resident who writes under the pen name Father Benedict.
Benedict was the name Kossmann chose when he joined the group of hermit monks. "In Latin, Benedict means 'blessed one,' and I felt particularly blessed by having been given a calling to the Carthusian life," he wrote in his book.
The Carthusians at first turned Kossmann away, saying he was too young. However, Kossmann, a New York City native who grew up in upstate New York, had been committed to pursuing the religious life from the time he was in high school.
He persisted, and the Carthusians accepted him in 1962. He was 21.
At that time, Kossmann was given the choice of training at one of several Carthusian monasteries in Europe. He chose an extremely rustic community in Jerez, Spain. "I wanted to do the most I could in the strictest environment," he wrote.
He remained there until 1971, when he transferred to the monastery, or charterhouse, in rural Vermont. He earned the position of novice master and was responsible for instructing new members in the Carthusian way of life. He also held the title of vocation director and professor of theology, among other positions.
In 1978, he took a leave of absence from the charterhouse. It became permanent. "I think I just outgrew the life," Kossmann said. "I was very young when I entered, and I probably didn't understand all of the consequences.
"I felt overworked, and I was just tired. It was time."
Kossmann traveled for a few years and worked in parishes, but he said he didn't feel called to be a parish priest. He moved to Ithaca, N.Y., to be near his mother, and he earned a master's degree in labor relations from Cornell University. He also taught Spanish, French and Latin in a Catholic high school.
Kossmann eventually made a short-lived return to the cloistered life when he spent about a year with a group of Marionite monks translating religious documents.
He later joined the Camaldolese order in Ohio. "I was extremely happy there," he said.
He left the group a few years later after he had a heart attack. He returned to upstate New York and remained there until his mother's death.
He married his wife, Nettie, eight years ago, and they moved to Florida.
He now works three days a week as a security officer at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach and is a member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Lantana.
Kossmann plans to write a second book about his life since leaving the Carthusians. "I wanted to tell my story," he said. "I wanted people to be aware that material things aren't everything. I wanted to point out the spiritual side of life."
What are your hobbies?
Writing, traveling, gardening and caring for their dog Rudolph. He also reads a great deal. "I love to read nonfiction. I love history."
What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
"My mom used to say, 'I did it my way.' Her advice would be to be yourself and do it your own way. She always left us to find our own paths."
For what would you like to be remembered?
"I'd like people to say, 'He was a good man. He was a spiritual person.' "