By Amy White
The Texas Catholic
IRVING — One muggy afternoon on the Aventine Hill in Rome, an intriguing thought popped into the mind of Father Thomas Esposito, O. Cist.: “Wouldn’t it be cool to write a novel that went through a day in the life of a monk?” the Cistercian recalled thinking.
Following that thread of inspiration, Father Esposito jotted a list of chapter headings into his journal. Within the pages of that journal, his idea remained untouched for a decade before he picked it back up again at Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey in Irving to author his debut novel. The publication this year of “Blue Miles: A Monastic Novel” marked the culmination of those many years of ruminating, writing, and revising.
Though “Blue Miles” is the monk’s first novel, the piece is far from his first work of writing.
“The first book was my dissertation, and it’s a dry, boring academic piece that no one should read, because there are too many footnotes,” he joked. “The second and third books are both letters that I wrote to various historical figures, biblical characters, such as Simon of Cyrene or Joan of Arc, Narcissus, Einstein, Thomas More.”
As Father Esposito composed his debut novel, though — click-clacking away at a computer to produce about 500 words of the narrative at a time — he said he was pleasantly surprised by the peace he experienced when taking the project to prayer.
“There was just a quiet reassurance that I would get in prayer,” Father Esposito said, “that this project was worth persevering in and seeing through.”
A peek into the abbey
Building upon the chapter structure Father Esposito mapped out years before in Rome, “Blue Miles” follows protagonist Padre Samuel O’Malley, an elderly Cistercian monk, as he moves through a day of monastic life at the fictional Presentation Abbey. Each moment in his day, from Matins to Compline, is interwoven with the old monk’s reflections and memories from his long, often tumultuous life.
“The narrator reflects on his life, present and past, through different hours of the day,” explained Abbot Peter Verhalen, O. Cist., one of a small number of readers to lay eyes on an early draft of the novel, “and that’s an occasion for Father Thomas to write, I think, really insightful and beautiful reflections on the meaning of our monastic practices.”
Far from a sanitized and saccharine account of a religious vocation, the novel chronicles both the ups and downs of Padre Samuel’s life, from the joys of ministering and teaching to the deep melancholy of loneliness, the agony of addiction, and the complexity of recovery.
“I wanted initially to call it ‘The Life of a Monk,’” Father Esposito said of the novel. “I think Padre Samuel is a thoroughly human priest and monk, and his story is relatable in many different ways, and so I do want people to have an awareness of the hilarity, the ridiculousness, the difficulty, the consolations of the life that monks lead today.”
Grace and gratitude
Although both the characters and the setting of the story are not based on any singular person or place, Father Esposito emphasized, the novel draws inspiration from the Cistercian monk’s own experience of monastic life, including his personal knowledge of the communal lore, anecdotes, and history of his order. For this reason, the book serves as a kind of “detailed 200-page tour” of life in the abbey, according to Abbot Verhalen — one that goes beyond the physical building to include the “people and the attitudes and the experiences” of the monastery too.
“I’ve been very gratified to hear from the young brothers especially how much they appreciated the honest introduction to the monastic life,” said Father Esposito, who as junior master at Our Lady of Dallas, in addition to his role as subprior, has charge of the formation of young brothers at the abbey. “I’m just grateful that I could ultimately give a real and encouraging portrayal of monastic life and an individual’s struggle to persevere in fidelity to his vocation.”
Father Esposito added that he has been delighted to receive emails, handwritten letters, and online reviews from strangers as well, who have expressed gratitude for the insights and encouragement contained within Padre Samuel’s story of struggle and grace.
“I’m just grateful that the Lord gave me the idea and the opportunity to pursue this book,” the Cistercian monk said, “and now to share it with my readers.”
Cutline for featured image: Father Thomas Esposito, O. Cist., is pictured at Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey on June 30. Father Esposito is the author of “Blue Miles: A Monastic Novel,” which is the monk’s first published novel. (AMY WHITE/The Texas Catholic)
