The Catholic College of the South
Debbie Capen, Executive Director of MiraVia at Belmont Abbey College, joined Matt Doherty on The Rebound Podcast!
Debbie shares her own abortion story and how it fuels her passion for supporting other young pregnant women. “MiraVia is a safe haven and source of hope for pregnant mothers and their children.” MiraVia’s College Residence is a place where pregnant college students can live and learn with each other.
Lawrence Francis, a 2023 Abbey Graduate, and his mom share his journey as a student-athlete at Belmont Abbey College as he looks toward his future!
In case you missed it at our Made True Capital Campaign Launch, Belmont Abbey and Primal Brewery collaborated to create a beer, Made True Brew, to celebrate and share with the community. Through the guidance of Brother Tobiah, Jim Swintek, and Ray Steimel of Primal Brewery, you can now enjoy this classic Doppelbock with friends and family!
We also had the opportunity to visit Primal Brewery to get a close-up look at the bottling process of our Made True Brew. Now serving at all Primal Brewery locations, show your love for the Abbey by enjoying a glass of the Abbey’s Made True Brew today!
Abbot Placid and recent graduate, Evan Lutz, were quoted in the recent New York Times article, Why Universities Should Be More Like Monasteries. See the excerpt below or click here to read the full article.
No one understands discipline better than the Benedictines, members of the monastic order who follow the rule written by St. Benedict in the sixth century. Undergraduates at Belmont Abbey College outside of Charlotte, N.C., share their quadrangles, sidewalks — even their chess clubs — with Benedictine monks who live in an abbey in the middle of campus. “For the last 1,500 years, Benedictines have had to deal with technology,” Placid Solari, the abbot there, told me. “For us, the question is, how do you use the tool so it supports and enhances your purpose or mission, and you don’t get owned by it.”
Mental distraction was a struggle even for the ancient ascetics who didn’t have Snapchat. When the mind wanders and a monk wants “to bind it fast with the firmest purpose of heart, as if with chains, while we are making the attempt it slips away from the inmost recesses of the heart swifter than a snake,” John Cassian, a fourth-century monk, wrote. Many monasteries don’t totally reject the latest technology, but they are mindful of how they use it. Abbot Placid told me that for novices at his monastery, “part of the formation is discipline to learn how to control technology use.” After this initial time of limited phone and TV “to wean them away from overdependence on technology and its stimulation,” they get more access and mostly make their own choices.
Evan Lutz graduated this May from Belmont Abbey with a major in theology. He stressed the special Catholic context of Belmont’s resident monks; if you experiment with monastic practices without investigating the whole worldview, it can become a shallow kind of mindfulness tourism. The monks at Belmont Abbey do more than model contemplation and focus. Their presence compels even non-Christians on campus to think seriously about vocation and the meaning of life. “Either what the monks are doing is valuable, and based on something true, or it’s completely ridiculous,” Mr. Lutz said. “In both cases, there’s something striking there, and it asks people a question.”
Belmont Abbey College Vice President and Director of Athletics Stephen Miss has announced the transition into new roles for current Associate Athletic Directors Justin Bates and Gabrielle Reppell. Bates, Associate Athletic Director of Internal Operations and Reppell, Associate Athletic Director of External Operations will switch roles in order to continue building upon the growth and success of the athletic department.
For the past seven years, Bates has led the charge on facilities and operations and will now have the opportunity to expand upon his professional development as he pursues his ultimate goal of becoming an athletic director at the collegiate level. After a year and a half of learning and deepening her understanding of outreach and fundraising, Reppell will shift into a role that will more clearly align with her previous experience in athletics.
“The reassignment of Justin Bates’ and Gabrielle Reppell’s duties exemplifies the WIN, WIN, WIN creative solutions we look to identify and implement here at The Abbey,” Miss stated. “Justin is provided an opportunity to expand his skillset and, thereby, become even more of an asset than he already has proven himself to be – a WIN. Gabby will return to overseeing an area in which she possesses expertise and dexterity gained at previous stops along her career path and for which she exhibits tremendous passion – a WIN. Our Culture will be reinvigorated and our Department will be more efficient and productive – (BIG) WIN! I am excited to continue to work alongside Justin and Gabby as they both continue to grow professionally and to mature into becoming two of the finest Athletics Administrators in the country.”
In their new respective roles, Bates will oversee marketing, promotions, sponsorship, and donor cultivation. Reppell will now turn her attention to creating an extraordinary experience for the student-athletes, coaches, fans and guests while overseeing the maintenance and development of facilities.
Bates and Reppel were interviewed by Collegiate Sports Connect highlighting this transition.
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