1: My Name Was Brother Sean

My name was Brother Sean, and I lived at Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York from June 29, 1993 to July 19, 1997. I was a Marianist Brother, a member of a Roman Catholic religious order called the Society of Mary.

Over the course of many blog entries I'll share here, I will take you through my time as a monk. I'll share with you many of my diary pages from that time too, letters I exchanged with family, friends, and teachers, and help you understand what my time there was really like.

I have written about my experiences as a monk several times before, most notably in a fictional book inspired by my time at Chaminade called Outside In, but until now, I have never shared my full story, warts and all. It's time.

It's time now for me to share my life, and in some ways, respectfully, the lives of others as well. My aim is not to defame or hurt anyone, but simply to share my truth in the context it deserves to be shared. My exit from the monastery was quick and unexpected, a truly terrible day in my life I neither deserved nor saw coming, and the sting of that abrupt dismissal haunts and hurts me to this day.

Long before I reach the conclusion to my story though, I'll begin with just this: I am a good man living a great life. I consider myself both blessed and lucky to share my life with my partner Andy, who I never would have met had I stayed in the monastery. None of what follows in the many blog entries I'll share here can possibly take away from the incredible joy I have now.

I have quite a lot to tell you, and some of it will not reflect well on others. For those I mention in any seriously negative ways, I will change their names. As I said, I don't wish harm on anyone.

There's one name, however, I will share many times, with his full, real name in print so all the world can see. It's extremely important for me to share my story truthfully, and that sometimes means giving you the brutally honest details of this person's life.

His name, my name, is Sean Patrick Brennan. I did my best during an extremely challenging time of my life, but I was far from perfect. I need you to know when you read these blog entries as they're published that I won't just be painting myself as some kind of innocent angel or victim. I'm not some crazy Catholic-hating liberal now either. I'm liberal, but I'm a great fan of Jesus. As such, I still consider the men I lived with my brothers, and for the most part, I still miss them to this day.

So if any of the above has resonated with you in the least, I hope you'll consider bookmarking this blog in your favorites, or subscribing for updates by email. Please consider sharing this blog with others as well. I think a lot of people will enjoy what I plan to share here. Thank you. More–much more–coming soon.


Coming Next Week: I Was A Male Nun

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