Monk honored for bringing faiths together

Growing up in Chicago, the descendant of Austrian and Bavarian nobility, the Rev. Julian von Duerbeck was aware of the orders of knighthood.

He debated between joining the military and the priesthood, and chose the life of a monk at St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle.

That hasn't stopped him from becoming a knight.

This fall in a papal appointment that was approved by Rome, he was invested a Knight of the Holy Sepulcher for his work in promoting interreligious dialogue. The teacher of world religions has personal contact with many faiths through his relationships with Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and people of other religious beliefs.

"I've made friends with people from all these religions," he said. "I feel my own faith has deepened because I've had to explain it."

It's a long evolution since the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre were formed to protect the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Holy Land at the end of the First Crusade in 1099. After the Roman Catholic Church was driven out of the Holy Land in 1292, the order was reformed.

Today, the 23,000 knights and ladies of the Holy Sepulchre are devoted primarily to doing charitable work in the Holy Land for Christians, but also for Muslims and Jews, von Duerbeck said.

In an area of the world that would seem to epitomize the divisions between religions, von Duerbeck believes that dialogue, better understanding of other faiths, and religions working together can help provide the answers.

"The moral stance of all religions are very close to each other," von Duerbeck said. "The harmony of religions is one of the things I believe will contribute to a peaceful resolution to the world's problems."

An example of that working together, St. Procopius Abbey is a supporter of Benedictine efforts to build an academy in Jerusalem for Jewish, Christian and Muslim youths.

Von Duerbeck teaches a class in world religions at Benet Academy in Lisle, and classes on the Mediterranean world and the baptism of Europe at Benedictine University. Von Duerbeck said he finds students at the Catholic university in Lisle very open to learning about other faiths.

"At Benedictine, 14 percent of our students are Muslims," he said.

Von Duerbeck has long been involved with organizing interfaith events and formerly served on the board of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. He was the Marshall for the Parliament of the World's Religions that met in Chicago in 1993, and planned two major dialogues with the Dalai Lama. He also participated in the 2004 Parliament of the World's Religions in Barcelona, Spain.

The liturgist for St. Procopius Abbey, von Duerbeck has warmly welcomed people of other religions at the annual Thanksgiving interfaith service that is held at the abbey.

Rabbi Steven Bob of Congregation Etz Chaim in Lombard and leader of the DuPage Interfaith Resource Network said von Duerbeck's efforts to reach out to people of other faiths go beyond words.

"His ideas and how he conducts himself are on the same path," Bob said. "He has an intellectual interest in other religions and a spiritual gift that allows him to open his heart to other religions as well."

Von Duerbeck said other religions have reinforced practices within his own faith. Buddhist monks affirm the need for contemplative prayer; Buddhists and Hindus display the beauty of ceremony; Islam inspires the need for solidarity of faith; and Judaism fosters respect for scripture.

"There are no bogus religions," he said. "While I believe as a Catholic that there is a fullness of revelation in Jesus Christ, God has given truths in different ways to all the world's religions."

Abbott Dismas Kalcic of St. Procopius, who recommended von Duerbeck be invested as Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, said the monk is faithful to the Benedictine rule of work and prayer.

"Father Julian is a fine monk," Kalcic said. "He's extremely competent in all the teaching in does."

Von Duerbeck's interest in knighthood includes being a member of the International Chivalric Institute and a Knight of the Company of the Rose, a secular order.

His knowledge of other religions and history has led to TV interviews on CNN, A&E and the History Channel. In one interview, he defended celebrating Halloween as an enjoyable harvest festival.

A life of prayer and work doesn't exclude fun, he said. With his family background in Transylvania, maybe it's not surprising he's kept up with the literature and films on vampires.

"I love scary movies," he said. "I have a lot of interests."

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