Fr. Robert Campbell, O. Praem.
-Interview conducted by Stephen Gaertner, O. Praem.
Recently, I sat down with Father Robert Campbell, veteran hospital and police chaplain as well as the community’s vocation director, to ask him a few questions about his daily life as a solemnly professed Norbertine of Santa Maria de la Vid Priory. As per his usually succinct and direct manner of self-expression, Fr. Robert was neither apologetic nor ambiguous in his responses . . .
I start my day at 400 AM with private prayer and strong coffee. I look at the Mass readings for the day. I go a little early to morning prayer to sit in silence. After morning prayer and Mass, I head to the hospital or my office for vocation work. I split my time between my police chaplaincy, hospital chaplaincy and my work as vocation director for the priory.
Generally I return to the priory by 300 or 400 PM and do some quiet reading in my room, or I take a nap. Then I’m off to prayer with my community, and a nice dinner afterwards. In the evening, I return to my room and do some reading or listen to the radio a little bit, and get to bed early. Sleep.
I find God in every minute of it. You don’t find God in the doing of your day, you find God by being open to His Grace and Presence in any moment; all moments are sacred in God. A cup of coffee can be an opportunity to experience a moment in the presence of God’s loving kindness. But, of course, it is most powerful for me when I’m ministering to patients or vocation contacts who are discerning God’s will in their lives.
The Norbertine way of life is a balance of community, contemplation, and service. Every day has some aspect of those three pillars expressed as I go about my daily activities. I experience communio in the gathering with my brothers for prayer and dinner, in conversation and the support of my brothers according to the rule of Saint Augustine. I experience contemplation in the wonderful opportunities for silence, quiet reflection and active listening when I am ministering to patients and vocation contacts. And, in my service as a minister of the Church, I bring the sacraments to the people of God, and I believe my service is most powerful when I can be fully present to the people without projecting my own needs and my own biases on the people I serve. I accompany them, one in heart in mind, on our journey to God. This is all very Norbertine. This is the heart of the Norbertine way of life, and is my means of sanctification through God’s saving Grace. It’s how I’m going to move deeper into God, and I do it with my brothers; we help each other according to the Augustinian concept of fraternity and friendship.
Norbertines root themselves in a particular place as canons serving a particular church. I have come to fall in love with this wonderful place where we live: the beauty of the land, the richness of the culture and the wonderful opportunities to minister in a vibrant church of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, one of the oldest dioceses in the country, rich in history and Grace. And I have come to love these special men of this community. We have a brotherhood rich in spiritual beauty.