Why Fr. James Neilson, O. Praem., Chose Norbertine Life

By Fr. James Neilson, O. Praem.

The beauty of the abbey and its liturgical life made an immediate and lasting impression on my heart and mind. That this community should have been so mindful of beauty as an attribute of faith in Christ and a lifestyle dedicated to the Gospel inspired me to believe I could thrive in such an environment of grace and natural revelation.

… This is nothing less than a dream-job and there’s not a day I’m not grateful for this extraordinary opportunity …

—Fr. James Neilson, O. Praem.
Fr. James Neilson, O. Praem., with his art on display.
Fr. James Neilson, O. Praem., with his art on display.

The opportunity for life-long learning has been a rich and constant blessing for which I will always be grateful to the Norbertine community. The order has been both affirming and generous in allowing me to continue my personal, spiritual, and professional pursuit of the art, ministry, and vocation of beauty. I have been very fortunate in extending the dream of Abbot Bernard Pennings, O. Praem., by working among and within the St. Norbert College community as a professor of art (this is nothing less than a dream-job and there’s not a day I’m not grateful for this extraordinary opportunity to live and work as a priest-artist-educator).

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