the most challenging monastic job throughout my entire monastic life

To top it all, being bellringer assigned for the whole week was the most difficult and challenging monastic job ever assigned to me when I was Junior monk of the community of Benedictine monks of the monastery Abbey of Christ in the desert of New Mexico.

I considered it the worst and most challenging one because as bellringer assigned for the week, one must wake up much earlier than the usual waking of the community brothers which was at 3:50Am for the first prayers scheduled at 4:00AM.

The bellringer of the week must wake up at least 3:30Am to do the first wake ringing of the Cloister bell at 3:40Am and then at 3:50Am for the follow up wake-up bell. Then immediately after the ringing of the follow-up wake up bell, he must run fast to the belfry to ring it for 30 times and then followed by the lighting of the candles inside the Church.

During winter and cold season, the bellringer must light the fireplace first (firewood set in fire with gas) before anything else as the firewood burning takes time. So this means to say that he must wake up earlier than 3:30Am to set the Church fire.

My experience as bellringer taught me so much about this virtue called
P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E   and being humble in my disposition towards life.

Well, it paid off so much because now that I am with the world of people- I just really have to pull such virtue and such disposition that calls me to apply humility to every situation that I encounter in relation with my work as  Activity Director of a retirement home facility in North Hollywood.