Chicago native and Fenwick High School alumnus Nicholas Monco is one of three Dominican Brothers ordained to the Transitional Diaconate in St. Louis, MO on Saturday, September 15, 2012.
Brother Nicholas Marie was born and raised in Edgebrook, a northwest-side neighborhood of Chicago. A member of St. Mary of the Woods parish and student of St. Mary of the Woods grade school, he attended Fenwick High School, a ministry of the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great. After high school he set out for sunny California where he studied philosophy and economics at Claremont McKenna College. Following graduation in May 2006 he joined the Order of Preachers in the Novitiate Class of 2006.
As a part of becoming a Dominican Friar, Brother Nicholas professed his simple vows to the order in August 2007. Following his Transitional Diaconate ordination, Nicholas will continue to serve the Church by preaching at Little Flower Catholic Church in Richmond Heights, MO and finishing his studies at Aquinas Institute of Studies, which he will complete in May 2013. After the conclusion of his studies at Aquinas Institute of Studies, Nicholas will be ordained a priest in May.
As an avid Harry Potter fan, Nicholas’ current project is a video series of Catholic theology and the Harry Potter series, where he compares elements of faith to the relationship between characters in the Harry Potter series. In addition to this project, Nicholas worked in the Provincial vocations office this past summer as an assistant to the pre-novitiate program in Colorado Springs and Denver.
Brother Nicholas reflects that to him, “The main reason I joined and have stayed in this life is because I believe that this is what God wants for me and from me. It’s now hard for me to imagine doing anything else.“ He credits two Dominican priests during his high school years at Fenwick who were particularly influential: Fr. John Gambro and Fr. Jordan Kelly. Fr. Gambro taught him Latin for four year and led the two Kairos retreats he participated in. Fr. Jordan taught Nicholas world religions in his final year at Fenwick and helped develop his interest in theology. Fr. Jordan’s dedication to Fenwick and the Church was inspiring. Years later, Fr. Jordan served as his confessor and spiritual director.
