Dressed in the black Benedictine habit and sporting a foot long beard, Father Boniface Hicks is hard to miss.

During one of his first outings in Ellwood City, Hicks attended a downtown festival, stopped at a taco truck, greeted strangers and struck up conversations with people along the way.

Connecting with people is one of Hicks’ favorite things to do. He enjoys meeting new people and sharing good conversation with friends.

For Hicks, those encounters are more than a chance to become acquainted with his new community. They are the start of his ministry in the area.

Hicks, a Benedictine monk of St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe and a Catholic priest, was recently assigned as parochial vicar, or assistant pastor, at Divine Grace Parish. The parish encompasses the Catholic Churches of St. Ferdinand in Cranberry, St. Gregory in Zelienople and Holy Redeemer in Ellwood City.

He began full-time ministry in the parish on Aug. 2.

After 28 years as a monk, Hicks hopes to bring Benedictine spirituality to parish life, drawing on his experience preparing seminarians for the priesthood and guiding people in faith as he gets to know the communities he will serve.

Hicks’ path to the priesthood did not begin in a Catholic school, a parish church or a home where religion was practiced.

He was an unbaptized atheist studying computer engineering at Penn State when an evangelical Christian — a stranger — approached him on campus and invited him to study the Bible one-on-one.

Hicks was initially uninterested, but he agreed.

Over the next nine months, the relationship he formed with the man, along with their study of the Bible, set Hicks on a path he never could have imagined.

In 1997, Hicks was baptized and received into the Catholic Church. The following year, he entered the Benedictine community at St. Vincent Archabbey. He was ordained a priest in 2004 and has built a wide-ranging ministry as an author, teacher, spiritual director and retreat leader.

During nearly three decades at St. Vincent, Hicks taught computer science for about 10 years, helped establish the Institute for Ministry Formation and served for 10 years as the seminary’s director of spiritual formation, guiding men preparing for the priesthood.

He also wrote and co-wrote several books on prayer, spiritual direction and Catholic spirituality, published reflections online and appeared on Catholic radio, podcasts and television.

Although Hicks and his fellow Benedictines have long supported parishes by leading workshops and missions and assisting with parish ministry when needed, his new role brings him directly into the everyday life of a parish community for the first time.

Hicks had already become acquainted with Divine Grace Parish before receiving the assignment. In February, he led a three-day Lenten parish mission there.

Still, he said serving as a parish priest is different from advising or assisting those already involved in parish ministry.

“It’s different to be a degree removed, helping the people who are in the parish, as opposed to being in the parish,” he said.

He expected to meet with the parish’s other priests at the beginning of August to discuss its needs.

In the meantime, he has celebrated Mass, administered the sacraments, met parishioners and learned about the communities he will serve.

“Right now, I’m doing the same thing the other priests are doing — ministering the sacraments and trying to take care of the people,” he said ahead of Aug. 2.

Hicks hopes his years as a monk will shape the way he approaches his parish work.

The Rule of St. Benedict, written about 1,500 years ago as a guide for monastic life, teaches monks to remain attentive to God’s presence in ordinary life.

“One of the keynotes of the Benedictine rule is that God’s presence is everywhere,” Hicks said. “The life of the monk is intended to tune into God’s presence everywhere. Cultivating that kind of spirituality is, I think, a benefit to a lot of people.”

Remembering his own search for faith as a college student, Hicks also has advice for people who were not raised in a religious tradition but sense that something is missing.

“Fundamentally, everyone is searching,” he said. “How consciously and actively people search often depends on how comfortable they are in their lives.”

People often begin asking deeper questions, he said, when they encounter circumstances beyond their control, such as the loss of a job or a loved one, a serious illness or another life-changing experience.

“These sorts of things have a way of waking people up to a bigger picture and a bigger meaning in life,” Hicks said.

Hicks remembers that his own life began to change because a stranger noticed him, approached him and was willing to spend time with him.

Now, as he begins his first formal parish assignment, Hicks said he hopes to offer that same willingness to listen, form relationships and accompany people wherever they may be in life.

Hicks said people who are curious about faith could begin by reading the Gospels or simply speaking honestly to God.

“Just say, ‘God, I don’t know you, but if you love me, show me,’” he said.

“One of my great joys, and a real motivating force in my life, is being able to share the treasures that I’ve been privileged to collect,” he said. “I’m delighted to share them with this community.”

For more on Hicks’ ministry, visit fatherboniface.org.