Brother Luke (née: Steven R. Dorr) was born in Santa Monica, Calif., in 1949, and raised in Los Angeles. His dad, an optician, had shops in Beverly Hills, Hollywood and downtown L.A., and made glasses for some actors and actresses and lots of ordinary folks, too.

Brother Luke graduated from USC, starting out as a business school student but ending up with a degree in international relations. He spent his junior year (1969-1970) abroad at l'Université de Tunis. This ultimately led to graduate studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C., with an emphasis in Middle Eastern affairs. Postgraduate studies included travel in the Middle East.

Odd jobs included stints at the Middle East Institute, American Society for International Law and, finally, U.S. Department of Defense. He enjoyed his work and other interests such as singing with various church and community organizations, including the Choral Arts Society of Washington.

Brother Luke started attending the Orthodox Church in 1971, when he moved to Washington, D.C. It was the warm welcome at the local Antiochian Orthodox parish, more than theological considerations (he was brought up in the Protestant tradition), that led him to become Orthodox in the mid-1970s. Over time Brother Luke's commitment to his faith seemed to overshadow his other activities, and through friends at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington, D.C., he was introduced to New Skete in the late 1980s. After numerous retreats over the next several years, he came to the conclusion that he was being drawn, or some might say called, to monastic life. In 1995, he left 25 years of life in Washington, D.C., and entered the monastery as a novice. He was professed as a monk in 1998, and in 2000, he was elected by his brother monks to the position of superior (now prior) of the Monks of New Skete. While he did not come to the monastery as a lover of dogs --indeed he is allergic to dogs and was always afraid of them --he made a leap of faith in many ways to face that fear and take the necessary step to enter the monastery. Now he loves dogs - German shepherds especially - and includes regular work in the puppy kennel as one of his primary work areas. He has raised several puppies for the breeding program and loves to take his dogs for walks in the woods, especially in winter -- his and their favorite season (no bugs!).