k ansas
monks
a publication for the Society of St. Benedict
Stability
rooting your life in christ
also in this issue:
• Faith & Farming
• F r. A l b e r t c e l e b r a t e s 6 0 y e a r s a s a m o n k
• T h e 2 0 1 4 A b b o t ’s Ta b l e B a n q u e t
Society of St. Benedict
1
Ora
Labora
10 - Rooting your Life
4 - From the Abbot
20 - Running in Place
6 - Stability
Fr. Meinrad Miller offers seven tips on how to root your life in Christ.
Br. Simon Baker describes what he calls ‘the treadmill of stability.’
Abbot James reflects on the Psalms and their impact on the monastic community.
Br. Leven Harton explains what stability means for a monk — with the help of Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio.
8 - A School for the Lord Diane Liebsch discusses the impact the monks have on St. Benedict Catholic School.
in the next Kansas Monks • S t . B e n e d i c t ’s A b b e y A n n u a l R e p o r t • Gratitude: Giving thanks for the gifts in our lives
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Kansas Monks
12 - Faith & Farming
If there is anyone who embodies stability, it’s a farmer. We take a glimpse into the lives of seven families.
18 - Stability in Motion
Fr. Albert Hauser celebrates 60 years of monastic life.
22 - The Abbot’s Table
A report on the 2014 Abbot’s Table banquet.
stabilit y Ev e r y d a y w e a r e s u r r o u n d e d b y r e m i n d e r s o f t h e p a s t : a s m e l l that takes us back to our childhood;an image that reminds us of a friend or loved one; or a monument, erected to honor a generation long gone. Since 1957 the Abbey Church has stood on the bluff, its tower like the mast of a ship, crowned with a Cross, watching o v e r N o r t h e a s t K a n s a s a n d t h e M i s s o u r i R i v e r v a l l e y. A t i t s b a s e is the Choir Chapel, where the monks gather five times each day to pray – but why? Why do these men carr y on this tradition? They do it for us . 1,500 years ago, in a city filled with sin, one man decided to strike out on his own. That man, St. B enedict, started a tradition that has sur vived toil and time, a tradition that the monks of S t . B e n e d i c t ’s A b b e y h a v e c a r r i e d o n f o r 1 5 7 y e a r s . T h e m o n k s h a v e s e e n o u r c o u n t r y e n d u r e t h e C i v i l Wa r, t w o Wo r l d Wa r s , a n d h a v e p e r s e r v e r e d t h r o u g h a c o n s t a n t l y c h a n g i n g s o c i e t y. T h e y h a v e g o n e f r o m D o n i p h a n t o A t c h i s o n , s e e i n g t h e t o w n g r o w, shrink and change around them, never abandoning their mission of prayer and work . When you look at the Abbey Church many words may come to m i n d , b u t o n e s t a n d s a t t h e f o r e f r o n t : s t a b i l i t y. T h e m o n k s h a v e p r o f e s s e d t o m a k e t h i s A b b e y, t h i s c o m m u n i t y, t h e i r h o m e o f prayer and work until the day they enter their eternal reward. They have promised to make this rhythm of prayer the focus of their lives , lif ting our ne e ds up to G o d. It is in this vow that the monks stand as the best example for each of us . Though we may have been called to other vocations , we can all make Christ and his Gospel message the focus of our lives. As you turn these pages we hope the monks ser ve as an example for you, how you can root your life in Christ.
Society of St. Benedict
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From the Abbot for His love endures forever
As I write for this issue of Kansas Monks, our community has just finished our annual retreat given this year by Sr. Mary Irene Nowell, OSB. Sr. Mary Irene focused us on something central to our daily lives as monks, something that brings us together, that grounds us, that is a gift, yet something often take for granted: The Psalms. In particular, she focused us on the idea that the Psalms tell a story, and through the story telling of the psalmist, our own stories are being told as we recite and chant this Word of God. The rhythm, the consistency, and even repetition, all contribute to bringing stability to our lives that mirrors the stability that we have professed in our vows. This stability in the Word of God becomes not only our story, but it becomes a part of us, even as the air we breathe is so necessary to sustain our lives. At appointed times in the day, from early morning to evening, we gather to offer our time, our prayer, and, through our daily experiences, ourselves. Whether a particular day has been one filled with successes, or we have experienced setbacks and limitations to our hopes, we find in the words of the psalmist our own words to express ourselves at that particular moment in our lives and in our vocations as monks. Indeed, the story of any person who enters into the Psalms is told in his or her reading and offers a settling of life, a balance, a stability that is often lacking in our day-to-day living. This became very clear to me during our retreat when Sr. Mary Irene led us through a story-telling exercise with Psalm 136; a psalm that bids us to recognize God’s enduring love. Sr. Mary Irene began reading Psalm 136, asking us to offer the response for that psalm, “For his love endures for ever.” And after a certain point she began inserting moments from our own history as a community, with us continuing to respond, “For his love endures forever.” So it went something like this…
Give thanks to the Lord of Lords; for his love endures forever.
Who alone has wrought marvelous works; for his l o v e e n d u r e s f o r e v e r. W h o s e w i s d o m i t w a s m a d e t h e s k i e s ; f o r h i s l o v e e n d u r e s f o r e v e r.
Who fixed the earth firmly on the seas; for his love endures forever. Who made the great lights; for his love endures forever.
sun to rule the day; for his love endures forever.
The The m
oon
and stars in the night; for his love endures forever.
In 1855 Fr. Henry Lemke set out from Pennsylvania to Kansas and became the patriarch of Kansas monks; for his love endures forever. In 1856 he settled in Doniphan, the first site of the Kansas monastery; for his love endures forever. 4
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Run
while you have the light of life In response to Lemke’s pleas for help, Frs. Augustine Wirth and Casimir Seitz were sent to join him, and in 1858 the small community decided to relocate to Atchison; for his love endures forever. The monks built a church and began a school even as they became missionaries for the German immigrants throughout the area; for his love endures forever.
In 1863 Benedictine Sisters arrived from Minnesota to aid in the ministry of the monks, who welcomed them with a brand new house; for his love endures forever.
In 1876 the monks elected Innocent Wolf as their abbot, who served the community for 45 years; for his love endures forever.
The community battled everything from grasshoppers to bedbugs, from bankruptcy to diphtheria, but they persevered in this school of the Lord’s service and laid a firm foundation for a flourishing monastery; for his love endures forever… it continued up to our times
…The community, true to its name “Benedict,” is blessed with good and holy men from its elders to its novices. It continues, strong in perseverance and gratitude, Kansas monks, Benedictine in culture, Catholic in faith, evangelical in words, works and deeds; for his love endures forever.
God remembered us in our distress; for his love endures forever. Snatched us away from our foes; for his love endures forever. Gives good to all living things; for his love endures forever. To the God of heaven give thanks; for his love endures forever. At the end of the exercise I will admit I was quite moved, moved like no recitation of the Psalms had ever evoked from me. I think it awoke in me the idea that the Psalms, the story of a people chosen by God, continues to be the story of the Church, and the story of our community. These words written down millennia ago, the life of the Church handed down across generations, the Rule we follow as monks, our own story in Atchison, Kan., are not some historical artifacts, but living accounts that have transcended time and in their relevance for today provide the anchor we need to bring stability to our lives. Through all of this – the good the bad and the ugly – we recognize our place in all of it and are reminded of how we have been formed and continue to be formed by this particular community, family, work place, or parish, and by this God who created us in his own image. In rooting ourselves in stability of heart – and for some of us, indeed, stability of place – we recognize the need to set aside the vain hope of going out and finding that “perfect” whatever. God has us here, through thick and thin, for a reason: to find the freedom he promises us in our salvation, “For his love endures forever.” In the spirit of St. Benedict,
Abbot James R. Albers, OSB
The Abbey tower, built on the 100-year anniversary of the community in 1957, stands on the bluff as a symbol of stability.
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stability by Br. Leven Harton
a Path to Living in the Truth
One of my favorite movies is a fun blockbuster from
2004, Catch Me If You Can. It tells the true story of a young man named Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) who, somewhat through his circumstances, and somewhat through his own decisions, finds himself becoming a world-class forgery artist. As he lives this life, he is forced to run from place to place: he begins as a fake airline pilot, forging and cashing fake paychecks; then becomes a fake doctor and, once again, is forging his pay; then he poses as a lawyer (somehow passing the Louisiana bar exam to do it—presumably by cheating); and he ends up, just before he gets caught, simply forging those airlines checks again. So Frank runs from place to place, making a life out of running. It is his running that is so interesting. Frank is not running just from “the law” but from a particular person, FBI agent Carl Handratty (Tom Hanks). Carl has been on Frank’s trail since the beginning, and the two develop a father-sonlike relationship in brief encounters and in yearly Christmas Eve phone conversations. In spite of the apparent opposition of an FBI agent chasing a criminal, a depth undermines the straightforwardness of Carl’s pursuit of Frank. As the movie goes on, the action becomes less about restoring justice by catching the criminal and more about the significance of their relationship, the two growing into a real friendship. The movie is, then, fittingly titled, Catch Me If You Can: “You, Carl, catch me, Frank, if you can.” In a particularly telling scene, Carl is extraditing Frank back to the States to be prosecuted and tried. On the plane back to America, as Carl sits next to Frank, he turns and asks, “One thing I still can’t figure out, how did you pass the bar in Louisiana?” And the longtime criminal says that he’ll tell him if Carl will give him half of his éclair. But Carl won’t do it and, therefore, doesn’t find out! He stuffs the éclair in his mouth with evident pleasure, a sort of punishment for Frank’s elusiveness, his unwillingness to tell! What is interesting about this scene is that it maintains the fundamental quality of DiCaprio’s character, his need to avoid being “found out,” his need to avoid being known by others. Carl has captured Frank Abagnale, Jr., has tracked down and arrested him, but there is this one piece of information about Frank that Carl doesn’t know and Frank simply isn’t ready to tell him. This kind of honest and straightforward communication and vulnerability (admitting how he cheated at something as important as the bar exam), this immediacy, being known, Frank is not yet ready for. Even at the end of his criminal career. I imagine that Frank would not have felt comfortable in a religious community that takes the vow of stability. The title of the movie says it all: Catch Me If You Can — understand me, know me, accept me, be with me, if you can—but I’ll be doing my best to avoid that, to confuse you, to hold you at arm’s length, to feed you a story. This attitude wouldn’t work in monastic life. The way St. Benedict envisions monks living together, I would suggest, is perfectly contradicted by Frank in this movie. Fr. Michael Casey has done much for me in understanding this vow of stability. He points to the inevitable consequence of living together as Benedictines in his book Strangers to the City; he writes of community life, “we are compelled to live at a high level of truthfulness, since we cannot escape from what we have been and still are.” The important part of this quote is the last, “what we have been and still are.” Our permanence, our stability—this is decisive! Unlike Frank, we stick around. We are caught by this vow! We are caught
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How good and how pleasant it is, when brothers dwell together as one!
psalm 133:1
in a distinctive sort of environment, where thirty other full-grown human beings see us on a daily basis behaving just as we do. This dynamic is unique, unrepeated in most other vocations: as a parent you are only under that kind of scrutiny from your spouse (your children being too young to really offer this kind of attention). If you live in another kind of religious community the change of confreres provides some turnover and an ability to maintain at least some façade with certain individuals or groups (and, thus, with oneself). But in the stable Benedictine life, where the monastery is home forever, each monk has a host of eyes on him at all times— over the course of time. In other words, none of us stands a chance to come off looking all that great in the presence of one another. There is too much immediacy. Too much being known. We have been caught by our vow of stability! What is created, then, in stable Benedictine life is an environment that does not allow one to maintain a story without extreme and undue effort. We do not harbor illusions about one another, and it is very hard to maintain them about ourselves. Perhaps this is what Fr. Casey has in mind when he talks about Benedictine humility as “living in the truth”; humility in the context of stability, humility formed by stability, is living in the truth. If we are living stability authentically, we begin to become realistic about everything. Not carping and critical, not lazy, not hopeless or frustrated, certainly not bitter. But through the undeniable accountability of stable immediacy, we become realistic. And this affects us on a moral and spiritual level—in our encounter with Christ. We come to see Christ clearly, in the truth—in His truth. The vow of stability is a vow in the monastic life in which our circumstances become a great good for us, our neighbors become a great good for us. They become the agent that purifies, cleanses our perspective, frees us from illusions, breaks down our façades, offers us clarity of vision as we strive to gaze on Christ. And over time purity of heart does take root and the joy of authenticity blooms.
For this purification to occur, for a monk or a lay person, our posture toward our neighbor is decisive. Do I consider those close to me to be a good for my life? Am I open to receiving the (sometimes) painful purification of remaining stable with others in my life? How does the claustrophobia of “being caught” by the immediacy of my neighbors challenge my perspective? None of us is a finished product in our spiritual/moral life. We all have quite a bit of work to do. And it is very likely that we lack a complete perspective about this work. In our own context of stability we each (thankfully!) have the resource of other persons who have been with us and can supplement and correct our understanding. Living with this kind of sober and humble openness to others is very hard and running away might be the more appealing option at times. At times we might wish to flee, like Frank Abagnale, Jr.! But we don’t have to, despite the overwhelming prospect of sticking around. The final scene of Catch Me If You Can manifests the truth that each of us knows in our depths. Frank has taken a job working in check forgery under Carl at the FBI and is on parole. One weekend he bolts, and Carl follows him to the airport to track him down. When the two meet in the terminal Carl points out to Frank, “Turn around. There’s no one chasing you anymore.” And though Frank leaves for the weekend (permissible under his parole), he returns by the end of the Monday workday. He has, finally, realized that what he has always wanted is a true friendship, with Carl in particular. Running did not make him happy. And we know that this is the case for us: stability, according to our own state in life, is necessary for our joy. Through stability we can gain a communion with others that is at once challenging and satisfying, a path to living in the truth. By living in the truth we can see Christ himself, the good that corresponds to the depths of our hearts.
Society of St. Benedict
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B
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A School for the Lord’s Service
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Pray like a champion today by Diane Liebsch, SBCS Prinipal
St. B ene d ic t C ath ol ic S c h o ol shines a little
brighter because of the presence of the monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey. Br. Christopher Start joined the faculty of SBCS last August, teaching middle school science and math as well as 7th grade religion. The presence of his black habit is a continual reminder of the Benedictine legacy on which St. Benedict Catholic School, formerly Atchison Catholic Elementary School, was founded. His love of Jesus Christ, his love of science, and the energy and social zeal of middle school students make him a perfect fit for SBCS. The prologue to the Rule of St. Benedict calls for a “school for the Lord’s service.” Most certainly, St. Benedict’s school refers to the monastery — but surely schools that have their beginnings in the traditions and labors of the monks and sisters are also schools for the Lord’s service. Br. Christopher is serving the Lord most generously as he scavenges for owl pellets in the Abbey bell tower in order to create a science lab experience for his sixth grade students. The students dissected those owl pellets to learn about the food chain. (Do you know how many mice one owl eats? Count those mouse skulls!) Eighth grade students completed a “Packing Up for the Moon” portfolio which included a design process, 2D model designs and 3D construction, and a presentation of a plant growth chamber used to supplement the diet of astronauts during their stay on the moon. Br. Christopher has been known to work out with students on the playground’s fitness equipment, slide down the inflatable slide at the school carnival, and sing with his male colleagues in the SBCS Talent Show. Br. Christopher Start was selected The presence of the as a KAIR Radio teacher of the monks at SBCS extends month in 2014 beyond the teaching staff. Fr. Gabriel Landis and Abbot Barnabas Senecal, pastor and assistant pastor of St. Benedict Parish and School, are part of the daily faith lives of the 233 preschool through 8th grade students at SBCS. Offering three Masses per week for the students, hearing confessions for staff and students monthly, and being present at special events create a special place for these two monks in the SBCS family. Abbot Barnabas is a frequent guest for lunch at school and enjoys walking down the primary hall to visit the 2nd grade class, often with a story for them about special people in his life. Fr. Gabriel enjoys knowing what’s going on in the lives of SBCS
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middle school students in order to prepare homilies that will address their spiritual and social needs. Other members of St. Benedict’s Abbey have an impact on the SBCS family as well. Br. Luke Turner enjoys the young learners, often calling to say he’s coming to school to read aloud to some children! How special for the children to hear the voice and see the face of someone other than their teacher. Br. Luke reads ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas better than most! Ask a primary student at SBCS! A whole team of young monks enjoy challenging the fourth graders to kickball in the school gym. They enter the gym in their habits looking not very formidable! However, once the rules are decided and the boundaries set, the monks cluster together for prayer before the competition and then the habits come up over their heads to reveal a menacing kick ball team, much to the delight of the fourth graders who begin to wonder if they even have a chance of scoring. Heads turn when students notice another special visitor, Abbot James Albers. If it’s visiting classrooms, stopping in to get updates from the school principal, being a concelebrant at Grandparents Day Mass, or being present in the congregation at graduation Mass, the SBCS community is blessed to have Abbot James’ prayers and support. Through his guidance, St. Benedict’s Abbey is enriching the spiritual lives of every student and family at the Catholic elementary school that shares its name. The Atchison Catholic community is blessed to have the presence of the special men who have been called to be monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey. Their presence, their prayerful support, their generous gifts of time and talent enrich the parish and the Catholic school.
The Diaconate Ordination of
Brother Simon Baker, OSB June 5, 2014
Whoever would be great among you must be your servant.
- matthew 20:26
Above all, let him be humble.
- rule of st. benedict 31:13
more to come in a future Kansas Monks
Men’s Retreats 2014 SEPTEMBER 12-14; NOVEMBER 7-9
A Monastic Experience
Join the monks ‘Running on the Path’ toward Christ For more information or to register now visit: Kansasmonks.org/mensretreat Or contact Retreat Master Brother Timothy McMillan: retreats@kansasmonks.org 913.360.7869
Space is limited in both retreats! Register now! Society of St. Benedict
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7
Seven ways
to Root your life
in C h r i s t by Fr. Meinrad Miller
By the time I enrolled as a freshman at Benedictine College in the fall of 1983 I had already sp ent we ek-long retreat s at thre e B ene dictine A b b e y s : S t . M a r t i n ’s A b b e y i n Wa s h i n g t o n s t a t e ; h e r e i n A t c h i s o n , K a n . , a t S t . B e n e d i c t ’s A b b e y ; a n d a t C o n c e p t i o n A b b e y i n M i s s o u r i . I l o v e d C h r i s t a n d h a d a d e s i r e t o f o l l o w h i m m o r e c l o s e l y. O n e o f t h e a s p e c t s t h a t d r e w m e t o t h e m o n a s t i c l i f e w a s s t a b i l i t y. I t i s one of the three vows that Benedictines profess, along with Obedience and C onver satio Mor um. Stability is not simply a negative: “ne ver le ave the m o n a s t e r y.” R a t h e r i t i s p o s i t i v e , b e c a u s e i t a l l o w s u s t o b e c o m e l i k e t h e t r e e planted by streams of water (Psalm 1:4). Of course the stream that we are planted by holds the waters of Baptism, and the fruit of the tree is our life in Christ. St. Benedict wanted us to be stable, to be rooted in one place, so that we can allow the roots to go deep, and bear much fruit. I would like to propose for your reflection seven ways to help you root your l i f e i n C h r i s t . I e n c o u r a g e y o u t o r e a d e a c h s l o w l y, t h e n t a k e a m o m e n t t o consider it.
I received the habit 29 years ago this July 10, and began my life as a monk . I am so grateful to Christ for having given me this vocation. While I may leave the Abbey often to help with parishes or give retreats, I know that this is my h o m e . I t i s h e r e w h e r e I h a v e p l a n t e d m y l i f e b y t h e s t r e a m o f l i v i n g w a t e r, w h i c h i s C h r i s t ’s m e r c y f l o w i n g o u t f o r m e . E d i t o r ’s n o t e : Fr. Me i n ra d Mi l l e r h a s b e e n a B e n e d i c t i n e m o n k s i n c e 1 9 8 6 . He c u r r e n t l y s e r v e s t h e c o m m u n i t y a s No v i c e M a s t e r, a n d w o r k s a s a P r o f e s s o r o f T h e o l o g y a t B e n e d i c t i n e College. 10
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d o b at t l e f o r t h e
true King
Christ the Lord r u l e o f s t. b e n e d i c t, p r o l o g u e : 4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Fall in Love with Jesus He is not just one among many, he is the way, the truth, and the life. Mary and the Saints help us to love Christ, and Christ leads us to the Father (John 17).
Take time for Silence Again this silence is not negative, or the silent treatment, but it is filled with the presence and awareness of a loving God who loves me to the core of my being
Be E xtr aordinary
When faced with your ordinary routine, enter into it in an extraordinary way. Being stable allows us to do our daily tasks with a great love, and without an eye on getting the next promotion or moving on. Here and now I am merely an instrument of the Holy Spirit, and this is freeing.
Do deeds of Mer c y
St. Faustina received the teaching from Jesus to do an act of mercy every day in thought, word or deed in the name of Jesus. If every believer did this, the world would shine with Divine Mercy. Helping the poor, the ill, the stranger, the hungry, the thirsty, the prisoner, the naked all for Jesus allows us to bear fruit.
Get involved
Take time to be involved with your parish or community. Christ did not hand out books to random people and tell them to read them and feel good. Rather he himself, who is the Word made flesh (John 1:14), wants to encounter us, to invite us to follow him, to enter into Communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Love those ar ound you
G.K. Chesterton said that our Lord wants us to love our enemies and our neighbors because they are usually the same people. Being stable allows me to get to know the people around me, and to see Christ in them. They can also help me to grow in humility by helping me face my own need for growth.
Trust in Jesus It is easy to think of Christ just in formalistic terms. But really coming to trust him as a friend allows us to be stable.
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By the Work of Their Hands
stor ie s
o f
fa i th b y
Ma t t
a n d
Ke mni t z ,
fa r mi ng
p h o t o s
b y
J. D .
Take a look at your hands.
What story do they tell? Maybe you just worked in the garden with them and they are a little dirty. Maybe you just used them to fold the laundry. Maybe you just came from Mass and remember receiving the Eucharist or sharing the sign of peace with someone. You might be saying to yourself, “Well, I just used my hands to pick up this Kansas Monks, my favorite magazine!” Each person’s hands are unique, telling their own story. The look of a farmer’s hands can help tell the story of his or her life. It is a life of hard work. It is a life on the land. It is a life of sweating in the sun and freezing in the cold. It is a life of relying on God. The following are glimpses of the lives of Catholic, faith-filled farmers. From a 95-year-old looking back on his life, to families who have farmed for generations, to a family just starting with no experience. Their farms span from Grinnell, Kan., to Linn, Mo. We spent time with each of them to gain a deeper insight into their farm and faith lives. Like the Benedictine motto Ora et Labora, they use their hands for prayer and work. With their hands they have driven tractors, tilled soil, planted and harvested crops, raised livestock and provided for their families and countless others. These farmers and their families work hard and pray hard. They have rooted themselves in Christ and in the land they care for. They are often on their knees praying in Chuch for rain, on their knees in the fields, or on their knees in sheds fixing their equipment. They are models of stability in a sometimes unstable world. Just as the monks profess a vow of stability to their particular monastery, these farmers represent stability on their spread of land. So get your farm boots on and enjoy this rural ride! continued on next page
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B e nning
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Fiat Farms Nestled in south-central Kansas sits the quiet community of St. Leo, Kan. Kevin and Mary Ford and their three small children live just south of the Catholic Church. As we approached the house we were greeted with a familiar phrase hanging next to the door: “Let all guests be welcomed as Christ” (RB 53:11). After graduating from Benedictine College in 2007 with a theology degree, Kevin started teaching at a high school in Wichita when he came to a decision — start farming. “I decided I wanted to become a farmer. I just wanted to do it.” The fact that he had no experience didn’t concern him, “I’m very persistent.” They have 12 acres of land, 3 ½ acres dedicated to vegetables. They raise pigs, chickens, goats, two hogs and one new 700 pound boar whom they named “Big Boy.” The main reason Kevin decided to make this leap into farming was because of his desire for stability for his family. “The most stable family life is a life on the land rooted in the earth. I’m there for every meal with the family. If my wife ever needs me, I’m just a call away and I can be there.” Their Catholic faith impacts their lives as farmers. Kevin keeps the Rule of St. Benedict near him and reads it regularly. Since he began farming four short year ago, Kevin has founded the New Catholic Land Movement. It helps bring families back on land to farm and live together.
“The Rule inspires everything that we do. Prayer comes first, but even our work should become a prayer. It is a constant, day-by-day, offering to God.”
mense f a m i l y
f a r m s
“With farming, everything you do depends on God.”
212 miles northwest of St. Leo lives another farm family with a much larger spread of land. “Hop in,” Rodney Mense (at right, left) said as he pulled up to meet us on his farm in his red pick-up truck. “We’re going into town to get a tire fixed for a plow.” So we hopped into his truck and began our glimpse into the farming life he and his family live. After we dropped the tire off to be fixed we went to the local co-op and then to the Catholic Church in the neighboring town of Angelus, Kan. Our first few moments with Rodney showed that he was a man of action, rooted in the local community, and a man of faith. He was greatly influenced by the monks, having graduated from Maur Hill Prep School in 1952, and has been farming ever since in western Kansas in the area of Grinnell. His two sons, Larry (at right, right) and Leeland, have joined their father in their expansive farming operation. They farm around 8,000 acres together. It is a large operation but they wouldn’t trade being farmers for anything. Even in the face of challenging weather. “You have to have a lot of faith when planting crops. It’s up to the good Lord to bring moisture,” Rodney said. His family has been farming in Kansas since 1888. Rodney, his wife Frances, and his sons are very active in their parish. They are on Church committees and are involved with the Knights of Columbus. They also volunteer and take care of all the upkeep of the local cemetery.
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DIEDERICH
Farms
Driving on the dirt roads one hour north of Manhattan, Kan., trying to reach a farm in Greenleaf, Kan., even confused our GPS. It was as if our GPS wanted to ask, “Is this even a road?” With a sigh of relief we found Dean and Mary Ellen Diederich’s farm. Greeted immediately when we pulled up in the car in front of their house we felt the Benedictine hospitality they were formed in. Mary Ellen was a 1958 graduate of Mount St. Scholastica College and Dean was a 1952 graduate of Maur Hill Prep School and a 1957 graduate of St. Benedict’s College. They have 39 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. Their farm has been in the family since the late 1800s. They raise cattle and crops and enjoyed raising their kids on the farm. “The kids had all kinds of freedom running up and down the hills. We also had all kinds of pets from a raccoon to a hawk. It’s been a blessing to raise our family here,” Mary Ellen explained. Their faith continues to inspire them to keep on farming and persevere. “Faith is just the most important thing there is. It’s the reason for being here,” Mary Ellen said. “Faith is a gift. You have to use it because if you don’t you will lose it,” added Dean. One day Dean was having a difficult time bringing the cattle in so he prayed to his Guardian Angel by simply saying, “Hey, we got a problem here, and you have to help.” The Diederichs exemplify the stable life of farming. “I would link stability with responsibility to stay here and not leave because of adversity.”
Just outside of Seneca, Kan., is a farm that has been in the family for four generations – since 1898. “With these hands I’ve done almost everything in farming from turning the wheels of tractors to throwing bales of hay. Once in a while you need more than just your hands. Sometimes you need to ask somebody up above to help you,” Dave Nordhus said. He expressed how his faith life and farming life work together, quoting his favorite passage, “All things work together for those who love God and trust in the Lord” (Romans 8:28). Dave and Donna Nordhus have been farming for over 40 years. Dave’s grandfather had twelve children and three of them became monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey and three became sisters at Mount St. Scholastica. “This area of farm ground is fertile for religious vocations. Within one mile we’ve [recently] had two become priests and two become sisters,” Dave explained. The Nordhus family was inspired by the monks they have had as pastors in the area, like the late Abbot Owen Purcell. Now their daughter Charity and son in-law Will Henry, with their two children, live at the original homestead and are continuing the family tradition. Dave and Donna have been blessed with four children and eight grandchildren. Charity thinks back fondly about having been raised on the farm and how it greatly impacted her faith life. “God created this world for us,” she said. “Being on a tractor by yourself gives you time to pray and ponder God’s work in my life. I wanted the same for my children.” Maybe someday the Nordhus farm will continue into the fifth generation. Hopefully the land in that area will continue to be fertile for crops and for future religious vocations as well.
Faith and Farming continued on next page
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Faith & Farming c o n t i n u e d
George Holthaus “I’ve farmed all my life. I started farming at age 6.
I’ve always enjoyed farming. You gotta like to work,” said George Holthaus. Living in the town of Seneca now, George, who is 95 years young, continues to share his love of farming. One look at his hands and you know he spent many years using them. In fact, he is missing the tip of one of his index fingers. “I was working with a piece of machinery with a belt when it hit my finger. It hurt but when I looked at the cotton glove I was wearing there wasn’t a hole. When I pulled my glove off the tip of my finger flew off, hit the ground, and then my dog ate it. I never saw that again,” George explained with a hearty laugh. He also mentioned the influence that several of the monks had on his life, especially Abbot Owen Purcell and Abbot Ralph Koehler, who grew up next to him. He has an active daily prayer life and prays often for his family, especially those he has lost over the years. “I pray the rosary every day after breakfast,” George explained. He has a very large extended family with 38 grandchildren.
T & R Farms Tim Becker farms around 7,000 acres in multiple counties of northeast Kansas with the help of his father, Ray. Tim went to public high school with Abbot James Albers. He has great respect for the monks and for their witness they offer the world. “Monks remind me what’s important in life and what’s not,” Tim said. Ray Becker graduated from St. Benedict’s College in 1963 and Tim’s mother, Mary Jo, attended Mount St. Scholastica College. Tim’s wife Kelli attended Mount St. Scholastica Academy and is a teacher at St. Benedict Catholic School. They have four children. Tim was able to get into farming because his grandfather owned land. “I didn’t have to start from scratch from a land standpoint. The opportunity was there,” Tim explained. He grew up 250 yards from St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Purcell, Kan. “You did not miss Mass,” Tim said smiling. “We all swim in the same pool of faith. Some prefer to stay in the deeper depths. I can swim in the deep end but prefer my feet touch.” His faith helps keep him rooted in Christ and the challenges of farming in perspective. “You pray a lot for rain in production agriculture. You won’t produce without it. Once your crop is in, it’s in God’s hands. You are not going to make it rain. At the end of the day you have to ask yourself why you are here and why you are doing this, caring for the land, producing food. It’s a mountain of work sometimes. It does take you away from your family a bit, but it’s the best way to raise children by giving them jobs.”
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VO S S &
land
c at t l e
Fr. Meinrad was a little nervous getting out of Ralph Voss’s 4x4 utility vehicle in the middle of a rain soaked cow pasture near Linn, Mo., where Ralph farms. As he walked through the middle of the herd of South Poll cattle (shown above), he got mud on his habit from the tall grass and weeds and watched his every step to avoid getting a cow pie surprise on his shoes. With the sound of these bellowing brown cows and their calves at their sides we watched Ralph lead his herd of over 100 to a different part of the pasture to graze. South Poll Cattle were first bred by Teddy Gentry of the famous country music group Alabama, bred to be heat-tolerant. Ralph is also passionate about letting God take care of the farming environment and not using chemicals, striving to be a good steward of God’s beautiful land. He explained the importance of dung beetles and earth worms for the production of superior soil. Ralph even scooped up a dung beetle from the ground while we were talking with him to show it to us up close. “I’ll let it go back to doing its work now,” Ralph said as he gently returned it back from his muddy hand to a pile of dung. We commented on the hands of the farmer and how they tell a story. Ralph responded, “With these hands I have held the Body of Christ as I fed my soul at the Eucharist and have held God’s precious soil that grows food for our bodies.” Ralph and his wife Jerrilynn have had their farm in Linn, Mo., for just over 40 years. Ralph is a 1963 graduate of St. Benedict’s College and helps coordinate an annual men’s retreat at the Abbey.
The life of a farmer and the work they do with their hands is a way of life that demonstrates stability, an integral part of the life of a monk. In addition to the vows of obedience and conversion of life, one of the vows Benedictine monks profess is stability. Upon professing their solemn vows monks promise God and their community to call St. Benedict’s Abbey their home until death. The monastery itself – this structure of stone and earth – is also a symbol of stability. Its formidable appearance looks like something that will firmly remain in the same spot forever. Both monks and farmers can tell a similar story. They have rooted their lives in a specific location where they live, work and pray. They have both rooted their lives in Christ. Editor’s Note: Faith and Farming, a video featuring these families and others will also be released in the near future.
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Stability in Motion
60 Ye ars of Mona stic Life inside and out side of the mona ster y by Kir st e n Ant onacc i , B C ‘14
How did Fr. Albert Hauser end up at St. Benedict’s Abbey? Benedictine presence in parishes speaks volumes. Born on October 26, 1933, in Burlington, Iowa, Robert Hauser was a member of St. John the Baptist Parish, which was staffed by three Benedictines. “My parents were both devout Catholics but it was the parish priests who really played a part in my vocation to the Benedictine life.” The Hauser family started with a trip to St. Louis, Mo. “Dad was involved in Boy Scouts and led a trip to St. Louis one time…and that’s where he met my mother.” The couple got married and had three boys and two girls. Br. Anthony Vorwerk is his cousin and they grew up together in Burlington, attending high school at Burlington Catholic. “As kids, we spent the summer playing at the local park where there were all kinds of summer activities: tennis, softball, and an occasional picnic.” The Benedictine priests were Fr. Albert’s first connection to the Abbey. His second connection was Camp St. Maur, held on the Maur Hill campus each summer. He attended the camp and later became a counselor. Already a fan of Atchison, it was easy to choose St. Benedict’s for college. His first year there was 1951. Being in the constant presence of Benedictine monks stirred a stronger yearning for their way of life. He soon entered St. Benedict’s Abbey and professed vows on July 11, 1954. “I remember my time in monastic formation as a time of great enjoyment. We had our own school of Theology at St. Benedict’s Abbey. At that time, there were a large number of clerics – monks studying for the priesthood. I finished my Theology studies there and was ordained on May 26, 1960.”
Monastic Assignments – A Priest for Kansas He spent his first ten years in college administration and as Director of Vocations for the monastery. “I was the Registrar, Director of Admissions, a priest, and whatever else they needed.” When the two schools merged to form Benedictine College, he received his first assignment in parish ministry at Sacred Heart in Atchison, Kan. After three years, he served one year at his home parish in Iowa. Then he moved back to Kansas and spent ten years in Seneca, Kan., at Sts. Peter and Paul. In 1984, he returned to Burlington as Pastor for six years. He took a year-long sabbatical in 1991 and enjoyed part of it in Rome. “Abbot Barnabas and I were over there for nine weeks and participated in a program that updated priests on Theology.” When Fr. Albert returned, he became pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park, Kan., for ten years. In 2000, he came to St. Michael’s in Axtell, Kan. “It was an interesting transition because I went from a parish of 1500 families to the one here of 180 families. I love it, though, I really do. I also have a mission parish, Holy Family in Summerfield, Kan. – that keeps me off the streets.” 18
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Religion is not just a matter of following rules and regulations, it is a relationship between Jesus and us.
Fat h e r
Albert Hauser
- fr. albert hauser on faith
Living the Vow of Stability … Outside the Monastery Having spent most of his monastic life in parishes, it is a wonder how Fr. Albert lives his vow of stability. He discusses stability through its interior, spiritual dimension: “I tell people that I am the most unstable of stable monks. Stability has not been a part of my life for all these years I have been in parish work. Stability, therefore, has to do with where I am at the time. Our monastery has always had a number of monks working in the parishes because of the needs of the Church. Stability comes out in a spiritual sense in living the other promises of the monastic life: conversion of life and obedience. Stability is a twofold thing, stability within the monastery and living a stable life outside the monastery as a commitment to the way of the Lord.” The vow of stability in its comprehensive meaning, for Fr. Albert, includes maintaining stability in prayer, in faith, in works, and in the Benedictine mission as a whole. Living out the vow of stability outside the monastery is a humble acceptance of God’s will and a duty not only as a monk but also as a member of the Church. Remember how Fr. Albert was first introduced to the Benedictine way of life — by the Benedictine presence in his parish.
A Word from the Wise: Vocations Fr. Albert feels all parish priests are called to foster vocations. This element deals with the question, “Are young people being attracted to the Church today, and how firm is their commitment to the faith?” He continues, “Religion is not just a matter of following rules and regulations, it is a relationship between Jesus and us. It grows warm and cold. We have to be open to the Spirit and look at the broader picture of faith in life, not just how we feel on a day-to-day basis.” This applies to every vocation because it involves a daily living out of one’s faith. Christ says this clearly in Luke 9:23, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
born October 26, 1933
P r o f e s s e d Vo w s July 11, 1954
Ordained May 26, 1960
A Word from the Wise: Parish Life His time in the parish has revealed some key issues among laity: “I think one of the larger issues today is a decreasing number of Catholics attending Mass. Attendance is about 33%, meaning 66% don’t go regularly, if at all. Another is the problem of marriage – same sex marriages or couples who are living together without the benefit of marriage and then want their children to be baptized in the Church. You have to try as best you can to gauge where they’re at with the Church. Baptism is a miraculous gift, but it involves a commitment to a Christian way of life. When a couple comes to baptize their child, often the first thing you find out is that they’re not going to Church. This brings up the question of what Baptism really means and why parents get their children baptized. How can they vouch for commitment of faith for their child when they themselves are not in the least committed to it?” Fr. Albert said it best: religion boils down to a relationship between Jesus and us. That relationship is manifested in a commitment to follow God’s will, to receive his graces in Mass each week. Fr. Albert’s experiences in parish ministry have taught him this and the overall value of living out Benedictine stability – even if he has been called to do it away from the monastery!
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The Art of Running in Place t h e t r ea d m i ll o f sta b i li ty
by Br. Simon B aker
When committing oneself to the monastic way of life, a monk or nun professes three vows. That’s it; only three vows (and contrary to popular opinion silence is not one of the three!) So whatever be the content of those three vows, it stands to reason that the monastic charism lives or dies by them. Our first vow, obedience, in an Apostolic Church makes good sense. To give God everything, even our own wills, it is necessary to consecrate them to his legitimate representatives. After all, “none of us lives as his own master” (Romans 14:7). Vow two, fidelity to the monastic way of life, is even less controversial than obedience. This vow raises as many eyebrows as would a zoo keeper who promises to care for animals for a living. It is the final vow, stability, that is easily the oddest of them all. We live in a world that values frenetic activity and constant change so as to stave off boredom and safeguard what it calls “freedom.” In a world such as this, what sense does it make for a man or woman to promise to stay in one place for the rest of his or her life? First of all, let us bear in mind that while stability is staying put, it is not staying still, not remaining idle waiting for something to happen. That is the heresy of Quietism. That kind of stability leads to stagnation and decay. Water that does not flow freely quickly turns sour and unfit for drinking. Stability, therefore, needs movement to be life-giving. St. Benedict, the very man who so strongly demands that his monks live stably, tells those same monks that “we must run and do now what will profit us forever” (RB Prologue: 44). Abbot James, too, understands this imperative as is seen in his choice of abbatial motto, Currite Vitae Lumine (“Run with the Light of Life”). At this point you are not to be blamed if you find yourself asking, “So which is it, stay put or run?” Well, like most things Catholic, the answer is the paradoxical both/ and. Think of it this way. It is difficult to imagine a form of exercise more boring than the treadmill, yet we are told 50 million Americans use one! The treadmill’s design is such
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We s h a l l r u n o n t h e p a t h o f G o d ’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love. rule of st. benedic t, prologue:49 that its occupant exerts a tremendous amount of energy without ever getting anywhere. You step off the machine exhausted but in the very same location where you stepped on. Monastic stability is something like this. Remaining permanently committed to this place and these people we run to obtain the imperishable crown promised to those who believe and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 9:24). This pursuit of God, like the lover in the Song of Songs, is often exhausting and requires a great deal of effort. But as the gym-rats are fond of saying, “No pain, no gain.” While monks and nuns may indeed be the only ones who vow stability, all Christians are called to live it as a virtue. Observing literal stability - physical geographic rootedness - does not make sense for everyone. In fact, for some this is contrary to their vocation. But living its spiritual meaning, as a stable attitude of mind and disposition of heart grounded in God, that’s universal. So how does one attain to this virtue of stability? The answer is deceptively simple: prayer and perseverance. Whether vow or virtue (and these are not mutually exclusive), true stability is always founded upon the unchanging, steadfast love of God. So stability requires that we be rooted in God, who is for us a firm and unchanging center in a constantly changing world. We must touch him daily in prayer and in the Sacraments. But let’s get practical. Because many of those 50 million faithful treadmill users cannot always find time to go to the gym, a good number bring the gym home to them and have their own treadmill. So why not have a spiritual treadmill in your home? Make your bedroom your cloister, and devote a corner of it to spiritual exercise by creating a prayer station – maybe have a prayer rug, Bible, crucifix, candle, rosary, or some images of favorite saints. And if you own an actual treadmill, learn from the horse and carrot trick and hang a reminder of your heavenly homeland on the wall in front of you! Like the monastic cloister, designating a physical place for prayer somewhere in your house is a great way to live the spiritual journey without ever leaving home. And another advantage of having a spiritual treadmill in your home is, like with an actual treadmill, the very sight of the often neglected equipment is a gentle, prodding reminder of the need to “get back in shape.” For anyone who has ever tried regular, daily prayer, perseverance means to obtain the inner virtue of stability. As has already been said, running the spiritual journey is often exhausting. This fatigue is compounded when little to no fruits of your labor are apparent. Keep going. Walk or even crawl, if you must, but keep going. God who inspires all good desires and brings them to fulfillment will not leave your sincere labors fruitless for long. “The road that leads to salvation…is bound to be narrow at the outset. But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love” (RB Prologue:48–49). This perseverance and patient endurance required by the virtue of stability is what makes martyrs (Luke 21:19). Stability is not immobility. Although we stay put, we do not stay still. Like a treadmill, stability should change us. Living it daily and faithfully will make us more fit evangelists, and stronger, more enduring disciples. It requires a constant movement towards God and commitment to him in this way and in these circumstances in which he has placed us. Stability grounds the person in God and makes him or her, like leaven in the dough, a stabilizing influence in a fickle and fleeting world.
Br. Simon Baker has been a Benedictine monks since 2009. On June 5 Br. Simon was ordained to the temporary Diaconate after studying at St. Meinrad seminary in Indiana. He will spend the next year working in various ministries preparing to be ordained to the Priesthood in April 2015.
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A bbot ’s
Ta bl e b y Fa t h e r M a u r i c e H a e f l i n g
Community and friendship were evident as more than 590 people gathered at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo., on April 12, 2014, to pray, visit, and celebrate with the monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey. Last April more than 550 people came together to express their appreciation for Abbot Barnabas Senecal upon his retirement as Abbot as well as for his lifelong ministries in education and pastoral work . It was decided to make the Abbot’s Table gathering an annual event. The evening began at the Westin Crown Center with the blessing of palms followed by the Palm Sunday procession and Mass. More than 300 people arrived in time to join Abbot James Albers in celebrating this ancient liturgical rite in preparation for Holy Week , commemorating Jesus’ triumphal entr y into Jerusalem before his passion, death, and resurrection. Following Mass there was a short social hour as we greeted the many friends and family members who had come to celebrate the evening with us. Several video presentations ser ved as an introduction and as a reflection on both the daily routine and the numerous special events in the lives of the monks of the Abbey. Other videos pertaining to the event itself were interspersed throughout the evening and were much appreciated by those attending. The presentations were produced by the Abbey ’s Advancement Office under the capable guidance of J. D. Benning, Director of Communications. The first ever Lumen Vitae awards were presented to former Benedictine College President Dr. Thomas O. James and current Benedictine College President
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Stephen D. Minnis in recognition of their vast contributions to the Abbey ’s educational apostolate. These leaders have left an indelible mark on the college in addressing tough financial situations and in promoting the college’s growth in enrollment, in spiritual centeredness, and in the expansion and quality of its educational programs. The video presentations and the speakers emphasized the importance of the Benedictine monastic tradition in all of society yesterday, today, and in the future. This Benedictine heritage is a focal point of the Abbey ’s educational and pastoral ministries. As a more permanent reminder of this tradition, a new pictorial histor y of the Abbey has been authored by Fr. Denis Meade. Patrick (pictured at top right with Abbot James) and Kate Carr ser ved as the chair couple for the event and were instrumental in its preparation. Joan Charboneau, niece of our fifth Abbot, Brendan Downey and the late Fr. James Downey, aided in preparing for the event and expertly guided the proceedings as emcee. The evening also introduced The St. Joseph the Worker Fund, a fund established to assist the monks in their various ministries and apostolates. A friend and benefactor of the Abbey had issued a challenge grant in the amount of $100,000 that had to be matched by the end of the evening. The response of the participants was tremendous and $150,723 was raised to match and exceed the
“The abbot’s table must always be with guests and travelers.” R u l e o f S t. B e n e d i c t 5 6 : 1 original gift. Proceeds from the event in its entirety, including The St. Joseph the Worker Fund, exceeded $475,000 for which the monks of the Abbey are exceedingly grateful. The next Abbot’s Table banquet will be held at the Sheraton Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo., on April 18, 2015. Planning has already begun for this event which will include the presentation of the Lumen Vitae award to Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and to Curtis Martin, the founder and President of FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. Author’s Note: The monks of the Abbey extend special thanks and appreciation to Matt Kemnitz , J. D. Benning, and Camille Pickhinke, members of the Abbey’s Advancement Office, for their untiring efforts in making the 2014 Abbot’s Table banquet such an outstanding success. We express our thanks and gratitude also to the many Benedictine College student volunteers who contributed their time and effort in various facets of the evening’s event.
Ba nquet Und erw ri ter s Fo un de r’ s Ta ble
Michael R. & Marlys Haverty Family Foundation
A bb ot ’ s Ta ble
Jo h n & Te r r y Gi llc r i s t
P r i o r’ s G uild
Apostles of the Interior Life
Abbot James, Br. Leven, and Fr. Meinrad will appear on EWTN’s Life on the Rock on July 11, the Feast of St. Benedict, at 8 pm EST, 7 pm, CST. Be sure to tune in!
Benedictine College Larry & Tresa Buessing J.E. Dunn Construction Kuckelman, Torline, Kirkland & Lewis, Inc.
Re-airs: Sat. Jul. 12 at 1:30 AM EST Sun. Jul. 13 at 11:00 PM EST Tue. Jul. 15 at 9:00 AM EST
MGP Ingredients, Inc. Jim & Kathleen O’Brien Bob & Carolyn Reintjes Terry & Michelle Sexton Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica Monastery Mitchell Capital Management
A bbot ’s Table april eighteenth two-thousand fifteen
Bob & Janet Wholey
Ba n q ue t Cha ir s Patr ick & K ate C a r r
honoring A r c h b i s h o p J a m e s P. K e l e h e r & Curtis Martin Society of St. Benedict
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Summer 2014 | Volume 9 | Number 2 Photo by Ann Stevens
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