Photo: Courtesy of the Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery, Duluth.
This Issue
Never departing from his school but persevering in the monastery according to his teaching until death, we may by patience share in the sufferings of Christ and deserve to have a share also in his kingdom. Rule of Benedict Prol.50
This issue celebrates the most recent graduate of the Collegeville school for the service of the Lord as well as several of its long-serving alumni. On the feast of Saint Benedict, Brother Félix Mencias Babian professed his solemn vows as a Benedictine monk. Six others renewed their vows made fifty, sixty, or seventy years ago. For God’s call and for their perseverance, we give thanks.
Within a year of their arrival in Minnesota in 1856, the pioneer monks of Saint John’s Abbey began teaching a handful of young men. Such humble efforts would blossom into today’s Saint John’s Preparatory School, Saint John’s University, and Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary—all dedicated to overcoming ignorance and the powers of darkness by “putting on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12). One school that we established in the late nineteenth century played a darker role in our history. Brother Aaron Raverty introduces us to Saint John’s Indian Industrial School. Dr. Brenda Child examines Ojibwe education in the context of federal and state land policies. Abbot Douglas Mullin acknowledges the significant harm caused by the boarding-school system and outlines the abbey’s commitment to rectifying past wrongs.
For twenty-one years, recent Johnnie graduates have been serving monastic communities around the world as Benedictine Volunteers, bringing hope to the hopeless, expressing their deepening faith through acts of loving kindness. Brother Paul Richards reflects on the grace-filled service of the 350 (and counting) Benedictine Volunteers.
What was Saint John’s like in the 1940s? Ms. Peggy Roske takes a stroll down memory lane with Ms. Dottie Douvier Lutgen who recalls growing up “praying, playing, learning, and helping” in the shadow of the abbey church. In this issue we also examine the daily schedule of prayer and work in Benedictine monasteries—part of the ongoing research into monastic timekeeping by Father Cyprian Weaver; learn of a new (and rare) visitor to the abbey arboretum; delight in a new, improved recipe for lemon cake; and more.
Since 2011 Brother Alan Reed has attended to the design and layout of Abbey Banner. Throughout these years, readers have consistently applauded the results of his creative touch. Thank you, Alan, for the hard work of producing so handsome a magazine. We wish you well in your retirement.
The staff of Abbey Banner, along with Abbot Douglas and the monastic community, offers prayers and best wishes for God’s blessings of good health and safety to all our readers. Peace!
Brother Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.
When Good Intentions Go Awry
Saint John’s Abbey seeks to demonstrate a genuine commitment to rectifying past wrongs and supporting the flourishing of Indigenous communities and people.
Abbot Douglas Mullin, O.S.B.
The monks of Saint John’s Abbey had the best of intentions in the late nineteenth century when they decided to partner with the United States government in running boarding schools for Native American children at White Earth, Red Lake, and on the Saint John’s campus. They aimed to provide religious instruction, education, and social integration to these children, believing that such an upbringing would prepare them to live and succeed in a rapidly changing world. Despite these well-meaning intentions, the boarding-school system inflicted significant harm, now understood as intergenerational trauma, and offers us critical lessons about cultural sensitivity and respect.
The legacy of Saint John’s involvement with the boarding-school system is complex. Many of our Indigenous alumni have spoken very positively of their experiences in our schools, noting that the education and skills they learned have served them well. On the other hand, the cultural genocide and trauma caused by stripping Native American children of their language, customs, and cultural identity has had long-lasting negative impacts on many others and their communities. The disconnection they experienced from their families and cultural roots has resulted in intergenerational trauma that continues to cause havoc in Indigenous communities today.
The lesson learned from this dark chapter is profound: good intentions alone are insufficient when dealing with complex cultural and social issues. Our failure to recognize the inherent value of Native American cultures and the importance of family and community bonds led to immense suffering that continues to impact Indigenous communities today. For this we are deeply sorry.
Both Saint John’s Abbey and Saint Benedict’s Monastery are actively participating in a Native Nations Task Force that includes faculty, staff, and the Indigenous Students Association of the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, and Indigenous community representatives. This task force is developing strategies directed toward reconciliation and the building of sustaining relationships with Indigenous communities, repatriation of all holdings deemed culturally significant by Native communities, and revitalization of Indigenous identities and lives through cultural engagement and education.
By participating in the Native Nations Task Force in support of these goals, Saint John’s Abbey seeks to demonstrate a genuine commitment to rectifying past wrongs and supporting the flourishing of Indigenous communities and people. We recognize that true reconciliation and healing require more than good intentions and nice words—they demand concrete actions, ongoing commitment, and a willingness to listen and learn from those who have been harmed.
Paul Middlestaedt
Monastic Profession and Jubilees
Abbot Douglas Mullin, O.S.B., the monks of Saint John’s Abbey, and many friends and family rejoiced in God’s grace and blessings as they witnessed the solemn profession of Brother Félix Martín Mencias Babian, O.S.B., on the feast of Saint Benedict, 11 July 2024. The community also honored six confreres on the occasion of their fiftieth, sixtieth, or seventieth anniversaries of monastic profession.
Solemn Vows
Brother Félix Mencias Babian, 44, grew up in a small town near the Citlaltépetl volcano (Pico de Orizaba) in Veracruz, Mexico. After completing degrees in philosophy and social sciences, he taught philosophy, theology, and social sciences at several Catholic preparatory schools in Mexico. “My path to Saint John’s Abbey was not a direct
one,” observes Brother Félix. Before considering Benedictine monasticism, he spent several years of discernment—first at the archdiocesan seminary of Xalapa and then with the Order of Discalced Carmelites, both in Mexico. He began his novitiate
year at Saint John’s in September 2019—“a transformative experience,” he reflects—and professed his first vows as a Benedictine monk a year later.
Brother Félix serves Saint John’s and the Church in a variety of ministries. He is a teacher at the Emmaus Institute, a fouryear program for lay leadership and potential Latino/Hispanic diaconal candidates in the Diocese of Saint Cloud. He is active in the abbey’s Casa San Benito programs for local Latino communities and is also a member of the abbey marketing and communications team and the vocations team. He especially likes “participating in welcoming activities with the young people visiting the monastery.” His confreres are aware of his interest in photography; Brother Félix routinely shares photos of his ministry outreach,
Alan Reed, O.S.B.
Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.
Brother Félix
day-to-day life at the monastery, and anything else that catches his well-trained eyes.
“Saint John’s Abbey represents the opportunity to follow the Lord Jesus closely,” asserts Brother Félix. Here “I can put into service everything I have learned over the years, seeking to do God’s will. I sincerely believe Jesus has been with me.” As he professed his solemn vows, he reflected: “My life is in God’s hands. I have tried to respond to the call of God’s voice which says, ‘Come and follow me’ [Matthew 16:24]. I deeply desire to live united to the Lord Jesus. I want to be sincere in my search for God.” Brother Félix is now studying theology at Sant’Anselmo, the international Benedictine house of studies in Rome.
Golden (50) Jubilarians
Fifty years after professing their first vows, Ian Dommer, O.S.B., Dunstan Moorse, O.S.B., and
Aaron Raverty, O.S.B., accepted a ceremonial wooden cane along with the gratitude of the monastic community for their decades of living out their baptismal call to unity with Christ through a life of prayer, study, and work.
Father Ian Dommer has combined pastoral ministry with service both to secondary and undergraduate students throughout most of his monastic life. He was a teacher or administrator at Saint Bernard’s (Saint Paul), Benilde-St. Margaret’s (Saint Louis Park, Minnesota), and Saint John’s Preparatory School. He has also assisted in ministering to the liturgical, sacramental, or administrative needs at local parishes, as chaplain and later as director of campus ministry at Saint John’s University, and as a member of the chaplaincy team for Saint Benedict’s Monastery. He continues his service as a university faculty resident and as chaplain at Saint John’s Prep.
For most of his monastic life
Dunstan Moorse has served at Liturgical Press—some thirty-five years and counting—as book review editor of Worship, as editor of Loose-leaf Lectionary (daily Scripture readings and homily hints), and as editor of both the English and Spanish versions of the Press’s missalette. During the growing season, he leads the monk gardeners of the community—bringing tons of delicious fresh produce to the abbey’s dinner table each year. The Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and Easter Sunday meals are not complete until the community has sampled the dozens of his scrumptious homemade pies, cakes, and cookies.
Brother Aaron Raverty has taught at both the prep school and university and served as a project editor at Liturgical Press. He has devoted much time and energy to anthropological studies, writing numerous scholarly articles about the development and functioning of human societies and cultures. He has also been engaged in interreligious dialogue, summarizing some of his findings in Refuge in Crestone: A Sanctuary for Interreligious Dialogue (Lexington Books). A longtime member of the abbey schola, he anchors the community’s Triduum services, singing the Lamentations of Jeremiah at Morning Prayer. He continues to be a regular contributor to Abbey Banner.
Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.
Golden jubilarians (l to r) Dunstan Moorse, Ian Dommer, Aaron Raverty
Diamond (60) Jubilarians
For sixty years Jerome Tupa, O.S.B., and Julius Beckermann, O.S.B., have dedicated their lives to Benedictine monasticism. Both were trained in the formation program of the lay brothers and later responded to the Spirit’s call to seek ordination and extend pastoral ministry as monk priests.
Father Jerome Tupa’s observance of the vow of stability has been expansive: educated at the Sorbonne in Paris before becoming a member of the French department of Saint John’s University, he spent many semesters directing study abroad programs. His avocation as artist led to additional pilgrimages to paint religious shrines across Europe, the U.S., and Asia.
Father Jerome’s oeuvre is colorful, exuberant, and big—so big that he runs out of room and has to bend or tip buildings to fit on
the canvas. Before retiring, he served as a faculty resident and chaplain for the university and as a pastor in Collegeville and Saint Joseph, Minnesota, always bringing good cheer and warmth to his flock.
Father Julius Beckermann was formed in monastic life by the example and values of the humble, holy brothers who welcomed him to Saint John’s sixty years ago. As socius (work boss) of novices, he helped form both a former abbot and a former university president. After nine years with the grounds crew on the Collegeville campus, he served for two decades at Saint Mary’s Mission, Red Lake, Minnesota. There he deepened his understanding of and love for the Ojibwe people and culture—a love that was readily reciprocated. Since his ordination in 2003, Father Julius has served as pastor or chaplain
in several central Minnesota locales, continuing to minister in the manner of his earliest formation.
Platinum (70) Jubilarian
With faith and good cheer, Father Roger Botz, O.S.B., has persevered in the monastic manner of life for seventy years. Early in his monastic ministry, Father Roger was a teacher and later principal while working as a missionary monk at Colegio San Antonio Abad in Puerto Rico. His lively sense of humor was shared with thousands of students, parents, and alumni while he served as an administrator, chaplain, or faculty resident at Saint John’s University. From 1985 until his recent retirement, Father Roger has been the compassionate, supportive presence to the sick and dying and their families as a member of the spiritual care department at the St. Cloud Hospital.
Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.
Diamond jubilarians Jerome Tupa (left) and Julius Beckermann
Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.
Platinum jubilarian Roger Botz
Benedictine Volunteer Corps
A Success Story
Paul Richards, O.S.B.
Iam pleased to announce that Father Geoffrey Fecht, O.S.B., will become the director of the Saint John’s Abbey Benedictine Volunteer Corps (BVC) on 1 January 2025.
The delight I have felt as director for the past twenty-one years is a result of my association with the more than 350 young men who have served as volunteers in twenty-six Benedictine monasteries around the world. Observing them grow in independence, resilience, maturity, and cultural awareness—while knowing of their service to the Church, to our brother and sister monasteries, and to people around the world—has been a joy and privilege.
The strength and success of the Benedictine Volunteer Corps are in marked contrast to other national and international volunteer programs today—many of which are suffering and even closing. Our applicant pool remains steady; our finances are sturdy; the monasteries we serve are grateful for our presence. As they serve, our Benedictine Volunteers are having life-changing experiences. What accounts for this remarkable success?
Safety. In the past twenty-three years, no Benedictine Volunteer has been involved in a life-threatening incident. If you need
a reason to believe that God exists, that’s it! To be sure, we have endured sickness, mishaps, emotional distress, boundary violations, and disease, but all have been overcome and, in fact, have contributed to the strength and resilience of our volunteers. Because they live in Benedictine monasteries and are, thus, in relatively safe environments, our safety record is strong. Several times each week the monks of Saint John’s Abbey pray for “the safety and success of our Benedictine Volunteers serving around the world” and, by the grace of God, we have enjoyed a significant track record of safety.
Spiritual development. Within the BVC program, there is an expectation of prayer for each of the participants. These Johnnie grads come to us at differing points on the path of their faith
development—including nonbelievers. All volunteers are expected to pray with the monks of the host community—regardless of the intensity of each volunteer’s spirituality. All are expected to participate in the first prayer service of the community each day (to get them out of bed) and at least one other of the community’s prayer services. Being Catholic is not an expectation, but exploring one’s faith by participation in prayer is. Indeed, it is through the Benedictine Volunteers’ daily association with people of faith that their own spiritual life is strengthened.
Independence. We place a high priority on the independence of each volunteer, the independence of the work at each site, and honoring the norms of the host monastery. Each Benedictine Volunteer will have his
Phil Hanson (left) and Theo Eggermont, Abadía de Jesucristo Crucificado, Esquipulas, Guatemala (2008–2009)
own unique experience during his year of service. We do not attempt to make the BVC year the same in each place nor do we attempt to make the next pair of volunteers do the same things as the previous volunteers. The BVC program is committed to honoring individuality while avoiding both overly protective “helicoptering” and cookie-cutter efforts. This nurturing of independence also contributes to safety because each volunteer knows that his individuality is being respected; he is responsible for his own wellbeing.
Local. Only graduates of Saint John’s University are eligible to serve in the Benedictine Volunteer Corps. Since their freshman year in college, a network of faculty residents, faculty and staff, coaches, peers, and work supervisors has been mentoring and supporting the students. By their senior year, twenty to thirty emerge as potential Benedictine Volunteers—ethical, dependable individuals with strong leadership skills, eager to be of service to others. The close bonds that we build with our undergraduates have assured us quality applicants for the program. Moreover, because Benedictine Volunteers have grown up in our backyard, our recruitment expenses are modest. (In other volunteer
programs, the sponsoring organization must hire a staff and travel to promote, recruit, interview, and supervise the candidates.)
Benedictine. The bonds between Saint John’s Abbey and other Benedictine monasteries around the world are strong. Whether serving in a Benedictine community in Rwanda or Italy or India or Guatemala, each volunteer is enveloped by hospitality. The host communities are eager to welcome the volunteers; the volunteers are formed and transformed by their experience of praying, working, and living with the monks of another community.
Over the past twenty-three years, dozens of individuals have supported the Benedictine Volunteer Corps with their time, counsel, energy, and financial support, thus assuring its success. Thank you all! And thanks as well to the monks of Saint John’s Abbey for their unfailing support.
Brother Paul Richards is the founder of the Benedictine Volunteer Corps.
Drawing hope from hopelessness, the nonprofit Alfajiri (Swahili for daybreak) offers art-therapy programs in Nairobi. Benedictine Volunteers support its mission. Above, left to right: Thomas Gillach (2021–2022), Brother Paul Richards, and Alfajiri artist. Left: Sunrise by Juma.
Loving service. Benedictine Volunteers (clockwise, from upper right): Joe Gair, Saint Maurus’ Hanga Abbey, Songea, Tanzania (2012–2013); Ben DeMarais, Saint Maurus’ Hanga Abbey (2008–2009); Patrick Deering, Resurrection Priory, Cobán, Guatemala (2009–2010); Tim Hendrickson, Prince of Peace/Tigoni Abbey, Nairobi, Kenya (2012–2013).
Photos: BVC archives.
Abbey Conservation Corps Spotlight
John Geissler
When we established the Abbey Conservation Corps (ACC) in 2018 as a volunteer organization to assist our land stewardship team, we didn’t anticipate how many wonderful people would show up and how significant their impact would be. To our delight, hundreds of generous individuals have collectively volunteered thousands of hours of service to improve the natural environment of the Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum. What a blessing! We are so grateful for these gifts of time, effort, and kindness that will have longterm ripple effects.
The number and scale of projects implemented with the assistance of Abbey Conservation Corps volunteers is astonishing. We planted and protected more than 2,500 trees this spring as a part of our oak forest resilience efforts—a gift to the year 2264! We also built the new ten-thousand-square-foot abbey forest nursery, where we have planted and continue to weed and water 4,000 tree seedlings with exceptional root structure and greater height to thrive as future transplants. We continue our efforts to protect the water quality of our valuable lakes and wetlands by maintaining native plant buffers to mitigate stormwater runoff and stabilize lake shorelines. We grew more than 1,500 native grass and wildflower plugs from seed and
have begun converting another forty thousand square feet of inner campus turf grass to native plantings. And, of course, we continue the less glamorous— but just as important—tasks of trail maintenance, controlling the growth of competing vegetation, invasive species removal, litter pick up, and the weeding and watering that accompany these efforts.
Many volunteers have made significant contributions during the past six years, but a core crew of seven ACC volunteers has emerged—they especially have put forth such consistent and tremendous efforts in all seasons that they warrant individual recognition. The first five individuals that deserve a standing ovation are Mr. Doug Flemming, Ms. Carol Hlebain, Mr.
Larry Huls, Mr. Mark Ludowese, and Mr. Nick Overby! If you had to bet where these five would be at 1:00 P.M. on any given Wednesday during the past several years, it would be in Science Lot #1 of the Saint John’s campus—attired in green ACC t-shirts and hats, smiling, joking, and waiting by the abbey arboretum trucks to engage in the project of the day. The other two individuals I would like to shine a spotlight of appreciation on are our buckthorn removal specialist, Mr. Jim Hofmann, and our oak regeneration specialist, Brother Benedict Leuthner—who have “adopted” forest stands to care for. Instead of working every Wednesday, these two have dedicated countless hours whenever their respective schedules allow.
John Geissler
Pollinator gardens are magnets for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Title of Article
Each of these seven outstanding volunteers humbly goes about the various tasks—never seeking to be individually complimented for his or her work. All take pride in their work and are extremely hardworking, easygoing, kind, positive, eager to learn more about nature, and driven to leave the world a better place than they found it. Our professional and student staff members and I are so impressed and inspired by how hard these volunteers work and how much they care about the work. (It is my hope that as Doug, Carol, Larry, Mark, Nick, Jim, and Brother Benedict read this tribute, they will smile, knowing that they have contributed significantly to the care of this special place.)
Mr. John Geissler is the land manager of Saint John’s Abbey and director of Saint John’s Outdoor University.
Hooded Warbler
In June a visitor to the Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum observed a Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina)—a bird rarely seen in Minnesota and supposedly seen only once before in Stearns County. It typically breeds in the eastern U.S. and winters in Central America or the West Indies. Since the initial sighting, birders have flocked to Saint John’s to see the warbler.
Don’t let us have all the fun!
Join the Abbey Conservation Corps! Make a difference! No experience necessary. Just be sure to wear old, long pants and close-toed shoes; bring a water bottle; and expect to get dirty—while having lots of fun.
Wednesday Workdays, 1:00–3:00 P.M. Meet in Science Lot #1 near the abbey arboretum trucks.
Adopt a forest stand
Jobs include caring for new tree seedlings, removing invasive species, or monitoring wildlife or plants.
Adopt a pollinator garden
Weed, water, and plant in newly established pollinator gardens across campus.
Coordinate a group
Gather your friends and come out to help.
Other?
To learn more, call the abbey arboretum office at 320.363.3126; or email us at: jgeissler001@csbsju.edu
Demelza Larson
Saint John’s Industrial School
Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.
In 2021 Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B., asked me to assist in addressing concerns arising from Saint John’s involvement in an Indian industrial school— including the burials of Native American boys in marked graves in our abbey cemetery. I was subsequently appointed as the abbey representative on a task force investigating the historical background of the Saint John’s Industrial School. This article includes the initial findings of the task force whose investigation continues.
For eleven years, 1885–1896, Saint John’s Abbey initiated and operated an industrial boarding school for Native American (Ojibwe) boys on its campus in Collegeville, Minnesota. Besides the Collegeville school for Native Americans, Benedictines also ran two other schools in northern Minnesota—one on the White Earth Reservation and one at Red Lake. Father Aloysius Hermanutz, O.S.B. (1853–1929), a monk of Saint John’s Abbey, was the first to minister at White Earth in 1878 along with two sisters from Saint Benedict’s Monastery, Saint Joseph, Minnesota. The school and church at Red Lake, as well as a farm, were administered by monks and sisters. The faculty and staff members of these two reservation schools were mainly sisters from Saint Benedict’s Monastery, with monk-priests serving the mission as pastors.
Initially, Abbot Alexius Edelbrock, O.S.B. (abbatial tenure, 1875–1889), sought government grants from Minnesota Congressman Knute Nelson for setting up schools for Native American children on the White Earth reservation in northern Minnesota—or was it the other way around? Propagation of the Catholic faith was a powerful motivator for the monks’ involvement with the industrial school. Members of the Episcopal Church, already on the scene, were being funded by the government to educate the Indigenous peoples. Desiring Catholic converts, the Benedictines may well have injected “conversion competition” into their quest.
In 1884 Mr. Nelson secured funds from Indian Commissioner H. Price for training Native American boys at Saint John’s and Native American
girls at Saint Benedict’s Academy in nearby Saint Joseph. The following year Abbot Alexius brought Native American boys to Collegeville. In Saint John’s centennial history, Worship and Work, Father Colman Barry, O.S.B., writes: “The government contract allowed for fifty Chippewa boys to be trained at Saint John’s, and fifty girls at St. Benedict’s, with $167 yearly allowance supplied for each student” (146). In 1886, after Saint John’s secured another government contract with the Catholic Indian Bureau, a total of 150 students were enrolled in the school at Collegeville.
The U.S. government regarded the Native Americans as a “problem” and sought to make them active citizens instead of wards of the government. Students were selected for the industrial school at Saint John’s by an Indian
Abbey archives
The Saint John’s Industrial School was housed on the upper floor of the Old Stone House and the adjacent brick building (east quadrangle extension).
agent at White Earth. Initially, the parents’ choice to enroll their sons was voluntary; later, it became government mandated.
The general context for this historical event was ethnocentrism embedded in acculturation In the background lurked the doctrine of discovery, a theory or system of beliefs based on fifteenth-century papal decrees that gave permission for Christian colonizers to “capture, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans and other enemies of Christ,” to take their possessions and property, and to “reduce their persons to perpetual slavery” (Pope Nicholas V, 1455). As a result, the lands and possessions of Indigenous peoples were seized, and slavery was authorized in perpetuity.
Thus, a very different missionary ethos colored the late nineteenth century. Among anthropologists and historians, unilineal evolution was the dominant paradigm. Societies were thought to move through the stages of savagery to barbarism to civilization. Those who were “civilized” had the moral obligation to bring the “savages” to a more advanced level. The parallel in theological anthropology was the position of extra ecclesiam nulla salus (no salvation outside the Church). This belief asserted that “pagans” required baptism for Church membership and ultimately for salvation. One can sense the urgency of Church members to convert the
“heathens” through baptism so that they might be saved. Interreligious dialogue was still in its infancy. The 1893 Parliament of World Religions in Chicago—a turning point for interfaith dialogue—was on the verge of tapping into an alternative mindset. Note that this historic meeting was taking place during the same time that Native American industrial and boarding schools—including those overseen by Saint John’s and Saint Benedict’s monasteries—were in full swing.
Doctrine of Discovery
The methodology of boarding schools was forced assimilation; or, as others have characterized it, “colonization” or even “cultural genocide.” The U.S. government, through the educational agency of the monks of Saint John’s Abbey, wanted to strip the Ojibwe boys of both their culture and their language in order to “civilize” them. The aim was to mold them into participating, productive members of the dominant U.S. culture. This led to intergenerational trauma among the
The doctrine of discovery, which justified European claims to the lands of the Americas and the oppression of its peoples, can be traced to Church decrees of the fifteenth century. In Dum Diversas (1452) and Romanus Pontifex (1455), Pope Nicholas V authorized King Afonso of Portugal to conquer “Saracens, pagans and other enemies of Christ” and “to reduce their persons to perpetual servitude” while also taking their land and belongings for the personal use of the kings of Portugal.
In 1493 Pope Alexander VI issued Inter Caetera, sanctioning the Spanish conquest of the New World and urging Spanish royalty to “bring under your sway the said mainland and islands with their residents and inhabitants and to bring them to the Catholic faith.”
The doctrine of discovery would be used to justify the western expansion of the United States. Its theories were referenced by the United States Supreme Court in the 1823 case of Johnson & Graham v. McIntosh which held “that the principle of discovery gave European nations an absolute right to New World lands.” Land transfers from Native Americans to private individuals were void. Because of European discovery and conquest of America, the U.S. government had “extinguished” absolute Indian title to the land.
On 30 March 2023, the Vatican formally repudiated the doctrine of discovery, declaring that it “is not part of the teaching of the Catholic Church” and acknowledging that it had justified “immoral acts against Indigenous peoples. It is only just to recognize these errors, acknowledge the terrible effects of the assimilation policies and the pain experienced by Indigenous peoples, and ask for pardon.”
Indigenous peoples, resulting in a legacy of poverty coupled with devastating psychological problems, including identity dislocation, debilitating substance abuse, and suicide. At Saint John’s, some of the boys ran away or tried to do so, while others reported more positive experiences.
The daily schedule for the Native American boys was strict and any breach resulted in swift punishment. The Saint John’s Industrial School demanded a three-year commitment, in which about half of each day was devoted to grade school in-class schoolwork while the other half addressed trades and farming. The boys, who initially lived in the Old Stone House (the first permanent building erected at Saint John’s, demolished in 1893), ranged in age from 9 to 17 and worked alongside and under the supervision of monks and other adults in the printing, tailor, shoemaker, and carpenter shops; gardening, cooking and kitchen work; or assisting in the barn or powerhouse.
Father Colman offers a generally positive though condescending interpretation of the value of the industrial school, asserting that boys who completed the program were apprenticed to tradesmen, others went to work on the abbey farm or other local farms, while more returned to the reservation where, according to Benedictine missionaries, they continue “as leaders in their communities. The first fears
The Original People
Anishinaabe, which means “the original people,” refers to a group of culturally and linguistically related First Nations that live in Canada and the United States. The Ojibwe belong to the Algonquian language family, part of the Anishinaabe grouping. The name “Chippewa” was attributed to them by Europeans and is used in treaties with the U.S. government. Today, in its accountability decree, Red Lake Nation refers to itself as the Ojibwe people. On its website, White Earth Nation states: “many tribal members prefer the name Chippewa. So that is the name we will use in this history of White Earth Reservation.”
and the monks could no longer financially support the school. Educational priorities shifted to accommodate, instead, students from the surrounding German farming communities.
Five marked graves in the abbey cemetery hold the remains of Ojibwe boys who died during their stay here. Their names are known, but no other information is available in the abbey archives, university archives, or the abbey cemetery records.
The history of the Saint John’s Industrial School is not wellknown by any living member of the Saint John’s community. Nonetheless, we, as a monastic community, hold some corporate responsibility for the injustices perpetrated by our predecessors who initiated and operated the industrial school—even though our current members would have found this institution repugnant. The detrimental effects of the industrial school and schools on the reservations are sad chapters of the Saint John’s legacy that require acknowledgment, apology, some repatriation, and compensatory efforts going forward.
and prejudices of parents [of the Native American children] vanished when the fruits of this endeavor to uplift their race became evident” (147).
The Saint John’s Industrial School closed in 1896 because government funding dried up,
Brother Aaron Raverty, O.S.B., a member of the Abbey Banner editorial staff, is the author of Refuge in Crestone: A Sanctuary for Interreligious Dialogue (Lexington Books, 2014).
We Are Brave Men
One bright spot in the troubled history of the Saint John’s Industrial School was the baseball league formed by the Native students. In his 2008 master’s thesis Indian Summers: Baseball at Native American Boarding Schools in Minnesota, author Mr. David J. Laliberte writes:
Indian ballclubs, also called “nines,” existed at St. John’s for at least five—and probably all—of the [industrial] school’s eleven academic years. Unlike the other Industrial School organizations, which were led by Benedictine clerics, both ball teams operated independent of any supervisory staff. A school catalogue attests that Ojibwe boys held all formal leadership roles, including a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and two Captains for each team, plus a Treasurer added in 1889. Most significantly, this Ojibwe baseball autonomy likely translated into Native students teaching themselves—and each other—the requisite skills of the game. They likely honed their own baseball skills, exercising a degree of Native sovereignty within the boarding school environment and rendering the team’s successful on-field performances that much more compelling. As a rare opportunity to evade Euro-American direction, baseball likely appealed to the Ojibwe boys, not only as an enjoyable activity but also as a precious respite from the considerable stresses of the institution’s assimilationist programming.
The degree of independence permitted the Ojibwe baseballers fostered an additional and rather unexpected Native purpose: cultural preservation. A transformed ballclub name, in particular, lends credence to the notion that baseball furthered tribal heritage. According to an abbey historian, the Indian School proved uncharacteristically sympathetic to the Ojibwe language; several Native students, for instance, taught Industrial teachers “much of the Chippewa tongue,” and a few Ojibwe pupils even retained their Indian names in both existing school catalogues.
Amidst this liberal linguistic environment, the 1889 Braves changed their team’s name to the Ojibwe Nin Songideeminanig—the poignant translation reads, “We are brave men.” Here, tribal persistence resonates in both medium and in message.
Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.
Ojibwe Education
Brenda Child
American Indian education has a unique history in the United States. Beginning in the late nineteenth century, policymakers, reformers, and missionaries interested in the “Indian problem” promoted boarding-school education for the purpose of separating Indian children from their Native backgrounds and families. Boardingschool advocates argued that the institutions were designed for “cultural assimilation” and “progress,” but the boardingschool policy coincided with an era of intense interest in lands that tribal people owned in the United States. During the fifty-year period that boarding schools were the primary means of educating Indians, millions of acres of tribal lands passed out of Indian ownership, and the total tribal land base declined by some eighty-five percent.
Boarding-school history cannot be understood apart from the land policies that dominated federal policy toward American Indian tribes from 1887, the year of the passage of the General Allotment Act, until 1934, when the allotment of Indian reservations ended. The purpose of a segregated system of Indian education in off-reservation boarding schools was to indoctrinate Indian children with American values in a setting where they would speak the English language, begin to practice Christianity, and learn a
vocation that would enable them to be productive but secondclass citizens in the mainstream of American society. Boardingschool graduates would have no need for a tribal homeland.
Saint John’s Indian Industrial School began receiving boarding students from the White Earth Reservation in 1885, the heyday of the allotment era in Minnesota. Congressman Knute Nelson (1843–1923) of Minnesota was instrumental in bringing Indian students to Saint John’s, which contracted with the government for financial support. Mr. Nelson also
The Nelson Act
sponsored Minnesota’s version of the allotment act and called for the end of communal, tribal landholding on Minnesota Indian reservations. The legislation for “the relief and civilization of the Chippewa Indians in Minnesota” was passed in 1889 and is referred to as the “Nelson Act.”
In the aftermath of allotment, residents of the White Earth Reservation lost over ninety percent of their landholdings, thousands of acres of which were fraudulently taken. The early literature from Saint John’s Indian Industrial School reported that White Earth Ojibwe
[The Nelson Act of 1889 called] for the removal of the Ojibwe people in Minnesota from their reservations. With the exception of those at Red Lake, the Ojibwe were to be resettled on allotted sections of land within the boundaries of the White Earth reservation. The so-called “surplus” land that resulted from the removal and allotment was to be sold at auction to white settlers, logging companies, and mining companies. The act was made in the wake of the General Allotment Act of 1887 [Dawes Act, which aimed] to break up the communal land holdings of the tribes, encourage private enterprise, foster the assimilation of Native peoples, and open up more land for white settlement and business. The Nelson Act took one step further than the Dawes Act by actually trying to eliminate some reservations altogether.
[T]he Nelson Act was marked by fraud, corruption, and greed. It unilaterally broke all previous treaties with the Ojibwe and further impoverished already desperate communities. Furthermore, as non-Native owners acquired reservation lands, it “checkerboarded” Native-held land making it impossible for Native communities to develop or protect the larger area.
Colin Mustful, “A Cruel Kind of Coercion: The Nelson Act of 1889” 20 November 2020
students were “in the hands of efficient teachers and practical craftsmen, whose endeavor it is to carry out the best intentions of the government in the work of civilizing its wards and making them self-sustaining and worthy citizens of a great country.”
Nineteenth-century Ojibwe boys aged ten to seventeen came to Saint John’s Indian Industrial School from reservations at White Earth, Leech Lake, Fond du Lac, and Grand Portage. Ojibwe girls enrolled at Saint Benedict’s Academy Industrial School, Saint Joseph, Minnesota. Abbot Alexius Edelbrock, O.S.B., president of Saint John’s University, argued for an increase in the paltry sum the government paid per annum for each Indian pupil at Saint John’s and Saint Benedict’s in a strongly worded letter to Washington in 1888. He wrote: “The Indians are wards of our Government.
The purpose of a segregated system of Indian education in off-reservation boarding schools was to indoctrinate Indian children with American values in a setting where they would speak the English language, begin to practice Christianity, and learn a vocation that would enable them to be productive but second-class citizens in the mainstream of American society.
The Government has taken their lands and has obligations toward them.” Abbot Alexius’ letter suggests that the Indian Industrial schools were plagued with problems similar to other Indian boarding schools. Schools were poorly funded and, as a consequence, diet, health, and the quality of education itself were persistent problems for Indian families during the boarding-school era. At Saint John’s, students were expected to stay at school for three years before returning home. Students resisted such impossible expectations by running away. American Indian students and their families responded in
complex and creative ways to the boarding-school agenda.
Dr. Brenda Child is the author of Boarding School Seasons: American Indian Families, 1900–1940 She was born on the Red Lake Ojibwe Reservation in northern Minnesota.
This church stands as a monument of God remembering us, that God has not forgotten us, that God never left Red Lake. Father John Christianson
Rising from the Ashes: St. Mary’s Mission Church
The church that housed the faithful of St. Mary’s Mission in Red Lake, Minnesota, since 1893 was destroyed by fire in December 2017. On 10 March 2024, a new church was dedicated by Bishop Andrew Cozzens. Concelebrants at the festive celebration included the pastor, Father John Christianson, and two Benedictines from Saint John’s Abbey: Abbot Douglas Mullin (who spent seven years at the mission) and Father Julius Beckermann (who served the Native community for twenty years). The sanctuary of the new church features furnishings (altar, ambo, and tabernacle stand) crafted at Saint John’s Abbey Woodworking, thus continuing the long history of connections between Saint John’s and St. Mary’s Mission.
Photos: John Meoska, O.S.B.
Growing up in Joe Hall
Dottie Douvier Lutgen Peggy L. Roske
Very few can recall what life was like at Saint John’s in the 1940s. One of them is Ms. Dottie Douvier Lutgen who, unlike any member of the monastic community, can claim: she and her siblings grew up at Saint John’s, spending their entire childhood within sight of the abbey church [Great Hall].
Dottie’s father, Mr. Joseph Douvier, had been hired in 1932 as the “go-to” worker for Abbot Alcuin Deutsch (abbatial tenure, 1921–1950). Mr. Douvier was responsible for maintaining the automobiles, picking up and distributing the daily mail, chauffeuring the abbot, and other duties as assigned. The community’s vehicles were kept in the garages (formerly the stables) adjacent to the “bunkhouse” [Joe Hall], just east of the
barn, which provided rooms for single laymen employed by Saint John’s. The abbot arranged for Joe and his wife, Mary, to move into a small apartment upstairs, and here they raised their children, adding rooms as the family grew to six between 1932 and 1937. Eventually they occupied about half of the upstairs, their home until 1955.
Dottie and her siblings grew up praying, playing, learning, and helping. “Ora et labora (prayer and work) was our way of life,” she recalls. The Douviers would sit in the back pew of the brothers’ chapel for daily Mass, pray with the monks at noon, and go to the funeral of every monk. The family took care of the flowers at a Marian shrine, pulled weeds in the garden of Brother Leo Bettendorff (1882–1970), picked rocks in the fields, and rode home on top of the hay wagon. Dottie remembers
collecting eggs, helping Brother Willie Borgerding (1916–2009) feed the cattle and sell milk, as well as feeding the dog and cats at the barn. The children hatched tadpoles and turtles in the Science Hall [Simons Hall] with Father Matthew Kiess (1900–1979) and cared for baby mice, rats, and chickens. Father Bede Michel (1909–1984) would bring books from the prep school library every week, based on their reading preferences; school and reading were “better than TV”! Dottie would spend hours in the care of Father Christopher Bayer (1899–1978) in the abbey and university library when her parents were working; she loved having access to the world of knowledge.
The bunkhouse had a large parlor on the main floor, with a pool table, refrigerator, card tables, comfortable chairs, and even a pop machine. University
University archives
Joe Hall and garages, 1970s
athletic director and coach Mr. George Durenberger (1906–1997) used to stop on the way from the football field to get a bottle of Orange Crush. The pool room was also used for the monthly meetings of the workers’ guild. Each December some of the monks would use the room to practice singing Christmas carols.
“We always said the room we called our dining room should be named after Abbot Alcuin, since he sat in that room so often. We used to call it the ‘abbot’s office,’” Dottie recalls. “He called us his family and would visit once or twice a week until the late 1940s, when he got ill. He truly was a very kind and generous abbot.” It was Abbot Alcuin who renamed the bunkhouse “Saint Joseph Hall” in honor of Mr. Joe Douvier. The abbot or another priest would bless the kids and their house every night until the abbot died
in 1951. One of Joe’s duties was to polish the carriage used as a hearse; Dottie remembers how sad it was when the entire family helped polish it for the funeral of Abbot Alcuin.
The basement of Joe Hall, which they called the “catacombs,” was used for storing root vegetables— potatoes, carrots, rutabagas. In the early days, hobos would jump off the train at the Collegeville station and come to the monastery for food and a place to stay. They were allowed to spend the night in the basement.
The Douviers took good care of the bunkhouse, cleaning it and making the beds every day for the many people staying there. For a time, that included some displaced persons from Austria and prisoners rehabbing on release from the Saint Cloud Reformatory. The family also became acquainted with visitors from all over the world, learning
The spirit of Saint John’s has been with me every single day.
Dottie Douvier Lutgen
to respect and get along with people different from themselves.
Dottie and her husband, Mel, wanted to be married at Saint John’s, but her parents had moved to a house in Saint Joseph after their children were grown, so their wedding and, later, her parents’ funerals were in the Saint Joseph church. After spending much of her adult life in Colorado, Dottie is now back in Minnesota. During a return visit after decades away from Saint John’s, she was sad to find Sexton Commons built in place of her childhood home. Her sadness turned to delight, however, when she discovered that Joe Hall had not been torn down but rather picked up and moved to its current location near the Art Center, facing Stumpf Lake. The building now houses Mr. Richard Bresnahan’s Pottery Studio in its basement— and still has housing upstairs, albeit very different after several remodels, for students.
Dottie observed that all the Benedictine values and practices were reflected in her life. “My family had a very good relationship with everyone at Saint John’s. We were able to share what we had and what we knew with anyone who needed it. It brought us great joy. The Rule
University archives
Joe Hall (right) was just steps away from the barn and Saint John’s happy Holsteins.
of Benedict is forever instilled in me. I try to share the joy in my life. I understand we were given one life to live, and we should live it the way the Lord planned for us.”
Life hasn’t been all joy-filled, however. Dottie and Mel adopted two boys, raised a special-needs daughter who passed away at age 44, and dealt with health issues and multiple moves. Dottie’s life now revolves around grandchildren, exquisite sewing, going for walks with Mel, and writing down her memories. Although life has had many twists and turns, she has always drawn strength and stability from its Benedictine foundation. “The spirit of Saint John’s has been with me every single day.”
Ms. Peggy Landwehr Roske is the archivist for the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University.
At her First Communion in 1944 in the abbey church, Dottie (the girl on the right) remembers that Father Christopher Bayer told her something she has never forgotten: “Be good, kind, and loving, and take care of your body, because God gave it to you.” Dottie spent six weeks in the hospital as a newborn, one reason why the abbot called her his “little angel.”
Joe Hall on the move, August 1992
University archives
Douvier/University archives
The Sounds of Silence
Eric Hollas, O.S.B.
The movie Into Great Silence (2005) presented a glimpse of life in a Carthusian monastery. Most viewers likely assumed the film would live up to its name, but complete silence is not what they got. Viewers discovered that sound is savored in a Carthusian monastery. Carthusians attune themselves to the chirping of birds, the shuffle of footsteps across a floor, the wind rustling among the leaves, and the clunk of dishes on the dining table.
Benedictines value silence, but they do not take a vow of silence. This should come as no surprise to readers of the Rule of Saint Benedict, since it begins with the word Listen! That presumes there will be something to listen to—be it the voices of confreres or the sounds of daily life. In fact, there is plenty to listen to in a monastery, as the Carthusian monks demonstrated; and that’s why Saint Benedict cautions monks and nuns to listen carefully.
Has the nature of sound in a monastery changed since Benedict’s time? The answer is a resounding yes. Just as it did in the sixth century, sound pervades the monastic precincts in the twenty-first; but much of today’s sound is of human manufacture. Omnipresent, for example, is the white noise of heating and air-conditioning units, while closed windows filter out the sounds of nature. Replacing the latter is a cacophony of appliances that clean or cook or print. More insidious are the disembodied voices that emanate from computers, phones, televisions, and radios. After centuries of effort to filter out the world, we are challenged today by the voices of the marketplace that effortlessly pierce the walls of the cloister. Benedict warns that news of the outside world should be sparing, but the flood of words from the internet is relentless.
What are monks to do? For one, we should be conscious of the choices we make to let the artificial cancel out the natural sounds of life. Participation in the natural world can be healing, while the embrace of social media introduces pitfalls that we are only now discovering. Beyond that, we need to be mindful of the reality that we are part of a God-crafted universe. We share our planet not only with a myriad of creatures, great and small, but also with other natural phenomena, each of which shows forth the greatness of God.
God speaks to us in various ways. I am unaware, however, of a single instance in which God has spoken through the internet! This suggests that monks and nuns can offer a prophetic witness in the twenty-first century.
Father Eric Hollas, O.S.B., is the prior of Saint John’s Abbey.
The flood of words from the internet is relentless.
Book 1 Frontispiece by Donald Jackson
Living with ALS
Michael Patella, O.S.B.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a degenerative disorder of the adult motor system (the Greek term “amyotrophic” means “without nourishment to muscles”). It strikes one in every 50,000 persons worldwide, most of whom are diagnosed when they are between 50 and 70 years of age. Statistics show that only half of those with ALS live at least three years after diagnosis; a quarter survive at least five years; up to ten percent live ten years or more beyond their diagnosis. French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot diagnosed the first cases of the disease in 1869, naming it ALS. It was not until Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees was diagnosed in 1939 that most people had ever heard of it.
For some reason, the body’s neurons stop communicating with the voluntary muscles. Because the muscles are not receiving any stimulus, they begin to atrophy. Involuntary muscles such as the heart and diaphragm are unaffected. Symptoms usually begin in the extremities, resulting in loss of dexterity in fingers and toes, then loss of motor ability in wrists, arms, ankles, and legs. The degeneration can also start in the face and throat region, in which case one loses the ability to move face muscles, lips, tongue, and vocal cords. This degeneration continues and is
unstoppable. Eventually, the voluntary muscles of the rib cage and lower back which support the diaphragm cease working. The cause of death is oxygen deprivation. There is no cure for ALS, nor is there anything that can stop its progression.
On a snowy day in December 2022, while I was out for my daily power walk on the Old Collegeville Road, I was startled to discover that I couldn’t complete my usual trek to the footbridge. The experience so unnerved me that I never again walked that old road. Instead, I followed a new route that kept me close to campus buildings. In subsequent weeks, I noticed other changes: I could not turn the key to unlock a door or press my thumb on a nail clipper. In December 2023, while presiding at an Advent liturgy at Saint Benedict’s Monastery, I struggled on the sanctuary steps, collapsed to the floor, and could not rise. These symptoms continued as I sought counsel at the Mayo Clinic.
I was diagnosed with ALS on 5 January 2024. My first order of business was to tell the abbot, my community, family, and friends. Doing so was very difficult, but at the same time, it
I know that God has not abandoned me or anyone else.
provided me with an incredible deal of support and strength. For this encouragement, I am very grateful to everyone. The experience has also been a tremendous source of grace.
The ALS situation has spun my life into a retrospective. I recognize, despite any number of trials and dark patches, what a blessed life I’ve had: a wonderful family and upbringing, a charitable and loving monastic community, beautiful friends, a fine education from grammar school to grad school, work on The Saint John’s Bible, a satisfying career— and the list goes on. For all of this too, I am grateful.
Saint Benedict instructs his monks “to keep death daily before one’s eyes” (Rule 4.47). He is not being morbid; he is focusing on the reality that our lives are greater than the span we live on earth. The whole Benedictine ethos rests on this understanding. Consequently, wrestling with death and anticipating my own demise have never been far from my reflections, thoughts, and prayers.
Yet, on the night of my diagnosis, many frightful memories from my childhood surfaced: nightmares of monsters, a near-drowning, and fears of being lost and abandoned. That night, they all became real and instantaneous. Where was God?
That question hit me with my defenses down. Throughout my teaching career, students would
frequently ask this same question after discussions related to human suffering. On those occasions, I could rely on my professorial abilities to provide an answer. Now, however, with the query cutting so close to the bone, I had nothing to say but a choke. Then something happened. A voice shouted to me amid these terrifying dreams, “Michael is in the embrace of Christ, and no harm shall come to him.” From that moment, there was peace, and everything made sense.
In Celtic spirituality, one often hears of the “thin places”—that is, pockets or spaces on earth where eternity and the next life break through. I don’t know much more about them, but I do know that God has not abandoned me or anyone else. Perhaps my fifty years in religious life, with its constant round of prayer and sacraments, have helped to construct a new reality for me. Since my diagn0sis, Scripture, liturgy, and prayer have become more vibrant and real.
The fullest understanding of the Christian faith is that the kingdom of God begins here on earth and will reach its fullest expression when we die. I believe God gives us the grace to live in that kingdom now as God transforms us into the persons we were created to be. That is why Saint Benedict tells us to keep death daily before our eyes, for when we do, we can hear Christ say,
“And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Despite the daily frustrations associated with my increasingly smaller horizon line, I have no fear. There is nothing for me to worry about in this life or the next. Christ is at the center of it all.
Father Michael Patella, Professor Emeritus of New Testament and recent rector of Saint John’s Seminary, was the chair of the Committee on Illumination and Texts for The Saint John’s Bible He now dazzles the monastic community with his mastery of a power wheelchair.
In our earlier investigation of timekeeping within the history of monasticism, we left off with the Rule of the Master’s admonition to those whose week it was to do the waking: “watch the clock [horologium] carefully night and day” (31). Was this horologium a true clock? If we understand it to mean a mechanical means of measuring minutes and hours, then the answer is no. Although horologium can be translated as clock, it expresses more the general concept for any system, method, or device that is related to the measurement of time.
The basis of monastic timekeeping at this time still resides exclusively in the monk or nun as revealed in the various rules, customaries, and hagiographic works that emerged about A.D. 400–650. Then, despite the tumultuous political state of affairs, an unprecedented period of prescriptive rules evolved. The earliest rules—of Augustine, Basil, Pachomius, Evagrius, and Cassian—would subsequently influence those that followed, and they in turn influenced one another in varying degrees. The Rule of the Master (c. 500–525) is one of the longest and most detailed of the rules. In contrast, the Rule of Benedict (c. 530), which reflects a synthetic text of previous monastic thinkers, was a moderately long treatise that became premier among the monastic rules. All are largely silent regarding specific details of timekeeping despite the highly regimented horarium (schedule).
The Rule of the Master specifies that the one chosen for the weekly duty of rousing the community for the Night Office be the one who is “more vigilant” (32). However, if that monk misjudges the time for the Night Office which forces an abbreviation of the lessons or the responsories, then he must according to the Rule of Benedict (RB) “make due satisfaction for it to God in the oratory” (11.13). In Jonas of Bobbio’s Regula cuiusdam ad virgines (Someone’s Rule for Virgins), a seventh-century rule for a community of nuns, the role of the nun
assigned as timekeeper is clearly defined: “A nun appointed by the direction of the abbess, that is, one who has been found suitable for this work because of her attentive and spirited mind, must make provision for the Hours of the service, so that the work of God is not delayed.” Unlike Benedict’s more humane regulation, Jonas stipulated consequences for misjudgment are harsher: “But, if for whatever reason a digression from the just order occurs, so that the Hours are not kept according to their order, she is to be condemned to excommunication” (8). In both cases the consequences of error are clear, yet there are no details of special pedagogy or technical methodology to assist the timekeeper—only a recognized innate ability to assume the duty appears essential. There is still no clear indication of what the sign (signum) implies which is equally crucial for the maintenance of the highly choreographed monastic horarium.
Understanding the Benedictine horarium begins with recognizing that Benedict follows the division of the natural day, unlike our modern equinoctial system of twenty-four hours of equal, unchanging duration. For Benedict, night always commences at sunset, and day at sunrise. Given that both day and night are each divided into twelve hours, this results in shorter daylight hours and longer night hours during winter (in the Northern Hemisphere); whereas in summer, daylight hours significantly exceed those of the night. Additionally, the monastic year is divided into different seasons. The summer period extends from Easter to September 13, while the winter period spans from November to the beginning of Lent—with Lent acting as a transitional phase between the winter and summer schedules. The days from September 13 to November 1 serve as a preparatory period for the winter season. Thus, the diurnal/nocturnal cycle and the overarching seasons formed the framework for monastic hours and their assigned activities.
The canonical hours, or Divine Office, comprise Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline. Historically, the term “vigils” referred to night prayers, while by the fourth
Estimations of Astronomical and Horological Calculations for Monte Cassino for the Year 550
Equinoxes: Equal nights and days
Longitude/Latitude: 41.4916°N, 13.8159°E
Year/Date: 530 March 19 2:03/Sept. 21, 15:17
Civil Twilight (Dawn): 5:41/5:25 am
Apparent Sunrise: 6:17am/5:55 am
Equation of Time: 8.51 min/ 6.87 min
Declination: -0.86°/1.08°
Apparent Sunset: 6:21/4:55 pm
Civil Twilight (Dusk): 6:45pm/5:30 pm
June Solstice: Longest day/Shortest night
Longitude/Latitude: 41.4916°N, 13.8159°E
Year/Date: 530 June 20 19:08
Civil Twilight (Dawn): 4:00 am
Apparent Sunrise: 4:30 am
Equation of Time: 21 min
Solar Declination: 23.61°
Apparent Sunset: 7:46 pm
Civil Twilight (Dusk): 7:16 pm
century, “matins” had come to signify prayers offered at cockcrow. In the RB, Matins is identified with the prayers recited at the eighth hour of the night, approximately at 2:00 A.M Nocturns are subdivisions within the office of Matins. Matins could be divided into one, two, or three nocturns, depending on the specific day or liturgical season. Beginning with the summer period, signaled by Easter, the monks rose between 2:00 and 3:00 A.M. and proceeded to the oratory to begin their day with Matins. At dawn the singing of Lauds began. As the sun rose, the Office of Prime was recited after which the morning’s labor began.
From April to September, work extended from 6:00 to 10:00 A.M. and from 5:00 to 9:00 A.M. near the time of the summer solstice. Terce signaled the end
December Solstice: Shortest day/Longest night
Longitude/Latitude: 41.4916°N, 13.8159°E
Year/Date: 530 December 19 13:34
Civil Twilight (Dawn): 7:09 am
Apparent Sunrise: 7:39 am
Equation of Time: -1.32 min
Solar Declination: -23.63°
Apparent Sunset: 4:45 pm
Civil Twilight (Dusk): 5:17 pm
to the work period after which the monks spent the remainder of the morning reading. At midday Sext was chanted, followed by the noon meal, provided it was not a fast day. After eating, the monks rested briefly until about 1:00 P.M. The Office of None followed the siesta, and work resumed afterward until Vespers, which could begin between 5:30 and 7:00 P.M., depending on the time of the season. After supper, the community gathered for collatio an assembly for spiritual instruction or communal reading, such as Scripture or writings of the Church Fathers. This period also served as a time to convene before Compline, the final office before bed which was between 7:00 and 8:00 P.M. This summer horarium was modified from Pentecost forward with fast days on Wednesdays and Fridays. On these days, the siesta followed Sext; the only
meal of the day followed None at about 2:00 P.M., after which work resumed until Vespers. This, in effect, shortened the period between Vespers and collatio.
The winter season, beginning on November 1, features lengthening nights, so the monks’ rising time is no longer dictated by sunrise. Instead, their rising is fixed at the eighth hour of the night, which varies between 1:30 and 2:30 A.M. as winter progresses. Unlike during the summer—when the number of readings is reduced—Matins in winter is extended by additional readings, lasting until 3:45 A.M. Between Matins and Lauds, there is a two- to three-hour period during which, according to the RB, the brothers are encouraged to study the Psalter, prepare lessons, or meditate on Scripture. Lauds is followed almost immediately by the singing of Prime, as in summer. Between the interval of Prime to Terce the monks were given time for reading—for an hour or an hour and a half, depending on the length of the day. Terce was chanted between 8:00 and 9:00 A.M. The remainder of the morning (three to almost four hours) was devoted to manual labor. Midday brought the recitation of Sext, after which work resumed until None which was generally chanted at 3:00 P.M., but sometimes as early as 2:00 P.M. Following None, the monks took the only meal on the ordinary days of this long winter period, returning to their reading for an hour and a half to two hours. Vespers, which brought an end to the day’s activities, began at 4:00 P.M. in early winter or 6:00 P.M. in later winter, and finally its closure with collatio and Compline. The brothers retired to the dormitory at 6:30 P.M. at the outset of November and as early as 5:30 P.M. at the end of December.
During Lent, the daily routine closely resembles that of the winter season, with some adjustments tailored to the spirit of penance. Terce is delayed until between 9:00 and 10:00 A.M. to allow the community more time for spiritual readings. Afternoon work extends by an hour, with the midday service, None, postponed until 3:00 or even 4:00 P.M. The sole meal of the day is deferred until
after Vespers, typically between 5:00 and 6:00 P.M. Nighttime rest diminishes as Easter nears, though it generally still lasts about eight hours.
On Sundays and feast days, the horarium began early enough for Matins to conclude before dawn. Mass follows Sext, during which the brothers receive the Eucharist. Free intervals between services are dedicated to prayer and reading. Dinner occurs after Sext, with supper between Vespers and Compline, akin to summer days. Over time, additional elements such as daily conventual Mass, devotional offices, and chapters of faults, along with periods of recreation and discretionary allowances, were incorporated. Although this schedule reflects the original structure of the monk’s day as outlined in the RB, it is necessary to clarify further elements of the horarium that influenced its timekeeping. These elements impact our ability to estimate the day’s divisions during Benedict’s time through calculations.
The calculations used for this article began with converting the date, for example, A.D. 550, to the Julian date. Then, the sun’s position, mean longitude, mean anomaly, and ecliptic longitude were calculated. This was followed by determining the sun’s right ascension and declination, calculating the obliquity of the ecliptic, local sidereal time, hour angle, and finally converting to local time. Since Benedict relied on the natural day, calculating elements such as dawn, apparent sunrise, apparent
sunset, and dusk is essential. For example, dawn, or civil twilight, varies between the time when the geometric center of the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon, nautical twilight when it is 12 degrees below the horizon, and astronomical twilight when it is 18 degrees below the horizon. Given Montecassino’s altitude (1,770 feet above sea level), dawn for the monks in 550 was probably visible as astronomical twilight rather than civil twilight observed at sea level. This calculation allows for a more exact determination of apparent sunrise. The same applies to dusk.
The time between sunset and the moment the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon is civil twilight, between 12 degrees is nautical twilight, and between 18 degrees is astronomical twilight. These degrees impact the visibility of decreasing light levels, which would affect the visual acuity of Benedict’s timekeeper. In clear conditions without fog or similar impediments, the brightest stars and planets are visible, and both the horizon and earthly objects can be distinguished during civil twilight. This is why Benedict could allow the evening meal to run late without needing artificial light.
Nautical twilight denotes the time when sailors can navigate using well-known stars because the horizon remains visible, even without moonlight. Despite the absence of fog or other obstructions, outlines of terrestrial objects may still be discernible during this period, though detailed outdoor activities are likely limited without artificial light. During astronomical twilight, the sky’s illumination is faint enough for most observers to perceive it as fully dark, especially in urban or suburban areas affected by light pollution. Under such conditions, the horizon is indiscernible, and
moderately faint stars or planets can be seen with the naked eye in a sky unaffected by light pollution. However, for observers to test the limits of naked-eye observations, the sun must be more than 18 degrees below the horizon. Astronomers can study point light sources like stars and planets during astronomical twilight, but diffuse sources such as galaxies, nebulae, and globular clusters require observation under completely dark skies, again when the sun is more than 18 degrees below the horizon.
These elements were also subject to seasonality. Given the monastic horarium’s nature, which regulated and synchronized times for praying the office as well as work, meals, sleep, and rest—all stipulated by the Rule of Benedict—the evolution of a mechanical timekeeping device would eventually promote the intersection of science, religion, and technology during the High Middle Ages (1000 to 1300). This development illustrates the profound influence of monastic communities on the advancement of knowledge and culture, a topic we will explore in the next segment on monastic timekeeping.
Father Cyprian Weaver, O.S.B., a research scholar in the role of neuroendocrinology in regenerative and genomic medicine, is a retired associate professor of medicine, cardiology, at the University of Minnesota.
Jorge Láscar/Wikimedia Commons Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey, France
The daily routine within the cloister is enlivened by the antics of the “characters” of the community. Here are stories from the Monastic Mischief file.
Abbatial insight
Now that you’ve been elected abbot, you can count on two things. You will never be served a bad meal for the rest of your life. And you’ll never hear the truth again.
Abbot Hilary
Ora et labora
There are some people who think that Manual Labor is the name of the former president of Mexico.
Father Jerome Coller
Elocution 101
You read bad poetry well.
Observation of Father Alfred’s graduate school professor
Service
If you ever need anything, please let me know. I would be more than happy to help you find someone to assist you.
Father Cyril
Divine Spirits
I love Jesus, but I drink a little.
Gladys
Cobbler Ministry
Doctor of Soles and Saver of Heels
Pastoral Ministry
What do they call pastors in Germany?
German Shepherds.
Anticipate one another in honor
Father, could you please hold that door for me? Not necessary, Brother. I’ve already pushed the automatic door opener. Oh. So, you’ve outsourced charity! Brother Denys
Liberal Arts Football Cheers
Pro-gress. Pro-gress. Ambulate over the turf, hey! Harass them! Harass them! Make them relinquish the ball.
Creation and science
If the good Lord had wanted us to fly, he wouldn’t have given us the railroads.
Musical Terms for the Tone Deaf
Approximento: A musical entrance that is in the vicinity of the correct pitch
Bass notes: Thoughts from the lowest common denominator of the orchestra
Gaul blatter: A French horn player
Organ donors: Pipe lovers pitching in for a new organ
Spritzicato: An indication to string instruments to produce a bright, bubbly sound
From The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce
Clarionet [sic]: An instrument of torture operated by a person with cotton in his ears. There are two instruments that are worse than a clarionet—two clarionets.
Fiddle: An instrument to tickle human ears by friction of a horse’s tail on the entrails of a cat.
Phonograph: An irritating toy that restores life to dead noises.
Piano: A parlor utensil for subduing the impenitent visitor. It is operated by depressing the keys of the machine and the spirts of the audience.
They say . . .
A clear conscience is the sure sign of a bad memory.
Mark Twain
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign; that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.
Jonathan Swift
The record-setting mild temperatures that had marked the first months of 2024 gave way to three days of wet, heavy snow, totaling 15 inches, beginning on the eve of Palm Sunday, March 24. More snow fell during the first days of spring than throughout the winter. Temperatures in the 70s in midApril suggested that summer had arrived early, but on April 19, the morning temp of 31°F with a windchill of 11 transformed April showers into graupel on the roofs and flowerbeds. An otherwise lovely Mothers’ Day was marred by smokey Canadian air that triggered the season’s first air quality alert (reading of 171), but the Northern Lights were visible in central Minnesota that evening. June 6, D-Day, was Drought-free Day in Minnesota. Thanks to the abundant rain in May, the U.S. Drought Monitor of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared that Minnesota was without any drought conditions for the first time since 2021. In June and July, while much of the country was tormented by extreme heat, Minnesota was inundated with rain, resulting in saturated farm fields, rivers overflowing their banks, and flood damage across the state. By August, some folks considered donning flotation devices during their trek to the mailbox! Rain or shine, splashes of yellow, orange, and red on the maple trees hint at the arrival of autumn.
May 2024
Father Michael Peterson presented his fourth annual Native American Flute Concert to the monastic community and Collegeville neighbors gathered in the abbey and university church on May 18, the Vigil of Pentecost.
Members of the monastic community joined Abbot Douglas Mullin for a blessing service in Saint Raphael Hall on May 22. Gratefully acknowledging the dedication and fine service of the nursing staff of the abbey healthcare center, Abbot Douglas anointed the hands of the nurses with aromatic nard from Jerusalem (see John 12:1–8).
All deceased military were honored during a prayer service on Memorial Day, May 27, in the abbey cemetery. Volunteers from Saint John the Baptist Parish and members of the Saint Joseph
American Legion conducted the ceremony, which included a roll call of the deceased veterans of the local community, the playing of taps, and a military gun salute. For the holiday weekend, small United States flags were placed at each of the 161 veterans’ grave sites.
June 2024
The Catholic Media Association (CMA), which annually recognizes the best in Catholic publishing, honored Liturgical Press authors with 17 awards, including four first-place designations. First-place titles were Reforming the Church: Global Perspectives edited by Declan Marmion and Salvador Ryan; Racism and Structural Sin: Confronting Injustice with the Eyes of Faith by Conor M. Kelly; Tobit in the Wisdom Commentary series by Michele Murray; and God’s Call Is Everywhere: A Global Analysis of Contemporary Vocations
Northern lights (aurora borealis), August 11
Jason Ziegler
for Women by Patricia Wittberg, S.C.; Mary L. Gautier; Gemma Simmonds, C.J.; with Nathalie Becquart, X.M.C.J. The Association of Catholic Publishers (ACP) also honored Liturgical Press, bestowing their “Excellence in Publishing Awards” on six books. First-place awards went to A Retreat with Thomas Merton: A Seven-Day Spiritual Journey by Esther de Waal; Liturgy and Life Study Bible edited by John W. Martens and Paul Turner; and Reforming the
Church: Global Perspectives edited by Declan Marmion and Salvador Ryan.
A busload of monks traveled to Target Field in Minneapolis on June 14 to see the Minnesota Twins play the Oakland Athletics. The tickets, hamburgers, hot dogs (but no peanuts or Cracker Jack), and libations in the event suite were provided by Saint John’s insurance carrier. After a rocky start (Oakland scored four runs in the first inning), the Twins rallied in the tenth inning for a 6–5 victory.
Father William Orbih, an alumnus of Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary, has been appointed to serve as rector of the seminary, succeeding Father Michael Patella, O.S.B. Father William holds a post-graduate diploma in conflict, peace, and strategic studies. His doctoral
dissertation is entitled, “Resistance in African Literature: Towards a Decolonial Theology of Hope.” Dean Shawn Colberg noted that the new rector “cares deeply about the healthy and effective formation of seminarians for priestly ministry and values the Saint John’s commitments to collaborative ministry and a distinctively monastic approach for seminarian formation.”
On the morning of June 23 Abbot Douglas and the community blessed and welcomed two candidates: Mr. Jhonatan Daniel Olivan Romero (Morelos, Mexico) and Mr. Carlos Ernesto Morales Garcia (Jalisco, Mexico) who are now discerning a call to monastic life at Saint John’s.
July 2024
Brothers Travis Spillum and Augustine Oh of Saint John’s Abbey joined 17 other monks in temporary vows from a dozen North American monasteries for the twenty-seventh annual Benedictine Junior Summer Institute (aka junior camp), this year hosted by Saint John’s, July 15–24. For ten days the participants continued their monastic formation through lectures and discussions relevant to Benedictine life while building fraternal bonds with members of other communities. Seminar topics included “Synodality” by Dr. Kristin Colberg and “Eucharistic Revival” by Father Anthony Ruff. The juniors learned about the making of The Saint John’s
A delegation of monks assisted local volunteers in preparing a meal for those participating in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage when it arrived at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Saint Cloud on May 23
Félix Mencias Babian, O.S.B.
Yellow Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium parviflorum)
Geoffrey Fecht, O.S.B.
Title of Article
Bible, including a tour of the Bible Gallery; visited local shrines, Saint Benedict’s Monastery, the Cathedral of Saint Paul, The Saint John’s Pottery studio, and the abbey arboretum; and explored the world of pipe organs with master organ builder Martin Pasi during a tour of the Saint John’s Abbey Woodshop.
On July 20, during the annual oblate retreat at Saint John’s, nine individuals made their final oblation. Jean Beckel (Arvada, Colorado) has known Saint John’s for years because she is a former member of the Saint John the Baptist Parish. Andrew Bins (Green Bay, Wisconsin) finds in the Rule of Benedict a way to structure his life centered in Christ. Carol Bishop (Eden Prairie, Minnesota) first encountered the abbey through the reflection days offered by the late Father Simeon Thole. Hans-Peter de Ruiter (Minneapolis) finds the Benedictine way of life so deeply appealing because of its kindness to strangers. MaryAnn de Ruiter (Minneapolis) recognizes the Rule as a guide to experience our ordinary life as holy. Gregory Harris (Minneapolis) feels strengthened and supported by the abbey and oblate communities in his Christian life.
Maureen Murray (Cooperstown, New York), who knew many monks who served in our community’s former parishes in the Bronx, loves Benedictine spirituality. Mollie Paulson (Golden Valley, Minnesota) was encouraged to become an oblate
by several friends who are also oblates. Kurt Swanson (Mahtomedi, Minnesota) very much loves the Rule and finds in it a true guide to live the Christian life.
“Spiritual Practices for Peacemaking: Nurturing Resistance and Resilience” was the theme of the 2024 gathering of Bridgefolk (Mennonites and Catholics in Dialogue) hosted by Saint John’s Abbey, July 25–28. During the retreat, participants reflected on Scripture and took part in a variety of spiritual practices from each of the faith traditions. Ms. Sarah Augustine, executive director of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, addressed the topic of settler
colonialism and led a ceremony that honors the wisdom of her Pueblo (Tewa) people. Father John Meoska reflected on “Writing, Reading, and Praying with Icons.” Former abbot John Klassen was celebrated for his more than twenty years of service as cochair of Bridgefolk.
Collegeville Slugger. Father John Meoska and colleagues at the abbey woodworking shop crafted and engraved a display baseball bat (made of ash harvested from the abbey arboretum) for the new Saint John’s University Baseball Clubhouse, dedicated on May 4.
Thom Woodward
The local deer, purple martins, barn swallows, wood ducks, Canada geese, and rabbits were fruitful and multiplied this summer.
Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.
Fifty Years Ago
Excerpted from Confrere, newsletter of Saint John’s Abbey:
27 June 1974
The results of the recent survey on apostolates were presented by Fathers Daniel Durken and Rene McGraw. Of the criteria that confreres were asked to rank according to importance in assigning personnel, the most important was the possibility of community life. The next most important criterion was service to the area (Saint Cloud Diocese and the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis). The third most important criterion was geographical nearness to Saint John’s. It seems possible to conclude that in assigning personnel, it will be more difficult to find monks willing to work by themselves at a considerable distance from the abbey.
25 July 1974
This month’s [Hill Museum & Manuscript Library] newsletter notes that Brother David Manahan has published an article on “Wine and Winemaking: A Preliminary Listing of Some 14th and 15th Century Texts on the Subject Microfilmed for the Monastic Manuscript Microfilm Library” in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture.
28 August 1974
The Saint John the Baptist Parochial School was recently torn down. Since classes in the building were discontinued several years ago, the Saint John’s Fire Department has used the
structure for occasional fire and smoke drills. On August 10 someone more interested in keeping a blaze going than extinguishing it, set fire to the building. The resulting damage necessitated the complete leveling of the building. Built in 1925 the school building had also served as the election hall for local, state, and national elections.
Some college men will be sleeping in the gutter and alleys this year—the bowling alleys in the old gym [Guild Hall] have been converted to student housing that might well be called “The Spare Rooms.” The university expects 497 freshmen and a total enrollment of about 1850 students in the undergraduate, graduate, and divinity divisions.
Father Roger Klassen departs early next month with 13 prep school students for the Abbey of Melk in Austria to continue the study abroad program of the
prep school. This year its contingent will include two young ladies for the first time since the prep school went co-ed last year.
26 September 1974 Saint John’s Bread is on the comeback trail. Not since the heyday of Father Walter Reger has there been so much promotional activity for the sale of “The Loaf that Became a Legend.” A committee made up of Father Gordon Tavis, Mr. Jerry Mead, and Mr. Tom LeNeau has been laying the strategy for the renewed interest and action. Mr. Mead, director of food services at Saint John’s, is doing the leg work. Three more manufacturers have been added: Brechet-Richter of Minneapolis, the Phil Orth Company of Milwaukee, and Richardson-Holland of Seattle. Accounts are already established in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Omaha, Seattle, Columbus (Ohio), Boston, and Champaign (Illinois).
Abbey archives
Saint John the Baptist School (c. 1945) dominated the northwestern shore of Lake Sagatagan.
Monks in the Kitchen
Lemon Cake 2.0
Ælred Senna, O.S.B.
Readers may recall that I shared this recipe some years ago (Spring 2017 Abbey Banner). Recently, in adapting the recipe to be dairy-free, I inadvertently stumbled upon a “secret ingredient”—mayonnaise! Formerly, the recipe used a combination of sour cream and milk. As rewritten, these are replaced with yogurt (or dairy-free yogurt, if desired) and mayo. Of course, you can also swap out the butter for a dairy-free option.
The mayonnaise brings extra oil to the recipe, resulting in a moister crumb, while the vanilla yogurt adds a welcome extra vanilla boost. This time around, unsalted butter is specified; I prefer the way it behaves. In the recipe directions, additional specificity regarding how thoroughly to mix the ingredients aims to ensure that the finished cake batter is as smooth and silky as possible.
Finally, you may wish to continue baking for 2–3 minutes after the cake passes the toothpick test to ensure it is fully set. This will help avoid any sinking once it is removed from the oven. (Use an instant-read thermometer to test doneness—look for the cake to be between 203°F and 210°F.)
Brother Ælred Senna, O.S.B., is publisher of Give Us This Day and abbey refectorian.
Brother Ælred’s Lemon Cake (2.0) with Lemon Glaze (One 10" cake layer or two 8" layers)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (or vegan buttery sticks)
• 1½ cups sugar
• 4 eggs, preferably room temperature
• ¼ cup lemon juice + zest of 2 lemons
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cup vanilla yogurt (or dairy-free yogurt) + ⅓ cup mayonnaise, stirred together
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 or 3 tablespoons lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon
Preheat oven to 350°F.
1. Grease and flour one 10" cake pan (lined with parchment) or two 8" cake pans.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar with beater until pale and fluffy (2–3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating in each one thoroughly. Stir in vanilla, lemon juice, and zest. Add one-third of the flour mixture and incorporate fully. Add half the yogurt mixture and incorporate. (Alternate additions of dry and wet ingredients until all are thoroughly combined.)
4. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes. Test for doneness (a toothpick comes out clean).
5. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Make glaze from remaining ingredients. Spread or drizzle on the cake while it is barely warm.
Ælred Senna, O.S.B.
In Memoriam
Please join the monastic community in prayerful remembrance of our deceased family members and friends:
Gary Alkire
Terry J. Anderson
Karen Lee Bailey
Dylan Gerard Barthel
Richard J. “Rich” Beach
Vivian A. Bedard
Geraldine “Gerry” Benson-Zimmer
Norbert R. J. “Norb” Berg
Jill Breckenridge
Paul Breen
Joan Rose Cahill
Eugene W. Cichowicz
Helen Clark
Mary Collins, O.S.B.
Curtis F. “Curt” Cotton
Ralph Edwin Dahl, O.S.C.
Dale E. DeZeller
Amos Duncan
Cecilia M. “Patty” Durand
Gloria Marie Ebacher
Vernon S. “Chub” Ebnet
Catherine Louise Eilers
Lenore A. Felix
Henry Louis Fischer
Michael John Friedrich
Leo Fürst, O.S.B.
Mary Galvin
Glen Arthur Happe
Lorraine A. Hartung
Mary K. Heims
Joan A. Held-Benson
Robert L. “Bob” Hennen
Ronald J. “Ron” Hiller
Jerome Duane “Jerry” Hoffman
Thomas Edward “Tom” Holloran
S. Ansgar Holmberg, C.S.J.
David A. Jackson
Betty Janiga
James “Jim” Jensen
Mariko Jimbo, Obl.S.B.
Grace Marilyn Johnson
Joan Marie Johnston
Audrey Ann Karpinski
Franklin Benjamin “Frank” Kaufman
David Patrick Key
Arlene Kleemann, O.S.B.
Linda Marie Klein
Ardell E. Koehn
Jerome “Jerry” Kunzer
Dorothy Irene Laliberte
Louise Ann Lehner
Mark John Lies
Agnes Monica “Agie” Link
Jean Rew Ljungkull
Diane J. Lund
Helene Cecile Madigan
Margaret Mandernach, O.S.B.
Kathleen Mary “Kathy” Martin
Richard Allan “Dick” Martinson
Joseph S. “Joe” McGrane
Terrence J. “Terry” McKenna
Janet Marie McNew
Theodore E. “Ted” Micke
Nathan D. Mitchell
Nathan J. Munsch, O.S.B.
Patrick Murphy
Maynard Nagengast, O.S.B.
Alvin D. “Al” Navratil
Robert Allen “Bob” Nelson
Abbot Peter W. Novecosky, O.S.B.
Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B.
Joshua R. “Josh” Olson
Darlene B. Ostendorf
Mary Jeannette Otte
Elizabeth Marie “Betty” Peck
Bernard Charles Persson
Thomas Leonard “Tom” Piazza
Hal W. Picquet
Eugene L. “Gene” Plachecki
Robert A. “Jim” Randall Jr.
David M. “Dave” Reed
Jeannine L. Reed
Barbara Kirkpatrick Roche
Leslie Michael Rolfson
Delphine K. Ruprecht
Carol Salzer
Magdalene M. “Maggie” Schindler
Francella Lillian “Fran” Schmitz
Norbert “Norb” Schueller
Lorraine Schwietz
Therese A. Siebenaler
Susan Sink, Obl.S.B.
Valerie C. Sparrow
Ann L. Stone
Thomas J. “Tom” Stone
Austin Symalla
Joseph “Joe” Tembrock, Obl.S.B.
Mollie Nan Thibodeau
Lloyd Torrey Tobiassen
Rev. Frank S. Tomasiewicz
Benjamin Tremmel, O.S.B.
Betty Jane Stinnett-VanDeMark
Raymond C. “Ray” VanDeMark
Ellie Mae Varner
Carol Virnig, O.S.F.
Richard J. “Dick” Wasko, Obl.S.B.
Rev. Mark W. Willenbring
Abbot Primate Notker Wolf, O.S.B.
Charles Edward “Chuck” Wollmering
Mary Patrick Zangs, O.S.F.
Gerald J. “Jerry” Zenzen
Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of God’s faithful ones. Psalm 116:15
A Monk’s Chronicle
Father Eric Hollas, O.S.B., offers spiritual insights and glimpses into the life of the Benedictine community at Saint John’s Abbey in a weekly blog, A Monk’s Chronicle. Visit his blog at: monkschronicle.wordpress.com.
Father Don’s Daily Reflection
Father Don Talafous, O.S.B., prepares daily reflections on Scripture and living the life of a Christian that are available on the abbey’s website at: saintjohnsabbey.org/reflection.
Timothy Backous, O.S.B.
The Russian poet Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky (1940–1996) told the 1989 graduating class of Dartmouth: “Everything that displays a pattern is pregnant with boredom. . . . You’ll be bored with your work, your friends, your spouses, your lovers, the view from your window, the furniture or wallpaper in your room, your thoughts, yourselves. Accordingly, you’ll try to devise ways to escape. Apart from the self-gratifying gadgets . . . you may take up changing jobs, residence, company, country, climate . . . and for a while that may work. Until the day, of course, when you wake up in your bedroom amid a new family and a different wallpaper, in a different state and climate . . . yet with the same stale feeling toward the light of day pouring through your window.”
What may at first sound like a grim assessment of life is actually a nod of appreciation for boredom. This poet and Nobel laureate is suggesting that we face life’s patterns and habits so that they don’t “become prisons.” We need to accept boredom, to learn to love constant repetitions, to welcome this reality that helps root ourselves in everyday life.
The parallels of Mr. Brodsky’s insight and the regularity of monastic life should be obvious. Our day-to-day existence is dependent upon patterns, routines. We rely on things being the same each day because— contrary to being boring—such predictable patterns and repetition allow us to go about our prayer and work with a certain comfort and ease. Because the schedule is so deeply internalized, we have more energy for the core values of Benedictine life: awareness of God, humility, hospitality.
Monastic prayer services are familiar and patterned. We sing a hymn, intone the Psalms, ponder Scripture, offer thanks for what we have been given or ask for what we need. That pattern repeats itself day in and day out, year after year. The Eucharist is likewise familiar in its patterns. And so, too, is life in general.
Iosif Brodsky urges us to stop trying to distract ourselves with gadgets, job shifting, even wallpaper! Instead, embrace the boredom as a call to deeper awareness of life and self. Nothing we can do will hold off boredom forever. It is better to stare it down and move through it. Remember, says the poet, life is basically “a runaway train,” and “it’s not a round trip [journey].” The challenge of life (among many) is to use patterns and familiarity and repetition as tools for deeper soul work. There are blessings in the ordinary.
Boredom: a call to deeper awareness of life and self.
There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them. Man is what he reads.
