Monks and Students ✙ Eight monks tell why they teach in “I Teach Because . . .” page 6 ✙ “You Gotta Play by the Rules!” compares student rules from 1898 to 2003, page 8
Meet the Monks ✙ Frank Kacmarcik, OblSB, Artist Extraordinaire, page 4 ✙ Military Chaplains of Saint John’s Abbey, page 10 ✙ Aaron Raverty, OSB, Certified Graphoanalyst, page 15
Monks and students pose in the honeycomb windows of the abbey church.
Contents Pages 6-9
Cover Story “I Teach Because . . .” —Eight monks tell why teaching is more fun than work. “You Gotta Play by the Rules!” by Wilfred Theisen, OSB —a century of student disciplinary regulations
Features 4 Frank Kacmarcik, OblSB, Artist Extraordinaire by Charlotte Zalot, OSB —the faith journey of a pioneer in liturgical consulting 10 The Military Chaplains of Saint John’s by David Klingeman, OSB —Collegeville monks served church and country well.
12 Abbey Jubilarians —Monks celebrate anniversaries of profession and ordination. 13 Julius Beckermann, OSB, Is Ordained a Priest by Daniel Durken, OSB —He learned Ojibwe instead of Latin!
14 Aaron Raverty, OSB, Certified Graphoanalyst by Daniel Durken, OSB —“Different strokes by different folks” 16 Two Brothers Profess Final Vows by Daniel Durken, OSB —Christopher and Xavier make lifelong commitment.
Departments 3 From Editor and Abbot
20 Obituaries
25 Banner Bits
17 Vocation News
22 Abbey Missions
27 Spiritual Life
18 The Abbey Chronicle
24 Strengthening Foundations
Back Cover An Outstanding Autumn Event
Editor: Daniel Durken, OSB
The Abbey Banner is published three times annually by the Benedictine monks of Saint John’s Abbey for our relatives, friends and oblates.
Copy Editor and Proofreader: Dolores Schuh, CHM Designer: Pam Rolfes
The Abbey Banner Magazine of Saint John’s Abbey Volume 3, Issue 2 Fall 2003
Circulation: Ruth Athmann, Cathy Wieme, Mary Gouge Printer: Palmer Printing, St. Cloud, MN Member Catholic Press Association
The Abbey Banner is online at www.sja.osb.org/AbbeyBanner Saint John’s Abbey, Box 2015, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321. 320-363-3875
FROM EDITOR AND ABBOT
Kudos for Collegeville
Jesus Our Teacher
by Daniel Durken, OSB
by Abbot John Klassen, OSB
T
H
he Abbey Banner received honorable mention in the General Excellence Award for religious order magazines at the Catholic Press Association (CPA) convention in Atlanta on May 28-30. Sharing this honor is our editorial and production staff: Margaret Wethington Arnold, Pam Rolfes, Dolores Schuh, CHM, and Gwen Spengler of Palmer Printing.
First Place Award for Best Essay in religious order magazines was given to the article “The Crucifixes of Collegeville” which I wrote in the spring 2002 issue. I am grateful to Mary Schaffer, curator of the Arca Artium collection, Alan Reed, OSB, curator of abbey art and artifacts, and Andra Van Kempen, photographer, for their contributions in the preparation of this piece. The CPA represents 215 newspapers, 242 magazines, 125 newsletters, and 44 foreign language publications, all Catholic, in the United States and Canada for a total circulation of almost 26.9 million. The 2003 CPA convention was an inspiring blend of workshops, panel discussions, speakers, exhibits and conversations. I especially appreciated the magazine design critiques of John Brady of Brady and Paul Communications, Newburyport, MA. Mr. Brady insisted that a magazine is published primarily for the readers. To help maintain and improve The Abbey Banner I need your input. When you have read and reflected on this issue, please snail-mail or e-mail me (ddurken@csbsju.edu) and tell me what you like or do not like about the magazine. For me the highlight of the convention was the performance of “Cotton Patch Gospel” by co-author and lead Tom Key together with an exuberant cast. They gave a southern-fried version of Matthew’s Gospel in which Jesus preaches that “man does not live by grits alone.” The video of “Cotton Patch Gospel” is available from www.Amazon.com. I am sure you will enjoy it. May your autumn be colorful and gentle.
ave you ever noticed that when someone addresses Jesus as “teacher,” wow, do they get taught! Jesus is a resourceful and skilled teacher. He speaks in the simplest, most intelligible terms about our deepest hopes as well as our most painful shadows. Though he is the Word of God, he never once uses words like “eschatology,” “prolegomenon,” or “sitz im leben.” He is always grounded in the world of those he is teaching. Sometimes Jesus speaks in parables that refuse to allow the listener to stand outside of the teaching, locked in his/her own world. Sometimes he uses crisis language so outrageous that it rocks the listener out of sleep: “If your right eye is the problem, gouge it out! Better to enter the reign of God with one eye than to have both eyes and end up in Gehenna.” Sometimes Jesus uses hyperbole: “I tell you it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the reign of God.” He often asks hard questions: “What price can a man or woman pay for his or her life?” Jesus teaches by example. He never requires his hearer to do things that he himself has not integrated into his own life. At every stage of our life, Jesus is a compelling teacher. _________________
I want to make you aware of two ways that can enhance your connection to Saint John’s. If you send your e-mail address to me at jklassen@csbsju.edu, I will send you news of upcoming special events or of a monk’s death and funeral schedule. Be assured that I will communicate only relevant information and will not stuff your e-mail box with junk mail. Second, the monastic community is very willing to pray for the special intentions of our readers. If you have special prayer needs, please let us know by sending them to my e-mail address above. We also provide space on our contribution envelope for readers to request prayers for special intentions. These intentions will be regularly posted on our main bulletin board so that as we go to prayer we hold you in prayer. The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 3
FEATURE Frank was the liturgical consultant for the renovation of the Sacred Heart Chapel of Saint Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, MN. photo from the Kacmarcik archive
Frank Kacmarcik, OblSB, Artist Extraordinaire By Charlotte Zalot, OSB
“He is clearly the most important American designer of Catholic liturgical space in the second half of the twentieth century.”
I
n a recent interview with Frank Kacmarcik, OblSB, a significant moment in his life was revealed. When Brother Frank asked his father for guidance in choosing high school courses, his father’s fifth grade education failed him. With tearfilled eyes Frank relayed his father’s wisdom: “Son, I don’t know how to direct you regarding school studies but I do have advice. No matter what you do in life, the most important thing is that you be a good Christian.” Throughout his 83 years, Frank has worked at being a good Christian and faithful servant. For him, this has meant being honest and true: true to his relationship with God, with his talents, his vocation in life and the journey that eventually led him home to Saint John’s Abbey. Frank’s journey, despite various twists and turns, has always
page 4 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
had direction and purpose. His education in art did not start until after he finished high school, but he welcomed it with fervor and became an expert. Desiring to serve God as a brother-artist, he pursued a religious vocation at Saint John’s in 1941. Three years later he left the abbey and served his country as a surgical technician and then as a chaplain’s assistant in the United States Army. As a result, Frank visited churches, museums and monasteries throughout Europe, started collecting rare books and art, and benefitted from study in Paris. On his return to Saint John’s in 1950 Frank joined the art department faculty, and was appointed art consultant for the abbey church building project. Beginning in 1955 he pioneered the role of liturgical consultant, which he continues today, serving the Church as
Frank pages through an early book on architecture in his Arca Artium collection. photo by Greg Becker
designer and educator in liturgical space and furnishings. Frank is clearly the most important American designer of Catholic liturgical space in the second half of the twentieth century. He designs covers for the journal Worship and books for Benzinger Brothers, Pueblo Press and Liturgical Press. For all this he has won many awards and recognitions. Frank’s legacy, Arca Artium—a collection of more than 30,000 reference books, almost 5,000 rare books, many manuscripts and art pieces, along with a music collection of several hundred LPs
FEATURE Frank and Charlotte examine an early architectural text from the Arca Artium collection. photo by Greg Becker
and CDs—was his gift to Saint John’s University in 1995. Arca Artium will serve students and teachers, scholars and artists for years to come as a “dynamic and evolving witness to the vitality of human creativity” as its web site (www.csbsju.edu/library/ speccoll/sju/arca) says so well. But all these accomplishments are as nothing compared to the sincerity and integrity with which Frank has endeavored to live his Christian life of service. His honesty, brutal at times, is never intended to wound but
Abbot Jerome Theisen gives Frank the Rule of St. Benedict at his oblation November 21, 1988. photo by Robin Pierzina, OSB
always meant to challenge. His confidence, overwhelming at times, is never intended to threaten but always meant to comfort. His work, intense at times, is never intended to be egotistic but always meant to glorify God. In 1988 Frank’s monastic heart found its way home to Saint John’s where he now resides as a claustral oblate (one who lives in community under promises made to the abbot). This Benedictine brother is a man of single-minded simplicity. His room in the Abbey Retirement Center—with projects piled high on his desk, overflowing bookcases, 2400 CDs neatly catalogued on wall shelves, new acquisitions for Arca Artium on the floor—may not attest to this, but if simplicity is about being honest as to who and what we are rather than what we do or do not have, then Frank Kacmarcik surely practices simplicity. Frank is extremely selfpossessed of who he is and what he is able to do. While this creates an obstacle for some, one has only to scale that hurdle to find a man whose spirit is generous, whose heart is sensitive,
Frank reigned as King Neptune at his senior prom. photo from personal collection
whose humor is original, whose care is sincere, and whose gratitude is genuine. An ordinary man of extraordinary talent, Frank is an artistic genius, unique and unparalleled. As a result of his passion for quality and his wholehearted response to an artistic vocation, he has dominated ecclesiastical art and architecture for more than sixty years. But more importantly, he has attempted to be a good Christian and faithful servant, ceaselessly working to glorify God in all things as Benedictines are wont to do.
Charlotte Zalot, OSB, is from Erie, PA, and a Ph.D. candidate in liturgical studies at Drew University in Madison, NJ. As a resident scholar at the Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research during spring, 2003, she was able to work on her dissertation, the focus of which is Brother Frank, visionary liturgical artist and design consultant.
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 5
COVER STORY
“I Teach Because ...” Eight monks complete this sentence to reveal their lifelong love of teaching ... and learning.
T
eaching occupies the talents, time and energy of many Saint John’s monks. Ever since Saint Benedict wrote in his Rule, “Therefore we intend to establish a school for the Lord’s service” (Prologue 45), teachers and students have been as much a part of monastic life as an abbot and the psalms. The following comments illustrate why the monks find teaching more fun than work.
Hilary Thimmesh, OSB, professor of English When I was a kid in a one-room schoolhouse there was a wonderful person called “the teacher,” who obviously enjoyed helping children learn. The value of learning was unquestioned. That underlying trust in the value of learning is why I teach. Ignorance is not usually bliss. It is usually undeveloped potential, untrained capacity to distinguish between strong and weak arguments, unfamiliarity with the amazing richness of other times and places. I love to dispel ignorance, my own included.
Wilfred Theisen, OSB, professor of physics As a celibate monk I otherwise would not have the opportunity to play some part in the mental and spiritual growth of young people. A first-year student in my symposium class who would panic whenever I called upon her later became a teaching assistant in physics and could address a whole class with perfect composure. In her final year I helped her decide to take a course in painting. Her teacher discovered her great potential as an artist! Two of her works now hang in my room—a reminder of a flower I helped to bloom.
page 6 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
Rene McGraw, OSB, associate professor of philosophy The search for truth is a disease I caught many years ago from some great teachers—Eleutherius Winance, OSB, Michael Marx, OSB, Immanuel Levinas, Paul Ricoeur— and I want others to catch this disease. That excites. I find that what is hidden in a text of a great thinker begins to emerge for the students and for me. That excites. I love being on the stage. That excites. I teach because that is all I know how to do.
COVER STORY John Patrick Earls, OSB, associate professor of English When I was in the second grade our teacher asked me to tutor William S. in reading. William was a kewpie-doll looking kid with apple cheeks and lively eyes. He came to school spotlessly dressed in a khaki suit with suspenders and bow tie. Our seven-year-old world did not have many words for learning disabilities, but we sensed he had them. I wasn’t successful in getting William to recognize words. But I remember liking the teacher-student relationship. I still do.
Thomas Andert, OSB, clinical education supervisor and instructor in the education department I teach because I was well taught! That’s a statement of profound humility, not arrogance. For me teaching is an experience of reaching into students’ souls and empowering them to plumb the depths of their deepest selves and then to give that self away to others. Superior teaching is good karma, a communion of curiosity and confidence, inspiring someone’s self discovery for the service of others. That’s how I was taught. That’s why I still teach today.
David Paul Lange, OSB, assistant professor of art I love learning, and I love igniting a passion for learning in my students. I am at my best as a teacher, I think, when I am mindful of what it feels like to be learning something for the first time. One does not have to climb Kilimanjaro to know the excitement of discovery. Really, it’s a dream job.
Dale Launderville, OSB, associate professor of theology I have always been fascinated by learning. I recall how engaging I found my studies as an undergraduate at Saint John’s. My teachers allowed me to share in their search for God and for meaning in life. Achieving specific outcomes pales before the rewards of this common effort to understand life. Saint John’s introduced me to this love of learning. I hope to do the same for my students.
Paul-Vincent Niebauer, OSB, theatre director at Saint John’s Preparatory School Teaching keeps me young and is very challenging. It gives me incredible hope for the future of the world and humankind. I have the privilege of exposing students to Benedictine values such as taking care of each other, peace and justice. The celibate has a need for regeneration. Instead of having two or three children I have two or three hundred kids to help rear. What a life!
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
page 7
COVER STORY A century of student rule books photo by Daniel Durken, OSB
“You Gotta Play by the Rules!” by Wilfred Theisen, OSB
A comparison of Saint John’s student disciplinary rules in 1898, 1955 and 1997 When a penalty is called against a visiting athletic team, Johnny fans in the stands often shout, “You gotta play by the rules!” For 146 years the students on the Collegeville campus have been reminded that this same principle applies to the larger game of life. But student life has changed and so have the rules as this article describes.
I
n 1898 Alexius Hoffman, OSB, vice president of Saint John’s University, wrote College Life: A Manual for Students. Explaining the intent of the manual, he wrote, “The precepts of religion will impart the requisites for citizenship in the visible kingdom of God on earth; it is our task to speak of the requirements of college life.”
Leo Bettendorf, OSB, relaxes with students. photo from Abbey Archives
page 8 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
Those words echo that classic work on education, “The Idea of a University” by John Henry Newman who wrote, “It is more correct to speak of a University as a place of education, than of instruction. Instruction has to do with
externals and mechanical rules; education implies an action on our mental nature and the foundation of character. Liberal education makes not the Christian, not the Catholic, but the gentleman.” Such were the thoughts of two educators in the nineteenth century. Still engaged in the work of educating young men, the monks of Saint John’s Abbey have to adapt to the students of the twenty-first century. No longer do the students need to be reminded to change their underwear regularly or to refrain from tripping others or pulling their chairs away from them when they are about to sit down. On the other hand, the advice of Alexius “not to disturb others who are studying” has a timeless value. It is in regard to the use of tobacco and alcohol that one notices the greatest evolution of concerns about student behavior. In the 1898 College Life manual, smoking and drinking are given scant attention: “Avoid intoxicants as much
COVER STORY Peter Engel, OSB, fourth abbot of Saint John’s Abbey (1894-1921), and a class of well dressed Johnnies photo from Abbey Archives
as possible. If you know they will cause you to do anything for which you would disclaim responsibility, avoid them altogether. Smoking is deemed a genteel habit—very many men are addicted to it. It is injurious to the system—especially to the voice and nerves of young people. If you cannot, or are unwilling to abandon the habit entirely, practice it moderately.” In the current book of rules, the J-Book, the regulations concerning the use of tobacco and alcohol occupy seven full pages, a total of more than 4000 words! Other substances like cocaine, marijuana and steroids—unheard of on college campuses in the nineteenth century—require specific attention for the student of the twenty-first century. Had you asked the Johnny of 1898 his views on DWIs and AIDS he would undoubtedly have been speechless and violated Alexius’ admonition “not to stare at strangers impertinently.” In the manner of dress the current Johnny would find the rules laid down in College Life too restricting. While the 1997 J-Book does not even mention how students should dress, College Life offers
a great deal of advice on this matter such as the following: “Brush your hat frequently and wear it properly. Do not distort its shape or slouch the rim. Wear the hat on the top of the head, not tilted into the neck or perched over one ear. Always appear in full dress publicly.”
in the last 146 years?” you will find that both the nineteenth century manual and the current J-Book stress that a good Johnny is a good member of the Saint John’s family.
The early Johnny was told, “Man is not an isolated being; he is part of a great community; he must have regard for his fellowmen.” The Johnny of the twenty-first century The 1955 J-Book continued the conis greeted with, “What we do, what cern for appropriate wearing apparel with its rule that “the wearing of T-shirts, we say, how we respect one another sweatshirts and dungarees is not permit- impacts on the lives of each person here, just as the same is true of our ted in the chapel, dining room, classrelationship throughout the world.” room, auditorium and library.” When Bermuda shorts (or “Bemidji shorts” as a Benedictine brother called them) became Wilfred Theisen, OSB, is professor of physics at Saint John’s University and popular, the effort to prohibit them was occasionally plays golf. energy wasted. When the reader asks, “Has the Benedictine character of Saint John’s changed
More well dressed Johnnies after the 2003 graduation photo by Daniel Durken, OSB The halls were alive with the sound of music when monks and students struck up the Saint John’s band. photo from Abbey Archives
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 9
FEATURE First Lieutenant Chaplain Sylvester Harter served in WWI with the 34th Division National Guard, 12th Machine Gun Battery. Notice the spur on his boot. photos from Abbey Archives
The Military Chaplains of Saint John’s by David Klingeman, OSB
Monks of Collegeville served church and country during four wars of the twentieth century.
T
wenty-two monks of Saint John’s have served as chaplains in the United States military from 1918 to 1982. Gerard Spielmann, while never officially a military chaplain, served Teddy Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders” during the Spanish-American War out of his Long Island, New York, parish in 1898. He befriended Roosevelt, who after the war commissioned him as a first lieutenant in the Army.
World War I From France, in 1918, Sylvester Harter wrote, “These soldiers are a great bunch of lads. Oh, what these fellows had to suffer in that hell of poison gas, machine gun bullets, shrapnel and shell!”
Chaplain Harter and his army horse
page 10 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
Hildebrand Eickhoff said military officers considered chaplains sort of flunkies. He helped care for four thousand soldiers stricken with influenza, of
which 350 died, at Camp Sevier in South Carolina in 1918.
World War II Aubrey Zellner served in India. Cosmas Dahlheimer served in North Africa, India and Burma where a packing crate or the hood of a jeep served as an altar. Columban Kremer was on the Susan B. Anthony troopship during the D-Day invasion and accompanied troops into northern France and the Rhineland. Harold Fuchs served in the Philippines, Okinawa and Korea. Aidan Germain wrote his doctoral dissertation at the Catholic University of America on Catholic military chaplains and then became a chaplain in the Army Air Corps. He died of leukemia in Texas in 1945 after three years of service. Emeric Lawrence was an Air Force chaplain on the Aleutian Islands and in Alaska.
FEATURE Cyprian Seitz served in Liverpool and in France in 1944. He recounted German planes firing upon his ship crossing the English Channel and a harrowing three-day box car ride through France. Casimir Plakut was in northern France under General Patton. German bombs were falling close by while he celebrated Christmas midnight Mass during a black-out. Bede Michel was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theatre in New Guinea. After the successful invasion of Luzon, he went to Manila and visited confreres Owen Tekippe and Boniface Axtman, who had been prisoners of the Japanese occupation. Oliver Kapsner went to England and the Normandy beachhead and was an interpreter of German government broadcasts. After the war he had a front seat at the Nurenberg trials of Goering and Hess. Dunstan Tucker, the abbey’s only Navy chaplain, served aboard the U.S.S. Point Cruz which landed in Japan five times and transported planes and pilots for the invasion of the PhilipDunstan Tucker was the only Navy chaplain pines and Japan. among the Saint Aldrich Huhne John’s Abbey was sent to France chaplains. where he was part of the march to Saarbrucken. He visited Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest in Bavaria and many Benedictine monasteries of Germany. Aloysius Michels, with the 7th Cavalry Regiment in the invasion of Japan, found the Japanese very open to learning about Christianity. Two Benedictines, Hildebrand Yaiser and Joseph Schmerbach, were well established among the native Japanese and Aloysius saw these
Chaplain Aubrey Zellner, l., with two Indian soldiers and an American at an airbase in India during WWII.
monks as a core upon which Saint John’s could build a Benedictine monastery in Japan. Athanase Fuchs, while in the Philippines, began to evangelize the Japanese prisoners and had the catechism translated into Japanese.
Korea and Vietnam With the outbreak of the Korean War, Aelred Tegels served as an Air Force chaplain in Japan. Malachy Murphy, an Air Force chaplain, was assigned to the Pentagon in Washington and then to West Germany and England. Stephen Wagman served in Korea, Germany, Vietnam and the Panama Canal. He was also stationed in seven different bases in the United States and was awarded numerous medals including the Bronze Star.
Peregrin Berres, stationed with a helicopter unit in Vietnam for one year, received the Bronze Star for his service there and completed duty in South Carolina. Stanley Roche, along with Father Cosmas, is one of only two living Saint John’s monks who were military chaplains. Father Stanley served eleven and a half years in Korea, Germany, Thailand, Vietnam and Holland. He also served six various camps within the United States. He retired as lieutenant colonel with many honors, including the Bronze Star. David Klingeman is the archivist of Saint John’s Abbey and University.
Conan Mawhorr, serving in the Air Force, was part of the pacification program in Vietnam. He called it “hustling for the poor in Vietnam.” Conan served in Korea, Alaska and Turkey as well as state-side. He eventually left Saint John’s Abbey to join the Diocese of Little Rock. The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 11
FEATURE
Monastic Professions
T
his year five monks of Saint John’s Abbey celebrated diamond and golden jubilees of their initial commitment to the Benedictine way of life, renewing their vows on July 11, the Feast of Saint Benedict. The four golden jubilarians continued the tradition of receiving from the monastic community a walking cane, symbol of the support they will be given in the years ahead.
60 YEARS Gunther Rolfson, OSB Father Gunther has served a kaleidoscope of assignments: teacher, faculty resident, registrar and director of admissions, founder and director of the university’s counseling center, vice president for academic affairs, associate director and overseas director of the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library, founder of the university’s international studies program, superior of the abbey’s junior monks, pastor of St. Catherine’s Church, Farming, MN.
50 YEARS James Reichert, OSB Pastoral ministry has been a major part of Father James’ assignments as associate pastor of parishes in Grand Marais, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Albany, and pastor in New Munich and Avon, MN. He taught Latin at Saint John’s Preparatory School, directed page 12 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
student aid, managed the campus bookstore and assisted in the corporate business office. He also taught at Colegio San Antonio Abad, Humacao, Puerto Rico. He is currently the chaplain of St. Teresa Home, New Hope, MN.
He was named the 1999 “Outstanding Administrator of the Year” and received the prep school’s Armor of Light award in 2002.
Ordinations
Donald LeMay, OSB Known as the “Grandfather of Planned Giving,” Father Don spent almost three decades helping hundreds with estate planning. Previously he was the university’s director of admissions, taught theology and Gregorian chant, and was a faculty resident. He received the 1999 Father Walter Reger Distinguished Alumnus Award for service to students and alumni. He still makes five weekly visits to annuitants and trust holders, taking them a loaf of Saint John’s Bread and his good cheer.
Alberic Culhane, OSB A unique feature of Father Alberic’s contributions is his involvement in archaeology, having served as field supervisor for excavations in Israel and Jordan. He is the curator of an Early Bronze Age shaft tomb diorama displayed in the Alcuin Library. He taught Scripture, edited Saint John’s Abbey Quarterly, and was vice president of institutional advancement. He is the executive assistant to the president for university relations and a faculty resident.
Gordon Tavis, OSB Father Gordon’s lengthy list of administrative assignments includes assistant corporate business manager, university bursar and director of financial aid, physical plant manager, the abbey’s director of planning, vice-president for administrative services, prior of the abbey and corporate treasurer. Since 1998 he has been president of Saint John’s Preparatory School.
T
his past summer two monks of Saint John’s Abbey celebrated special anniversaries of their ordination to the priesthood. They were recognized by the monastic community on June 4 during the annual retreat.
50 YEARS John Patrick McDarby, OSB The ministry of Father Patrick has focused on teaching English in the prep school and university. He added service as a faculty resident and a member of various academic committees that planned programs affecting the calendar and curriculum changes. He was on the chaplains’ team for Saint Benedict’s Monastery. He continues his work as the abbey’s education facilitator and the editor of Confrere, the monthly in-house newsletter of the abbey.
25 YEARS Dunstan Moorse, OSB Liturgy, the official public prayer of the Church, is a major concern of Father Dunstan. For ten years he served as the abbey’s liturgy director, involved in the day-today celebration of the community Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours. He is currently the editor of two Liturgical Press publications, namely, Celebrating the Eucharist (missalette) and Loose-Leaf Lectionary. He is book review editor of Worship magazine and managing editor of the Monastic Liturgy Forum newsletter.
FEATURE Bishop John Kinney anoints the hands of Julius. photos by Robin Pierzina, OSB
Julius Beckermann, OSB, Is Ordained a Priest by Daniel Durken, OSB
“I never imagined I would be a priest” (Deacon Julius Beckermann, OSB).
T
he 1961 yearbook of Melrose (MN) High School did not designate Julius Beckermann as the graduate most likely to become a priest. This fifth of the ten “Beckermann Boys” in the Lake Wobegon-ish community only twenty miles from Saint John’s Abbey somewhat surprised himself. But as Julius remarked on June 6, his ordination day, “Anything can happen to a person who is born on April 1, All Fools’ Day!” It took not one but two car accidents to get Julius’ attention and convince him that he should accept the Lord’s invitation, “Follow me!” He entered Saint John’s Abbey as a brother candidate in 1962 and made his first profession of vows in 1964. For almost a decade Julius did such tasks as pruning and spraying the four hundred apple trees in the abbey’s orchard, mowing the lawns and hauling coal to the campus power house from the Collegeville train station.
Priests impose hands on Father Julius for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
In 1973 Julius was assigned to serve the Ojibwe people at the abbey’s mission in Red Lake, MN, where he helped continue the Benedictine presence that began in 1858. He mowed lawns, plowed snow, fired the boilers and took care of the mission’s 2,100 chickens. When his mother became concerned about his work he reassured her that since his arrival the hens had been laying double yolkers. As school bus driver he learned that the better he knew the grade school children the better they behaved. So he memorized their names to convince the students that each one was a distinct individual.
Julius eventually took college classes so he could become a chemical dependence counselor. He earned a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in applied psychology and later entered the theological program of the Diocese of Crookston for the permanent deaconate to which he was ordained in 2000. His ordination to the priesthood this year gives new direction to the faith journey of this monk-priest of whom a pastoral co-worker said, “Julius enters people’s lives with gifts of faith and love of the Lord. His very presence brings life and healing and peace.”
To enhance his visiting the sick and the elderly of the reservation he studied the Ojibwe language and learned to appreciate the beauty of the people and the uniqueness of their culture. Their word for the non-Indian or white man is “Chi-Mokomaan” which means “Big Knife” and recalls the bayonets of the cavalry troops. The word for cancer is “Asabikeshi” which also means spiderweb because The “Beckermann Boys”—now nine brothers and one of the way cancer spreads Father: 1st row, l.-r., Harvey, Pat, Julius, John, Hank through the body. 2nd row, l.-r., Joe, Pete, Fran, Jim, Vern The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
page 13
FEATURE Aaron with one of his Graphoanalysis textbooks photo by Monica Bokinskie
Aaron Raverty, OSB, Certified Graphoanalyst by Daniel Durken, OSB
Graphoanalysis® is the systematic study of the strokes of writing to reveal the personality of the writer.
B
rother Aaron sometimes regrets that he did not live 2000 years ago. Then he might have made a significant contribution towards understanding the personality of Jesus Christ. Aaron wishes he had been there the day the scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery. Jesus’ response to this accusation was to bend down and write on the ground with his finger (John 8:6). That writing on the ground is the key that Aaron would have used to open a little wider the head and heart of Jesus. Aaron is a Certified Graphoanalyst or handwriting interpreter. He is quick to point out, however, that Graphoanalysis is not limited to handwriting alone. People lacking arms have mastered cursive script using their mouth or feet, but their writpage 14 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
ing still reveals their personality. Any of our motor gestures yielding script is really brainwriting since each person’s unique neurophysiology governs his or her expressive movements. This is why individual writing is so distinctive and difficult to be forged. Graphoanalysis is the brainchild of Milton N. Bunker (1892-1961), a teacher of almost twenty different systems of shorthand. He noticed that many of his students added their own unique stroke formations to standard shorthand characters. Interviewing thousands of people, Bunker began to correlate these unique stroke formations with distinctive personality traits. He gradually developed a psychological projective technique born of the marriage between the “frozen gesture” of writing and trait theory in personality psychology. Aaron became interested in handwriting analysis as a teenager in the 1960s and read extensively on the topic. He learned that the International Graphoanalysis Society of Chicago offers a
correspondence course for obtaining professional certification. A thirty-lesson course includes reading materials, exams and access to a personal instructor. The first twenty lessons of the course enable the student to identify standard stroke formations and their correlation with basic personality traits. The last ten lessons teach multiple-trait evaluation and how to construct Graphoanalysis client reports. Aaron enjoyed the challenge of this very focused, labor-intensive process. To interested clients Aaron stresses that Graphoanalysis is not one hundred percent accurate. It can only tap the tendencies and potentials of the writer. Nevertheless, vocational guidance counselors use the system to help individuals find work for which they are intellectually and temperamentally suited. Marriage counselors employ the analysis to spot potential incompatibilities between spouses. Credit managers can apply the technique for sizing up a likely credit risk. Historians and archivists can use
FEATURE Graphoanalysis to aid them in rounding out the personality portrait of someone long dead. Aaron is available for lecture presentations on Graphoanalysis and for providing client analysis services. Readers may contact him for a complete list-
ing of client services and fees at Brother Aaron Raverty, OSB / Saint John’s Abbey/ Collegeville, MN 56321. Phone: Office: 320-363-3089; Residence: 320-363-3898. Email: araverty@csbsju.edu
Daniel Durken, OSB, is editor of The Abbey Banner.
The following are several handwriting samples and Aaron’s brief analysis of each script: SAMPLE ONE
Look at the Greek e (ε) formations in almost every lower-case r in this sample. Besides revealing a desire for culture and refinement, this structure also points to literary leanings. SAMPLE TWO
The inflated upper and lower loops in this sample reveal a very active imagination in both abstract and material areas. Such an ability would support the sharp-pointed m and n’s and inverted v-formations at the baseline that signal exploratory-analytical (research-oriented) thinking. Lack of slant (vertical writing) signals poise and objectivity. SAMPLE THREE
This writer has a commanding presence. Note the heavy, down-slanting upper-left to lower-left t-bars in this sample. Described as a “projection of the will,” the writer displays the ability to mobilize and direct others in fulfillment of his own goals. The very rounded, open o’s reveal a candid and tolerant nature and the inclination to listen to and welcome the ideas of others. SAMPLE FOUR
Printed script is more difficult to analyze because it displays fewer strokes than cursive writing. Nevertheless, notice how tightly the I-dots are placed just above their stems in this specimen. This very careful attention to detail combined with rhythm and the long, straight and heavy downstrokes on the y’s and the p reveal a determined and dependable individual who will finish with precision what he starts.
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 15
FEATURE
Two Brothers Profess Final Vows “Receive me, Lord, as you have promised, and I shall live; do not disappoint me in my hope” (Psalm 119:116).
B
rothers Christopher Fair, OSB, and Xavier Schermerhorn, OSB, made their solemn, final profession of vows on July 11, the Feast of Saint Benedict, in the presence of the monastic community, relatives and friends. Christopher and Xavier began their monastic life as novices in September, 1999, and made their original commitment to the Benedictine way of worship and work the following year. Christopher, 34, the youngest of the six children of Donald and Joan Fair of Omaha, Nebraska, attended Archbishop Daniel J. Gross High School and the
University of Nebraska. He was active in the Knights of Columbus Squires Council and is a third-degree member of the Belleville, Kansas, Council. After college, Christopher worked as an inventory supervisor for a heating and air conditioning company in Omaha and later in custom cattle operations in western Nebraska and Kansas where, as he puts it, “I learned both the business and duty ends of a cow.” Christopher serves the community by assisting the director of novices in assigning work for the abbey’s newest members. He also continues his work in the woodworking department. His creativity as a toymaker was featured in the winter 2002 issue of The Abbey Banner.
Xavier Schermerhorn with his mother Beatrice and sister Susan Stoughtenger, July 11, 2003 photos by Robin Pierzina, OSB
page 16 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
Christopher Fair with his mother Joan and father Don, July 11, 2003
Xavier, 44, the son of William (deceased) and Beatrice Schermerhorn of Hammond, New York, earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Plattsburgh State University in New York. He worked as a bank teller and as a cook at the rectory of Sacred Heart Parish, Massena, NY. He moved to Denver, did clerical and switchboard work, and was a supervisor in the housekeeping department at the Brown Palace Hotel. While living in Denver he served as sacristan, eucharistic minister, lector and acolyte at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Continuing his work in the retirement center of the abbey, Xavier also serves as assistant sacristan and accompanies Bishop John Kinney as master of ceremonies for the conferral of confirmation throughout the Diocese of St. Cloud. His care of a pair of parakeets in the retirement center was noted in the spring 2003 issue of The Abbey Banner.
VOCATION NEWS “Our path in life is rightly called a vocation.” photo by Fran Hoefgen, OSB
What Does the Word Vocation Mean? by Paul-Vincent Niebauer, OSB
Does vocation apply only to the call to the priesthood or religious life?
W
hen I was growing up in northern Wisconsin in the 1950s and 60s, if anyone, Catholic or Protestant, mentioned the term vocation, they were referring to a young man’s call to the priesthood. One did not have a vocation to heal the sick, to teach or even to raise a family. Such chosen professions were called just that—professions or jobs. Happily my idea of a vocation has expanded. Recently a dozen vocation directors attended a diocesan leadership committee meeting. We discussed how we can help to create a vocation’s culture. A lively exchange ensued about vocation fairs, web sites and advertising campaigns. Then someone asked, “What exactly are we talking about when we mention vocation?” Most agreed that parishioners hear the term vocation as a call to priesthood or vowed religious life. If the listener does not feel called specifically to either, then the message is not meant for them. If we are to create a vocation’s culture, we have to talk about God’s call to all of us. Vocation is first defined as “a particular occupation, business or profession, a calling”; secondly as “a strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career”; and finally as “a divine call to God’s service or to the Christian life.” All of us are called to follow a
particular path in life and that path is rightly called a vocation. For the Christian, however, whatever path we are drawn toward must be considered as a vocation that will also serve the Lord. As vocation director at Saint John’s Abbey, I begin my conversation with an interested person by asking how he is experiencing the presence of God in his life. I am a resource in discerning a vocation to monastic life. But even more importantly, I assist in the individual’s discernment of a vocation to serve the Lord in whatever way of life or profession to which this person feels called. Maybe you have never thought about your profession as first and foremost a vocation to serve the Lord. You might consider your present job as a means to support a family or a relationship or just yourself—certainly all very valid reasons for going to work each day. But try thinking that what you are doing in life is also a call to serve the Lord.
Saint Benedict begins his Rule,”Listen carefully, my son/ daughter, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.” As a Christian I need to ask myself, “What place does God occupy in my present vocation? What really energizes me? Am I happy in my chosen pathway? If so, could the Holy Spirit have anything to do with the exuberance I am experiencing? Can I see the part that the Spirit has played in leading me along the path I have chosen?” We need to remember that as Christians we all have a religious vocation! Paul-Vincent Niebauer is the abbey’s vocation director and director of theatre at Saint John’s Preparatory School. The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 17
THE ABBEY CHRONICLE The 2003 Easter Candle photo by Daniel Durken, OSB
What’s Up? The Abbey Chronicle by Allen Tarlton, OSB
A review of major events at Saint John’s
April 2003 ■ The Easter Triduum was celebrated at the abbey with its special solemnity and reverence. The Easter Candle, made by Dunstan Moorse, OSB, was a fifty-day reminder of the new light and life of the risen Jesus. A small and motley group of confreres continued the tradition of the Emmaus Walk (see Luke 24:13ff.) on Easter Monday with a four-mile hike to the rectory of St. Joseph’s Church in St. Joseph. There the pastor, Greg Miller, OSB,
served pizza and refreshments. The walkers rode back to the abbey. ■ On April 25, three hundred guests attended Saint John’s Day in honor of our benefactors. Jon Hassler, alumnus, former faculty member and internationally known author, received the Colman J. Barry Award for Distinguished Contributions to Religion and Society. Dietrich Reinhart, OSB, was recognized for his twelve years as university president and for his courage in accepting another six-year term. ■ Abbot John Klassen made a guest appearance on the April 26 Prairie Home Companion radio program with Garrison Keillor. In a skit that investigated French infiltration in Stearns Coun-
The Emmaus Walk—l. to r., Jerome Coller, Gregory Miller, Daniel Durken, Fransiskus Pranci Gale-Ea, OCSO, Xavier Schermerhorn, Christian Breczinski photo by Dolores Schuh, CHM
page 18 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
ty, Abbot John cautioned, “You get rid of French and you lose the idea of the femme fatale, the avant-garde, café au lait, the gourmet, the gauche.” The abbot thus joined an elite group of abbatial entertainers. The Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Order, Nokter Wolf, OSB, plays guitar and flute with a jazz band he organized in Germany.
Garrison Keillor (l.) and Abbot John read their radio scripts. photo by Melissa Christiansen
THE ABBEY CHRONICLE
New college oblates: l. to r., Kathryn Thompson, Thomas Reichert, Scott Crumb, Erik Aschenbeck, Michael Kwatera, OSB, director of oblates photo by Robin Pierzina, OSB
■ On April 30 Abbot John received the Final Oblation of three Saint John’s University students and one from the College of Saint Benedict. The ceremony, held during Evening Prayer, was followed by a reception hosted by the abbot. May 2003
Jim Lehrer and the comJulius Beckermann, OSB. This mencement speaker, led the was the first priestly ordination of four hundred undergradua Saint John’s monk in four years. ate men and 36 School of Theology•Seminary ■ Five young men entered the graduates in a public promabbey’s annual Monastic Experiise—“I will never be bored. ence Program on June 16. For a I will never be boring.” month they lived the full monasDr. John Page, former tic routine of prayer and work. executive secretary of the International Commission ■ The abbey’s 18th Annual Moon English in the Liturgy, received the nastic Institute was held June Pax Christi Award. 28-July 2. Columba Stewart, OSB, led 118 participants from ■ On May 18, Abbot John conferred thirty Benedictine communities the sacrament of confirmation on 52 in a study of the distinctive charyoung people from four faith commuacter of monastic prayer. Topics nities—St. John the Baptist Parish of presented included “LiturgiCollegeville, Saint John’s Preparatory cal and Individual Prayer” and School, Saint James Parish of Jacob’s “Psalmody and Lectio.” Prairie and Sts. Peter and Paul Parish of Richmond. ■ Saint John’s Preparatory School graduated 63 students on May 24, including ten from China, Japan, Taiwan and Poland.
■ On May 3-4, the Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research (IECR) and Saint John’s Abbey The Feast of St. Benedict, July 11, 2003 hosted Professor front and center: Gunther Rolfson Jaroslav Pelikan June 2003 second row: l. to r., Gordon Tavis, Alberic Culhane, as part of a naAbbot John Klassen, Don LeMay, James Reichert, Christopher Fair, Xavier Schermerhorn tional lecture series ■ The monastic celebrating his community’s anphoto by Robin Pierzina, OSB 80th birthday. A nual retreat, June renowned theolo2-6, began with Jaroslav and Sylvia Pelikan gian and author of the abbot’s delivering the first of July 2003 more than thirty an annual “State of the Abbey Adphoto by Patrick Henry books, Dr. Pelikan dress.” Included in his talk were ■ This month’s highlight was the was a charter member of the Board of reports on the state of abbey finances, celebration of the Feast of Saint Directors of IECR and an early recipivocations, plans for the upcoming Benedict, July 11th. The diaent of Saint John’s highest honor, the sesquicentennial celebration (2006mond and golden anniversaries Pax Christi Award. His book, Jesus 07) and the status of Saint Augustine’s of monastic profession of five Through the Centuries: His Place in Monastery and College in the Bahamonks and the solemn profession the History of Culture, is dedicated to mas. Conferences on various aspects of two monks are described in the monks of the abbey. of celibacy and sexuality were given separate articles in this issue. by four visiting theologians. ■ Saint John’s University held its 146th Allen Tarlton, OSB, is a monk of Saint commencement ceremony on May The retreat concluded with the John’s Abbey. 11. Mr. Ray Suarez, senior corresponordination to the priesthood of Deacon dent for PBS’s The NewsHour with The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 19
OBITUARIES The obituary of Omer Maus is an excerpt of the tribute given at his funeral by Joel Kelly, OSB, who succeeded Omer as prison chaplain. The other obituaries are excerpts of the funeral homilies given by Abbot John Klassen.
Omer Wendelin Maus, OSB May 2, 1912 – March 14, 2003
was equally at home giving well prepared homilies and putting out the more than a thousand weekly bulletins during his twenty-five years of service. Omer was imprisoned, we might say, by his love for the people Jesus especially loved. Inmates saw in his face not the countenance of a judge but the features of the Savior. The dignity of the fallen individual was so much a part of his own belief. Don’t we all need to know that we are so much more than the worst thing we have ever done? Omer’s ministry reminded us all of that. He expressed the touchstone of his life when he said, “You give and you receive so much more.”
He often noted that more monasteries closed because of poor fiscal management than from poor praying.
Gervase Joseph Soukup, OSB January 9, 1920 – March 16, 2003
Gervase was a big, outgoing man and there is no doubt that the men and women in the business office were very important in his life. In the day-to-day interactions there was a lot of affection, banter about his colorful cardigan sweaters, or the obvious superiority of National League baseball. He enjoyed weekend pastoral ministry. When asked, “What do you hope for?” he replied with conviction, “I hope to know God more fully. That is all really.”
W
ords that capture the character of Father Omer are: steady, consistent, reliable, generous, contented, dedicated, happy, slow to anger, not a gossip, witty. It would be an understatement to say he enjoyed his work at the Corrections Facility of St. Cloud and that he loved the inmates and the people with whom he worked. He was especially in his element when he visited his troops at the various shops of the prison. He
Mother Teresa meets Omer. photos from Abbey Archives
page 20 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
Gervase tosses a frisbee.
F
rom 1942, the first year of his seminary studies, through 2000, Father Gervase worked in the business office of the corporation. His mathematical talent and the experience of working in his father’s grocery store played a role in his being assigned so early and for so long in that office. No subject engaged Gervase more readily than investments. He taught generations of students the patterns of market movement. Under his guidance investment policies for the university, prep school and abbey were developed. He helped establish the policy of a mandatory annual financial report of each monastery in the AmericanCassinese Congregation of Benedictines.
Aelred Hilary Tegels, OSB April 6, 1922 – March 17, 2003
F
ather Aelred was a shy, learned man, with a rich sense of humor. In his “Chronicle” editorial in Worship magazine he commented with irony and wit on the progress of liturgical reform. Who could forget Aelred’s roll of his eyes, his look of bewildered disdain and the wave of the hand to emphasize the dismissal?
OBITUARIES atic ways to clean and maintain this big place. He also worked with Gregory Eibensteiner, OSB, to care for, maintain and upgrade our lake cabins. Every spring he took a crew of monks to give each place a thorough cleaning and renewal.
Leonard James Chmelik, OSB May 9, 1941 – April 8, 2003
I
Aelred examines an early musical manuscript.
As a community we owe Aelred a debt of gratitude for his work on our Liturgy of the Hours. He loved the nitty gritty research on the use of the psalter in monastic offices. He was always thoughtful, respectful of the tradition and yet willing to be creative. With his knowledge of languages he was well equipped to direct field operations for the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library. He microfilmed texts in Germany, Switzerland and Sweden. He said to me, “I didn’t know Swedish, but you just learn it.” The day before he died I visited him and prayed with him. I thanked him for all that he had been and done for the community, for caring about our life together. I thanked him for the gift of his friendship. He put up his hand to take mine, to let me know the words were received.
Remember our loved ones who have gone to their rest:
n the film Babette’s Feast a French woman uses all the money she won in a lottery to prepare a magnificent meal for a community torn by the lack of charity. The meal brings about reconciliation. Brother Leonard was a Babette figure in our monastery. Like her he prepared many a feast for us. He loved Christmas and creatively decorated the Great Hall and Sexton Commons. His Christmas Cookie Tree became a tradition. He spent hours preparing special menus. He will surely raise the overall quality of the heavenly banquet. Leonard helped us to make our house a home. He developed system-
We were grieved to see him go through chemotherapy and radiation for lung cancer. Leonard said his cancer was a blessing in one sense. He was overwhelmed by the expression of love for him by the community. He truly felt blessed and affirmed by his brothers. We will sorely miss his loving and generous care for us all.
Three gingerbread houses made by Leonard
Joseph Stein, brother of the late Benjamin, OSB, April 21
Rev. Don Laux, brother of Michael, OSB, June 28
Mary Ann Parisella, sister of Martin Rath, OSB, April 21
Bernard Moorse, father of Dunstan, OSB, July 4 Helen Ochs Berg, oblate, July 17
Rev. Alphonse Volpe, oblate, March 26
Deacon Leviticus (“Lou”) Adderley, coach and president of Saint Augustine’s College, Nassau, Bahamas, May 24
Quay Ryan, brother of Kelly, OSB, March 27
Don Bruno, free lance artist and designer for Liturgical Press, June 21
Leona Bentfield, sister of Gregory Eibensteiner, OSB, April 20
Lisa Walz, marketing designer for Liturgical Press, June 23
Catherine Hoppe, sister of the late Giles Nathe, OSB, March 8 Agatha Lauer, oblate, March 24
Michael Bader, painter, librarian, coach at Saint John’s, July 29 Bring them and all the departed into the light of your presence, O Lord. The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 21
ABBEY MISSIONS Young Chrysostom photo from Abbey Archives
Chrysostom Schreiner, OSB Apostle of the Bahamas by Daniel Durken, OSB
“Father Chrysostom’s name does not die in the Bahamas.”
J
anuary 3 of this year marked the seventy-fifth anniversary of the death of Father Chrysostom. For almost four decades he labored to plant and cultivate the seed of the Catholic faith in the Bahamas.
lemons, and other Southern fruits are hanging ripe on the trees. I find the people as agreeable as the weather.”
Two months later Chrysostom chartered the schooner Rebecca to visit a number of the islands of the archipelago Peter Schreiner was born in and to further his research into the land1859 in Jordan, one hundred miles fall of Christopher Columbus. During the south of the newly established night of April 4 the boat struck a rock and monastery in the Indianbush of sank. He later wrote of the experience: Stearns County. He studied at “I vowed that if God would spare Saint John’s, joined the commy life and be pleased to use me as munity as Chrysostom and was an instrument, though an unworthy ordained in 1884. A year later he one, for the conversion of souls to was appointed vice-president of Him, I would devote my life and the fledgling university. He esenergies to the conversion of the tablished discipline in the school, Bahamas. God accepted the offerwas the first to give students a ing and saved not only my life, but Christmas tree and founded the made me an instrument in saving school paper, The Record. seven others [aboard the ship]. Hence, my life, strength, and enerChrysostom was assigned to gies now belong to the Bahamas.” work in the Bahama Islands in early 1891. He arrived in Nassau The rest is history—the inspiring story on February 2 and soon wrote to of the missionary efforts of Chrysostom a St. Cloud newspaper: and his many Benedictine confreres who “Here it is summer. Since eventually served to bring in the spiritual I have been here, windows harvest that proved so plentiful in the and doors have been conBahamas. tinually open. Oranges, page 22 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
Chrysostom, at age 69, quietly slept away on January 3, 1928, on the island of San Salvador which he felt was the site of Columbus’ landfall. Following the custom of this isolated island, he was buried the same day on the spot he had chosen, his mortal remains facing the sea where the Columbus expedition first encountered the new world. _____________ The full history of Catholics in the Bahamas is found in Upon These Rocks by Colman Barry, OSB (St. John’s Abbey Press, 1973, 582 pages). The book is available by contacting Mel Taylor, OSB, at St. Augustine’s Priory / P.O. Box N3940 / Nassau, Bahamas, or monastery @coralwave.com. The price is $30 by check, payable to St. Augustine’s Priory.
The grave of Chrysostom on San Salvador Island, Bahamas, overlooking a bay that may have been the landfall of Christopher Columbus photo by Daniel Durken, OSB
ABBEY MISSIONS Edward studies a Japanese Bible atlas. photo by Nicholas Thelen, OSB
The Challenge of the Japanese Language by Edward Vebelun, OSB
The first steps are the hardest! What does it mean?
M
issionaries must learn to speak the local language not only to announce the Good News but also to listen and learn from people. Mastering the language is a real challenge for missionaries in Japan. Even the pioneer of Christianity in that country, St. Francis Xavier, referred to Japanese as “the devil’s tongue.” How long does it take to learn Japanese? Because of the lack of commonality in grammatical structure and vocabulary, a Westerner needs two full years to begin to maneuver in Japanese. After five years one begins to “get the gist.” After ten one finally “feels at home” with it. But it is really a lifetime process.
(mind) and (taste). Therefore, one can induce that “meaning” is “the taste left in the mind.” One can break down those two symbols even further and arrive at the earthy core of these characters. is a combination of three basic “radicals.” The first two are (to stand/rise) and (the sun). When combined in ancient Chinese logic one can imagine the “sound” is from the bell heard at sunrise. The third is (the heart or emotion). Thus, pictorially one induces that means “the sound of the heart.” The second character, , is a simpler combination of (not yet) and (mouth) for an ideographical representation of taste as something that has not yet passed beyond the mouth. Once students understand the roots of a given symbol they can recognize it when reading, and even with a great deal of practice can write it accurately.
A fundamental challenge is the writing system, based on the ancient set of Chinese characters called kanji in Japanese. The language of the East is built upon ideographical representations of the most basic things in life. By combining representations like sun, earth and moon, To grasp the beauty of this writing the most complex scientific theories are system is like solving a puzzle. But even encoded. Those who think visually learn the most diligent learner will run into much faster. moments of despair. There are theoretically limitless and in actuality tens of For example, the word for “meaning,” thousands of characters to learn. But as in the meaning of a word, is , pro- Japanese students take hope. In practice nounced imi. It combines two symbols one thousand characters make up about
95 percent of those used in an average piece of writing. An official two thousand are set as a mark by the department of education. One can begin by simply mastering their multiple uses and pronunciations. It is safe to say that a student of Japanese learns more than language. A good lesson in perseverance is also acquired. Edward Vebelun, OSB, a monk of Saint John’s Abbey and member of Holy Trinity Benedictine Monastery, Fujimi, Japan, is completing his third year of theology at a Franciscan seminary in Tokyo.
The Glory Be . . . by Toshihiro Takamura eiko-wa, chichi-to, ko-to, seirei-ni. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
Hajime-no-you-ni, ima-mo, itsu-mo-yoyo-ni. As it was in the beginning, and is now, and will be forever.
Ámen. Amen. The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 23
STRENGTHENING FOUNDATIONS
Generous Donors Contribute to Abbey Guest House by Rob Culligan
“These gifts significantly advance our fundraising campaign for the Guest House.” – Abbot John Klassen
Family Honors Colman Barry, OSB
F
ather Colman left an enormous legacy at Saint John’s, serving for nearly fifty years as professor, author, president and visionary. Now nearly ten years after his death on January 7, 1994, he is being remembered in a significant gift to the abbey from his late brother Richard and sister-inlaw Irene. When Irene died last fall she and her deceased husband left the abbey $500,000 in their will, designated for the monastic hospitality program and Guest House.
“Richard and Irene knew the significant contributions Colman made to Saint John’s,” said Abbot John. “He was a creative genius, who had the gift of attracting others to his impossible dreams. It is fitting that this gift in his memory will help make possible a long-held dream of the abbey.”
page 24 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
C
onstruction of the Saint John’s Abbey Guest House moves closer to reality, thanks to three substantial gifts and pledges totaling $1.2 million. The commitments were made by the late Richard and Irene Barry, relatives of Colman Barry, OSB, and by two members of the Saint John’s University Board of Regents: Diane Liemandt-Reimann and her husband Ron Reimann, and Lois and John Rogers, SJU ’63. Commenting on the gifts, Abbot John Klassen said, “Hospitality is at the heart of Benedictine life. For more than twenty years the abbey has aspired to build a Guest House, and these gifts significantly advance our fund raising campaign for the Guest House. I am deeply grateful to the Barry family and our Regents, Diane and Ron and Lois and John, for their generous support of our efforts.” The monastic community is working with Japanese architect Tadao Ando to design the new building. Considered one of the premiere architects in the world, Ando’s works have been called “shelters for the spirit.” His participation in this project continues Saint John’s dedication to world-class architecture in the tradition of renowned architect Marcel Breuer who designed eleven buildings on the Collegeville campus, including the abbey church.
Rob Culligan is vice president of Institutional Advancement for Saint John’s University.
Diane Liemandt-Reimann and Ron Reimann “The new Abbey Guest House will extend the grace of Benedictine spirituality, intellectual stimulation and hospitality to many more visitors who recognize, as we have, the power, peace and dignity of the sacred traditions and creative abilities that characterize Saint John’s Abbey.”
Lois and John Rogers “The sense of place at Saint John’s is a combination of its spiritual dynamics and remarkable architecture, both past and present. Combining this with the Benedictine mission of hospitality gives us strong reason to support and encourage the monastery’s commitment to the proposed Guest House. We are moved by Tadao Ando’s design.”
BANNER BITS
Three New Master Monks
While teaching at Saint John’s he hopes to make small, personal and meaningful films that inform and inspire people.
The following monks of Saint John’s received their Master’s degree this past summer:
Paul-Vincent Niebauer, OSB, Master’s Degree (MA) in theatre directing from the Chicago School of PerformSimon-Hoa Phan, OSB, Master of Fine ing Arts, Roosevelt University. His final project was researching and directing the Arts (MFA) in film and video from the Saint John’s Preparatory School’s March, California Institute of Arts, Valencia, 2003, production of “Oklahoma!” by California. His thesis film, “Mother Rodgers and Hammerstein. The producTongue, Fatherland,” is a feature length documentary on the plight of Vietnamese tion was evaluated by the director of the Roosevelt University program, Mr. Jerry Amerasians (children of American serProffit. vicemen and Vietnamese women) born during the Vietnam War who immigrated Brother Paul-Vincent, newly apto the United States. pointed vocation director of the abbey, will continue as a theatre director at the People had difficulty, Brother Simonprep school. He will direct “Jesus Christ Hoa observed, trying to understand the meaning of a monk studying to be a film- Superstar” by Andrew Lloyd Webber and maker in a progressive secular art school Tim Rice from March 19-April 3, 2004, until they realized that he is not making at the prep school and the Paramount a Hollywood movie full of sex, violence Theatre in St. Cloud.
John-Bede Pauley, OSB, Master of Music (MM) in vocal pedagogy (the teaching of singing) from Westminster Choir College of Rider University, Princeton, NJ. His thesis was a study of the correlation between the Listening Curves of French Otorhinolaryngoloist, Alfred Tomatis, and the Singer’s Formant. Brother John-Bede, a countertenor, sang a graduate recital that included two selections from Henry Purcell’s Harmonia Sacra, Four Songs of Edmund Rubbra for harp accompaniment and Benjamin Britten’s Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac.
and clichés. However, he wouldn’t mind working with a Hollywood budget.
Spiritual Life Autumn Schedule September 12, 2003 The Cross October 24, 2003 A Harvest of Holiness November 21, 2003 Advancing to Advent
Each retreat begins with Monastic Morning Prayer at 7 a.m., includes teachings and discussion on faith topics in relation to prayer and spirituality, times for group and private prayer and ends at 3:30 p.m. There is always guidance on lectio divina, the ancient, Benedictine practice of prayer-filled reading of God’s Word.
We welcome men and women of all faiths. The $50 fee includes breakfast, lunch, the retreat program and materials. Call 320-363-3929 or register online for the date of your choice! www.saintjohnsabbey.org/slp/register The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 25
BANNER BITS Paul Richards (l.), subprior, and Douglas Mullin photo by David Paul Lange, OSB
Administrative and Pastoral Assignments
A
bbot John Klassen made the following appointments to abbey administrative positions:
Paul Richards, subprior, replaces Douglas Mullin. The subprior is the third person in the abbey’s chain of command after the abbot and prior. Brother Paul is the founder and executive director of the Saint John’s Boys’ Choir. He also directs the abbey schola and the All College Choir of Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict and coordinates the Campus Cultural Events program. Douglas Mullin completes his term as subprior. He is associate professor in the education department of Saint John’s University. Brother Douglas will spend this fall semester on a research project to identify and learn from teachers of promise. He will continue theological studies leading to ordination to the priesthood and will resume teaching in the education department. John Patrick Earls, novice master, replaces Columba Stewart. He will oversee the monastic formation of men seeking admission into the abbey. Father John Patrick is associate professor of English
and earlier served as Vice President of Student Affairs of the university. Next June he becomes the Director of Formation of the abbey’s junior monks who have not yet made their solemn vows.
Abbot John made the following pastoral appointments:
Columba Stewart completes his term as novice master. He is professor of theology, teaches monastic studies, works with rare books as Curator of Research Collections and chairs the Abbey Liturgy Committee. Father Columba is also Senior Research Fellow in Eastern Christianity at Hill Monastic Manuscript Library where he oversees the photographing of Christian manuscripts in Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Armenia.
Julius Beckermann, associate pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Freeport, St. Rose Parish of St. Rosa and Immaculate Conception Parish, New Munich
John Kulas becomes the legal liaison for the abbey, replacing Rene McGraw who held this position for the past decade. Bradley Jenniges becomes personnel director in the business office in addition to his work as assistant corporate treasurer.
John Patrick Earls (l.), novice master, and Columba Stewart photo by Daniel Durken, OSB
page 26 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
Stephen Beauclair, pastor of SS. Peter and Paul Parish in Richmond
Joseph Feders, associate pastor of Holy Name Parish, Medina Eugene McGlothlin, pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish, Collegeville Dominic Ruiz, participant in the Hispanic Ministry program at the MexicanAmerican Culture Center, San Antonio Blane Wasnie, pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Avon Arnold Weber, retiring as pastor of Holy Name Parish, Medina, and returning to the abbey
SPIRITUAL LIFE A color lithograph based on a fifteenth century French miniature entitled “Calligrapher,” from the Arca Artium collection, courtesy of Mary Schaffer, curator
John Cassian: Early Spiritual Writer by Columba Stewart, OSB
Introducing one of the major sources of St. Benedict’s monastic teaching.
W
hen Saint Benedict wrote his Rule, he didn’t use footnotes, but he never claimed to be original. In the final chapter of the Rule, he refers to “the Conferences of the Fathers, their Institutes and Lives, and the Rule of our holy father Basil” (RB 73). Benedict assumed that everyone knew he was talking about John Cassian’s Conferences and Institutes, the most extensive collection of monastic teaching available in sixth-century Italy, and indeed, today. John Cassian was born about 365. He spent several years in Bethlehem in a cenobitic (communal) monastery before visiting Egypt. There he learned the essential monastic wisdom about prayer, distracting thoughts, temptations and reading the Bible. Cassian ended up in the port city of Massilia, modern-day Marseilles, in southern Gaul. There he established monasteries for men and women and wrote his great summary of monastic
teaching, the Institutes and Conferences. Their influence on later Latin monastic authors, including Benedict, would be enormous. He provided one-stop shopping for the monastic seeker. From this massive work we find two useful themes. First, Cassian knew that every way of life needs a clear sense of purpose, a goal. For the monk, that goal is purity of heart, which enables us to “see God” in the Bible, the creation around us and in one another. Cassian explores this goal in its many aspects of unceasing prayer, chastity and insight into Scripture. To be “pure of heart” is to be focused, to live in the peace that comes from a sure sense of one’s vocation. Second, Cassian knew that coming to such maturity is a lifetime process, requiring awareness of all the attractions and distractions that hold us back from
living as we should. His emphasis on a developmental understanding of the Christian life, and his sharing of a traditional Egyptian diagnostic system of “eight thoughts” that subvert our intentions, have helped many Christians today take stock and move forward. The eight are: gluttony, lust, avarice, anger, sadness, listlessness (accidie), vainglory and pride. If you think you’ve seen something like this list before, you have: Cassian’s model inspired the medieval notion of the Seven Deadly Sins, just one of his many marks on later Christian spirituality. Columba Stewart, OSB, associate professor of theology, specializes in monastic studies.
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 27
An Outstanding Autumn Event
T
he annual Dignitas Humana Award will be presented to the Taizé Community at 8 p.m. on October 22 in the Saint John’s Abbey Church. Presented by the Saint John’s School of Theology•Seminary, the award honors those who strive to advance the human dignity of all persons. Recipients of the award exemplify the Benedictine values of service, respect, kindness and compassion. Brother Roger (members do not use last names) is the founder of the Taizé Community. Born in Switzerland, Roger settled in this southern French village in 1940 and began to welcome refugees fleeing the war. After the war a few brothers joined him and helped take care of boys orphaned by the war and German prisoners of war interned nearby. On Easter Day, 1949, the first brothers committed themselves to celibacy, material and spiritual sharing and simplicity of life. Today the Taizé Community numbers over one hundred brothers of various religious denominations and from more than twenty-five nations.
Above: The brothers of Taizé and their guests pray in silence and song. Right: Brother Roger, founder of Taizé
Some weeks in the summer more than five thousand young people from seventy-five different countries join with the Community to pray together, study the Bible, and discuss with other youths from around the world in a climate of openness and listening. Participants discover that roads to unity can be opened amid the diversity of cultures and Christian traditions as they become creators of trust and peace in a world wounded by divisions, violence and isolation. This event is free and open to the public.
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage
PAID
PO Box 2015 Collegeville, MN 56321-2015 www.saintjohnsabbey.org ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Saint John’s Abbey