Volume 10 • Issue 3 • Winter 2010
A B B EY
BANNER Magazine of Saint John’s Abbey
Obituary: Abbot Timothy Kelly, 4 Condolences, 6 The place of cremation, 7 Tribute to staff, 8 Benedictine Institute, 10 Episcopal House of Prayer, 12 Profession of seven novices, 14 Two Benedictine parishes, 16 The legacy of the loon, 18 Meet a Monk: Benedict Leuthner, OSB, Treasurer, 20 International conference of Benedictine educators, 22 Monks in the Kitchen, 23 Benedictine Volunteers in Manila and Togo, 24 Abbey Chronicle, 26 Garden Harvest Report, 29 Campus Cleanup, 30 “We Three Kings,” 31
Abbot Timothy Kelly, OSB 1934 - 2010 R.I.P.
Contents Abbey’s new Christmas schedule: Christmas Eve: 9:30 Abbey Schola/Boys’ Choir Concert 10:00 Christmas Eve Mass: No Midnight Mass Christmas Day: 8:00 Solemn Morning Prayer 10:00 Abbey/Parish Christmas “Hymn” Mass 12:00 Midday Prayer 5:00 Evening Prayer
Pages 4 - 7 Cover Stories Obituary: Abbot Timothy Kelly, OSB Condolences Cremation
by Abbot John Klassen, OSB
Features 8 Tribute to Abbey Banner staff by Daniel Durken, OSB 10 The Benedictine Institute by Robin Pierzina, OSB
12 20th Anniversary of Episcopal House of Prayer by Dolores Schuh, CHM
18 The Legacy of the Loon by Kristina Timmerman
16 Two Benedictine Parishes by Daniel Durken, OSB
Articles 3 From editor and abbot 14 Profession of Seven Novices 20 Meet a Monk: Benedict Leuthner, OSB, Treasurer 22 International conference of Benedictine educators
23 Monk in the Kitchen: Brother Dan Morgan, OSB 24 Benedictine Volunteers in Manila and Togo 26 What’s Up? The Abbey Chronicle
29 Garden Harvest Report 30 A Campus Cleanup 31 Spiritual Life: “We Three Kings of Orient Are . . .”
NOTE: Please send your change of address to: Ruth Athmann at rathmann@csbsju.edu or P.O. Box 7222, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7222 or call 800-635-7303. Editor: D aniel Durken, OSB ddurken@csbsju.edu Copy Editor and Proofreader: Dolores Schuh, CHM
Abbey Banner Magazine of Saint John’s Abbey Volume 10, Issue 3 Winter 2010
Designer: Pam Rolfes Circulation: Ruth Athmann, Cathy Wieme, Tanya Boettcher, Jan Jahnke, Mary Gouge Printer: Palmer Printing, Waite Park, Minnesota
Abbey Banner is published three times annually (spring, fall, winter) by the Benedictine monks of Saint John’s Abbey for our relatives, friends and Oblates. Abbey Banner is online at www.saintjohnsabbey.org/banner/index.html Saint John’s Abbey, Box 2015, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-2015
FROM EDITOR AND ABBOT
Three miracles of Christmas
by Daniel Durken, OSB
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by Abbot John Klassen, OSB
ny photograph of the Collegeville Cane Club should include all the monks who have celebrated their 50th anniversary of monastic profession. On that occasion a cane is blessed and given to each jubilarian with this prayer: “Bless + them and bless the canes they carry. Sustain their hope in the saving love of your Son . . . and help us all to support one another as brothers of your Son, Jesus Christ.”
he incarnation of Jesus Christ celebrates at least three miracles. The first is that a God, larger, stronger, more loving than we can imagine, became small. In a website tutorial called “Powers of Ten,” we view the Milky Way at ten million light years from the earth. We then move towards the earth until we reach an oak tree. Then we move into the subatomic level of a carbon atom, to quarks. We travel from the immense to the minute. This is the first miracle we celebrate with our God.
Thomas Gillespie, OSB
The Collegeville Cane Club
Front row, l. to r.: Benedictines Gregory Eibensteiner, Don LeMay, Samuel Lickteig. Back row, l. to r. Benedictines Daniel Durken, Don Talafous, JP McDarby, Don Tauscher, George Primus, Fintan Bromenshenkel, Arnold Weber, Julian Schmiesing, Hugh Witzmann, Martin Rath
The monks you see here daily carry their canes to give them the support they need. The curly maple cane I received on July 11, 2000, was not put to use until Abbot John suggested several months ago that I use a cane after I had taken a few falls that gave me classic bruises. Since then my trusty cane has not been a stigma of frailty and old age but a sturdy friend whose support I appreciate. The blessing of the cane calls upon all of us “to support one another.” No matter how young or how old we are, the support of others is absolutely essential. Only the hermit monk chooses to be “self-reliant, without the support of another” (Rule, 1.5). I pity more than envy him. As I prepare and present my last edited issue of Abbey Banner, I am filled with gratitude for all the people who have supported me page by page, picture by picture of these first thirty issues. Cane in hand, I now move on to whatever the future brings. If the past is preview to the future I am looking forward to more “good ol’ days.” Thank you and God bless you. +
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The second miracle is that the gospel writers balance the humanity and divinity of Jesus almost perfectly. Matthew, Luke and John give us three snapshots, each from a different perspective. Each gives us a glimpse into the significance of the Word made flesh. But they do not distort the meaning of the incarnation. We can certainly gather that the human Jesus had to be toilet trained, had to learn how to pray. The gospel writers also address the divinity of Jesus, who is deeply united to the Father, whose teaching, preaching and healing are spellbinding and lifegiving. We see a Jesus who makes a completely new path to life through his cross and resurrection. The third miracle is that Jesus did not come for generalized problem solving. He came for you and for me. God so loved the world, so loves each person that he came to find a place in our hearts where there can be true communion. In the child Jesus, Divine Compassion becomes personal. We need to make sure that the door of our heart is unlocked. It does not have to be housebeautiful. Jesus comes to find a place in our hearts and minds, to be in communion with us. For these three miracles—the God beyond our imagining becoming an infant; the gospel narratives that almost perfectly balance Jesus’ humanity and divinity; the fact that this love is for us—we rejoice:“Glory to God in the highest and peace to all people on earth.” +
Abbey Banner Winter 2010 page 3
OBITUARY
previous perpetrators of clergy sexual abuse. The institute published books and a newsletter, as well as sponsoring regional and national workshops related to sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. Abbot Timothy served on some 22 committees of Saint John’s University, Saint John’s Preparatory School, the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Culture Research, and the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library. One of his favorite projects was carrying forward the dream of his predecessor Abbot Jerome Theisen OSB in building an abbey guesthouse. He laid the groundwork for the initial planning stages before his term as abbot expired. Abbot Timothy was elected Abbot President of the American-Cassinese Congregation for a six-year term in June of 2001 and again in 2007. As Abbot President for nine years, he moderated all abbatial elections in the congregation and also attended numerous visitations at the 20 Benedictine communities in the Cassinese Congregation. In April 2010 Abbot Timothy was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. He reflected in his letter to the community of April 11, 2010, “I am very much at peace with this and not afraid of dying. The past several years have been wonderfully grace-filled years for me. Your prayers are very important to me and I promise my prayers for you as well.” Following the regimen of radiation and chemotherapy, he weakened slowly and died on October 7, 2010. Abbot Timothy was preceded in death by his parents John Dunn and Ann Elizabeth (McGrath) Kelly, and four brothers: John Raymond Kelly and his wife Clara (Sarasin) Kelly; Donald James Kelly; Robert Jerome Kelly and his wife Mary Kate (Webb) Kelly; and Lawrence William Kelly. He is survived by his sister Denise Ann Kelly of Delaware, Iowa; his sister-in-law Edith (Hove) Kelly of Alexandria, Minnesota; three nephews: Thomas P. Kelly of Rochester, Minnesota; Patrick Kelly of Vadnais Heights, Minnesota; and John Kelly of Twig, Minnesota; and special friends Bill and Lorrie Ulfers of Red Hook, New York; Bill Lombardi of Bronx, New York; Phillip Smith of Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Paul and Edna Berres of Houston, Texas; Bishop Victor Balke; and the Saint John’s monastic community.
Abbot Timothy Kelly, OSB 1934 – 2010
The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Abbot Timothy Kelly on October 13, 2010, at 3:30 p.m. in Saint John’s Abbey Church. Inurnment will be at a later date.
Abbey archives
At the request of family members, all memorials for Abbot Timothy are preferred to Saint John’s Abbey. We ask each community member to offer two Masses according to the manner of his participation in the priesthood of Christ. We commend our brother, Abbot Timothy, to your prayers. Abbot John Klassen OSB and the monks of Saint John’s Abbey
In his homily at the funeral liturgy Abbot John quipped, “Timothy’s early track record as a monk-priest could give the appearance of somebody who couldn’t hold a job: three one-year assignments to Saint John’s University and missions in Mexico
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and the Bahamas. In fact, however, he was developing a broad base of pastoral experience that served him well the rest of his life.” Timothy gave eight years (19641972) of challenging pastoral service at the Saint John’s-founded (1891)St. Anselm’s Church, Bronx, New York. He faced the financial problems of a poor inner-city congregation and diligently studied Spanish so he could preach to the Hispanics of the parish. Well aware of the physical dangers of the area, he did not hesitate to carry a baseball bat when answering a late night rectory doorbell. Returning to Minnesota Timothy spent seven fruitful years as chaplain for the Benedictine Sisters of Mount Saint Benedict Monastery, Crookston.
He daily practiced lectio divina, reading the scriptures in the slow, meditative manner of the monastic tradition and daily writing down his reflections. He took an active part in the burgeoning Catholic charismatic renewal that strengthened his practice of contemplative discernment. Following two years of the study of renewed monastic theology and history and the sources of Saint Benedict’s Rule at the Monastic Institute of the International Benedictine College of St. Anselm in Rome, Timothy was appointed the formation director of the abbey’s novices. He also directed the Institute for Religion and Human Development of Saint John’s University and taught theology classes.
Paul Jasmer, OSB
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homas Kelly, youngest of the five sons and daughter of John and Ann (McGrath) Kelly, went to grade schools in Milwaukee and Minneapolis. He completed high school at St. Thomas Academy in St. Paul and began pre-seminary studies at Saint John’s. Entering the abbey’s novitiate in 1954 he received the name Timothy and made profession of monastic vows, convinced that the real reason he came to Collegeville was the Benedictine way of life. He was ordained in 1961.
OBITUARY Additional highlights and ministries of Timothy’s monastic life include:
• Rector of Saint John’s Seminary for a six-month interim period.
• One of six American monastics chosen by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to visit Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in India, a project sponsored by the North American Board of East/ West Dialogue.
• Elected the abbey’s ninth abbot on November 27, 1992, to succeed Abbot Jerome Theisen, OSB, who had been elected Abbot Primate of the worldwide Order of Saint Benedict.
• Advisor and adjunct faculty member of the Academy for Spiritual Formation of the United Methodist Church (UMC); associated with The Upper Room, the publishing agency of UMC located in Nashville, Tennessee. His presentations on New Testament spirituality that focused on lectio divina are memorable. • Played a key role in the founding of St. Brigid of Kildare Monastery, a proposed ecumenical women’s community for which he procured the use of a house on abbey property. • Served a four-year term as administrator of Mary Help of Christians Abbey, Belmont, North Carolina.
• Notably involved in the support and development of monastic communities of the Pacific Rim, including Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia and China. He encouraged the Saint John’s Tokyo mission to move to Fujimi, Japan, and build the new Trinity Benedictine Monastery in 1999. • Instrumental in establishing the Benedictine Commission for China which seeks to listen, study, plan and be prepared to act in the promotion of Christianity to the 1.2 billion people of China. Timothy encouraged the theological, spiritual and pastoral education of Chinese clergy, religious and laity by offering scholarships to study at Saint John’s School of
Theology•Seminary. He also promoted the translation and publication of textbooks for the education of Chinese priests, sisters and laity. • Together with Brother Dietrich Reinhart, OSB, former university president, Timothy initiated the Interfaith Sexual Trauma Institute (ISTI), a forum for open dialogue between victims and perpetrators of clergy sexual abuse. • Served on 22 committees of the Collegeville campus and promoted the eventual building of the Abbey Guesthouse. • Served for nine years as the Abbot President of the American-Cassinese Congregation, moderating the election of abbots and attending visitations of the Congregation’s 21 Benedictine communities. Diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus this past April, Timothy had first-hand appreciation of St. Benedict’s advice to “Keep death daily before one’s eyes.” Abbot John concluded his funeral homily, “In the midst of his suffering, Timothy had peace and confidence in God’s saving care. He never fought death, just gracefully let nature and God’s will take their course. He gave us witness that our God is a God of life.” Timothy died October 7. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated October 13. At his request his body was cremated with inurnment in the abbey cemetery October 17. May he rest in peace. +
Timothy greets His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
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OBITUARY
A selection of the condolences received
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This photo of the abbots of Saint John’s Abbey was taken on the occasion of Abbot Timothy’s abbatial blessing, January 10, 1993. L. to r.: Abbot Primate Jerome Theisen, OSB, Abbot John Eidenschink, OSB, Abbot Timothy, OSB, Abbot Baldwin Dworschak, OSB. All are deceased.
always admired the realism and deep Christ-centered faith of Abbot Timothy. We have lost a man who was strongly committed to the Church in China. I am also grateful for his solidarity and collaboration for the International Benedictine University of Saint Anselm here in Rome and for the Benedictine Confederation. Abbot Primate Notker Wolf, OSB, St, Anselm’s Abbey, Rome Abbot Timothy’s greatest contribution was the example he gave us of a monk who took his monastic life seriously and truly personified the Rule’s chapter 72 on “The Good Zeal of Monks.” He was indeed a monk of “good zeal.” Abbot Hugh Anderson, OSB., president of the American Cassinese Congregation of Benedictines. Abbot Timothy’s deep spiritual resources provided a model of strength and hope to his confreres, page 6 Abbey Banner Winter 2010
here and abroad. Following the admonition of Saint Benedict, he lived the gospel message more by example than by word—although he was great at both. Archabbot Douglas Nowicki, OSB, St. Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, Pennsylania. We Benedictines and the Church of America have lost a giant. Abbot Giles Hayes, OSB, St. Mary’s Abbey, Morristown, New Jersey. The priests and religious of mainland China recall Abbot Timothy with deep emotion as a benefactor and friend of the Catholic community here, especially of Chinese priests and religious, many of whom have studied at his abbey. He had many “Chinese dreams” such as the translation and publication of theological texts. During his trips to China he left his love, his openness, and above all his mark as a man of God. Spero News, China.
Timothy was the first of the abbots to take me in during those early days when women were a foreign object in the Benedictine system. He was the first to talk openly, honestly and with care about our life as a church, an order, as human beings. For all of that I am grateful and will forever have an empty place for him in my heart. Joan Chittister, OSB, author, executive director of Benetvision: a resource and research center for contemporary spirituality. I remember well Brother Timothy’s presentations on New Testament spirituality for the Academy for Spiritual Formation of the United Methodist Church of Nashville. His explanation of lectio divina became integral to my life and a major part of our programs and retreats. Timothy was a wonderful and generative presence among us. What a fun, down-to-earth, yet confident and thoughtful, intelligent and grounded, creative and cheerful, open-hearted teaching and mentoring presence. What a spirit of Christ he was among us! Stephen Bryant, United Methodist clergyman who leads Discipleship Resources International. +
OBITUARY
The place of cremation in our funeral rite
Gary Feldhege
by Abbot John Klassen, OSB
The monastic community, relatives and friends gather for the Funeral Mass of Abbot Timothy on October 13, 2010.
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An abridgment of Abbot John’s conference on cremation to the monastic community
n his request for cremation Abbot Timothy may have helped us by providing an opportunity to reflect on one approach to cremation. A monastic funeral is as value laden as monastic profession because of our hope of being united finally and completely with God. Funerals are always for the living, for the community, relatives and friends who are saying good-bye to a loved one. The body of a deceased confrere forcefully reminds us of the mystery of life and death and our belief that our human bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We confess our faith in the “resurrection of the body.” Living in community we are present to each other in our bodies. We sit, stand, pray and eat next to each other. We honor the body because we use our bodies
to minister in the name of Jesus, to continue his good work in the world. For Catholics, cremation is a fairly recent development. The 1917 Code of Canon Law expressly forbade the practice, but in 1963 allowance was made for cremation. Yet the church clearly prefers and urges that the body of the deceased be present for its funeral rites. The final expression of our faith as Catholic monks is the blessed and sacred burial in the monastic cemetery, a beautiful, some may even say majestic place. The church prefers that cremation take place after the full funeral liturgy with the body. Cremation sometimes takes place immediately after death to eliminate the need for embalming and the use of a casket. Yet when we
receive the body of our confrere into the baptistery for the vigil service with family, friends and community, there is the huge benefit of remembrance. Our confrere didn’t just go away never to return in bodily form. He was living in our midst for 70, 60, 50 years and now his earthly life is over. And so will ours be one day. The church wishes that there be a genuine disposition of the remains in a cemetery or an urn garden which is a special section in a cemetery with small, pre-dug graves for urns. For Abbot Timothy’s urn we chose soft wood, pine, the wood of choice for our caskets. The practice of scattering the cremated remains is not the reverent disposition that the church requires. +
Abbey Banner Winter 2010 page 7
FEATURE
A tribute to the Abbey Banner staff by Daniel Durken, OSB
I first contacted Margaret Arnold, a freelance public relations consultant for Saint John’s University. Thus began Margaret Arnold this 32-page, full-color, gloss paper periodical featuring the worship and work of Saint John’s monks and co-workers. Margaret was my capable editorial assistant for the first seven issues. Our first task was to find a page designer to arrange texts and photos in a readable and artistic format. We
were impressed by the portfolio of Pam Rolfes and hired her. Pam is one of three women who own and operate The Odyssey Group of Waite Park. She has been a graphic designer since 1980.
Sister Dolores Schuh, CHM Greg Meyers, operations manager, and Gwen Spengler, business development/sales for Palmer Printing
Central Minnesota is a printers’ paradise and our choice of Palmer Printing in Waite Park was a happy choice. Steve Palmer, owner, Gwen Spengler, business development/ sales, and Greg Meyers, operations manager, have provided excellent service with their dedicated staff, state-of-the-art presses, commitment to environmental initiatives and on-time delivery of each issue. I eventually chose Sister Dolores Schuh, CHM, to be copy editor and proofreader. As the executive associate of the Ecumenical Institute at Saint John’s for thirty years, Dolores has extensive editorial experience and advised me on content and style
Pam Rolfes
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matters. She is a member of the Congregation of the Humility of Mary and resides at Humility Center, Davenport, Iowa.
I am especially grateful for the computer skills of Monica Bokinskie, creative director for marketing and
Megan Wagner
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n African proverb says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Completing a decade of editing Abbey Banner, I can now say, “It takes a suburb to raise a magazine.” When Abbot Timothy asked me to edit an upgraded monastic community magazine, I knew I would need help, but little did I know just how much help I’d need. This is a tribute to and a huge THANK YOU for all who have been my helpers.
Monica Bokinskie, editorial assistant
FEATURE
Megan Wagner
Convinced that “one picture is worth a thousand words,” I am particularly grateful for the work of the photographers who have brightened the pages of the magazine with colorful scenes and pictures of people.
Front row, l. to r.: Aelred Senna, OSB, Daniel Durken, OSB, Monica Bokinskie; Back row: Gary Feldhege, Dunstan Moorse, OSB, Robin Pierzina, OSB, David Manahan, OSB, Mike Becker
Susan Sink, editorial assistant
sales of Liturgical Press, and Susan Sink, director of communication of Saint Benedict’s Monastery and the editor of Benedictine Sisters and Friends, that community’s magazine.
Lee Hanley
Simon-Hoa Phan, OSB
For the distribution of the magazine, I depended on those who prepared mailing lists, mailed copies from our campus mail center and kept accurate the addresses of our recipients.
I owe special thanks to the Abbey Banner Committee that did post-issue evaluation, next-issue preview and brainstorming for future articles. Abbey Banner Committee: l. to r.: Alberic Culhane, OSB, Thomas Andert, OSB, Jean Scoon, Aaron Raverty, OSB, Paul Vincent Niebauer, OSB, Michael Hemmesch, Robin Pierzina,OSB. Plus Geoffrey Fecht, OSB, Aelred Senna, OSB
Front row, l. to r.: Jan Janke, Cathy Wieme. Back row l. to r.: Kathy Scegura, Ruth Athmann, Tanya Boettcher, Mary Gouge
Finally my gratitude goes to the 92 different authors of articles. We have tried to open our cloister doors and windows to give our readers good and honest sights and insights of what the Benedictine monks of Saint John’s Abbey do day by day. We tried to help you understand our vision and commitment to serve the church and the world so that in all things God may be glorified. Thanks for reading. God bless you. +
Thank You
Abbey Banner Winter 2010 page 9
FEATURE
Gloria Hardy
Introducing the Benedictine Institute of Saint John’s University by Robin Pierzina, OSB
Hilary Thimmesh, OSB, Institute Director, in his original office in the Minnesota Public Radio studio
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rother Dietrich Reinhart, OSB, late president of Saint John’s University, loved the word “scheming”; and he was good at it. Among his schemes in the latter days of his presidency were plans to establish a Benedictine Institute at the university. In the fall of 2008 the university’s Board of Regents appointed Dietrich as the Institute’s first director, but he died before actually taking charge of this scheme. In July 2009, Fr. Hilary Thimmesh, OSB, professor emeritus of English, was appointed director of the Institute. With the assistance of an ad hoc advisory council the following mission statement was prepared. The purpose of the Benedictine Institute is to strengthen and articulate in fresh ways the Catholic and Benedictine character of Saint John’s
page 10 Abbey Banner Winter 2010
University that has been its hallmark since it was founded by the monks of Saint John’s Abbey in 1857.
With the able assistance of Gloria Hardy, events and program coordinator, this mission is now being realized through existing programs as well as new initiatives in collaboration with university faculty, staff and students. Benedictine “Institute” may actually be something of a misnomer, says Hilary. It is currently not so much an organization but rather a number of activities. Dietrich was oriented more toward the Catholic intellectual tradition and a Catholic enhancement of our mission with scholarly activities. While Hilary readily agrees that it makes sense to move in that direction, the scholarly organization
remains a future goal. He says, “We’re in a formative stage now.” The first major step toward realizing the more scholarly organization took place this past November as the world headquarters of the Benedictine Institute moved from its first home in the studios of Minnesota Public Radio and Wimmer Hall (the former library) to the south or lakeside of the university quadrangle. This move was eagerly anticipated by Hilary as the Benedictine Institute will now be “in the stream of life” of the college, near the School of Theology•Seminary, and near other faculty members. The new location will also make it a neighbor to the scholars of the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research, creating further
FEATURE
As for future plans, Hilary is also scheming. Recently he announced an essay contest for seniors of the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University in which the contestants addressed how the Benedictines have influenced their education, their understanding of vocation, and their dreams for the future. In March 2011 a panel of several graduates will share their reflections, outlining how a Benedictine education makes a difference in their careers and in their lives. The popular study tours of Benedictine sites in Europe will again be offered next summer. By all accounts, the 2010 pilgrimages were highly successful—even “life changing,” according to one participant. For now, visitors to the Benedictine Institute are always welcome. The reading room is slowly expanding and the coffee is always fresh and ready. +
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mong the most popular programs sponsored by the Benedictine Institute are its summer heritage tours of Italy and Germany. Intended to provide participants firsthand familiarity with the historic sites to which Saint John’s Abbey and Saint Benedict’s Monastery trace their origins, the tours include pilgrimages to Rome and such Benedictine sites as Subiaco and Monte Cassino in Italy where Saint Benedict began his life as a monk, and Metten and Eichstatt in Germany, home of the founding communities of Saint John’s and Saint Benedict’s. These professional development opportunities are open to employees of Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict. Upon their return, participants are expected to share with their co-workers as well as with students what they have learned about Benedictine history and values—a task enthusiastically undertaken by happy travelers. The Abbey of Sacro Speco (Holy Cave), Subiaco, Italy
Francisco Schulte, OSB
opportunities for conversation and interaction between the monks of Saint John’s Abbey and the Collegeville Institute scholars.
Statue of Saint Benedict in the cave at Subiaco where he lived as a hermit for three years
The Abbey of Monte Cassino, the first monastery established by Saint Benedict around 529. The present structure was entirely rebuilt after being destroyed by Allied bombing in 1944.
Francisco Schulte, OSB
Mike Becker
Brother Robin Pierzina, OSB, becomes the editor of ABBEY BANNER with the spring 2011 issue.
The courtyard of the Abbey Church of Monte Cassino
Abbey Banner Winter 2010 page 11
FEATURE
House of Prayer celebrates twenty-year anniversary by Dolores Schuh, CHM The House of Prayer, nestled deep in the woods of Collegeville
The success of the House of Prayer is evidenced by the September 12, 2010, celebration of the twentieth anniversary of its dedication. The story of how this holy place came to be is fascinating. Kilian McDonnell, OSB, said, “The gradual way in which the House of Prayer came into being is like the gradual movement of prayer itself. There is no big hype. It was thought through very carefully, prayed through carefully.” In 1978, shortly after Robert Anderson was named bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota, he learned of Saint John’s Abbey and introduced himself to Abbot Jerome Theisen, OSB. At that meeting a deep and lasting bond took root between the page 12 Abbey Banner Winter 2010
two communities. With the support of a group of clergy, monastics and lay people, the “dream” vision of an Episcopal spirituality center based at Saint John’s became focused. The four core members of the “dream team” were Bishop Anderson; Pastor George Richmond of St. John’s Episcopal Church in St. Cloud; William Franklin, a history professor at Saint John’s University; and Joyce McFarland, a committed Episcopal laywoman and skilled organizer living in Excelsior, Minnesota. Although these four were generally acknowledged for their leadership roles, many other visionaries helped the dream develop into a grassroots movement.
Dolores Schuh, CHM
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estled deep in the heavily wooded area along Fruit Farm Road on the Saint John’s campus is the House of Prayer, an independent, interfaith ministry of the Episcopal Church of Minnesota. One might think this is an unusual setting for a ministry of the Episcopal Church—firmly established on a Catholic Benedictine abbey campus. But not so. It is exactly where it should be.
Rev. Ward J. Bauman, director of the House of Prayer
On November 1, 1983, two years after Bishop Anderson proposed to Abbot Jerome the idea of an Episcopal center on abbey property, the Saint John’s monastic community voted on the lease of five acres of land to the Episcopal Diocese in Minnesota for the exorbitant amount of $1.00 per year! During the next two years, the project was incorporated, board members met with funding consultants, a feasibility study was commissioned, Episcopal clergy were surveyed, and a slide show was created about Saint John’s and the proposed plan. Several committees spent days, weeks, and months speaking to individuals and groups about the need for an Episcopal spirituality center and requesting donations to build the facility. Designed by Minneapolisbased John Cuningham architects, groundbreaking occurred on May 11, 1989 and the House of Prayer was dedicated on September 8, 1990, when almost 300 people gathered on the site to pray, sing, tour the building, and engage in enthusiastic conversation.
FEATURE Learning about The Rule of Benedict, praying Vespers with the Benedictines, and getting to know many of the monks gave David the spiritual growth and discernment he needed as the first director of the House of Prayer.
Entrance to the House of Prayer
For a few years, the House of Prayer had no program and no director. Bishop Anderson, Father Richmond or one of several laypeople from the Twin Cities would often drive from home to unlock doors, greet guests, serve meals that were catered from Saint John’s kitchen, and do other nitty-gritty tasks to keep the place going.
Daniel Durken, OSB
In 1994 David Keller, an Episcopal priest from Phoenix, Arizona, was appointed the first full-time director. With no program in place to build on, David began from scratch and experimented with a number of offerings, some of which just took off and others that did not. He found that programs on contemplative prayer, integrating prayer, and daily life were popular. He offered silent retreats, retreats about Christian spirituality, retreats about work and several retreats for women.
When David resigned in 2002 Rev. Ward J. Bauman was appointed director. Ward lived and ministered in Iran for over four years and then served as a parish priest in California, at which time he developed an organization for interfaith dialogue and helped to run a retreat center. In 2010, along with hosting numerous private retreats for church or nonchurch groups, together with meetings and workshops, the House of Prayer offered eleven three-day or week-long programs on a variety of subjects, including “Practicing Transformation,” “Kenosis: The Prayer of Self-Emptying,” “A School of Contemplative Wisdom,” “Cooking Your Life,” and “Yoga: A Spiritual Practice.” If you visit the House of Prayer, you will probably be greeted by Jeanne Furst, administrator and hostess extraordinaire, who will show you a welcoming area, warm and cheery meeting room, dining area, spacious kitchen, guest rooms that accommodate 17 overnight guests, a small prayer room, and a beautiful and tranquil meditation Oratory.
Jeanne Furst, administrator and hostess of the House of Prayer
Lounge, fireplace and library of the House of Prayer
For further information about the House of Prayer, see website: ehouseofprayer.org. Call 320-3633293 or email houseprayer@csbsju. edu. + Dolores Schuh, CHM, is copy editor and proofreader of Abbey Banner.
Vision and Mission The vision of the House of Prayer is to be a contemplative ministry of spiritual transformation, grounded in the Christian tradition, in the practice of Benedictine hospitality, reaching out and welcoming to all. The mission is to assist in the ongoing work of discerning God’s voice, both within ourselves and in the world; provide guidance in the search for wisdom; teach forms of contemplative prayer; and offer training on the inner work of the spiritual life. Abbey Banner Winter 2010 page 13
PROFESSION
Robin Pierzina, OSB
New community members at Saint John’s Abbey and Trinity Benedictine Monastery, Japan L. to r.: Abbot John; newly professed Lewis Grobe, Michael-Leonard Hahn, Nickolas Kleespie, Stephen Warzecha; Paul Richards, formation director.
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ot since 1982 has Saint John’s Abbey been blessed with seven novices making their first profession of vows. Four of these men completed their initial monastic formation at Saint John’s and three at the abbey’s mission of Trinity Benedictine Monastery, Fujimi, Japan. Professing first monastic vows at Saint John’s Abbey on September 14, in the presence of Abbot John, the monastic community, their families and friends, were: Stephen Warzecha, OSB, 45, of St. Cloud, Minnesota. Stephen was a computer programmer for 21 years. He studied for the priesthood for the Archdiocese of St. Paul /Minneapolis at the St. John Vianney and St. Paul Seminaries and earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and theology from the University of St. Thomas. He is currently studying at Saint John’s School of Theology•Seminary and serves as the student life coordinator of the university’s campus ministry program. page 14 Abbey Banner Winter 2010
Nickolas Kleespie, OSB, 26, of Morris, Minnesota. Nickolas, a music education major, graduated from Saint John’s in 2006 and then served for a year as a Benedictine Volunteer at Saint Maurus Hanga Abbey in Tanzania, East Africa. Returning to Saint John’s, he worked with the Saint John’s Boys’ Choir, served as director of service and social justice for campus ministry, and was a faculty resident in student housing. He is taking theology classes in the School of Theology•Seminary while serving as associate executive director of the Boys’ Choir, and helping with the abbey’s reconstituted bee hives. Michael-Leonard Hahn, OSB, 27, of Robbinsdale, Minnesota. MichaelLeonard, a 2005 Saint John’s political science major, is completing the Master’s degree in theology from Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey. He was a Benedictine Volunteer for three years, teaching at Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School under the direction of Benedictine monks of Newark Abbey, New Jersey.
Before entering the novitiate he taught theology at Cathedral High School, St. Cloud, Minnesota. He is now an adjunct instructor of theology in the university and is studying theology in the School of Theology•Seminary. Lewis Grobe, OSB, 26, of Minnetonka, Minnesota. Lewis is a 2006 humanities and German majors graduate of Saint John’s. He spent a year as a Fulbright Fellowship teaching assistant in Germany and a year as a Benedictine Volunteer, teaching and fundraising at Saint Maurus Hanga Abbey in Tanzania, East Africa. He then worked for a year as an Admission Representative for the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. He is currently taking two courses in the School of Theology•Seminary, working part time for the campus-wide sustainability program and serves as one of the abbey’s beekeepers.
PROFESSION Professing first monastic vows at Trinity Benedictine Monastery on November 21, in the presence of Abbot John, the monastic community and their families and friends, were: Andrew Lam Hong Ching, OSB, 40, from Hong Kong, China. He earned two Master degrees in theology from the Catholic Seminary, Hong Kong, and The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. Proficient in Chinese, Japanese and English, Andrew authored a book in Chinese on catechetics. He assists with the Oblate and monastery retreat programs, manages daily community finances, the gift shop and library. John Chrysostom Long Liting, OSB, 31, from Gansu Province, mainland China. He worked in computer science, completed the philosophy program of the Beijing National Seminary and then entered the monastery. His professor, Saint John’s graduate and bishop-elect Anthony Yao, strongly supported his Benedictine vocation. Fluent in Chinese and English, he is studying Japanese and directs the monastery’s recycling program.
Maria Dominic Takahashi Hindenori, OSB, 36, from Miyagi, Japan. He has an associate degree in music and worked as a healthcare assistant at a nursing care facility. He is the monastery’s guestmaster and responsible for all aspects of welcoming hospitality. He is learning English, taking organ lessons and playing the accompaniment for the Divine Office.
The monastic community accepts two novices and a community Oblate. On September 11 the monastic community welcomed two men into the abbey’s formation program. On October 31, the abbey accepted the final oblation of a community Oblate.
L. to r.: Novice Eric Pohlan, OSB; Novice Theophane Kraig Windchitl, OSB; Oblate Isaiah Andrew Frederick, OSB
Eric Pohlman, 28, Delphos, Ohio, made his first profession of vows at St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, Illinois, in 2005. The following year he chose to leave St. Procopius and eventually came to Saint John’s. Eric has a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies and a Bachelor of Science degree in construction management. Theophane Kraig Windschitl, 32, New Ulm, Minnesota, earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in organ performance and liturgical music with a minor in theology from Saint John’s. Before entering the novitiate he was principal organist and instructor at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, Minneapolis.
L. to r.: Long, John Chrysostom Liting, OSB; Prior Roman Paur, OSB; Lam, Andrew Hong Ching, OSB; Subprior Edward Vebelun, OSB; Takahashi, Maria Dominic Hidenori, OSB
Isaiah Andrew Frederick, 38, of Puyallup, Washington, completed his year of formation and was accepted as a community Oblate. He is a 1995 Saint John’s graduate in accounting and has served as an officer in the United States Army, as a certified public accountant and an agent of the FBI. He is assistant abbey treasurer. +
Abbey Banner Winter 2010 page 15
FEATURE Corwin Collins, OSB, at the podium of St. Martin Church
The Benedictine Parish of St. Martin, St. Martin, Minnesota
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Daniel Durken, OSB
riving the back roads of central Minnesota’s Stearns County to visit pastor Father Corwin Collins, OSB, of St. Martin Parish about twenty miles from Collegeville, I realized that the pioneer Benedictines who served the pastoral needs of the first German settlers had not traveled this area by automobile or on horseback, but by walking. Father Clement Staub, OSB, came on foot to visit such mid-19th century settlements as Jacob’s Prairie, Richmond and St. Martin. He offered the first Mass at St. Martin on June 13, 1858.
The circular church of St. Martin
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For the first three years Mass was offered in one of the original settlers’ homes, and for a decade Mass was celebrated only once a month. The first church was blessed on the feast of Saint Martin of Tours, November 11, 1861. The number of parishioners soon increased, the first church was expanded, a log cabin rectory was built and a school started. The 2008 history of Saint Martin Parish, The Fruit of Faith and Witness, compiled by Paul Hughey to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the parish, details the challenges, struggles, failures and successes of the thirty-seven pastors and their parishioners, now numbering 687—twice as many as the announced population of the village: 343. A memorable moment of this history was the dream of Fr. Severin Lauer, OSB, for a new church, a dream realized with its completion in 1971. Built of concrete, steel and Winona limestone, the church is an innovative circular structure. The floor is carpeted in the green of local cornfields and the walls and ceiling suggest ripening grain fields. The church win-
Daniel Durken, OSB
by Daniel Durken, OSB
dows are a blaze of random bits of color. Three church bells are prominently displayed between white pillars. When asked why the church is circular, Father Severin quipped, “That’s so the devil can’t corner you.” The most impressive feature of the parish is that there have been 116 vocations to the priesthood and religious life, 83 of which have been to communities of Benedictine men and women. No other parish in the Diocese of Saint Cloud has fostered as many vocations. A sign of our times is that there have been no ordinations or professions of religious vows from the parish since 1967. In his letter of congratulations to Saint Martin’s parishioners on the occasion of their 150th anniversary, former pastor Julian Schmiesing, OSB, wrote, “The faith is still strong in St. Martin. It is our prayer that this faith will be passed on for many generations to come.” To which we add a sincere, “Amen!” +
FEATURE Corwin Collins, OSB, at the podium of St. Catherine Church, Farming
The Benedictine Parish of St. Catherine, Farming, Minnesota
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The traditional Parade of Pastors was not as lengthy as the one at the neighboring parish of St. Martin where 37 priests served the people during 150 years. The Farming congregation, today numbering 276, has had only 15 pastors during its 131-year history, chiefly due to long
he early settlers who came in 1858 to the geographical center of Stearns County, about ten miles south of the town of Albany, were early believers in the principle “truth in advertising” when they named their new homeland “Farming Township.” For that is what most of the citizens did from the beginning and are still doing today. By 1879 thirty Catholic families who settled in the area decided to have their own church. Twenty acres were donated, a new frame structure was built, and on June 6, 1881, the church was blessed by Abbot Alexius Edelbrock, OSB, second abbot of Saint John’s Abbey. Later that summer a tornado swept through the area and demolished the new building. It was promptly rebuilt and blessed on November 1, 188l. Four years later the pastor’s rectory was built. The Church of St. Catherine was again destroyed, this time by fire, on February 16, 1903, due to a faulty
The church of St. Catherine, Farming
The traditional confessional
Daniel Durken, OSB
chimney. Work on a larger brick church began immediately and the new building was dedicated on December 15, 1904. Four years later the frame school building that had replaced the original log schoolhouse was also destroyed by fire.
Daniel Durken, OSB
Daniel Durken, OSB
by Daniel Durken, OSB
term pastorates of 15, 19, 23 and 23 years. In 2008 Father Corwin Collins, OSB, was appointed pastor of both the St. Martin and St. Catherine Parishes. An impressive array of parish improvements was made over the years such as steam heat, stained glass windows, cemetery improvements, two-story addition to the east side of the rectory, electricity to church and rectory, addition of a double garage, replacement of metal church steps with granite ones, new brick school building that became the Community Center, new altar so the celebrant faced the people, removal of side altars and statues, addition of baseball and softball/volleyball parks on parish property, planting of many trees, shrubs and flowers to create the “Farming Arboretum,” and the addition of an outdoor Marian statue. The conclusion of the centennial history of St. Catherine’s Parish is worth repeating: “Our pioneers left us a precious religious heritage. Let us forever cherish and guard this priceless treasure.” + Abbey Banner Winter 2010 page 17
FEATURE
The Legacy of the Loon by Kristina Timmerman
The loon may be at risk to an unseen killer called avian botulism.
page 18 Abbey Banner Winter 2010
in many individuals, death. The National Wildlife Health Center considers avian botulism to be one of the “most important diseases in migratory birds.” Since 1999, more than 80,000 migratory waterbirds, including loons, have died as a result of botulism infection.
Sagatagan and Stumpf Lakes. This study, which includes two birds from Minnesota and seven from Wisconsin, will document how loons acquire the toxin and what environmental variables (e.g., water quality or ecosystem structure) influence the degree and time-frame of disease outbreaks.
One might ask, how does one catch In an effort to counteract the potentially devastating impacts of this disa bird that dives deep at the first sign ease, loons residing on Saint John’s lakes were selected as members of a Midwest regional study on the ecology of avian botulism. On July 12, 2010, Kevin Kenow, a United States Geological Survey (USGS) biologist, visited our campus with the primary goal of capturing and Data collecting is done by Kevin Kenow of the geological survey. tagging loons from
Kristina Timmerman
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ike clock-work, Common loons (Gavia immer) return to Saint John’s lakes at the first sign of spring ice-out. Since 1993 the return of these beautiful, charismatic birds from their wintering grounds in the Gulf of Mexico has been monitored. Until his death in 2009, Bruce Wollmering, OSB, acted as the annual steward. Each year he tracked the arrival, nesting, and chick production for all birds residing on campus lakes. With the re-initiation of this monitoring project in April 2010, the stewardship legacy of Father Bruce continues. According to Carol Jansky, loon volunteer coordinator, the loon’s circle of life continued as usual this past summer—two pairs of loons each produced two chicks on Sagatagan and Stumpf Lakes. This favorite denizen of our northern lakes, however, may be at risk to an unseen killer called avian botulism. This bacterial disease is transferred to birds via ingestion; toxins produced by the microbe causes paralysis, and
The satellite tracker is inserted in the abdominal cavity of the loon.
of danger (such as humans approaching in a boat)? It is a fairly straightforward procedure. Using a boat and the cover of night, scientists glide up to a loon, surprise the bird with a flash of light, and scoop up the animal with a big landing net. Once captured, the loon is placed in a box and taken to shore. At a portable travel-trailer hospital provided by the USGS staff, a veterinarian administers anesthetic, makes a small incision in the abdomen and a satellite transmitter a little larger than a person’s thumb is placed in the abdominal cavity (this is the device that will track the bird’s location). After surgery is completed and during the bird’s recovery period,
identification “bracelets” are attached to the leg and biological measurements are collected. These bracelet-type items include a numerical identification tag and a geolocator that collects data on diving depth, water pressure and water temperature. Data from both the satellite transmitter and the geolocator help determine the ecological role of avian botulism in the Great Lakes food web.
So where are the Saint John’s loons now? The Stumpf Lake male (#55482) left his nesting area on August 3, unusually early (adult loons ordinarily start their southern migration in September/ October). By August 13 he was on the waters of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Unfortunately, his body was recovered on August 26.
Lab analysis suggests that he died of a fungal respiratory infection commonly referred to as aspergillosis. The story of #55480 is much more encouraging. He left Sagatagan Lake on October 16 and spent one night on Forest Lake, near the Twin Cities. He then flew east, and as of November 7, he is on Lake Michigan, north of the Chicago suburbs, where he is most likely feeding and resting up for his 1,000 mile migration to the Gulf of Mexico.
United States Geological Survey
Kristina Timmerman
FEATURE
The loon is freed to fly away.
Sometime next spring, just as the lake ice melts, we can be assured that loons will return to our central Minnesota neck of the woods for another cycle of breeding. You, too, can be a part of the loon migration; visit the following website to track the pathway of male #55480 and his seven tagged compatriots over the upcoming winter months: http://www.umesc. usgs.gov/terrestrial/migratory_birds/ loons/migrations.html. + Kristina Timmerman is instructor of biology at College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University.
Student helpers gather around the loon. Kristina Timmerman, article author, is third on the right in a red sweater.
Abbey Banner Winter 2010 page 19
MEET A MONK
Meet a Monk: Benedict Leuthner, OSB, Treasurer
Abbey Photo Book
by Daniel Durken, OSB
“He should take care of all that the abbot entrusts to him.” (Qualifications of the monastery cellarer, Rule of Saint Benedict, chapter 31).
Brother Benedict Leuthner, OSB, Treasurer
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ot chief financial officer, nor treasurer, nor business manager but cellarer is the name Saint Benedict gives to this important monastic administrator. This distinctly monastic term is derived from the Latin cellarium, meaning “storeroom.” Putting aside any image of a basement or attic stuffed with rummage sale remnants, Saint Benedict sets very high standards for this monk who is to be “wise, mature in conduct, temperate, not an excessive eater, not proud, excitable, offensive, dilatory or wasteful, but God-fearing, and like a father to the whole community.” Since the abbot himself is designated “the father of the household” in Chapter 2 of the Rule, the cellarer comes closer to being an alter-abbot figure than other officials such as the prior, porter, director of novices, and guestmaster. For the past fourteen years Brother Benedict Leuthner, OSB, has carried the contemporary translation of the cellarer title and served as the trea-
page 20 Abbey Banner Winter 2010
surer of the Order of Saint Benedict and its four divisions: abbey, university, preparatory school and Liturgical Press. Born in Alexandria, Minnesota, fifty years ago as the youngest of four brothers and a sister, he graduated from Saint John’s in 1982 with a major in theology. Before entering the abbey he worked for two years as a parish volunteer in Duluth and a year as the director of religious education in Albert Lea. After profession of monastic vows in 1987 Benedict served as the coordinator of maintenance shops for four years, supervising the work of campus painters, plumbers, carpenters and electricians in their maintenance tasks. He spent a year as safety officer of the corporation followed by two years of study at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, for the degree of Master of Non-profit Organizations.
Benedict returned to the Prep School and served as its business manager as well as assistant treasurer of the corporation for three years. He was involved in the move of Saint John’s mission from Tokyo, Japan, to Fujimi. He made six trips to Japan in four years to assist the community with financial matters and prepare it for the construction of its new monastery, completed in 1999. Since 1995 Benedict has been one of the four financial counselors to the President’s Council of the American Cassinese Congregation of Benedictines. They review the annual audits of the 21 monasteries and schools of the congregation and assist these communities with financial issues. On January 1, 1997, Benedict was appointed treasurer of the corporation. He is a member of university and prep school boards of regents, the abbey senior council and the advisory board of Liturgical Press.
MEET A MONK
Daniel Durken, OSB
One of the most appreciated aspects of Benedict’s service to Saint John’s is that he takes seriously St. Benedict’s advice in his chapter on the cellarer: “Above all, let him be humble. If goods are not available to meet a request, he will offer a kind word in reply, for it is written, ‘A kind word is better than the best gift’ (Sirach 18:17).” This monk makes it clear that the major part of his work as treasurer does not
involve spread sheets but his efforts to help solve problems. He believes that Saint John’s Abbey is financially and personnel-wise healthy. But as the community continues to grow older and smaller it is imperative that ways and means be found to generate more income. Benedict does not see dollar signs before his eyes day and night. Rather he sees that he has been given the challenging assignment to enable the community to continue its worship and work so that in all things God may be glorified. +
Brother Benedict at his computer in his office
In recent years Benedict has been the lead person in these projects: the expansion of the abbey cemetery to allow for the burial of relatives, friends and alumni of Saint John’s; the completion of the solar farm; the possibility of a campus wind turbine; ongoing deliberations regarding the erection of a new power line from Monticello to Fargo, North Dakota, that may encroach on or near abbey property. Benedict’s hobby is tree-planting. For the past 25 years he has annually planted at least one tree. In 1989 he planted 53 Theves (Lombardy) poplar trees along the entrance to the cemetery as pictured in the accompanying photograph. Currently he is involved in the reforestation of oak trees in the Saint John’s woods, prairie and cemetery. He has planted eighty bur oak seedlings in the prairie area over a three-year period.
In 1989 Benedict planted 53 Theves (Lombardy) poplar trees along the entrance to the abbey/parish Cemetery.
Abbey Banner Winter 2010 page 21
BANNER BITS
International conference of Benedictine educators by Michael-Leonard Hahn, OSB
and Europe. There are 200 Benedictine and Trappist high schools enrolling 160,000 students.
Brothers Paul-Vincent and MichaelLeonard
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he Sacred Heart Archabbey of Saint Ottilien, a short train ride from Munich in Bavaria, Germany, was host to the fifth Benedictine Educators’ Network (BENet) conference on November 3-6, 2010. Br. Paul-Vincent Niebauer, OSB, and I represented Saint John’s at the conference. BENet is an organization under the umbrella of the Abbot Primate’s International Commission on Benedictine Education (ICBE). Its purpose is to facilitate ongoing conversation among Benedictine educators about the distinctiveness of Benedictine education. The first BENet conference was held at Worth Abbey, England, in 1999 with less than fifty participants (mostly English or American) attending. Each successive conference has seen an increase in the number and diversity of participants. This year’s conference was the largest with 190 participants representing Benedictine and Trappist high schools in eighteen countries including the United States, Chile, Brazil, Australia, and countries in Africa, Asia,
The theme of the 2010 conference was “Communio: A Benedictine Gift for the Future.” The keynote address, titled “Communio: the Church and the Benedictine School,” was given by Good Samaritan Sister Margaret Malone, an international Benedictine scholar from Australia and a graduate of Saint John’s School of Theology•Seminary. Sister Margaret explained how schools can be both distinctively Benedictine and distinctively Catholic. Members of BENet include monastic men and women, lay persons, teachers, staff, and administrators of Benedictine high schools. The conference schedule consisted of the exchange of best practices, shared lectio divina, morning and evening prayer, daily Eucharist, common meals, and, of course, time to socialize. Participants at Saint Ottilien enjoyed the Bavarian culture with a brass band concert and a visit to the brewery at Andechs
Monastery that brews undoubtedly the best beer in the world. Several persons from the host sites for Saint John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps (BVC) attended the conference, including representatives from the Manquehue Community, Chile, Abbey of Jesus Christ Crucified, Guatemala, Saint Maurus Abbey, Tanzania, and Newark Abbey, New Jersey. These participants provided positive reports for all of the Saint John’s volunteers. With so many Benedictine schools from all over the world represented, the conference was a great opportunity to explore possible new sites for volunteers. Abbot Christopher Jamison, OSB, of Worth Abbey, president of the ICBE, announced that the next BENet conference will be held in 2013 in Manila, the Philippines. Abbot Christopher will direct the Saint John’s Abbey retreat next summer. + Brother Michael-Leonard Hahn, OSB, is adjunct instructor of theology at Saint John’s University.
Participants of the 2010 International conference of Benedictine educators
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MONKS IN THE KITCHEN
In the dorm kitchen Dan Morgan, OSB, builds community through hospitality.
Aelred Senna, OSB
by Aelred Senna, OSB
Brother Dan prepares for an evening of his “popcorn ministry.”
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rother Dan Morgan’s culinary beginnings were admittedly inauspicious. He started as a junior monk by preparing frozen pizzas for others in monastic formation. He soon moved on to grilling burgers and brats for the university swim team as part of his work as aquatics director and head water polo coach. As faculty resident in St. Bernard Hall, Dan now regularly hosts gettogethers for his fourth floor students—from informal weeknight suppers with pita and hummus to more formal affairs that might include linen table cloths, cloth napkins and multiple forks. His apartment and kitchen are where he has come to appreciate the underlying value of hospitality that goes into cooking.
“When I host a formal dinner,” he says, “I like to pull out all the stops. Many students haven’t attended a formal dinner away from their parents, and this experience makes them feel more like the adults they are. They take an active part in the dinner conversation and learn how to listen. Students get to know one another in a much more real way when they are sitting at a formal dinner, discussing issues that are important to them.” As a monk, Brother Dan has come to value the experience of the common table. He also observes that “College guys like to eat!” He quickly realized that getting everyone together to share a meal is the easiest and most authentic way to build community. So
now, whether it’s a weekend brunch or a weeknight chili dog menu, Dan is using his kitchen to model the Benedictine values of hospitality and community. But he doesn’t confine things to his kitchen. “I’ve also gotten into ‘popcorn ministry.’ I bought a 50-pound bag of unpopped corn and a few nights a week I’ll pop several batches and deliver popcorn to the guys in the dorm.” Now that’s building community, one kernel at a time. + Brother Aelred Senna, OSB, is salescirculation manager of Liturgical Press.
rill Menu
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Abbey Banner Winter 2010 page 23
BENEDICTINE VOLUNTEERS Volunteers Corey Friend (l.) and Matthew Harren and a kitchen helper prepare a meal for the monastic community.
Benedictine Volunteers report from Manila by Matthew Harren
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he Philippines and Manila were mostly mysteries to Corey Friend and myself prior to our arrival. This is the first year that the Benedictine Volunteer Corp (BVC) established a connection with the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat as well as the first BVC site in Asia, so our work is new and challenging. Our first task was simply getting to the monastery lying at the heart of Manila. This may seem an easy task, but the traffic of Manila is a puzzle that we haven’t figured out yet. The roads and lanes are clearly marked, but drivers weave in and out, oblivious to any order that we can discern.
We soon realized just how special this monastery is that was founded by a Spanish abbey in 1895. A model of Benedictine hospitality, the community has taken very good care of all our needs. Filipinos especially appreciate a good meal. Any trip that Corey and I have taken has always been accompanied by food. A week after our arrival we met with the deans of San Beda College of Arts and Sciences. They were thrilled that a western perspective was being brought to their school. Corey and I began giving guest lectures. Corey, a
political science major, gave presentations on the American and Filipino constitutions. As a communication major focusing on film, I lectured on how movies can shape culture. Our work slowed when the semester ended in mid-October. We began preparations for this present semester as each of us is now responsible for an entire class. Corey teaches Filipino culture, history and political science. I teach a first year college course on art, man and society. It’s a huge boost to our egos to be college professors right out of college. Being called Professors Friend and Harren is still a novel experience. From cheering the San Beda basketball team on to a national championship to praying and cooking with the monks, our experience thus far has been one great memory after another. It is a privilege to be working with and helping the poor. We continue to count the many blessings bestowed on us here. With all things may God be glorified. +
The courtyard of the Manila abbey
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BENEDICTINE VOLUNTEERS Colin Cote (l. end) and Greg Sullivan (r. end) with students
Benedictine Volunteers report from Togo compiled by Ben DeMarais
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here is Togo? The Togolese Republic, or Togo, is in Western Africa, bordered by Ghana, Benin and Burkina Faso with 22,000 square miles and 6.7 million people. This sub-Saharan nation, highly dependent on agriculture, gained independence from France in 1960. Religiously, 51 percent of the population has indigenous beliefs, 29 percent Christian, 20 percent Muslim. The Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ Priory in Agbang, Togo, is a new site for Benedictine Volunteers. Founded in 1985, this Benedictine community joined the German Congregation of St.Ottilien in 1988. A 2005 census lists 22 members. Greg Sullivan and Colin Cote, 2010 Saint John’s graduates, are serving as Volunteers. Excerpts from their blogs follow:
Toothbrushes cost about forty cents, too expensive for most children and adults. People can fix almost anything. I’ve seen ten-year-old kids fixing motorcycles, flashlights, bicycles, generators, and furniture. These Third World, happy people work hard, put family first and do it with a smile. The country’s travel logo is “Togo—sourire de l/Afrique (the smile of Africa).” I hope that after my time here, some of the little smiles are still here. For more: http://livingindefatigably.blogspot.com/ COLIN: Playing soccer with local kids is one of the happiest experiences of my life. Teaching is exciting and challenging. I prepare nearly two hours for all my classes. The students
are incredibly well behaved and respectful. I work about 3-4 hours a day in the monastery gardens. Brother Blaise has been teaching me a lot about growing various crops here. This work balances out the time I spend preparing classes. I really appreciate the food here. I love a dish called fufu—mashed yams and pepper sauce. Greg and I have four hours of French a week with the school’s French teacher. This will be really beneficial. For more: http:// hour-dog.blogspot.com/ + Ben DeMarais, a former Volunteer to Tanzania, is administrative assistant to Abbot John and Brother Paul Richards.
GREG: We are both teaching. I have 4th and 5th graders and Colin has grade 6. My French is more advanced than his, so I took the less advanced English-speaking students. I am picking up tidbits of local life: A household of five requires a16-gallon water basin to be filled up about 20 times per week to serve for cooking, showering, washing and laundry.
Colin contemplates the Togo landscape.
Abbey Banner Winter 2010 page 25
THE ABBEY CHRONICLE
What’s Up? The Abbey Chronicle
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Where have all the leaves and flowers gone? Gone with the wind and the winter.
azed and Amazed is the headline of Paul Douglas’ weather report in the October 19th Minneapolis Star Tribune. Calling the stretch of dry, sunny weather “the longest September in Minnesota history, going on and on and on—like the Energizer Bunny on steroids,” Douglas predicted one of the driest Octobers on record and did not see an immediate end to this “weather honeymoon.” October 8-11 seemed more like July with maximum temperatures in the 80s. A welcome 3.74 inches of rain came October 23-27. Snow was slow in coming, but when it came everyone noticed. On November 13 the Twin Cities received 8-12 inches of very wet snow that fell lightly all day at Collegeville but measured hardly an inch on the warm ground of the campus.
September 2010 ■ College classes began August 25 and these enrollment figures were released: Saint John’s counts 1,906 students, our second highest enrollment and 29 more than last year. The College of Saint Benedict numbers 2,032 students for a combined total of 3,938 men and women from 38 states and 50 countries. ■ The abbey sent a substantial donation to Colegio San Lorenzo, Santiago, Chile, to support the rebuilding of the school that was heavily damaged by the 8.8 earthquake last February. The school sustained structural damage that included nine ruined classrooms and no electricity and water for three weeks. Rebuilding work was finished in July and school life has returned to normal. Benedictine Volunteers James Albrecht and David Allen, serving the Manquehue Movement in Santiago this past year, were not injured by the quake. Volunteers Jeremy Graney and Andrew Stevens are currently in Santiago, hoping that history will not repeat itself. ■ Finian McDonald, OSB, won three ribbons at the 2010 Minnesota State Fair in the orchid judging com-
page 26 Abbey Banner Winter 2010
by Daniel Durken, OSB
petition. He is pictured here with his blue ribbon, first-place arrangement. He also won the red, secondplace ribbon for his Dentrobium, Buron Crystalm, X-D orchid and the white, third-place ribbon for his Cynbidium, orange sun orchid. Finian has won blue ribbons at the State Fair the past three years. He generously distributes his 300 orchids to campus offices and for special occasions. ■ The recipient of the 2010 Dignitas Humana Award of Saint John’s School of Theology•Seminary is Common Hope, a not-for-profit corporation whose mission is to promote hope and opportunity in Guatemala by partnering with children, families and communities who want to improve their lives through education, health care and housing. Founded in 1986, Common Hope serves more than 8,000 impoverished children and adults in 17 communities. Bill Huebsch, chair of the Common Hope Executive Board
THE ABBEY CHRONICLE
October 2010
■ Brother Paul-Vincent Neubauer, OSB, directed the Prep School’s performance of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, October 29-31. In his program notes he writes: “Some will say that Our Town is a rather melancholy play about death. For this director, the play brings to mind Saint Benedict’s
November 2010 ■ A little over 2,000 All Souls’ Remembrance cards were returned with the names of relatives and friends for whom the monastic community was asked to pray. The Box of Blessings for Deceased Loved Ones was placed where monks, like Brother Xavier Schermerhorn, OSB, in the accompanying photo on page 28, could pick up one or several cards as they entered the abbey church for prayer and the celebration of the Eucharist. With an estimated
Box of blessings for the deceased
Paul Middlestaedt
■ The 16,471 folks who came to the October 2nd Homecoming football game between Saint John’s and the University of Saint Thomas set three attendance records—for Saint John’s, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and Division III. Saint
“In sharp contrast to early heretics for whom the material was in the way of the divine, we view the material world as a pathway to the divine. Saint Benedict notes, ‘We believe that the divine presence is everywhere (Rule 19.1).’”
directive to ‘keep death daily before your eyes’ (Rule, 4.47). Benedict does not mean to be morbid. He is trying to help us realize and always remember why we are on earth—to love and care for one another.” Paul-Vincent first presented the play in 1996 when he began to direct the school’s theatre program.
Daniel Durken, OSB
of Directors, spoke at the award presentation on September 13. He reviewed some of Common Hope’s remarkable programs such as parenting classes, school nutrition, preventive health, and new homes that are clean, dry and safe with concrete floors.
Daniel Durken, OSB
l. to r. William Cahoy, Dean of SOT•Seminary; Bill Huebsch, Common Hope; Robert Koopmann, OSB, SJU President; Abbot John Klassen, OSB, holding the Dignitas Humana citation
■ At a Lunch and Learn program on October 26, Abbot John spoke to 100 faculty and staff about sustainability. He remarked, “As Catholic and Benedictine institutions, we live out of a powerful, pervasive sacramental sense of the physical world. We take the first chapter of the Book of Genesis seriously, namely, that creation is good, indeed, very good.
Homecoming 2010
John’s allowed Saint Thomas to win the game with a missed field goal in overtime and thus gave our archrivals their first ever conference championship.
The cast of Our Town with Bro. Paul-Vincent at far left, second row
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THE ABBEY CHRONICLE
Xavier Schermerhorn, OSB, prays for the deceased.
ten names on each card, some 20,000 deceased were remembered during November.
May they rest in peace.
page 28 Abbey Banner Winter 2010
Some of the 125 shoes from the “Soles4Souls” drive
footwear, repackages them and sends them around the world to needy communities. Brother Stephen Warzecha, OSB, Student Life Coordinator for Campus Ministry, assisted by student Tyler Tholl, organized the drive that collected nearly 125 pairs of shoes. For more information visit www.soles4souls.org.
Christmas crafts
■ During the November 10 Red Cross Bloodmobile’s campus visit, 104 units of blood were donated. This was the largest blood drive turnout in Saint John’s history. + Daniel Durken, OSB
Bernard Andert Robley Evans Dr. Edward Henry Dr. H. Thomas Hobday Sr. Victorine Houde, OSB Sr. André Marthaler, OSB Sr. Virgene Marx, OSB Richard Scott Rimm Marvin Rogers Elizabeth Sorenson John Stockman Bro. Anthony Streit, OSB Paul Tupa
Daniel Durken, OSB
Please remember these recently deceased:
■ Saint John’s Campus Ministry hosted a “Soles4Souls” shoe drive on the SJU and CSB campuses. Soles4Souls is a non-profit organization that collects new and used
Tyler Tholl
Daniel Durken, OSB
■ The Great Hall was crowded with creative items and curious customers at the annual Craft Sale, November 6. The colorful cards featuring the photographs of Fran Hoefgen, OSB, attracted special interest. Called “Kibera Wisdom Cards,” their sale is helping Erick Omari of Nairobi, Kenya, support his five younger brothers and sisters with school tuition, food and garden seeds. Fran met Erick when he visited Kenya. For information about the cards and Erick’s life, please go to fhoefgen@yahoo.com.
Fran Hoefgen, OSB, and his display of Kibera Wisdom Cards
BANNER BITS
The 2010 Abbey garden harvest report by Dunstan Moorse, OSB
Whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6).
J
esus once told his disciples, “Look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest” (John 4:35). The following list of this year’s abbey garden is proof that the 2010 harvest was indeed a bountiful one. All numerals indicate number of pounds produced.
asparagus 23 fennel basil pesto 5 wild grapes green beans 54 herbs beets 10 hops bok choi 20 kohlrabi broccoli 59 lettuce cabbage 18 onions Swiss chard 12 parsley cucumbers 512 peapods eggplant 138 green peppers potatoes
16 pumpkins 44+ 100 radishes 35 9 raspberries 5 20 rhubarb 35 16 rutabaga 4 21 squash 330 5 sunflower seeds 60 2 tomatoes 400 12 turnip 5 49 zucchini 273 31+
Monastic gardeners include the following monks: Isaac Connolly, Gregory Eibensteiner, Thomas Gillespie, Lewis Grobe, Nickolas Kleespie, David Paul Lange, John Meoska, Dunstan Moorse, Raphael Olson, Paul Richards, Aelred Senna, with weeding assistance from Fintan Bromenshenkel and William Skudlarek. + Dunstan Moorse, OSB, is the chair of the abbey garden committee.
Jars of Dunstan’s grape jelly
Photos by Dunstan Moorse, OSB Eggplant
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BANNER BITS
A campus cleanup by Lewis Grobe, OSB
J
ohnnie football continues to draw an ever increasing number of fans to campus each fall. While Clemens Stadium has recently been upgraded to better handle these large crowds, there was still no place for fans to recycle their throwaways at the game. Since this is the Year of Sustainability for both the College of St. Benedict and Saint John’s Univer-
Nickolas Moe surveys the bags of cans collected after the Homecoming game.
sity, a group of volunteer monks and employees from the Office of Sustainability stepped up to change this situation. They initiated the “We Recycle” campaign designed to make recycling a successful effort at Johnnie sporting events. The volunteers placed recycling bins throughout the stadium, designed signage and advertising, wrote public address announcements for each game and most importantly picked up the recyclable items after each game.
As the accompanying photo testifies, the Homecoming game on October 2 against the University of Saint Thomas provided a memorable opportunity to divert an enormous amount of recycling from heading to a land fill. The day after the game a small crew of volunteers spent two early morning hours clearing the campus of the debris left by the more than 16,000 fans. The volunteers were Thomas Gillespie, OSB, Nickolas Kleespie, OSB, Lewis Grobe, OSB, and Mr. Nickolas Moe, a student of the School of Theology•Seminary. Together they filled thirty sixty-gallon garbage bags. This recycling campaign will be continued at future Johnnie athletic events. + Lewis Grobe, OSB, is taking two graduate theology classes and working part time with the Saint John’s campus-wide sustainability program.
The Johnnie Rat supports sustainability.
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SPIRITUAL LIFE
“We Three Kings of Orient Are . . .” by Robert Pierson, OSB
T
he Solemnity of the Epiphany is celebrated on January 6 in many places. In the United States, we celebrate it on the Sunday between January 2 and 8. The celebration of the Epiphany is associated with the coming of the three Magi from the East. The gospel of the day recalls that story, and the hymns we sing such as “The First Noel” further remind us of the coming of the Wise Men to honor the Christ Child in Bethlehem. The word “epiphany” means “an appearance or manifestation.” It can also mean “a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something.” Certainly, the coming of the Magi was the occasion of a manifestation of Christ to those who witnessed the event. Those witnesses themselves had an “epiphany” as they realized just who this child really was. The event was an epiphany in both senses of the word. This church feast is not only about the manifestation of Christ at the visit of the Magi. The Magnificat antiphon for Second Vespers of Epiphany makes that clear: “Three mysteries mark this holy day: today
the star leads the Magi to the infant Christ; today water is changed into wine for the wedding feast; today Christ wills to be baptized by John in the River Jordan to bring us salvation.” These events are times of manifestation, when Christ was revealed for who he really is to those who witnessed these events. How is Christ made manifest in our day and time? Is Christ made real for me as I witness how I live my life? Each of us is called to be Christ to others. In doing so, Christ is made manifest as we love others in the same way that Christ loves them. Does my dedication to prayer reflect Christ’s desire to spend time with his Abba? Does my laying down my life in service to others make manifest Christ’s laying down his life for them? It should. +
Saint Joseph, top left, explains to one of the Magi the prophecy of Micah 5:1-4 -- “But you, BethlehemEphrathah . . . shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times . . .” The third Magi is away, watering the camels. The figurines are the artistic work of iconographer Nathanael Hauser, OSB.
Robert Pierson, OSB, is director of the abbey’s spiritual life program and guest master.
Upcoming Retreat Opportunities
O
n March 18-20, 2011, we will host a Lenten Retreat at the Abbey Guesthouse. Our speaker is Brother David Paul Lange, OSB. His topic is: Looking After Lectio: The Art of Practicing Lectio Divina. Br. David Paul will present the ancient monastic practice of lectio divina from the perspective of an artist. Register online now for this retreat at: www.abbeyguesthouse.org
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