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The ends of the earth stand in awe at the sight of your wonders. The lands of sunrise and sunset you fill with your joy. Psalm 65:9

John-Bede Pauley, O.S.B.

This Issue

Abbey Banner Magazine of Saint John’s Abbey Winter 2017–18 Volume 17, number 3

Published three times annually (spring, fall, winter) by the monks of Saint John’s Abbey. Editor: Robin Pierzina, O.S.B. Editorial assistants: Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.; Dolores Schuh, C.H.M. Abbey archivist: David Klingeman, O.S.B. University archivists: Peggy Roske, Elizabeth Knuth Design: Alan Reed, O.S.B. Circulation: Ruth Athmann, Jan Jahnke, Ashley Koshiol, Beth Lensing, Cathy Wieme Printed by Palmer Printing Copyright © 2017 by Order of Saint Benedict Saint John’s Abbey Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-2015 abbeybanner@csbsju.edu saintjohnsabbey.org/banner/ ISSN: 2330-6181 (print) ISSN: 2332-2489 (online)

Change of address: Ruth Athmann P. O. Box 7222 Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7222 rathmann@csbsju.edu Phone: 800.635.7303

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One of a series of smaller prints Mr. and Mrs. Watanabe sent to friends at Christmas. Collection of Saint John’s Abbey

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Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

I was a stranger and your welcomed me. Matthew 25:35

ur Minnesota religious culture is uniquely shaped by the presence of two large groups of Christian believers, Catholics and Lutherans. Over the course of the past year, together we have been observing the five-hundredth anniversary of the Wittenberg Reformation, an epochal event in the course of Western civilization. However, for many years already, we have witnessed the ongoing relationship between Lutherans and Catholics in Lake Wobegon, Minnesota. We have heard of many of the challenges and graces in the ministry of Pastor Ingquist of Lake Wobegon Lutheran Church, as well as Father Emil at Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility. I am not sure how to assess the ecumenical impact of these musings, but I am sure there is some, and that it is positive, mostly! In these important matters, humor almost always works in our favor.

This issue of Abbey Banner, inspired by the Christmas story of Mary and Joseph’s flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-18), explores the plight of those who still flee their homes for safety in an adopted land. Serving an immigrant population—as pastors and teachers—gave form and direction to our community’s expression of monasticism in the mid-nineteenth century. Opening our hearts and home, welcoming the stranger and alien in whom we see the face of Christ, are hallmarks of Benedictine hospitality. Mr. Edwin Torres tells of his journey from El Salvador to the United States and eventually to Collegeville, and of his dreams in this land of promise. Father William Skudlarek invites us to imagine a world in which the poor, the meek, and those who seek justice or mercy are embraced and respected. Poet Brian Bilston challenges us to share our country and our homes with refugees. Saint Benedict assumed that monks would be largely self-sufficient, living by the labor of their hands (Rule 48.8), and that the monastery would be so constructed that “all the necessary things, such as water, mill, garden, and various workshops” are contained within the enclosure (Rule 66.6). Since settling in central Minnesota, the monks of Saint John’s Abbey have attempted to balance pastoral ministry and educational service with the demands of supporting the community itself. Brother Aaron Raverty outlines the farming operation that Saint John’s maintained through much of our first century in Collegeville. Mr. M. J. Nelson describes our community’s attempts to further self-sufficiency with the establishment of a farm in West Union, Minnesota. Caring for the land and lakes that surround Saint John’s has been part of our community’s stewardship efforts throughout our history. Mr. John Geissler details current activities to care for the abbey arboretum and especially for the acres of oak that are at the heart of Saint John’s heritage. Abbot John Klassen opens this issue with a reflection on ecumenism and the value of listening to and learning from other Christian denominations. Alumni of Saint John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps and graduates of Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School, Newark, New Jersey, share their life-changing experiences. We also learn of new titles from Liturgical Press, meet a monk from Ohio, hear Christmas stories in and outside the monastery, and more.

Cover: Sadao Watanabe [1913–1996] Mary and the Child Jesus

Ecumenical Roadmap

Along with Abbot John and the monastic community, the staff of Abbey Banner offers prayerful best wishes to all our readers for God’s blessings of peace and good health during the Christmas and Epiphany seasons and throughout the new year. Brother Robin Pierzina, O.S.B. Lazy Christians: Christians who do not have the will to go forward; Christians who don’t fight to make things change. They are lazy, parked Christians. For them the Church is a parking place that protects life, and they go forward with all the insurance possible. Beware of still water; that which doesn’t flow is the first to go bad. Pope Francis, Homily, 17 January 2017

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I have been blessed to participate in a number of forums for presentations, responses, and thoughtful reflections on the progress that has been made in ecumenical dialogue over the past fifty years. At present the best state-of-the-question summary for this country is given in a document entitled Declaration on the Way: Church, Ministry, and Eucharist (Augsburg Fortress, 2016). This work was written by representatives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in preparation for this year of remembrance. It marks the astonishing progress on the way toward unity and those crucial areas where work still needs to be done. On 31 October 2016 in Lund, Sweden, Pope Francis co-presided with Rev. Dr. Martin Junge, the General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, at an event launching this year of remembrance. In his homily Pope Francis noted that we have an amazing opportunity to accept a common path that has been delineated over the past fifty years. Furthermore, we must not be resigned to division, to the same old ways of distance and separation that hurt both Catholic and Lutheran believers. I have learned so much in this past year about the significance and importance of ecumenical work. Not that I had to be convinced of this—the conviction is woven into our Benedictine DNA! Rather, time and again I encountered witnesses from the past whose lives were transformed by an ecumenical gesture of kindness and hospitality. Pope Francis urges us: “Walk Together. Work Together. Pray Together.” It is my deep hope that all will take these words to heart!

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Storytellers All a Birth Day too. When Saint Luke is the narrator, we hear of shepherds and angels, a mom and dad and an infant lying in a manger. According to Saint Matthew, it was an at-home birth. No shepherds in his story, but there were Magi who outwitted a ruthless king—talk about a scary monster—and found the child and his mother in a house. Different details, same story. (Similarly, in the “Birthday Party according to Sophie,” the tall boy would have a name, and her mom would definitely be younger than her friend’s grandma!)

Frank Kacmarcik, Obl.S.B.

Mary Stommes

love a good story, and when a four-year-old is the narrator, it’s all the better.

“Not yesterday but that other day, I went to a birthday party,” my grandson told me as I drove

This article appeared in the January 2017 issue of Give Us This Day (volume 7, number 1) [www. giveusthisday.org] published by Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, and is reprinted with permission.

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him to preschool. I learned, on my way to preschool, that he’d gone to the party with his mom and dad and sisters. The party was at his friend Sophie’s house, but it wasn’t Sophie’s birthday. It was her mom’s birthday, but he didn’t know how old she was and would have to remember to ask that question. (He guessed her to be older than his chauffeur, and I knew she wasn’t, so I really loved this story!) There was also a tall boy at the party. He didn’t know the tall boy’s name, but Sophie did. The tall boy was a monster in a game they played, “but not a scary monster.”

After a few minutes of lively birthday party play-by-play, the “short-boy” narrator wrapped things up. “Wow!” I said. “You are a very good storyteller.” High praise. “That’s not a story! It actually happened!” Highly insulted. I giggled and explained that stories can be make believe or real, and that I knew his was real—and I believed it “actually happened.” And this brings to mind another story that is real and that actually happened—not yesterday but that other day some two thousand years ago. We love that story. It’s about

We learn, on our way to Bethlehem with Luke and Matthew, that this child has many names: Jesus. Savior. Emmanuel. King of the Jews. Messiah. Son of the Most High. In other words, as if there were a need for more, this child is God. And when telling the story of someone that old, no one wraps things up with the Birth Day. In fact, Saint Mark could tell the same story and skip Bethlehem altogether. He begins with Jesus’ adult baptism in the Jordan— such is the urgency to get to Jerusalem. No cradle for Mark, but the cross looms large. No one tells the story without the cross, of course, but we learn most quickly from Mark that to love is to suffer. And we love this story? That’s crazy! Except we know that in this love story, suffering and death are never the last words.

From eternity to eternity. For the final Word we must go back to the beginning, and Saint John takes us there. He begins eons before Jesus’ birth: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And then, John tells us, the most amazing thing happened: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory” (John 1:1,14).

And we heard his story. We believe this actually happened, and it is happening still. In Christ, God is not only with us but in us, writing this story on our hearts. Only we can tell it. “Go,” the author of life whispers, “Tell my love story. Make it believable.” Ms. Mary Stommes is editor of Give Us This Day.

Frank Kacmarcik, Obl.S.B.

In Christ, God is not only with us but in us, writing this story on our hearts.

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Benedictine Volunteer Corps empathetic to my underserved students. During my time in Newark, I helped coach a national champion; I dodged a drive-by shooting with my cross country team; I survived Hurricane Sandy. I was blown away by the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the city— and by the love shown me.

Nicholas Crowley

eginning in 2003, graduates of Saint John’s University have provided service at monasteries around the world through their participation in the Saint John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps (BVC). Mr. Nicholas Bancks was the trailblazer, serving at Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School (SBP), conducted by Newark Abbey in New Jersey. Immediately following Nick, Mr. Ryan Radmer and Mr. Robert Kirsch began their service. In 2005 Mr. Andy Dirksen, along with the future Benedictine Father Michael Leonard Hahn, took up residence in Newark. For the next three years, Andy and Michael Leonard were fixtures at Saint Benedict’s Prep: teaching, coaching, tutoring, mentoring, and working in the dormitory.

Ryan Miller, SJU 2012, BVC 2012 Newark Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School

BVC

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been an equally life-changing force for the Benedictine Volunteers.

family households, addiction, unsafe neighborhoods, societal indifference—all before they even arrived at the doors of SBP. Nicholas Bancks, BVC 2003 Newark

Because of the hard work of these early volunteers, the relationship between Newark and Saint John’s has flourished. To date, thirty-three Johnnies have served in Newark, thirty-eight SBP graduates went on to attend Saint John’s University (SJU), and five of those Johnnies volunteered with the BVC.

I can attest to these unintended outcomes. Being a part of a national winning soccer program, teaching for the first time and seeing growth in my students in the classroom and on the pitch, and witnessing the tears and struggles that some of my students had to endure have really changed my perspective. I sought to help where needed, but I believe that I received the bigger return on my BVC investment. The experiences and the relationships I formed with students, faculty, and monks have given direction to my life. Others have had similar, lifechanging experiences:

Brother Paul Richards, O.S.B., founder of the Benedictine Volunteer Corps, recognizes the unintended outcomes of the program. Without a doubt, Saint Benedict’s Prep has been an influential, life-changing force for the Newark students. It has

“Benedict’s hates a quitter,” greets every young man who enters the school, and I came to appreciate the dedication and determination with which these young men met every task as they struggled to succeed against mighty odds—poverty, single-

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The Benedictine Volunteer Corps is an extension of what SBP’s men are taught: “Whatever hurts my brother, hurts me.” The potential to influence and shape the younger generations is why both groups have a lasting impact on those they serve, and why I chose to enroll at SJU, ultimately participating in the BVC. Matthew Davis, SBP 2006, SJU 2010, BVC 2010 Subiaco, Italy

I know what it is to have my guard up at all times, to wonder if the gun shots I heard were getting closer or moving away. Those moments were always followed and dwarfed by a warm, unfiltered outpouring of affection from one of SBP’s staff or students. The perseverance and courage I witnessed at SBP are what still get me out of bed daily and make me alert and

I arrived in Newark, overlyconfident of my ability to teach. I ended up living at Saint Benedict’s for three years—learning much more than I taught. The place continues to claim my attention because of the devoted individuals who form its heart. Michael Leonard Hahn, O.S.B., SJU 2005, BVC 2005 Newark

One reason I attended SJU was because of the influence of Benedictine Volunteers at SBP. They also influenced my decision to join the BVC—I wanted to have an impact on others as well. I have never regretted going to Saint John’s nor joining the BVC. Alexander Melchor, SBP 2013, SJU 2017, BVC Bogotá

I befriended a Benedictine Volunteer during my freshman year at Saint Benedict’s Prep. That friendship changed my life: persuading me to visit SJU (in February!), which made me realize it was time to leave my comfort zone, and led me to enroll at Saint John’s. Nicholas Devasia, SBP 2017, SJU 2021

During my time at Saint Benedict’s Prep, I had the privilege of working with several Benedictine Volunteers. They provided me with great advice and support. The brotherly bonds that I have with them is one of the reasons I decided to attend Saint John’s. Farrad Williams, SBP 2016, SJU 2020

The Benedictine Volunteers who served here have all impressed me with their willing and joyful service. All took a leap of faith into teaching. It isn’t hyperbole to say that the BVC’s presence in and service to our community are integral to our ability to pro-

vide opportunities for our students. We are grateful to be matched with BVC men who have a desire to join our mission. Perhaps the biggest contribution that the BVC has made is through their presence. When someone from the outside chooses to spend a year here, working with teenagers from the inner city and their crazy teachers, and commits himself to our mission—Is that not an expression of Christ’s love? Michelle Tuorto, Dean of Faculty, Saint Benedict’s Prep Mr. Nicholas Crowley is a faculty resident at Saint John’s University.

Since 1857 the Benedictine monks of Newark Abbey have served an immigrant population, even as that population changed from German to Irish, to Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian, Nigerian, and more. In the 1960s and ’70s racial tensions, characterized by an influx of African-Americans from the South, and white flight to the suburbs, were added to the challenges. Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School (SBP) was founded to serve local families, families increasingly numbered among the inner-city poor. Under the leadership of Father Edwin Leahy, O.S.B., SBP has had tremendous success academically, athletBVC archives ically, and socially. With a nearly Jake Barnes BVC 2009 (left), teacher and 100% graduation rate and almost mentor 100% college matriculation rate, SBP has overcome the tensions and challenges. Prep’s athletic success is equally remarkable: SBP athletes have won national high school titles and gone on to compete on NCAA Division I teams, in the National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer, and other professional or national teams. Above all, Saint Benedict’s Prep is committed to social change and community building. “Whatever hurts my brother, hurts me.”

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Benedictine Dreamer Edwin Torres

he repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) in September has created an emergency for a large community in the United States: the Dreamers. Nearly 800,000 hardworking young people like myself are scared that our lives will be torn apart if Congress is unable to come up with a permanent legislative solution to protect young people who came here as children. If legislation is not passed by March, we Dreamers will be unable to work legally in the U.S., to go to school, and to live out of the shadows. I was born in 1993 in El Salvador at the end of a civil war that plagued the country since 1979. When I was two years old, my parents made the difficult decision to immigrate to the United States to give our family a better life. For nearly six years I grew up without seeing my parents or meeting my younger brother, until I rejoined them in California in August 2001. I arrived in the U.S. without knowing the English language or the American culture. I also had to reconnect with my parents, of whom I had no memory. In El Salvador I grew up believing that everyone in America lives prosperously. My naive view of the United States was quickly altered as my family experienced years of poverty. By the time I finished high school,

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I had moved more than twelve times, attended more than ten different public schools, and had experienced homelessness twice. The memories of sleeping in parks, on cold factory floors, or bathing in the ocean are constant reminders that no child, regardless of status, should endure what I experienced. The life of an undocumented immigrant is a challenging one, though it did teach me the meaning of resilience. Despite the challenges I faced, I never allowed those hardships to define me. Instead, I used those experiences as motivation to succeed. I took every honors class I could, participated in every extracurricular activity possible, and played sports. During my senior year in high school, I served as student body president—and was honored with a Presidential Award for Academic and Civic Excellence from President Barack Obama. Throughout my high school years, money for college was my main concern. My father was the only wage earner in my family since my mother had been fighting cancer for nearly

When an alien resides with you in your land, do not mistreat such a one. You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself. Leviticus 19:33-34

four years. My dreams of attending college were diminishing until I received a call from Saint John’s University. I never thought that a small, Benedictine university, two thousand miles from home would become my first ever, stable environment. From Saint John’s and its Benedictine teachings, I learned who I am and the person I aspire to be. I showed up at Saint John’s University poor and a stranger, but soon felt the presence of God in everything: in nature, in the architecture, in the people. I learned to pay special attention to Christ’s unexpected arrival in the person of the guest, just as I was first welcomed.

Molly Adams, Wikimedia Commons

During my undergraduate years I developed a deep love for humankind and a deep desire to find peace. I learned that peace is not something that we simply wait for. As Saint Benedict urges, we must daily “seek after peace and pursue it” (Rule Prol.17). At Saint John’s I learned that in order for peace to reign, justice is fundamental. For this reason, I am committed to fighting for those who are marginalized, those who have given up, those who have lost hope. That is why I am fighting for all Dreamers. My ambition to pursue higher education would have been halted at high school if it weren’t for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program— a program that allows young people brought to this country as children to live and work legally for two years at a time. Allowing hardworking people to earn access to a work permit and protection from deportation has proven to be an economic success for our nation. For me, it has been personally transformative. It has allowed me to give back to my parents and to serve as a productive member of American society. Passing the Dream Act would allow me to continue to build on my contributions, enabling me to give back to my community. We Dreamers share a similar story: we were brought to the United States by our parents, who fled their homes in the hope of providing us with better lives.

Let Us Share the Journey Adonai, Lord and Master, Many are the journeys your people have taken: Abraham’s journey led from fear to understanding; Moses’ journey led from bondage to liberty; the disciples’ journey led from death to new life. Even today, your people journey— immigrants and refugees, pilgrims and nomads, searching for hope, searching for opportunity, searching for peace, searching for you. Lord, I know that I too am called to journey. Yet too many times, I have heard your call, and my feet have remained unmoved. Continue to call me beyond my comfort and into encounter. And when I meet a companion on the road, may we find you in each other’s embrace. Let us share the journey. Amen. Catholic Relief Services

We have grown up singing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” pledging allegiance to the American flag, cheering for our national sports teams, and supporting our troops. We are students at the local university, teachers in neighborhood schools, nurses caring for others, and members of our armed forces. We have had a positive impact on our country. Because of DACA I graduated from Saint John’s University, becoming the first person in my family to earn a college degree. Without DACA, hundreds of thousands of young people who

call this country home—of which I am one, who work hard, who contribute to our communities and the economy—will be ripped from our jobs and our communities and forced to leave the only country we’ve ever called home. My life has been profoundly shaped by my immigrant experience. But I would not be the person I am today without Saint John’s and the Benedictine values by which I strive to live. Mr. Edwin Torres, an alumnus of Saint John’s University, is a clerk at a law firm in Los Angeles.

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Imagine William Skudlarek, O.S.B.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:1-12

magine, if you will, a world where international conflicts do not automatically lead to an arms race and the threat of war, but rather serve to mobilize a body of professional peacemakers who will do all in their power to bring about a nonviolent resolution to the conflict. Imagine a country where those who are treated unjustly by employers, or by law enforcement agencies, or even by religious leaders have easy and affordable access to legal counsel to help them plead their cause and satisfy their hunger and thirst for justice.

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Imagine a society where the poor and the meek—those without economic influence, social standing, or better-than-average talent or intelligence—are not demeaned, but are regarded as deserving of respect and assistance. Imagine a community where those who are mourning the death of a loved one or the loss of health or fortune are not ignored or—worse yet—offered pious platitudes about the will of God, but are comforted by people who are willing to stand by them, listen to them, and support them.

Imagine a Church whose pope says that the primary mission of the followers of Christ is to proclaim and practice the mercy of God, even in difficult cases, and no one criticizes him for disregarding or watering down Church teaching. That is the kind of world Jesus is asking us to imagine when he describes what life is like in the kingdom of heaven. In that kingdom, he says, even the poor, the meek, those who mourn, those who work for peace, those who have been treated without justice or mercy are μακάριοι (makarioi), blessed, happy. Jesus does not mean these people are happy because they are poor, meek, mourning, or treated without justice or mercy, or even reviled for the good they do. They are happy because they can be confident that no matter how difficult or even impossible their situation may be, they are part of a community whose members will reach out to them with compassion, respect, and aid.

When Jesus asks us to imagine what this kingdom of heaven is like, he is also inviting us to imagine the part that we could play in making it a reality.

And so it follows that when Jesus asks us to imagine what this kingdom of heaven is like, he is also inviting us to imagine the part that we could play in making it a reality. For some, such imagining may lead them to prepare for a career that does not have financial reward as the primary criterion for choosing it. For others it may involve looking for the kind of volunteer service to which they can bring their passion, talent, and knowledge. For most, if not all of us, it may involve imagining what we could have done differently at those times in our lives when we came across someone in need and turned aside, pretending we didn’t notice. Imagine that. Father William Skudlarek, O.S.B., is the secretary general of Dialogue Interreligieux Monastique/Monastic Interreligious Dialogue (DIMMID).

Refugees They have no need of our help So do not tell me These haggard faces could belong to you or me Should life have dealt a different hand We need to see them for who they really are Chancers and scroungers Layabouts and loungers With bombs up their sleeves Cut-throats and thieves They are not Welcome here We should make them Go back to where they came from They cannot Share our food Share our homes Share our countries Instead let us Build a wall to keep them out It is not okay to say These are people just like us A place should only belong to those who are born there Do not be so stupid to think that The world can be looked at another way (now read from bottom to top) Brian Bilston To learn more about the poet, see: https://brianbilston.com/.

The Saint John’s Abbey Market, an online gift shop featuring candles, wooden crosses, religious medals, bread boards, art prints, greeting cards, CDs of religious music, and more—all produced by members of the monastic community—can be accessed at: www.sjamarket.com/.

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Tending Oaks for 2258 John Geissler

he picturesque landscape of Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum that we enjoy today has been shaped by more than 160 years of Benedictine community, work, prayer, and a vision for the long term. The biodiversity of this unique convergence of prairie, oak savanna, northern hardwoods, conifers, lakes, wetlands, and bogs is special and inspirational for all who experience it. Perhaps the most significant component of this landscape mosaic, and a hallmark of Saint John’s, is the oak forest. Red and white oak covering about 700 acres of the abbey arboretum provide rich habitat for a wide range of species and a variety of ecosystem services. Additionally, the sturdy lumber sustainably harvested from our woods has been utilized extensively by the Saint John’s Abbey Woodworking Shop that proudly furnishes the monastery, university residence halls, offices, and classrooms. Saint John’s oak was most recently fashioned into the symbolic and beautiful honeycomb gateway to the new Saint John’s Bible Gallery in Alcuin Library. Old trees in our forest are special gifts from past generations. In August 2017 Brother Walter Kieffer, O.S.B., noted that a large white oak behind the Saint John’s sugar shack lost its top and was not going to survive. We decided to harvest and utilize the tree before it started to

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diligently to learn the best silvicultural methods to prepare our forest to be resilient to stresses like climate change, invasive insects, and diseases coming our way. The current theory is that forest resilience comes from diversifying forest age, structure, and biodiversity. Our greatest weakness is a lack of diversity of age classes, particularly a lack of young stands of oak. Our John Geissler plan to address this Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum white oak: 1776–2017 problem will begin decompose. I requested a thin with regenerating red and white slice [above] from the bottom to oak seedlings on five acres determine the age of the tree. I annually, and protecting the took the slice home, sanded it, seedlings from deer until they and applied some varnish to are more than six feet tall. We make the annual growth rings will also release oak seedlings to easier to see. As I counted the full sunlight, so they grow into rings with my daughter, her eyes saplings and beyond. began to widen as we passed 100, 150, 200, and ended at 241 Oak trees are shade-intolerant years old! It was difficult for species that require disturbance both of us to fathom that this to get established. Since we have oak was an acorn in 1776! removed fire from the forest disLooking forward, it is a wonderturbance regime, we often have ful and inspiring thought that to mimic disturbance with harsome of the little oaks we tend vests to keep sun-loving species today will be a gift to the like oak a component of the Collegeville community in the forest. If we didn’t do this, we year 2258 and beyond. would lose biodiversity as oak would continue to diminish, and As the land manager of the shade-tolerant species, such as abbey arboretum’s treasured maple and basswood, would natural resources of today and become more and more prevatomorrow, I am working lent in the future forest. In the

last twenty years, Saint John’s has been very successful at opening the canopy with shelterwood harvests to regenerate oak seedlings. However, very few seedlings (young trees with a diameter of less than one inch) are making it to saplings (juvenile trees with a diameter greater than one inch) because of heavy deer browse. In an attempt to

Jaden Bjorklund matting an oak seedling

limit deer browse, the abbey arboretum continues to host annual archery deer hunts, utilizes tubes to protect seedlings, and has put up seven fenced deer exclosures ranging in size from one-quarter acre to twenty acres within the forest. The initial results of oak regeneration within the deer exclosures are promising in areas where the seedlings are getting sunlight, but

less promising where they are not. The next critical step within the exclosures is to assure that the seedlings are getting the sunlight they need to make it through the heavy understory vegetation. After the oak seedlings have sprouted, and are protected from deer, we place 3' x 3' VisPore® tree mats around them to give the seedlings sufficient access to sunlight. The mats [left] allow moisture to soak through, and keep competing understory vegetation such as blackberries, raspberries, prickly ash, and ironwood at bay. This fall we matted an astonishing 2,300 oak trees on just over five acres. This labor-intensive John Geissler work could

not have been accomplished without a truly remarkable volunteer force of monks and dozens of college and prep school students and alumni. With this preparation complete, and sufficient snow to protect the seedlings and mats, we will harvest the overstory seed trees this winter and open the sites to full sun. The young oaks should put on 2–3 feet of growth annually with their newfound growing space. The final step of our plan to increase the diversity of age classes of oak, and thus to build a resilient and diverse forest, is to repeat the above process on 3–5 acres annually. With our current acreage of oak, this would create an approximate 100-year rotation with a spectrum of age classes from 1 year old to the 200–300 year old trees left in designated old growth stands. Mr. John Geissler is the Saint John’s Abbey land manager and director of Saint John’s Outdoor University.

Land Stewardship Volunteer Opportunities Join us in late April and early May 2018 as we plant 500 trees and shrubs for “Wild Orchard” planting north of the Saint John’s Abbey Solar Farm. Those interested in contributing time, talent, or treasure to this or other land stewardship adventures that will benefit the present and future abbey arboretum should contact Mr. John Geissler. Phone: 320.363.3126; email: jgeissler001@csbsju.edu; online: https://www.csbsju.edu/outdooru/getinvolved/volunteer. For most jobs, experience is not required, but enthusiasm and an interest in the environment definitely are!

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Saint John’s Farming Operation Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.

onks guided by the Rule of Benedict anchor their community life in the stability of a unique geographical location (stabilitas loci). Coupled with stability of heart (stabilitas cordis), of loyalty to their particular community, these vowed promises imply a special interrelationship between monastic members and the resources of the land they settle. Saint Benedict clearly expected the community to become locally self-sufficient in supplying its own food and material needs: “The monastery should, if possible, be so constructed that within it all necessities, such as water, mill, and garden are contained, and the various crafts are practiced” (RB 66.6). During its first half century, Saint John’s Abbey almost lived up to this self-sufficient ideal. The history of the earliest days of monastic resettlement in central Minnesota fails to give us a clear picture of how such selfsufficiency was coming together. But by the mid-1860s, when monks arrived at what is today Collegeville and its environs, we discern the outlines of a unique human ecology and the dawning of a “sense of place.” In a 2008 research paper, “‘If It Can Be Done . . .’: St. John’s Abbey and Agricultural SelfSufficiency from 1857–1954,” Saint John’s University alumnus Andrew T. Brever explored

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Abbey archives

Saint John’s Holsteins, considered one of the best herds in Minnesota, c. 1950

the abbey’s farming operation. Apparently grasshopper swarms were only one of the early obstacles. “Because of pestilences, weather, and a lack of agricultural infrastructure, Saint John’s Abbey could not survive on its own production in its first several decades of existence.” Nevertheless, the burgeoning Collegeville farming operation eventually boasted agriculture, arboriculture, animal husbandry, and even a fishery on Stumpf Lake replete with trout hatchlings. At its peak, the cultivated land stretched to about 250 acres. In the earlier days of the twentieth century the crops were primarily oats, barley, and rye, but after 1930 these were largely supplanted by corn and alfalfa. Potatoes were harvested in abundance and stored in a large root cellar. A good year would see about 6,000 bushels. The truck farm, beginning in the 1870s, yielded

melons, cabbage—sauerkraut was especially popular with the German monks!—carrots, onions, lettuce, and celery. The animals needed fodder, and, at its maximum, pasture spanned about 130 acres. Before tractors came on the scene, horses, mules, and oxen were draft animals. Domestic herds included dairy cows and beef cattle, chickens, and hogs. Pigs especially flourished during the First World War when pens became larger and pork production intensified. Chickens, of course, laid eggs, with some of the past-prime hens ending up on the dinner table. Dairy cows —numbering about 150—were Holsteins with good blood lines, and the Saint John’s herd was considered one of the best in Minnesota. Agricultural produce and processed meat fed both monks and students, and milk was abundant for the enjoyment

of all. Beef cattle numbered about 150 at one point. Cows and beef cattle were regularly fattened and processed for meat consumption. The laborintensive practice of collecting ice from Lake Sagatagan in winter and storing it for use year round for meat preservation might rekindle memories of the “ice box.” The smokehouse, built in 1878 to preserve meat, especially as sausage, is a brick structure still standing adjacent to the former butcher shop. In the days before Sexton Commons and Brother Willie’s Pub, some alumni (1980s) may recall that the old butcher shop was transformed into a campus pub. Wizened Brother Ansgar Niess (1891–1981), who oversaw the entire meat processing operation, probably never envisioned his slaughterhouse as a venue for suds and pizza!

Mr. Brever asserts that “agriculturally . . . Benedictine monasteries traditionally are proving grounds for experimental research,” and in line with the desires of the enterprising second abbot, Alexius Edelbrock, “Saint John’s Abbey built a communal infrastructure around agricultural self-reliance.” Near the town of West Union, about forty miles northwest of Saint John’s, the abbey purchased 640 acres of farmland in 1880, staffing it with a handful of hearty monks. But our fourth abbot, Peter Engel, less enthusiastic about the venture, sold the property in 1901. A further example of experimental research included the legendary labors of Father John Katzner, O.S.B., and his famed Alpha Grape. Father John was duly lauded for this and a host of other horticultural innovations by appointment as

vice president of the Minnesota Horticultural Society beginning in 1907. In 1880 the abbey’s orchard spanned three acres, and the fruit yield was abundant, though apple harvests were sometimes curtailed due to pilfering by students. Nor were beer and wine production lacking. As Mr. Brever recounts, “Minnesota agricultural ledgers from 1880 show barley and hops production along with a reported three hundred gallons of wine produced in 1879. The monastic community reportedly received for lunch two pieces of ‘black’ bread and a quart of beer.” It is difficult to say how many monks were involved in the farm operation over the years. Most were brother monks like Brother Ansgar (butcher shop)

Difficult as it may be to imagine today, barns, silos, stables, machine sheds—in lieu of dormitories, academic buildings, and athletic facilities —once dominated the campus. Storage was in a large root cellar underneath the current dining services area, and a pasteurization plant for milk cows was also part of the landscape. Cletus Weckwirth, O.S.B.

Building Saint John’s third barn, October 1927. The cyclone of 1894 destroyed the first barn; fire in August 1927 claimed the second barn.

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Abbey archives

Saint John’s happy hens, undated

and Brother Willie Borgerding (1916–2009; milking cows), but even clerics (priest candidates) were regularly assigned to farming duties. Saint Joe Hall served as a bunkhouse for a number of lay employees, many from local farms, who worked alongside the monks. Lay employee George Klein served as supervisor of field operations, 1937–1943. The abbey strove to maintain amicable farming relationships with its neighbors, and even tuition for the university was sometimes paid in cows, pigs, and horses! A cohort of German Franciscan sisters helped to convert farm produce into comestibles for Saint John’s dining services for many years. In the 1940s farming operations at Saint John’s were winding down. Farm outlays became prohibitively expensive after

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World War II. Rising labor costs and more efficient transportation of goods, especially trucks, affected the bottom line during the 1950s. Even earlier, at the time of the Great Depression, prices for milk pasteurization were becoming too high, and in subsequent years feed requirements for the animals, along with the mass production of meat and produce on the market, were making Saint John’s selfsufficiency too costly. An aging population of farm monks in the 1950s added to the mix, and younger monks’ interest, energy, and resource investment in farming was shifting instead to education. The sale of a hundred registered Holstein dairy cows in 1958 marked the end of an epoch. Barns and silos disappeared, replaced with dormitories as college and high school enrollment increased.

Abbey archives

West Union dairy herd, c. 1889

Although Saint John’s farming operation never yielded total self-reliance as urged by Saint Benedict, that ideal was always a motivating goal. And that worthy ideal was never entirely extinguished. The faithful remnant of our orchard, still tended by monks, continues to yield apples. And we till the garden—north of the abbey cemetery—which, through efficient oversight of a cadre of diligent, green-thumbed monks, now supplies a variety of fresh vegetables for our table in due season. Brother Aaron Raverty, O.S.B., a member of the Abbey Banner editorial staff, is the author of Refuge in Crestone: A Sanctuary for Interreligious Dialogue (Lexington Books, 2014).

Abbey archives

Father John Katzner and his Alpa Grapes as depicted in a Saint John’s postcard postmarked 1919

Father John Katzner, O.S.B. (1850–1930), came to Saint John’s in the early 1870s and taught string, wind, and percussion instruments at the college for three decades. When a physician ordered him to spend more time outdoors, he turned full-time to horticulture. He raised seedlings in his monastery room with a southern exposure, grafted the first fruit trees in Stearns County, and experimented with some two hundred varieties of apples, sixty varieties of plums, forty varieties of pears, thirty-five varieties of grapes, and ten varieties of cherries. He also superintended Saint John’s grounds from 1908 to 1924. Father John collected and catalogued seeds from all over the world, introduced hearty upstate New York apples to Minnesota, and created a hybrid called the “Alpha Grape,” combining a Saint John’s wild grape with a Concord variety. A stand of those original grapes still grows on the pergola in the monastic gardens. “The alpha is ripe and ready for the table the first week in September,” he wrote, “but if left on the vine till the end of this month, it will become perfectly sweet with just a little vinous taste. This is something of real value, the more so as the vine, when well established, will stand a cold of forty degrees below zero without any protection.” Ever the optimist, contesting winter to the end, he was experimenting with raising peaches when he died in 1930. Excerpted from The Nature of Saint John’s, edited by Larry Haeg with Jennifer Kutter. Collegeville: Saint John’s University Press 2015, pages 150–151.

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West Union Title of Article to during vacations who built the house.” By 1884 the priory farm was in full operation. That year 2,200 bushels of wheat, 3,000 bushels of oats, and 250 tons of hay were harvested, and the four monks assigned to the priory along with their hired help were feeding 128 head of cattle.

M. J. Nelson

bbot Alexius Edelbrock, O.S.B., second abbot of Saint John’s Abbey (1875–1889), established a farm in Todd County, forty miles northwest of Collegeville. The site chosen for this priory was near the village of West Union. The purpose of the farm was to produce cereals, vegetables, and cows for the abbey. Abbot Alexius felt the monastery should be totally self-supporting and, as the land around the monastery is not very productive, he purchased a section (640 acres) in a more fertile area. These holdings eventually grew to about a thousand acres. According to Father Colman Barry, O.S.B., who wrote Saint John’s centenary history, Worship and Work, Abbot Alexius established the farm priory because he had seen how land was confiscated from monasteries in Europe. If such anti-Catholic movements as the Nativists or the Know Nothings were to spring up in Minnesota, Abbot Alexius imagined that his monks would have a refuge in West Union. Thus, in 1881, a large brick priory (house) was erected on the farm and named Saint Alexius Priory. Abbey archivist Father Christopher Bayer, O.S.B., notes: “The bricks used in this priory were made in the brickyard here at Saint John’s and hauled to West Union by cart. This was a long and tiresome process for the fathers, brothers, and those students who had no homes to go

Blacksmith shop, Saint Alexius Priory, 1892. Transierunt = “from bad to better”

Harvesting oats, 1889

There were considerable misgivings about the farming operation, however. According to an account by Father Ildephonse Molitor, O.S.B. (1850–1933), “The first prior did not relish the job nor did any of his successors, for none considered themselves either called or qualified to preside over a stock and supply farm. The same may be said of the brothers—none of them had ever seen a large farm or stock raising establishment.” About 1900 the accountants at Saint John’s apparently took a long look at the operation of the West Union Priory and decided the abbey was better off rid of this money loser. So in 1901 the property and the buildings were sold, and the monastery was abandoned. Father Colman suggested that by giving up the farming operation, Saint John’s lost a significant opportunity to develop an agricultural school at the priory which would have served farmers in the area.

The West Union farm, 1889

Saint Alexius Priory, West Union

This story is excerpted from “This Is the Farm the Abbot Built,” published on April 29, 1973, in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and reprinted in Saint John’s Magazine (volume 12, number 4, Spring 1973). Photos: Abbey archives

Confidence through Community Patty Weishaar

know Benedictines! I did my undergraduate work at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. I loved the Benedictine ethos of my college years, with sisters and monks as my teachers and mentors. I began my graduate studies at Saint John’s School of Theology in August 1987, knowing that I wanted this smaller place, not the craze of big cities where other graduate programs in theology seemed to be. I came to Saint John’s knowing that the routine of a place helps to sustain me. I quickly learned the importance of monastic prayer in my daily routine. I learned that if I did not get up and go to Morning Prayer, I could waste a whole morning. And as Morning Prayer started my day, so Evening Prayer began to frame the end of my day. In coming and going to prayer, I met people. I learned how to ask good questions in short walks. I learned who I was in the midst of this place. I brought my graduate school worries and woes to prayer, and found solace and support. After completing my graduate degree, I moved to Kansas City. But I kept in close touch with my classmates and friends here, and always felt a warm welcome on return visits to Saint John’s. I came to trust who I am from my time in this place and have confidence in the connections with

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ule of Benedict

the school and monastic communities here.

Christmas: An Everyday Feast Eric Hollas, O.S.B.

In summer 1990 I returned to Collegeville to begin summer work for the School of Theology and Seminary— that turned into fulltime work in 1992. Now, as I approach year 29 at Saint John’s, I like to say: “It’s starting to feel like home!” It is the prayer life of Saint John’s, the witness to Jesus Aidan Putnam, Christ, the brave and bold Being here with Benedictines opportunities has changed my heart. that are embraced with careful thought and consideration, and I know Benedictines! In the the genuine care for individual witness of the Benedictines, I people that show me how comknow how right it is to “prefer munity life can work. Being here nothing whatever to Christ. And with Benedictines has changed may he bring us all together to my heart and healed a family life everlasting!” (Rule 72.11dynamic. It has inspired and 12). fostered a love for music and art and care for the land and civic engagement, and shown me the Ms. Patty Weishaar is the director world. I have confidence in what of student services and faculty support at Saint John’s School of community can do because of Theology and Seminary. Benedictines, those nearby and those around the world. O.S.B.

The life of a monk ought to have about it at all times the character of a Lenten observance. Rule 49.1

o wrote Saint Benedict, thereby setting a strikingly monochromatic tone for life in the monastery. All days have an element of penance and self-denial. All days have some added discipline. Gray is the daily liturgical color, and life seems to be a constant passage through the proverbial vale of tears. So I’m left wondering: What happened to Christmas?

as the practices outlined in medieval monastic customaries amply indicate. By the eleventh century, Christmas and other major feasts punctuated the calendar, and the festal days came with changes in schedule and expanded menus in the refectory. The feasting became quite tangible, and Christmas fared well in the new dispensation.

Saint Benedict lived on the eve of a critical transition in the liturgical practice of Western monasticism. Whatever Christians may have done elsewhere, the celebration of great feasts in the monastery was not yet what it was to become. Saint Gregory the Great tells of an instance when a visitor called on Benedict in his cave, only to discover that the holy man had no idea it was the Easter season. Not surprisingly then, Benedict may have made provision for the observance of Lent, but there was nothing about the celebration of Christmas. Nor did he note the passage of other feasts, save that they should follow the pattern of the Sunday horarium if they happen to fall on a weekday.

So how do we monks of Saint John’s Abbey celebrate Christmas? For one thing, the lights on the decorated trees contrast with the darkness of one of the shortest days of the year. The Christmas Eve liturgy is solemn, and the Christmas Day feast in

In succeeding centuries monks more than made up for this,

the refectory is distinctive, both for its seasonal fare and ritual. It is a joyful yet strenuous regimen, and more than a few of us close the feast with a nap. Certainly Benedict did not legislate for this, but there’s another point to consider. Benedict may have characterized the life of a monk as a Lenten observance, but it is a way of life that makes vivid the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God. At every turn monks should see the face of Christ—in the abbot, in the novice, in the sick or elderly, and perhaps most of all, in the guest. Perhaps for this reason Benedict did not see the need to restrict the celebration of the incarnation to one particular day. In fact, in the monastery we should strive to celebrate that feast every day. Father Eric Hollas, O.S.B., is deputy to the president for advancement at Saint John’s University.

Aidan Putnam, O.S.B.

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The Wisdom We Seek Lauren L. Murphy

aint Benedict knew that wisdom comes from many places. In chapter 3 of his Rule, “Summoning the Brothers for Counsel,” he notes that the young monastics might have a revelation from God that the community needs to hear. In chapter 73, he acknowledges that monks should turn to the Scriptures and to the writings of other holy, respected authors for guidance. The abbot holds the place of Christ in the monastery and, therefore, should lead a good life and teach wisdom. At Liturgical Press, we strive to carry forward Saint Benedict’s search for wisdom in the books we publish. This year, we have a plethora of sources for wisdom. In Is This All There Is? On Resurrection and Eternal Life, Gerhard Lohfink, one of the foremost biblical scholars of our day, provides the fruit of a lifetime of deep theological reflection. He offers readers a profound experience of faith and hope as he writes about the ultimate questions that each of us will encounter. One reviewer notes that the author “leads us through all the imaginable possibilities of what happens to us when we die and then moves to a most profound description of what our faith teaches us. This is a book that must be read at least twice.” Father Lohfink engages questions of life, death, and resurrection with grace and humility. He has consulted the

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wise sources on these topics and has distilled that wisdom to guide his own life and ours. Sister Irene Nowell, O.S.B., another renowned biblical scholar, reflects on what it means to live a holy life in Wisdom: The Good Life. She draws on Wisdom literature and the Rule of Benedict to guide readers on a journey toward wisdom, encouraging us to embody wisdom in our daily lives. Kathleen Norris asserts: “The topic of wisdom is

uniquely suited to Irene Nowell. She has lived for years under St. Benedict’s Rule, which is a kind of Wisdom literature, as it insists that the holy is to be found in our everyday experiences and everyday encounters with other people. [Sister Irene] is also a Hebrew scholar and brings a treasure house of biblical knowledge to bear on the subject of what it means to be wise and to seek the wisdom that allows us to live a richer, more holy, and more loving life.”

Frank Kacmarcik, Obl.S.B.

Another wise Benedictine voice is that of Sister Aquinata Böckmann. In From the Tools of Good Works to the Heart of Humility, the latest volume of her exegetical commentary, she explores chapters 4– 7 of the Rule of Saint Benedict. These chapters contain Benedict’s instruction on how to learn and live the spiritual art of monastic life that is focused on Christ. She studies the Rule closely, pursuing questions about living in community, obedience and Christ, communal silence, and humility’s ability to deepen and enrich love. Sister Aquinata weaves together Benedict’s wisdom and today’s challenges to show the crucial spiritual elements of his Rule. “Her emphasis,” says one reviewer, “on the personal challenges and pastoral implications which these texts examine when correctly interpreted in the light of today’s social, political, and ethical questions confirms the continuing relevance of the Rule of Saint Benedict in the twentyfirst century.” Spirituality: An Art of Living was born out of a generous impulse: to pass on lessons from the monastic tradition to lay people so as to help them achieve a more ardent and fulfilling spiritual life. In this book, Benedictine monk, teacher, and scholar Benoît Standaert uses the alphabet as a system of communication. The reader engages ninety-nine topics— from abba to humility, from

listening to time—in alphabetical order, mastering a solid set of spiritual practices that inspire a greater union with the divine. This is a delightful book for all spiritual seekers to sit with and enjoy again and again. One reviewer lauds the work: “This longtime monk’s ‘Alphabet of Spiritual Practices,’ welcomes us to the table with saints, desert fathers, ancient rabbis, Zen masters, and Hindu wise men. I have not been so delighted with a conversation in years, nor learned so much from a single book.” Other Liturgical Press titles that might be of interest to those seeking wisdom include: A Course in Christian Mysticism by Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O., edited by Jon M. Sweeney. Pages, 256. Benedict Backwards: Reading the Rule in the Twenty-First Century by Terrence G. Kardong, O.S.B. Pages, 142.

A Not-So Unexciting Life: Essays on Benedictine History and Spirituality in Honor of Michael Casey, O.C.S.O., edited by Carmel Posa, S.G.S. Pages, 442. The Old English Rule of Saint Benedict with Related Old English Texts by Saint Æthelwold of Winchester, translated and introduced by Jacob Riyeff. Pages, 200. We seek wisdom in many places throughout our lives. At Liturgical Press, we hope the books we publish will help our readers find a bit of quiet, a bit of wisdom, in the noise of this world. Ms. Lauren L. Murphy served as managing editor for the academic and monastic department at Liturgical Press. She is now a freelance copy editor, working from home with her pets and a cup of tea. She can be found at murphyedits.com.

Is This All There Is? On Resurrection and Eternal Life by Gerhard Lohfink, translated by Linda M. Maloney. Pages, 314. Available in January 2018. Wisdom: The Good Life: Wisdom Literature and the Rule of Benedict by Irene Nowell, O.S.B. Pages, 104. From the Tools of Good Works to the Heart of Humility by Aquinata Böckmann, O.S.B., translated by Marianne Burkhard, O.S.B., and Andrea Westkamp, O.S.B. Pages, 272. Spirituality: An Art of Living: A Monk’s Alphabet of Spiritual Practices by Benoît Standaert, O.S.B., translated by Rudolf Van Puymbroeck. Pages, 432. Available in January 2018. Find these and other titles at Liturgical Press online: http://www.litpress. org; or by calling 1.800.858.5450.

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Meet a Monk: Eric Pohlman station, delivering the Order of the Week drafts to the liturgy director’s mailbox, subbing for the sacristans, joining a committee meeting, or otherwise serving the abbey’s inner workings.

Abbey archives

Timothy Backous, O.S.B.

hough silence is a cherished Benedictine value, monasteries, ironically, can be noisy places—and Saint John’s is no exception. Because of our red brick hallways, the sound of a utility cart in transit can seem more like a freight train. Nevertheless, as in any large household, these noises are an inescapable necessity. One monk who can smile at the irony, knowing that tolerance of such activity is part of the “love for the faithful ones who dwell in your land” (Psalm 16:3), is Brother Eric Pohlman, O.S.B. Brother Eric is a man of many talents, and one of them is getting the job done. It is not unusual to find him running across campus toward the fire

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Born 15 September 1981 to Janice and Charlie Pohlman, Eric was the first of four children. Two brothers and a sister would round out a family of six who made their home near Delphos, Ohio. The story of his education is one rarely heard about anymore: Eric spent kindergarten through high school at one location, Saint John the Evangelist Parish in Delphos. This fact prompted his observation: “I’ve been cheering for ‘Saint John’s’ my whole life!” Eric first encountered religious life through the Sisters of Notre Dame (Toledo Province) on the

Terrible twos: Eric (right) and cousin Craig

staff of his parochial school. His interest was further piqued when he attended the University of Dayton and witnessed the Marianist brothers and fathers ministering there. Soon after receiving his bachelor of arts degree, the call to religious life drew him to Saint Procopius Abbey in suburban Chicago. He spent two and a half years with that community, leaving after discerning he was not ready to make a lifetime commitment. After some time in the workforce, he enrolled at The Ohio State University and earned a second bachelor’s degree as a construction management major. On a bitterly cold, if not dark and stormy night in January 2008, Eric made his first visit to Collegeville, accompanied by his aunt Mary Pohlman. He recalls, “I had done my homework: vocation director Brother Paul-

Pohlman archives

Vincent likes to say that it was unclear who was giving whom the campus tour that first visit.” Despite the below-zero temperatures, Eric felt he had found a home. “Aunt Mary is an avid skier and encouraged me to learn to love winter; we started by walking straight across the ice to visit the Stella Maris Chapel!” Since moving to Collegeville in 2010, Brother Eric has served Saint John’s Abbey in a variety of jobs. Most have “assistant” in the title, in keeping with his motto: “I may prefer back stage to on stage, but I still like to be part of the show!” He made his simple profession of vows in 2011 and solemn profession in 2015. Currently he is a Saint John’s University faculty resident in Saint Thomas Hall, a driver and pump operator for the Saint John’s Fire Department —yes, monks still work as firefighters!—and more recently became Abbot John’s secretary. This last job requires organizational skills, especially in scheduling, and includes enough “other duties as assigned” to bring light-headedness to the timid. When asked what it is like to be the abbot’s secretary, Eric’s response is a smile and “no comment.” This indicates the degree of confidentiality expected from the holder of this position, which makes HIPAA privacy rules look amateurish! There is one more job title in Brother Eric’s curriculum vitae, one he treasures as much as

being a Benedictine, and that is “uncle.” His Facebook page reveals an array of smiling, happy occasions with his nephews. His sister Trina and her husband Logan Gross have one son, Lute; while his brother Brian and wife Nicole have three boys: Grant, Jase, and Reid. Their other brother Jeff and wife Nikki, newly wed this fall, will be tasked with restoring the gender balance with a few nieces. Eric reflects: “I came to monastic life because of an attraction to the vow of stability. The many examples of love and perseverance given by both the married and single members of my immediate and extended families continue to sustain me.” Because of dormitory duties, fire calls, and abbatial assistance, one would think that Brother Eric would have no time for any hobbies at all. Yet he enjoys cycling on the Lake Wobegon Trail, especially through what the founding monks called the Schoenthal, the “beautiful valley.” He also likes to dabble in genealogy exploration, an interest that has led to some fascinating insights into his family history. Regarding his surname, he shared: “We pronounce the first syllable ‘pole,’ but the root word is actually ‘pool.’ The surname dictionary has, ‘North German: topographic name for someone who lived by a muddy pool.’” This could very

Firemonk Eric

John Brudney, O.S.B.

well explain his most surprising hobby: scuba diving! On many summer Saturdays, Eric slips away to the Minnesota School of Diving in Brainerd. He and other divers then proceed to the flooded mine pits on the Cuyuna Iron Range. While never to be mistaken for the Caribbean, the underwater visibility there is probably better than the muddy pool of his distant forebears! Life at Saint John’s has been good for Brother Eric Pohlman, and he joins the psalmist in declaring, “The lot marked out for me is my delight; welcome indeed the heritage that falls to me!” (Psalm 16:6).

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Lives of the Benedictine Saints Mechtilde of Hackeborn

visitors confirm the significant influence of Mechtilde.

Stefanie Weisgram, O.S.B.

An example for us today—lest we think Mechtilde of Hackeborn is beyond belief—is her teaching how the soul can attain to God. She said we should consecrate our bodily senses. Christ had told her to seek him with her five senses. Just as a host looks out the window or door to see if a dear friend is coming, we should always look for Christ because our senses are the windows of the spirit. If we see beautiful or lovable things in nature, we should think of how beautiful and lovable is the one who made them. If we hear music or speech that truly moves us, we should remind ourselves of how beautiful it will be to hear the voice of Christ calling us when our time is near. When we hear a conversation or something being read aloud, we should seek our Beloved within it. This takes work, but it is worth the effort.

aint Mechtilde of Hackeborn (c. 1241–1298) was an amazing monastic woman of the thirteenth century. When she was just seven years old her mother took her to visit her sister Gertrude in the monastery where Gertrude later became the abbess. Mechtilde was so taken by the place that she begged each sister to allow her to stay. After much begging, she was allowed to remain and attend the convent school. Later, as a religious, she became a teacher at the school. Because of her rich voice, for forty years Mechtilde led the chanting of the nuns, intoned the psalms, and supervised the choir. For this she was later referred to as the “Nightingale of Christ.” Considered from a twenty-firstcentury perspective, saints of earlier times often seem extreme in their holiness and humility. Mechtilde certainly fits that description! Even her sister Gertrude found her profoundly humble. She was constantly at the service of everyone in her community. Gertrude commented that it was as if God wanted all of Mechtilde’s gifts to be noticed. Mechtilde had a great intellect, a gift for writing, natural charm, and extraordinary holiness. At the same time, she was always very much one of the sisters. Although strict with herself, she was never severe with others.

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Welcome Library, London. Welcome Images.

From a very early age Mechtilde had a special relationship with God, and throughout her life enjoyed visions, even taking Christ’s hand in hers to bless her community. Much to Mechtilde’s dismay, Gertrude and another sister wrote down much of what they learned from her (Liber Specialis Gratiae: The Book of Special Grace). They believed what she received was for all of them as well as for those who came after them.

When Mechtilde complained to Christ about the book, he told her it was committed to writing by God’s will and inspiration. Christ had been generous with his graces to her, and she should be generous in sharing these graces with others. From then on, she regarded the text more as a book about someone else. Soon local people as well as people from great distances came to her seeking advice. Given the unsettled times, these many

In her last years Mechtilde suffered many illnesses, but still she was hard on herself. Her clothes were worn, patched, and fewer than the other sisters’ clothes. She found it difficult to

be waited on when she needed help, was afraid of death, and became indignant at seeing illtempered behavior—all these traits remind us that even with all her gifts, Mechtilde was still a member of the human race. Saint Mechtilde’s life was permeated with devotion to the Sacred Heart, which she understood to be a magnificent dwelling. Within this mansion she saw four beautiful young women: humility, patience, sweetness, and charity. Once, when she entered the mansion, she saw a great cross engraved on the floor. While laying herself on the image, she felt a golden dart from the center of the cross pierce her. When she was suffering in her painful illnesses, Mechtilde would take shelter in this heart of Christ. This is when she learned that we may knock three times at the Sacred Heart as the gate of heaven: by praising the power of the Father, the wisdom of the Son, and the goodness of the Holy Spirit. Mechtilde’s example gives new meaning to making the sign of the cross— discouraging us from allowing it to become a half-empty gesture.

The Liturgy of the Hours and the Eucharist are at the root of Saint Mechtilde of Hackeborn’s spiritual experience. In letting herself be guided by sacred Scripture and nourished by the bread of the Eucharist, she followed a path of close union with the Lord, ever in full fidelity to the Church. This is a strong invitation to us to intensify our friendship with the Lord, especially through daily prayer and attentive, faithful, and active participation in holy Mass. The liturgy is a great school of spirituality. Pope Benedict XVI, 29 September 2010

Mechtilde greatly admired Saint Agnes, a young martyr. Once on the feast day of Saint Agnes, Mechtilde lamented that this young girl loved and suffered so generously while she herself, after being in religious life for so many years, had accomplished so little. Christ then told Agnes to give what she had to Mechtilde. This opened Mechtilde to the realization that God has given the saints the ability to share their rewards with those who honor them and who thank God for what those saints have done. Saint Mechtilde of Hackeborn lived centuries before our time, and yet we know more about her inner life than we often do of our friends—and perhaps even of ourselves, if we do not stop and think about our own inner experiences. We can learn from Mechtilde even though we might not sing like a nightingale or have visions. We can learn from her to use our senses and praise God. We can honor the saints in heaven. We can be willing to help the needy—both those around us and those distant from us. We can even try to be good-humored when we would rather not. Despite her remarkable visions, Mechtilde was a very human person. Saint Mechtilde of Hackeborn, pray for us! Sister Stefanie Weisgram, O.S.B., was the collection development librarian at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University until her retirement in 2012.

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Title of Article

Fintan Bromenshenkel fect, a hockey and B-team football coach, and sponsor of the prep radio club. Any spare time was dedicated to summer or weekend pastoral assistance in local parishes.

Abbey archives

The Saint John’s Bible Gallery. In 1998 Saint John’s Abbey and University commissioned calligrapher Donald Jackson, senior scribe to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Crown Office, to produce a handwritten, illuminated Bible. Assisted by a team of scribes, artists, and theologians, Mr. Jackson completed the project in 2011. On 5 October 2017 this work of faith and art was given a permanent home with the dedication and blessing of The Saint John’s Bible Gallery in Alcuin Library. The wooden screen at the entry to the gallery was crafted in the Saint John’s Abbey Woodworking Shop. Mr. Gregory Friesen designed the gallery; Mr. Tim Ternes designed the display cases. Rotating exhibitions of the Bible will feature 28 original folios at a time. Photos: Wayne Torborg, Hill Museum & Manuscript Library

orn in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, on 23 October 1918, Father Fintan Bromenshenkel, O.S.B., was the fifth of nine children of Alex and Theresa (Unger) Bromenshenkel. In 1933 he moved from the family dairy farm to Saint John’s Preparatory School, where, after class, he helped to reforest abbey lands. Two years after enrolling at Saint John’s University, he entered Saint John’s Abbey as a novice, professing his first vows as a Benedictine monk on 11 July 1940. He completed his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and then began theological studies leading to ordination to the priesthood in 1945. Father Fintan was a hard worker throughout his entire life. Immediately after ordination, he returned to the prep school where he was a full-time teacher of mathematics, physics, and religion. He also served as a pre-

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After completing a master’s degree in mathematics at the University of Notre Dame in 1958, Fintan began decades of service at Saint John’s University. He taught in the mathematics department and pioneered the computer science program. For two years he served as the college hockey coach. “The record of those years of coaching,” he humbly acknowledged, “was not such as to suggest induction into the Hall of Fame!” He also found time, nearly every day for most of the year, to split wood. In 1963 Father Fintan became the first director and program analyst of the newly created Saint John’s computing center, serving until 1990. Working initially with an I.B.M. 1620 computer, he used the machine as a teaching aid and as an administrative tool for the university admission and registrar’s offices, for Liturgical Press, and for the billing and payroll in Saint John’s business office.

In the summer of 1990 Fintan embarked on the first phase of his retirement career by volunteering as a missionary at Saint Augustine’s Monastery in Nassau, The Bahamas, where he joined his older brother, Father Silvan, and the small Benedictine community. Sixteen years later, Fintan returned to Saint John’s to begin the second phase of his retirement career: summer gardening, winter snow shoveling, and especially splitting wood. Well into his 90s, armed with a huge splitting maul, he would venture past the prep school and split whatever wood the abbey arboretum staff could find for him—including trees he had planted while in the prep school. “What I did all last winter,” he recalled with a chuckle, “could have been done in a week with a machine. It took me eight months!” Frugal and faithful, calm and stable, a kindly presence throughout his monastic life, Father Fintan died peacefully on 13 September 2017, days after the community gathered to celebrate the anointing of the sick for our most senior monk. Following the Mass of Christian Burial on 19 September, Fintan was laid to rest in the abbey cemetery.

Some of Father Fintan’s wood-splitting exercises have been more dramatic than others. Once, while walking back to the monastery from his woodpiles near the prep school, he neglected to cover his splitting maul. Alarmed at the sight of this white-haired, wizened old man in coveralls carrying a huge ax, “Somebody called Life Safety Services, and I got arrested!” No, not really arrested, he admits; but the officer did give him a talking-to about keeping his splitter covered.

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kiln firing

Fire and Clay 2017

Abbey Chronicle

Photos: Nate Jorgensen

or those who missed the dog days of August, September delivered plenty of hot, humid weather in central Minnesota. The most uncomfortable day of “summer” was actually the autumn equinox, with a dew point of 78 degrees and a high of 89 degrees on 22 September. No one was complaining, however, as we heard of the devastation in Texas (Hurricane Harvey), Florida (Hurricane Irma), and Puerto Rico (Hurricane Maria). October began with a steady rain—more than the average rainfall for the whole month in just three days. Collegeville recorded its first frost of the season on 10 October, followed by some delightfully pleasant Indian Summer days, with bright sun, and the big blue October sky. And the fall colors were spectacular! Lake Sagatagan froze on the eve of Thanksgiving, 22 November, but partially reopened a week later. Now we await the Light that brightens our darkness. Come, Lord Jesus!

Beginning with a lighting ceremony on 20 October, the Johanna Kiln, the largest wood-burning kiln in North America, was fired through 29 October. In preparation for this fourteenth firing of the Johanna Kiln, Saint John’s University artist-in-residence and master potter Richard Bresnahan, assisted by visiting artists, students, and volunteers, prepared local clay and glaze materials, and gathered Forest Stewardship Council certified firewood from the Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum. The event honored Mitsuo Kakutani, a potter, sculptor, and mentor who participated in the previous firings before his death on 24 May 2017.

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Robin Pierzina,

High humidity and too much labora are not a healthy combination for monk and beast alike.

September 2017 • The Benedictine Institute of Saint John’s University inaugurated a prayer service—Lectio in the Library—especially for lay members of the campus community. Each Monday morning from 8:30–9:15 in the Dietrich Reinhart Learning Commons, Brother Joseph Schneeweis leads attendees through this ancient practice of slow, contemplative reading of the Scriptures. Lectio divina is not Bible study but rather a form of prayerful reading and contemplation that is central to Benedictine life.

Two campus pollinators meet in the flowerbeds of the monastic gardens. Hundreds of American painted ladies (Vanessa virginiensis) competed with the local honey bees in their pursuit of nectar. Paul Jasmer, O.S.B.

O.S.B.

• The Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, addressed the campus community on 10 September in a reflection entitled “The Past as Prologue: The Reformation and the Future of Christian Dialogue.” “The search for the unity of the Church,” he noted, “is a service to all—and therefore a central dimension of the mission of the Church of Christ in this world.” He went on to explore how people can contribute to the hope of the world, asserting that the components of the ecumenical movement must be faith, hope, and love. “It cannot be for the sake of the academics or for the sake of church politics, but must serve the people and their need for different expressions of hope. This hope can only be grounded in the love of God which we receive through our faith.” A former resident scholar at the Collegeville Institute (1999), Rev. Tveit recalled that his time at Saint John’s was transformative: “My view of Roman Catholicism was changed forever, from viewing it as a monolithic structure, to

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seeing it in a more differentiated, hospitable, and human way.” • Abbot John Klassen offered the invocation at the dedication ceremony and formal naming of the Collegeville Post Office in honor of Eugene J. McCarthy— former Minnesota U.S. Senator, Saint John’s Preparatory School and University alumnus, and sometimes novice of Saint John’s Abbey. • Several confreres joined Abbot John at the V Encuentro/Diocesan Ministry Day for Latinos on 24 September. Entitled “Missionary Disciples: Witnesses of God’s Love,” this gathering brought together nearly fourhundred people, sixty percent of whom were Latino. The V

Encuentro (fifth encounter) is a national four-year process initiated by the bishops of the United States that calls all Catholic leaders to listen with profound attention to the needs, challenges, and aspirations of the growing Hispanic/Latino population. October 2017 • Beginning 18 October (and lasting until 31 December), the abbey is hosting its sixteenth controlled deer hunt since 1933. The goal of the archery hunt is to reduce the deer population to a level that allows for the natural regeneration of the forest ecosystem, essential to the longterm health of the forest and of the deer. The most recent win-

Robin Pierzina,

On 16 October Elias (Joseph) Eichorn [left] and Mariano (David) Franco Mendez began their formal discernment of a monastic vocation to Saint John’s Abbey. Elias, a native of Louisiana, had been a junior monk of Saint Joseph Abbey in Louisiana prior to coming to Collegeville for graduate studies in Saint John’s School of Theology. Mariano completed a novitiate year and two years as a junior monk at Abadía del Tepeyac, Mexico—founded by Saint John’s Abbey in 1946—and is now exploring the possibility of making Saint John’s his monastic home.

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ter aerial survey of the deer population in Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum found 11–16 deer per square mile, too high for the available habitat. Mr. John Geissler, abbey land manager, explained: “The diversity of the area’s wildflowers, herbs, and shrubs on the forest floor has been diminished by hungry deer, in addition to the significant browsing of tree species. This disruption of the ecological balance of the area directly affects the forest and the deer herd as well as the populations of other wildlife.” As of 21 November, twenty-five deer had been taken. November 2017 • Dozens of monks, campus colleagues, and friends gathered in the abbey cemetery on the feast of All Souls, 2 November, for a prayer service and time to remember the faithful departed. Earlier that morning, an altar of remembrance (ofrenda de los muertos) [opposite page, below] near the north entry to the monastery was blessed. Photos and memorabilia of deceased loved ones filled the space until Thanksgiving Day. During all prayer services throughout the month of November, the monks of Saint John’s Abbey remembered thousands of deceased loved ones whose names had been sent to the community by friends of Saint John’s. • Prior Bradley Jenniges hosted fourteen priors (monastic

superiors) from Benedictine monasteries across the U.S. for a priors’ workshop, 4–7 November. Among the speakers at the workshop were Sister Michaela Hedican, O.S.B., former prioress of Saint Benedict’s Monastery, and Abbot John. • Father William Skudlarek visited Ling Jiou Buddhist Monastery near Taipei, Taiwan, while taking part in a Christian– Buddhist colloquium entitled “Christians and Buddhists: Walking Together on the Path of Nonviolence.” Father William offered a short presentation on Thomas Merton’s contributions to Christian–Buddhist dialogue and to nonviolence. The gathering was the sixth colloquium sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

munity’s table was also blessed with a variety of fresh vegetables, including cucumbers (399 lbs), potatoes (317 lbs), salad greens (195 lbs), green and dried beans (189 lbs), zucchini (185 lbs), tomatillos (154 lbs), watermelon (116 lbs), cabbage (112 lbs), and asparagus (107 lbs). Before the squirrels could bury them, Brother Isidore Glyer [right] picked up 400 pounds of black walnuts that produced 145 pounds in the shell, from which he anticipates 18 pounds of edible nuts. The busy bees of the Collegeville apiary contributed a bumper crop of 394 pounds of honey. It was a good year! • Some 18,000 LED lights brightened the 30' artificial tree in Saint John’s Great Hall during

Robin Pierzina,

a lighting ceremony welcoming the Advent and Christmas seasons on 27 November.

• Saint John’s root cellars are overflowing this year, thanks to the abundant blessings by the Lord of the harvest. With plentiful rain and temperate weather—and high fences to discourage rapacious deer—the abbey garden yielded more than 8000 pounds of produce between May and November. Pride of place went to pounds of pumpkins (2430 lbs) that have been served at table, baked into pies, or carved into curious, if not scary, jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween. Squash (1757 lbs) took second-place honors in the tonnage totals. Tasty tantalizing tomatoes (1151 lbs) were a summer luncheon treat. The comRobin Pierzina,

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O.S.B.

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O.S.B.

Fifty Years Ago Excerpted from The Record, student newspaper of Saint John’s University: 13 October 1967

“A marvelous twentieth century adoption of the traditional Benedictine hospitality.” In this manner Donald Conway, director of development at Saint John’s, described the proposed summer camp for the underprivileged. Tentative plans call for 100 to 200 boys from all parts of the state to spend six to eight weeks on campus next summer. They would be able to enjoy the excellent recreational facilities and at the same time partake in stimulating academic endeavors. Mr. Conway cautioned that this “is not a gimmick to improve our image. We are trying to involve ourselves in community affairs. We can’t sit in an ivory tower and turn our backs on the social problems of our day.” 15 November 1967

The year-long dedication ceremonies of the new $2.5 million [Peter Engel] Science Center [below] were brought to a close with a symposium on “Science

Monks in the Kitchen and Society” on 3–4 November. Marcel Breuer, architect of the science center, presented “The Artist in a World of Science,” saying that science and art are growing closer together. The artist is losing some of the traditional activities to creative science, but gaining new ones from technology. During a question-answer forum following his presentation, one member of the audience posed the query, “Why do you use so much cold, cruel concrete in your buildings?” After a brief pause Mr. Breuer retorted, “I don’t feel that concrete is cold, nor do I feel the generating impression of the church cold.” He then explained that concrete has a vast number of possibilities in architecture because of its characteristic of taking the form of any mold into which it is poured. [Mr. Breuer’s presentation was marked] by the enthusiasm and optimism of his progressive architectural ideas. Excerpted from Confrere, newsletter of Saint John’s Abbey: 30 January 1968

Abbot Baldwin Dworschak’s message: The very heart of

Christianity is faith; all the exterior manifestations of our life depend on the vitality of this heart that animates us from within. (Some very curious thoughts went through my mind when I first read about heart transplants, and I recalled the psalm verse: “Create a new heart in me, O God.”) Faith is not just the acceptance of abstract truths, and even less is it a blind leap into something that cannot be understood by the light of reason. It is an adherence to the living God, founded on recognition of God’s love for us, and it grows accordingly as we respond more fully to God’s love. Pope John XXIII at the opening of the Vatican Council told the Fathers that one of their principal tasks would be to base their teaching on the doctrine of faith, while at the same time they should seek a language better adapted to spreading the faith in the modern world. The principal result of the use of language that is more relevant is to allow men and women to grasp all the grandeur of the love of God for us. God stands before us, not behind us checking our actions; God invites our friendship, not our fear; and God calls forth that free response whereby we give ourselves to God as a friend. God is very near to us—in the person of our neighbor.

University archives

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You say aubergine, I say eggplant . . . Ælred Senna, O.S.B.

everal years ago I was invited to visit a university professor’s First Year Seminar to speak on the history of Saint John’s, monastic life, and my own vocation in order to provide an introduction to the place these new first-year students were now calling home. I have gone back to Professor Carl Lindgren’s classes [right] annually ever since. Last year, after I shared my love of all things food, one student was bold enough to ask if I would make dinner for the class! Of course, I said, “Sure! Let’s do it.” This academic year we didn’t wait for a bold student. We just offered the dinner option, and let the students pick the menu. They chose a Lebanese/Middle Eastern menu, and it was a hit. The meal brought students together, offering them an opportunity to engage with each other outside of class, interact with a member of the Saint John’s monastic community, and experience food from a culture unfamiliar to most of them. Needless to say, they devoured everything—but I had made way too much imam bayildi. It is a dish common across the Middle East, but which, I believe, originated in Turkey. Those leftovers, too, were devoured, but at a choir rehearsal later in the week as a snack with pita.

Imam Bayildi (Serves 4-6) • 2 medium eggplants • Olive oil • 1½ c. diced onion • 1–2 cloves garlic, minced • 2 medium tomatoes or 1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained • ¼ cup chopped parsley • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint • Salt and pepper • 1 teaspoon sugar, or more to taste • 1 tablespoon lemon juice -Preheat oven to 350°F. -Peel stripes on the eggplants, remove the stem ends, and cut eggplants in half lengthwise. Score 3 lengthwise slits, cutting into the flesh about 1 inch deep. -Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant, cut side down, and fry gently, until dark golden-brown. Turn over and fry a couple more minutes. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain. -Sauté the onions in a little oil until starting to brown. Add the garlic, tomatoes, parsley, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook until it is a thick stew (almost no liquid remaining), about 20 minutes. Taste for sufficient salt and sugar. The mixture should be slightly sweet and quite flavorful. Stir in chopped mint. -Stuff the filling into the scored eggplants, piling extra on top. Arrange eggplants in a baking dish just large enough to hold them. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and drizzle with a little more olive oil. -Bake for 40 minutes or until thoroughly tender. -Serve warm, room temperature, or cold. Brother Ælred Senna, O.S.B., is associate editor of Give Us This Day and a faculty resident at Saint John’s University.

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In Memoriam

Doers of the Word

Please join the monastic community in prayerful remembrance of our deceased family members and friends: Fintan Bromenshenkel, O.S.B. Abbot Oscar Burnett, O.S.B. Augustine Campion, O.S.B. Kaela Sue Carlson Earl Christianson Michelle Mary “Shelly” Coborn William L. “Bill” Cofell, Obl.S.B. Raymond Dietlein, O.S.B. Alice Doll, O.S.F. Dennis R. Dullinger Mary Dulski, O.S.F. James “Jim” Ebacher Myles John “Buck” Elwell James J. “Jim” Engel Hazel E. Fecht Myron L. Felix Marge Finley Emerentia Fleischhaker, O.S.B. Jerald James “Jerry” Folta Mary Matthias Gangl, O.S.F. Mildred “Millie” Gearman James Arnett Halls Mary Elizabeth Hanson

Helen Hassler, O.S.F. Ray Hedlund Cordella Rose “Cordy” Heroux Ronald Hess Mariëtte Jennen Bertha Karels, O.S.B. Marian Kemper, O.S.B. Rev. Joseph Kieselbach, Obl.S.B. Imelda M. “Toots” Klocker Gladys Kobishop Thomas J. “Tom” Landwehr Mark F. Lohmann Valeria H. Luetmer Anthony Mancuso Melvin Edward “Ed” McGaa Ronald H. Menzhuber Richard G. “Dick” Muellerleile Mary M. Murphy Rudolph Novecosky, O.S.B. Colman O’Connell, O.S.B. Robert “Bob” Pfannenstein Morton “Mort” Phillips Richard Richmond, O.S.B. Ursula Robertson

Richard “Dick” Rudolph Jason David Ruprecht Scott Ruprecht Rembert A. “Bert” Sand Robert Stewart “Bob” Schanhaar, Obl.S.B. Mary Amy Schreiner, O.S.F. Marietta Haeg Schwartz Eileen Schwingle Ruth C. Shannon Corrine Shide Robert John “Bob” Sivertsen Frank P. Svihel Virginia R. Talafous Genevieve E. “Gen” Theismann Thomas D. “Tom” Thielman Wolfgang Thiem, O.S.B. Paul Edward Tix Bibiana “Bibi” Tristani William J. Weiler, Obl.S.B. James Weis Jr. John H. Wolf Jr. Susan Marie Zellmer

Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones. Psalm 116:15

A Monk’s Chronicle Father Eric Hollas, O.S.B., offers spiritual insights and glimpses into the life of the Benedictine community at Saint John’s Abbey in a weekly blog, A Monk’s Chronicle. Visit his blog at: monkschronicle.wordpress.com. Father Don’s Daily Reflection Father Don Talafous, O.S.B., prepares daily reflections on Scripture and living the life of a Christian that are available on the abbey’s website at: saintjohnsabbey.org/reflection/.

Timothy Backous, O.S.B. A pastor asked a member of his congregation, “What do you believe?” “Well, I believe the same as the Church.” “And what does the Church believe?” “Well, they believe the same as me.” Seeing he was getting nowhere, the pastor said, “And what is it that you both believe?” The man responded, “Well, I suppose the same thing.” People get away with this too often! Saying we are believers or patriots or anything else is too often accepted at face value. Those who are married know full well that actions of love speak much louder than words. Those who join a monastery know that a community does not sustain itself on words alone. Saying we love our country or our Church is easy to do. While it would be nice if we could take people at their word, when it comes to the most important commitments in our lives, there must be solid evidence to back up our words. The Gospels show us several moments during which Jesus insists that the work of God is believing in the one God sent. And yet, Jesus does not allow his disciples to pay lip service to the Gospel. Believing in the one God sent means doing what he did. Jesus suggests that those who say they believe will be tested. He makes no bones about the cost of discipleship. Many of those earliest followers had no idea they would pay with their lives to spread the Gospel. Yet, it was through their blood that the Church grew stronger and prospered.

Are we living the life we profess?

We are called to be a “living witness”: a life lived for others. Everything Jesus did was a constant demonstration of doing more than merely talking about the kingdom of God. Because he believed, he lived and died for it. As a consequence, his example set the bar high for those who dare to call themselves believers. Each day we are being asked if we are living the life we profess, or if we are content merely to mouth the words. There are enough believers in the world. We could use more doers. There needs to be more evidence that the values we embrace are seen, heard, and felt. Talk is cheap. Jesus preached some mighty fine sermons, but if he had stopped there, redemption would still be out of reach. Instead, he marched toward Jerusalem with conviction and determination, showing his followers what values look like when they are lived, not just professed. Pope Francis makes this clear in his exhortation: “First you pray for the hungry, and then you feed them. That’s how prayer works.” May our own values find such concrete reality every day.

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Winter 2017−18 Volume 17, Number 3

4 This Issue Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

16 Saint John’s Farming Operation Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.

30 The Saint John’s Bible Gallery

5 Ecumenical Roadmap Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

20 West Union M. J. Nelson

31 Obituary: Fintan Bromenshenkel

6 Storytellers All Mary Stommes

22 Confidence through Community Patty Weishaar

32 Fire and Clay 2017

8 Benedictine Volunteer Corps Nicholas Crowley

23 Rule of Benedict: Christmas: An Everyday Feast Eric Hollas, O.S.B.

10 Benedictine Dreamer Edwin Torres 12 Imagine William Skudlarek, O.S.B. 13 Poem: “Refugees” 14 Tending Oaks for 2258 John Geissler

24 The Wisdom We Seek Lauren L. Murphy 26 Meet a Monk: Eric Pohlman Timothy Backous, O.S.B. 28 Lives of the Benedictine Saints: Mechtilde of Hackeborn Stefanie Weisgram, O.S.B.

33 Abbey Chronicle Robin Pierzina, O.S.B. 36 Fifty Years Ago 37 Monks in the Kitchen: You say aubergine . . . Ælred Senna, O.S.B. 38 In Memoriam 39 Doers of the Word Timothy Backous, O.S.B.

Days of Reflection 1–2 February 2018: Callings in experience of loss and suffering 15–16 March 2018: Callings for and through others Presented by Kathleen Cahalan Each day of reflection begins at 3:30 P.M. on Thursday and concludes at 3:00 P.M. on Friday. Cost: Single room, $95; double room, $170; seminar conferences and meals included. Lenten Retreat 2–4 March 2018: Searching for God in Word and Music Presented by Father Bob Koopmann, O.S.B. The retreat begins with supper at 5:30 P.M. on Friday and concludes Sunday after lunch. Cost: Single room, $195; double room, $340 ($170 per person); conferences and meals included. Register online at abbeyguesthouse.org; call the Spiritual Life Office: 320.363.3929; or email us spirlife@osb.org.