FALL 2009
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KANSAS MONKS
columns
Features:
07 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . From the Desert 11 . . . . . . a
Grateful Response
A New Ministry . . . 4
Brother Jeremy Heppler has been ordained to the transitional diaconate. Priesthood is within sight.
liturgy & the life of the church
Faith 14 . . . . . . Clothed with God’s Will In Our Lives
16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Obl ates 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . in aWord c
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21 . . . Marked with the sign of Faith 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8 . . . . . . . . BE I NG P R E S E N T Chaplain Father Meinrad Miller shares the joy of the sacraments with Benedictine College students.
Abbey notes
Contributing writers: Abbot Barnabas Senecal “Not in the Wind but in the Gentle Breeze.” From the Abbot (3) - Abbey Notes (23)
Brother John Peto “A Christian is known by his happiness in the Lord!.” Oblates (16)
THE
last
BENEDICTINE . . . 17 Brother Aelred’s legacy of learning will live on in his beloved, adopted homeland, Panama.
Father Daniel McCarthy “The waters of baptism define us as Christians.” A Grateful Response (11)
Abbot Owen Purcell “It’s all a day at a time” Marked by a Sign of Faith (21)
Brother Leven Harton “The way of man is not in himself, it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” -Jeremiah 10:23 Clothed With Faith (14)
Brother Jeremy Heppler -
“Remember, your words are like the sparkler, you can brighten up the dark sky or you can burn someone.” In a Word (20)
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Publisher: Abbot Barnabas Senecal, O.S.B., bsenecal@kansasmonks.org Editor: Dan Madden, dmadden@kansasmonks.org Art Direction: J.D. Benning, jbenning@kansasmonks.org Photography: JD Benning (Cover Photo), Julie Mann, Alzbeta Volk Brother Jeremy Heppler Kansas Monks magazine is published by the Office of Development. For a free subscription: 913.360.7897, or development@kansasmonks.org.
From the Abbot
A celebration of the word in Cincinnati I boarded the train in the Cincinnati airport July 31 that would take me to my terminal for a departing flight to Kansas City. I had attended the “Formed by the Word” Conference, sponsored by the comprehensive worship publication, Celebration. During our two days in downtown Cincinnati, we, 150 conference participants, were in the midst of thousands who had come to the city for the Gospel Music Assembly. On the train with me in the airport was a gentleman wearing an Assembly T-shirt. I asked him, “How was the Assembly?” His immediate response was a thumb and fore finger slightly separated. “It was that far from heaven!” he said. I responded, “I’m a Catholic and I often envy you for your kind of worship.” He said, “Don’t envy us; JOIN us.” The train stopped. I smiled at him as I departed through the sliding doors. At our conference, we had really good music, led by two couples from Washington, Mo. Dan and Lucy Tobben have a son who graduated from our college. Dan has attended retreats at our abbey several times. Paige and Pat Shortal were the second couple; Paige led the singing and arranged the conference’s prayer services. We had very good speakers. Walter Brueggemann has written 58 books, many on Old Testament themes. Gabe Huck was the editor of Liturgical Training Publications in Chicago for 24 years. Rafael and Patricia Sanchez write the Scripture commentary for Celebration. Dominican Sister Jamie Phelps is a professor at Xavier University in New Orleans and head of the Institute for Black Catholic Studies of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Father Dan Groody, of the Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross, is head of the Institute for Latin American Studies at Notre Dame. John Allen is a commentator on the contemporary Church. One comes away from such a conference remembering small things that were said, and these resonate in the heart. Gabe Huck was impressed with an answer given him by a fellow named Sam who had participated in a parish Eucharist. Gabe asked Sam what had changed during the Mass. Sam’s quick response was, “Sam!” He also spoke about a defining theme of Vatican II documents on the Liturgy: There is to be no audience at the Eucharist. All are participants and have significant roles to perform. The Gospel Assembly participant on the train was “changed” by his singing with others, by being present in an assembly of singers who were “into” what they were doing. Dan Groody used a masterfully prepared power point presentation to talk about immigration as it is experienced in the United States and in many other parts of the world. He superbly defined principles and rationales. His empathy with the persons who emigrate, his awareness of their motives, and his application of Christian sensitivity to the broad discussion were masterful. He used photos in his presentation, original work of a California photographer who rode box cars, walked with migrants, and obviously shared their fears. I was “changed” when it was explained to the participants that Patricia Sanchez couldn’t attend because of illness. She had a kidney transplant three years ago and still endures times of difficulty. Rafael spoke of his great gratitude to their pastor in Hattiesburg, Miss., who had been the organ donor. I participated in the Conference by listening. I’m not one to go to the microphone and ask a question before an entire group. I let others
FALL 2009 do that. However, a week before the Conference, Pat Marrin, the editor of Celebration, asked me to do the closing prayer of the Conference. I agreed. Walter Brueggemann is a man of the Book, and as a United Church of Christ minister and a seminary professor he used that interest and expertise to talk about prophecy; one of his widely read books is entitled Prophetic Imagination. He claims that the responsibility of the prophet is to criticize and energize. There are images of prophets who call us to silence. So, I chose to use a song as part of the Sending Prayer, a song by Benedictine Sister Jane Klimisch, a member of Sacred Heart Monastery, Yankton, S.D. It is entitled Not In The Wind. It recalls the time when Elijah had retreated to a cave. From the cave entrance he listened for the Lord to speak. God’s voice wasn’t in the wind, nor the earthquake, but in the silence, the gentle breeze. Then I recalled 10 resonating expressions that we had heard from the various speakers, rather inviting the attendees to remember these and be “changed” by them. Prophetic Imagination is available A diocesan priest from the from Amazon.com for $17.10 Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, approached me at an afternoon break. “I don’t know how I got on the mailing list for Kansas Monks,” he said, “but when the issue comes, I sit down and read it cover to cover. I’ve never been associated with St. Benedict’s Abbey, and don’t know your people. But your magazine is great. Keep sending it.” It’s the little things, the remarks that encourage and include. These are the treasures one takes away from mingling with others, hearing their ideas and understanding what they value. An added value in being in Cincinnati was the opportunity to meet and have an evening meal with two Benedictine College alumni who live and work in the city. Tim Kloppenborg, BC ‘75, is the Castellini Distinguished Professor of Management at Xavier University in Cincinnati. He teaches in the Williams College of Business in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship. Michael Buncher, BC ‘77, is the Senior Business Director of the Division of Emergency Medicine at Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital. Thanks, Pat Marrin and Celebration.
Abbot Barnabas Senecal, OSB Editor’s Note: Abbot Barnabas Senecal is a contributing writer and photographer to Celebration. 3
KANSAS MONKS
the diaconate ordination of Br. Jeremy Heppler
4 article by Dan Madden | photos by J.D. Benning
photo by J.D. Benning
A New Ministry
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FALL 2009 he final step before priestly ordination. The beginning of Holy Orders. The wide-eyed experience of a new ministry. There are many views to take of the brief period of the transitional diaconate, which Brother Jeremy Heppler entered May 30. To be sure, the young monk is taking them all in. “I’m really enjoying preaching,” he says with a wide grin. “I don’t always enjoy writing homilies,” he adds with a shrug. “I’ve gained a new respect for homilists.” He calls it an “honor and a privilege to read the gospel, pray over it and preach on it.” There’s a special joy in baptizing children, “even if I do occasionally pour water in their eyes.” Deacon Brother Jeremy has enjoyed wandering from parish assignment to parish assignment—rural, small town, suburban, urban. “I’ve enjoyed the flexibility,” he says. “This summer has been good training for what I most likely will do the rest of my life.” During Brother Jeremy Heppler’s diaconate ordination, and calling on the model of St. John Vianney, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas challenged the young monk to preach with sincerity and authenticity. “Brother Jeremy, you are being ordained a deacon as we draw near to the year that Pope Benedict has dedicated to the priesthood,” the Archbishop said. “Pope Benedict chose this year, in part, because it marks the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, patron of priests.” St. John, known as a great preacher who brought his people closer to Jesus and helped them grow in holiness, was not known for his intellect or oratorical skills, the Archbishop noted. “By all accounts he was weak in both of these areas,” he said. “St. John Vianney was effective… because his life corresponded to his words.” Brother Jeremy, a Wichita native who is currently studying for a master’s degree in systematic theology at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Penn., enters his final year of theological studies as he completes the one-year transitional diaconate and will seek ordination to the priesthood next year during the “Year for Priests,” which began June 19. “Within his call to the monastic life—the consecrated life—Brother Jeremy has discerned, with the assistance of this community, another call to share in the ordained priesthood of Jesus Christ,
From left to right Fr. Matthias Martinez, Abbot Barnabas Senecal and Prior James Albers look on as Archbishop Joseph Naumann says the Prayer of Consecration over Br. Jeremy Heppler.
first serving the Church as a deacon and, God-willing. some day as a priest,” Archbishop Naumann said. “The setting apart by Jesus of the twelve apostles to lead and serve the community of disciples was the beginning of the ordained ministry. The twelve were set apart for a special role of service to the rest of the community. Jesus instructed his apostles after breaking up a dispute among them about who was the most important. ‘Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.’ (Mt. 20:26-27)” A spirit of service must govern the attitude of the ordained minister, the Archbishop stressed, a wonderful but challenging goal to which to aspire. Brother Jeremy discovered religious life early. His aunt, Sister Maria Heppler, is a member of Mount St. Scholastica Monastery in Atchison. As a student at Benedictine College, Brother Jeremy began praying with the monks and “fell in love with the Rule of Benedict.” “During my senior year, Brother John Peto began the College Oblates program,” he said. “On St. Benedict’s Day, 2001, I made final oblation to St. Benedict’s Abbey.” During that year, a member of the Knights of Columbus at St. Paul Parish in Olathe, Kan., chal-
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KANSAS MONKS lenged him to consider the priesthood. “That simple act began the process of a more serious consideration of the call to the priesthood and religious life.” The next year he accepted a teaching position at Bishop Carroll High School in his hometown of Wichita. By Spring Break, he admits he needed a break, so he a traveled back to St. Benedict’s Abbey, not for a vocation retreat, but rather for some relaxation. “To my surprise, this was when God called me to ‘Come and See,’” he said. “By the end of the week I had an application. In the fall of 2002 I came to the monastery. I had the wonderful blessing and support of my family and friends.” Brother Jeremy worked for two years in the Benedictine College Ministry Office before entering the seminary. Brother Jeremy’s parish assignment at St. Vincent will be of some historic significance—St. Benedict’s Parish in Carrollton, Penn., the parish founded by St. Benedict’s Abbey founder Father Peter Henry Lemke before he came to Kansas. He is buried in the adjacent cemetery. “I’ll have to brush up on my Lemke history,” Brother Jeremy admits. “He’s going to find his way into more than a few homilies.” Among the many discoveries of this summer of new experiences, perhaps the most profound has been the simplest, Brother Jeremy says. After ordination, Brother Jeremy was able to preside over baptisms, funerals and weddings. He was able to preach. Those are all ways in which the deacon fulfills his purpose, as the Archbishop made clear in his message at the ordination Mass—to be of service. “Yes, I’m living a life of service,” Brother Jeremy says, but if I’m truly living the monastic life, that’s what I was already doing, that’s what every monk is doing, living a life of service, of charity, of liturgy.”
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The Prayer of Consecration Lord, send forth upon them the Holy Spirit, that they may be strengthened by the gift of the sevenfold grace to carry out faithfully the work of the ministry.
May they excel in every virtue: in love that is sincere, in concern for the sick and the poor, in unassuming authority, in self-discipline, and in holiness in life. May their conduct exemplify your commandments and lead your people to imitate their purity of life. May they remain strong and steadfast in Christ, giving to the world the witness of a pure conscience. May they in this life imitate your Son, who came, not to be served but to serve, and one day reign with him in heaven. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
photo by J.D. Benning
FALL 2009
Sacrifice and Victimhood
R
ecently, Will Brown, an 8th grader at Nativity in Leawood, put me on the spot while I was on vacation with his family. He asked me which of the three boys in his family I would pick for my son! I deftly evaded that question by responding I would pick the boy who would become a priest! Another question came up while we were driving, this time posed by Rockhurst Freshman, Evan Brown. He asked his father, “Dad, what if I wanted to join the military? What would you do?” I thought Evan was just asking another “what if” question to further along Randy’s rapidly receding hairline. Randy once told me he counted that his kids asked him 52 questions in 5 minutes while in the car one day. Obviously, he was too busy counting to answer any of them! I just got off the phone a moment ago with Evan. I asked him about his question from a few weeks ago. Has he thought about the military service and why? He replied: “Maybe.” I pressed him to explain what attracted him to serving in the military. He answered: “Because you are serving your country.” I asked, “Do you understand this requires sacrifice? Do you know you could die for your country?” Evan replied, “Yes.” I asked, “Do you understand the connection between sacrifice and allowing yourself to become a victim for others?” Evan replied, “Yes, to sacrifice and allowing yourself to be a victim means you are doing something for someone else.” Folks, to the point, this 14-year-old boy understood the concept of Sacrifice and Victimhood. Just as his younger brother’s question was food for thought, so too, was Evan’s question. As a priest I offer up the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. But Sacrifice means there is a Victim involved. In Eucharistic Prayer III the priest prays these beautiful, loving words to the Father: “Look with favor on your Church’s offering, and see the Victim whose death has reconciled us to yourself.” What is offered to God the Father? It is His Son—the Victim—His Body and Blood lies upon the altar; it forgives our sins. But who offers this Sacrifice? At Mass, it is the Priest who, through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, is the Presence of Christ. So Christ is truly present in me. Christ the High Priest is there at Mass, offering up the Sacrifice of Himself, the Victim. Jesus Christ is both Priest and Victim. Only He can make amends for our sins. For eternity He presents Himself to His Father in heaven. He, our High Priest, is also our Holy and Pure Victim. He is there as High Priest, presenting to His Father the wounds on His hands and feet, the scars upon His head, the blows upon His back, and His pierced side all proof of His Victimhood. A few years ago I started doing something that helps me remember I am offering up a Sacrifice during Mass. It is not in the rubrics and I am usually a stickler about following the rubrics to the letter. However, right after the “Private Preparation Prayer of the Priest” and just before
photo by J.D. Benning
From The Desert
the “Behold the Lamb of God,” I bend over the Chalice and Host, place my palms and wrists on the altar facing upward and then pray my own petitions (photo). I do this placing of my palms and wrists to help me recall the nails that pierced Christ. I do this as an offering of myself. I am a Priest, but I, too, am a Victim and I willingly lay down my life for the Love of my Life: Jesus. This is not any new theology. Father Gabriel Landis Archbishop Fulton Sheen, in his book, The Priest is Not His Own, comments, “Because we are priest-victims, [when] I say ‘This is My Body,’ I must also mean: ‘This is my body;’ when I say ‘This is My Blood,’ I must also mean: ‘This is my blood.’ ‘Thou, O Jesus are not alone in the Mass,’ the consecrating priest must pray in his soul. ‘On the Cross Thou wert alone; in this Mass I am with Thee. On the Cross, Thou didst offer Thyself to the Heavenly Father; in the Mass, Thou dost still offer Thyself but now I offer myself with Thee.’’ A priest is not just a priest; he is a Priest-Victim. Now my friends, this article is not just about the priesthood. You too must share in His Death. You too must share in His Victimhood. When you approach the Altar of Salvation, are you giving the gift of yourself to him who is giving you his very Life? Again I quote Archbishop Sheen: “If we at Mass eat and drink the Divine Life and bring no death of our own to incorporate in the death of Christ through Sacrifice, we deserve to be thought of as parasites on the Mystical Body of Christ. Shall we eat bread and give no wheat to be ground? Shall we drink wine, and give no grapes to be crushed? The condition for incorporation into the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ and into His glorification is incorporation into His death.” I also offer the words of Pope Pius XII in his Encyclical Mediator Dei: “Moreover, it means that they [the laity] must assume to some extent the character of a victim that they deny themselves as the Gospel commands, that freely and of their own accord they do penance and that each detests and satisfies for his sins. It means, in a word, that we must all undergo with Christ a mystical death on the cross so that we can apply to ourselves the words of St. Paul, “With Christ I am nailed to the cross” (81). In my thoughts, I go back to Evan’s question posed to his dad. We often underestimate our youth. Deep inside Evan and other young people I know there is perhaps a conscious desire—or perhaps it is unconscious—awaiting a time when it can be fully articulated. But it is a desire to live a Sacrificial Life. Evan’s question bears this truth. I too wonder along with Archbishop Sheen about the lack of vocations. I never was told nor did I ever say in the seminary, “I am studying to be a Priest-Victim.” I did not totally grasp that reality until a few years ago. Archbishop Sheen notes, “Could it be that one reason for the fewness of vocations is our failure to stress sacrifice? They want a mission, a challenge!” My friends join me and all priests, in your death of self, especially during the Sacrifice of the Mass. Offer up yourselves to Jesus Christ as a Sacrifice. Share in His Victimhood. You will reap the benefits of everlasting life. Pray for us priests that we may be faithful to this calling. Pray for more vocations to the Priest-Victimhood.
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PUT TING THE B IN B.C. KANSAS MONKS
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photo by J.D. Benning
BE I N G PRE SENT C HAPLA I N SH A R E S J OY O F S AC R AM E N TS by Dan M adden
At first glance Father Meinrad Miller, a rustic-looking man with the broad 6-foot-5 frame of an offensive lineman, appears more suited to mauling a path to the end zone than gently beckoning young people along the more pastoral path to Jesus Christ. As chaplain of Benedictine College, Father Meinrad describes his as a “ministry of presence.” Physically, that’s not difficult to imagine. Towering over the student population, always wearing the largest black habit in his community, the priest ambles slowly across campus. It appears that he is deep in thought, but he eagerly breaks his reverie to greet whomever he occasions upon. The joke in his monastic community is that Father Meinrad knows or is related to everyone in the Midwest. However, something strange and outside the law of physics happens not long after one meets the large priest. At the sound of his placid voice, the imposing frame isn’t as noticeable. A broad smile and a few more kind words and it’s apparent that one is no longer encountering a big monk, but rather a big heart. The first thing Juan Rosete noticed was Father Meinrad’s huge hands. Rosete admits he was intimidated by the first priest he met on campus when he walked into Father Meinrad’s Theology 101 class. “He was definitely the tallest priest I’d ever met,” the Benedictine College Junior said. “But he was very welcoming, very friendly,” Rosete remembers. “He was very effective in conveying to us the importance of our faith.”
Left: Father Meinrad Miller provides spiritual direction to Tylan Ricketts. Above: Father Meinrad baptizes B.C. Student Drew Marshin the Abbey Church. Photo courtesy of Benedictine Collge Ministry
FALL 2009 Rosete, who emigrated from The Philippines with his family when he was 10, had come to Benedictine College reluctantly. “Benedictine was my punishment,” he said. “I was failing algebra and wanted to go farther from home, but my Mom insisted that I stay closer and go to a good Catholic school.” By the second semester of his sophomore year, Rosete was regularly attending confession and Father Meinrad’s 12:10 p.m. daily Masses. Punishment had become pleasure. “I began to see the wisdom of Father Meinrad,” he said. As chaplain, Father Meinrad assigns priests to campus Masses and to hear confessions before each daily Mass. He organizes Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, oversees the campus marriage preparation, confirmation and RCIA programs and is chaplain of the Benedictine College chapters of the Knights of Columbus and Communion and Liberation. But if you were to ask him what he really does, Father Meinrad would deftly quote the words of St. Benedict, the Prophet Isaiah, or St. Paul, and speak glowingly of Christ’s love. For at the heart of his logistic duties is something that comes as natural as breathing, sharing the wonder and joy of the sacraments of the Church. For all the scheduling and planning he does, he notes that much of ministry is unscheduled. “You can plan a whole week, but then someone might want confession in the middle of the night, or someone’s parents are ill, or someone is suffering a crisis,” he said. “Sometimes it’s those moments of interruption that become the real moments of ministry.” He points to the words of St. Benedict: “Never give a hollow greeting of peace or turn away when someone needs your love” (RB 4:25-26) Peace is a Benedictine motto and Father Meinrad says the source of that peace and the means by which he and his confreres share it with the students of Benedictine College are the daily sacraments and the community life of prayer. Father Meinrad says being a chaplain at a Benedictine college is different from other Catholic schools. “It doesn’t mean you need to say a bunch of words,” he notes. “I can simply welcome students into what is already here. The students like that we pray and that they can come join us. It is important that we make them know that they are always welcome.” Rebecca Howard remembers her first visit to Benedictine College. “I fell in love with the hospitality, with the monks on the hill, the daily Masses. It felt like home,” said the Georgia native whose sister is a BC alumna. “There’s really no excuse for missing Mass. I can just walk across the road. And if I need to talk to a priest afterward, there’s that easy access. It is such a gift.” Howard, who attends daily Mass and monthly confession during the school year, encountered a startling realization when she overextended herself this summer. Trying to work and take a full load of classes, she sacrificed prayer time. “If I didn’t have the sacraments I wouldn’t be able to function,” she says. “It’s hard to realize that until they are taken away.” Out of her routine, Howard said she felt confused and unable to concentrate. A return to daily Mass with the monks and to her regular visits to the confessional set things right. “I worried less, I was more cheerful. I was more eager to live my vocation as a student,” she says. “The sacraments are my life. They are my grounding.” Father Meinrad says sometimes there is a tendency to talk of the sacraments as an obligation, “something we have to do.” “The sacraments are the channel of God’s love for us,” he says. 9
photo by J.D. Benning
Father Meinrad discusses vocations with Benedictine College senior Sister M. Catherine Welter.
those answers. It’s a humbling experience. Not only do I find out how many times I’ve put my foot in my mouth, but I find how much God wants to love me.” For Father Meinrad hearing such words from students are not so much the result of his labors as wonderful surprises around each corner of a journey on which he has embarked with many friends and confreres. “Father Meinrad and the monks are challenging us to be the best Catholics we can be…or even better Catholics than we can be,” Rosete says. “They help me put things into focus, to look at what my priorities are, to help me see good in everything. Instead of seeing my work as work, they help me see my work as service.” Howard started attending Oblate meetings and the Liturgy of the Hours with the monks last year. She is now deciding whether to become an Oblate of St. Benedict. “When I pray the Psalms, God knows exactly where I am,” she says. “I love the chant of the monks. I believe as a lay person I can live the Benedictine spirituality, the hospitality, finding Christ in every person.” Father Meinrad, whose head is often lost in the words of the ancient desert fathers, has 2,655 “friends” in the online world of Facebook and sends regular e-mail updates to more than 250 people. The man who already “knows everyone” is still willing and eager to make a new friend at a moment’s notice. He is making them as you read. Father Meinrad has found something filled with wonder and beauty and peace and his big heart can’t wait to share it with as many people as possible. If you see him, walk up and ask. He’s hard to miss. photo by Alzbeta Volk
KANSAS MONKS “Our source of joy. When we go to confession our sins are truly taken from us. It is like in the story of the prodigal son. The father didn’t yell at his son or chastise him. He clothed him and put sandals on his feet.” Father Meinrad likewise notes that one of the last acts of St. Benedict, when he knew death was near, was to enter his chapel and receive Communion. “Sometimes students forget,” he says. “They think that living the Christian life is something they have to do on their own. But it is Christ all along that is guiding them and transforming them.” He says community, as exemplified by the monks of he Abbey and by the sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, and provided in abundance by the many groups of the College Ministry program, is the strength, hope and comfort to the Christian. In his time as Chaplain, Father Meinrad has participated in the growth on campus of such organizations as FOCUS, Communion and Liberation, the Knights of Columbus, Raven Respect Life and many other groups. He has also overseen a dramatic increase in accessability to the Eucharist, Reconciliation and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The young man who came to Benedictine as punishment now sizes up the Benedictine presence with new spiritual depth. “They show us how to accept God’s mercy and help us be open to God’s love,” Rosete says. “They show us how we all make mistakes but that we need to keep focused on our true vocation, what God wants for us. They are our connection to who we truly are as a college—we are Catholic.” Outside of the College Ministry program several monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey also volunteer their time as spiritual directors, an unstructured service to students that can vary from hearing confession to offering spiritual guidance to simply listening. Rosete and Howard both visit with monks for spiritual direction. Howard, who also occasionally visits with Father Bruce Swift, talked last year with Father Meinrad when she was pondering a change in her major. “It was good to get a different perspective from either mine or my parents,” she recalls. “His sense was that I was worrying too much.” Rosete, who meets with Father Bruce, says spiritual direction is a “great way to go to someone who has more wisdom than you in the practice of a God-centered life. “He doesn’t outwardly give you advice,” he notes. “He asks you questions and you come up with your own answers. He reinforces
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a Grateful Response
FALL 2009
at Easter, consequently, was truncated to the introductory rites for the baptism liturgy & the life of the church of infants. Thereafter, even adults were baptized accordThe Missouri River has given definition to St. Benedict’s Abbey from ing to the rites for infants. The process of preparits origin. In 1856 our founder Father Henry Lemke, O.S.B. disembarked ing adults for baptism was at Westport, Mo. and soon began to minister in Doniphan, a city with prospects on the banks of the Missouri. Other monks soon followed, renewed at the end of the but when the river changed its course, Prior Augustine Wirth moved 1800’s in China and Africa. the nascent community to the riverfront city of Atchison. In 1929 the Pope Pius XII renewed the Abbey was relocated on the bluffs of the river that defines this corner of Easter vigil in 1951, and the baptism of adults at the Father Daniel McCarthy Kansas. The waters of baptism define us as Christians. One of the earliest Easter vigil was restored to records of baptismal practice, the Didache, instructs that people are to the whole church in 1972 with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. I wished to implement this renewed rite based on the ancient Roman be baptized in the cold running water of a stream. Early baptismal fonts were sunken into the pavement of churches so that the one being baptized practice when I followed the footsteps of Lemke and generations of our could descend into the waters, as Jesus went down into the Jordan at monks to pastor the tri-parishes of Doniphan County: St. Benedict’s, his baptism. One could be immersed in the waters as Jesus was buried Bendena, St. Charles, Troy, St. Joseph’s, Wathena. With the help of in the tomb, and, Peggy Stanton and other parish ministers, we settled on the practice of as Christ rose from celebrating the Easter vigil at Troy, the dead, one could using a temporary baptismal font arise from the waters that was inexpensive to make and to walk in newness permitted the submersion of adults. The font had a cruciform openof life (Romans 6). ing to express our dying and rising The newly baptized with Christ, and its overall shape could come up out of was octagonal, expressive of our the font on the other side, having passed rising to eternal life. The first time through the waters of we used the font, I borrowed the baptism, as did Israel water heater from the Baptist Church through the waters of in Wathena, but, as they are more The temporary baptismal font used by the Trirobust than I, we soon installed an the Red Sea. parishes of Doniphan County. The font is also inline water heater and a recirculaconsidered the womb tion pump. Millie Theis helped to of the church from which her offspring are reborn (John 3). In his trea- make white baptismal gowns, fullThis mosaic of the baptism of tise on Baptism (c. 200), Tertullian says that we are little fishes after the length and pleated for modesty. Jesus shows him as if buried in Although the tri-parishes are example of the big fish Jesus, born in water and abiding in the waters of the tomb. small rural communities, each year baptism. Many ancient baptismal fonts are lined with mosaic images of we welcomed and baptized at least small fish with Jesus, the big fish. We are to learn to breathe under water, one, whether an adult or a child of catechetical age. We thereby learned and so to live from our baptism. In the fourth century, after Christianity was legalized in the Roman to breath under water, as Tertullian said, and came to understand better Empire, the increased numbers of people seeking baptism and the devel- the whole of Christian life in the light of our baptism. These parish experiences continue to inform my research in Rome. opment of the liturgical year all crystallized into the practice of baptizDiscerning what it means to breathe under water is the focus of an ing at the Easter vigil. The baptistery adjacent to the Lateran Basilica, upcoming book entitled Transition in the Vigil, edited and partially Rome’s Cathedral, remains from that era. Its font is a large sunken pool. authored by Father James Leachman of Ealing Abbey, London, and me. It is round to suggest our being born again from the womb of the church. The book will include a The round pool is flanked chapter by a local pastor by eight columns of red and scholar, Father Paul porphyry, which support Turner of St. Munchin of an octagonal lantern above Limerick Parish, Cameron, the pool, suggesting that Mo.. Our goal is to discern we are born again unto from a careful analysis of eternal life and that we the shorter prayer texts come to illumination by and admonitions of the the indwelling Spirit. Easter vigil what differOnce most of Europe ence the experience of had been Christianized, the being baptized, confirmed practice of adult baptism and brought to communion at the Easter Vigil waned makes in the lives of those and infant baptism became initiated into the mystery the norm. The one to three year process of prepara- The font is the entryway into the larger sacramental life of the Church community, as of Christ at the vigil.
Breathing under water
tion of adults for baptism
here in Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Lawrence, Kan.
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by Dan 12 Madden photo by J.D. Benning
Peace.
FALL 2009
Motto of the Orde r of S t. Be n e di c t. A bless i n g f r o m G o d . A g o a l , a s o u r c e o f gr e a t beau ty , o r d e r a m i d c h a o s , r e c o n c i l i a ti o n after c on fl i c t. Pea c e i n a m o n a s te r y . T h e G r e a t S i l e n c e o f nigh tt i m e a t th e A b b e y . T h e r h y th m i c c h a nt of th e P s a l m s i n th e L i tu r g y o f th e H o u r s . The w h i s p e r o f a f l a m e c o n s u m i n g a c a n d l e wick . S o i l e d h a n d s f r o m th e t o m a to p a tc h . A w a l k i n the si l e n t c e m e tery, re a di n g the n a m e s o f th e “G i a n ts ” w h o c a r r i e d th e trad i ti o n g e n e r a t i o n s b e f o r e . S e e k i n g th e wis dom of a n e l de r. Y ou th, fi l l e d w i th p romi se , a l on e i n a c ha pe l . St. Be n e di c t sa i d, “L e t pe a c e be you r q u e st and a i m . ” I n th e O l d T e s ta m e n t, P e a c e , o r Shal o m , th e s e r e n i ty o f h a r m o n y w i t h G o d , com m u n i ty, n a tu re a n d se l f. Pea c e .
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Clothed with Faith God’s Will In Our Lives Diverse Backgrounds; One Vocation
S
t. Benedict’s Abbey had the opportunity at the end of June to host the annual Junior Monks Institute for all North American houses of Benedictine Monks. During this two-week stay at our home, 23 young men from all over the United States joined Kansas monks for prayer, study, work, and recreation. As one of two participating young men from St. Benedict’s, I was privileged in this experience to meet and develop fast friendships with many of my fellow Benedictines from various regions. And what a blessing this opportunity was! For me it did not take two weeks to arrive at the preliminary mutual understanding that is required for two strangers to truly comprehend one another. Within the first three days of the institute I became aware of how singular it is to make the acquaintance of a fellow Benedictine. There is, it seems, a vibrant commonality of experience that encourages a ready intelligibility of life between monks of different communities. After the opening night orientation, a handful of the juniors at the conference gathered in the guest house lounge to chat and enjoy some refreshments. It was not long before the conversation found its way to a discussion of the endearing oddities of fellow members from our respective houses. This topic (which dominated most of an hour) arose spontaneously, with the striking circumstance that all present understood the innocent motivation of sharing the eccentricities of beloved community members. The tendency to take pride in your house’s “characters,” I learned that evening, is not a quirk unique to monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey, but, rather, is the inevitable result
Brother John Paul James of St. Anselm Abbey in Manchester, NH works in the Abbey Tomato Patch.
of throwing 30-plus grown men together under a vow of stability! To appreciate the peculiar qualities that abound in monasteries (and in families, for that matter) is part and parcel of being a Benedictine monk. The next day, as many of the visiting monks were given a tour of Benedictine Brother Leven Harton College, a confrere named Michael Antonacci from our motherhouse in Pennsylvania offered, instead, to help out with garden work. Taking him out with me, grateful for the help, I learned that he too enjoyed manual labor and was pleased to spend as much time as possible working in our garden. That afternoon we dug potatoes for dinner and trimmed grass around the monastery. A couple of days later St. Benedict’s Abbey monks found themselves with even more help as four more Bene- All work and no play...not around here. Shown dictines from above are Brother Simon Baker and Brother John visiting houses Paul at Kauffman Stadium joined Brother Simon, Brother Joe, Brother Michael, and me for work in the afternoon. Brother Michael’s affinity for working in nature was, it seems, another instance of commonality amongst American Benedictines. Our third day together was a Tuesday, the day of our traditional evening haustus (a weekly social hour with refreshments) at St. Benedict’s. About halfway through the recreation a few of the monks from other houses invited me to take a walk and I gladly accompanied them. As I conversed with the different monks on that stroll I was again struck by the similarities between my life and those of these near-strangers. The topics of discussion that we had, the reactions to turns of dialogue, the values that motivated our decisions, the judgments about what matters in life… all of these things revealed in us a unity of mind and heart that, upon reflection, was rather startling. While my parents and siblings and long-time friends can certainly claim an intimate knowledge of who I am based on their years of experience with me, these men whom I’d known for only two days could make a similar claim based on our similar lived experience over recent years. The shape of our beliefs and desires found a
If you are a young man interested in a monastic vocation or if you know of someone who might be, please contact the St. Benedict’s Abbey Director of Vocations, Prior James Albers. He can be reached at jalbers@kansasmonks.org or at 913-360-7830 photos byby J.D.telephone Benning 14
FALL 2009 contemporary society. Yet these virtues (each highlighted in our Holy Father Benedict’s Rule) create the foundation for the beautiful solidarity that I experienced with monks from diverse backgrounds. So I thank my God, my Order, and my superiors for this opportunity to come together with my fellow Benedictines, and for my formation as a monk. Such an opportunity is a welcome moment of encouragement to the young man seeking God as a son of Benedict. May God bless the Order abundantly! May he so bless St. Benedict’s Abbey! Editor’s Note: Photos Taken by Brother Jeremy Heppler.
Brother Michael Antonacci of St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Penn., Brother Ignatius Kelly of St. Martin’s Abbey in Lacey, Wash. and Father Nickolas Becker of St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minn. attend class in St. Benedict’s Hall.
common origin in the monastic formation we’d received. And so I found myself, not three days into the Institute, struck by the intelligibility of the lives of these fellow Benedictines. Needless to say, this trend continued throughout the two weeks. Wonderful friendships were developed. It was, I think, something unusual and unexpected in the context of cultural pluralism in which we live. In a world that consciously hurls itself toward increased fragmentation, isolation, and emphasis upon the individual, Benedictine life can be seen as a welcome alternative fostering an authentic unity under Christ and the Rule. Humility, obedience, stability, conformity—all seem to be viewed by many to be negative values in our
Brother Leven Harton traveled to Rome in July for the International Congress of Junior Monks. The 26-year-old Brother Leven was part of this international gathering July 14-20 at Sant’Anselmo of monks in formation. During their time at the Benedictine house of studies, the young monks visited historical Benedictine sites and gathered to share details about Benedictine life in their respective countries. After the congress, Brother Leven travelled to St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, where he prayed with the monks and visited sites in Rome.
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KANSAS MONKS
Obl ates
(worth).” “Daily do what you can do daily.” “To Benedict there is no Compass of Christ such thing as ‘I am just a…’”. The second speaker was I am trying to become as modern as possible and have now set up Father Brian Boosel who has an e-mail list for the oblates of St. Benedict’s Abbey. If you would been serving as the administralike to receive regular e-mails from the Oblate Office, please send tive aide to the Archabbot but your e-mail address to me at johnpeto@ymail.com. I will continue has now begun graduate studto communicate with those who do not have e-mail through Kansas ies at Catholic University. He Brother John Peto Monks. spoke about community and Every other year the Oblate Directors hold a convention. We have Director of Oblates how it is evident in the Trininvited each monastery to send two oblates to these meetings in the ity, the unity of the Godhead—distinguished as persons. Unity is not past few years. We met in June at St. Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, conformity, nor is it robotic existence. Penn., the oldest Benedictine house in the United States. St. BeneFather Brian referred to Saints Peter and Paul who, though differdict’s was founded from St. Vincent in 1857. ent, did not agree always but always led to deeper commitment and This year Quentin Jones, an oblate candidate, accompanied me to stronger community. Community in our modern world is addressing the meeting and I would like to share his reflection. needs and hurts and the misunderstanding of persons. Community Flying into Latrobe one sees the basilica spires scratch the skies should be about giving spiritual food not spiritual fluff. Lectio needs as the caused sun orange bricks to glow. This was my first impression to be both private and communal. Community encourages people to of what lay ahead for the next few days. speak, share a meal, and becomes a place I was in a place steeped in Benedictine of healing where different persons with history. different gifts are encouraged to develop There were three main speakers. their distinct gifts with one heart. Mother Mary Ann, in traditional BeneSister Cecelia Dwyer, Prioress of the dictine habit and no bigger than a Benedictine Sisters in Bristow, Va., was minute, was our first speaker. She asked our third speaker. She presented us with us to consider “Conversatio Morum” as the two pillars of Relationship and Reconon-the-job training for professed Beneciliation. dictines and oblates. She suggests that as Building on the notion of community we read, we are not so much reading to she talked about how conversation listens gain information (and thus power) as to with the heart’s ear as we both tell our surrender to the voice of God—to posistory and listen to another, acknowledging tion ourselves via GPS (God positioning others as equals, staying curious about system). one another, recognizing our need for one She asks, “What fixes us on our path another, realizing that conversation is our to God?” and suggests that we use the natural way of thinking together…and it compass of Christ rather than “Politican be messy at times. We ought to listen cal Correctness.” She acknowledges the and speak as Jesus would—with hospitaldifficulty of living and seeing Christ in the ity. mundane world of now, noting how fun it Reconciliation arises when things is to play hide and seek when there are get messy and go wrong. Alienation and places to hide. She points out that God reconciliation are the responsibilities of has incredible, wonderful places to hide The Basilica at St. Vincent Archabbey every person in the group… it is up to and wonderful disguises to don; she suggests that we continue to each of us to be the repairer of the breach. We are to forgive as we play along seeking Him. The game is fun when the goal is still to be have been forgiven, never losing hope in God’s mercy, refusing to be accomplished and points to faith being possible only when there is shut down by bitterness, always holding the entire person in view. possibility of doubt. Quentin’s summary of the days: Some of her quotations are worth noting: To be Benedictine is life changing! “As a chalice, I need to be emptied so I can then be filled.” To be connected as Benedictines adds immeasurably! “Work is prayer made physical (incarnate).” It’s great to try other ideas. “Pride is a cover-up for people not knowing their own breadth
- Have you ever considered becoming an Oblate of St. Benedict? - Does it mean I make vows? Do I have more prayers to say? Does it cost money? - Do I have to make radical life changes? Come and see or contact me, Br. John Peto, jpeto@kansasmonks.org or johnpeto@ymail.com 913-360-7896 16
FALL 2009
THE
last
BENEDICTINE
run dairy and beef operations. San Benito, a private school recognized by the government, the only free school in the country, still teaches agriculture, science, geography, and agronomy. For 40 years Brother Aelred, taught English, built a library, and earned the affection of the people with whom he remained. “Brother Aelred taught me English, San Benito taught me to carve,” Jose’ de la Cruz Gonzalez said. Cruz studied on a scholarship in Honduras and then in Carrara, Italy, where he learned to sculpt marble, etch glass and carve wood. “Now I am a master carver in the country of Panama,” he said. A young woman named Francia, who went on to graduate from a university said, “Brother helped me in many ways to be a better
by Father Brendan Rolling & Dan Madden One week after their return from Panama, Father Denis Meade and Father Brendan Rolling received word that Brother Aelred Wetli had died. The two monks had just returned from visiting the 97-year-old Benedictine. Three weeks earlier Fathers Denis and Brendan had boarded a plane to Panama with instructions from their Abbey’s business manager Father Maurice Haefling. Their task was to learn whether the work of Brother Aelred and the foundation he had established would continue according to wishes. Father Maurice, over the past four years, has served as vicar administrator of Holy Cross Abbey in Cañon City, Colo., which is in the long process of closing its doors. Some of Holy Cross’s monks had moved east and become members of St. Benedict’s. Part of Father Maurice’s job has been caring for Holy Cross’s financial well-being. As Father Denis and Father Brendan dropped through the clouds into mountainous Panama they were falling into black and white history, both Benedictine and, for Father San Benito School Brendan, personal. In 1961 six Benedictines from Holy Cross Abbey arrived in Volcan, Panama, perched on the side of Volcan Baru’, an inactive person, a good English teacher and most importantly to appreciate volcano, to establish Centro San Benito, an agricultural school. Five everything and everybody in my life.” of the men were professed monks. The sixth was a Benedictine clausToday, modern classrooms have replaced the original wood structral oblate named Brother Aelred. tures. Many farms boast of “Grade A” milk with the region producThe monks built a school, wooden houses and classrooms and a ing 70 percent of the country’s dairy products. The school has taught small chapel. In 1965 the Benedictines handed the school over to the natives to terrace their farms to conserve soil and increase yield. Bishop of David and all but one of the Benedictines returned to the Brother Aelred had been a man of few words. United States. Brother Aelred chose to stay behind to run the school “People should read,” he had said. with two laymen. John Fillis, a former Peace Corps volunteer from “You have to help a person who is working.” Boston, became the principal, a post he holds to this day, and Joe You can make a difference with a child.” Rolling, another former Peace Corps volunteer from Minnesota and Longtime San Benito employee Oswaldo Ivan Flores said, the father of Father Brendan, built a dairy barn and taught students to “Brother Al created relationships.” Brother Aelred was confined to his bed and unable to speak when Father Denis and Father Brendan Arrived at San Benito. For the past 12 years Mechi Fillis, wife of the school principal, had cared for him in the same room in which he had lived since 1961. Over the years Brother Aelred had collected money and established a foundation to ensure that his ministry in education would continue. The two monks found that everything was in order and offered what assistance Holy Cross Abbey could provide. Although the old Benedictine could no longer speak, he smiled as they gathered around his bed and prayed with him. Their work complete, on July 6 Father Denis and Father Brendan bid their farewells to Brother Al and to many new friends and left for the airport. They would deliver their report to Father Maurice. Once again, as his fellow Benedictines departed, Brother Aelred stayed behind in his beloved adopted country. Brother Aelred greets Mechi Fillis, Father Brendan Rolling and Father Denis His work was almost done. Meade. (Left to right)
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18
photo by J.D. Benning
FALL 2009
Still time to ‘protect pension’ with gift to Abbey There is still time left for seniors over 70½ years old to make a tax-free gift to St. Benedict’s Abbey. The Pension Protection Act of 2006, which allows individuals aged 70½ or older to make direct distributions from their individual retirement accounts (IRA) to qualified charities has been extended through 2009. For the rest of this year an IRA distribution to St. Benedict’s does not have to be reported as taxable income for federal income tax purposes. Furthermore, the distribution will count towards your annual minimum distribution requirement. Important information: *Donors must be age 70½ or older
*Transfers must be made directly from the IRA to St. Benedict’s *Gifts can be up to $100,000, if married; each spouse is eligible to make an IRA transfer to St. Benedict’s ($200,000 maximum for married couple) *Gifts must be made outright to St. Benedict’s (gifts cannot be made to donor advised funds, supporting organizations, charitable remainder trusts or charitable gift annuities) *No charitable deduction is allowed Please note: The above information is not legal advice. Please consult your attorney or tax advisor.
“Spirituality and Creativity: The Struggles of the Artist.” and composers were designed to improve skills and learning techniques. Industry showcases by the three leading publishers of liturgical music and worship aids provided free samples of their products. “Among the chief benefits I derived from attending the convention were meeting and exchanging ideas with other musicians and being exposed to some of the latest liturgical music being composed,” Father Blaine said. Father Blaine traveled to Collegeville, Minn., on July 13 to attend a five-day joint conference of the Benedictine Musicians of the Americas (BMA) and the Monastic Liturgy Forum, hosted by St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minn., and St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville. The BMA promotes liturgical music—texts and tunes—for use in American Benedictine communities, by sharing new music prepared by Benedictines for the liturgy. The MLF grew out of liturgists attending workshops to share ideas and resources and cooperate in addressing problems. Fifty-one sisters and monks from 33 communities were present for this year’s gathering. Father Kevin Seasoltz addressed the group on the topic, “Monastic Autonomy, Liturgy and Eccleasiastical Law.” Sister Nancy Bauer, Prioress of St. Benedict’s Monastery, spoke on “Incongruities and Absurdities Revisited: The Prioress’s Exercise of the Munera in the Monastery.” “Each day’s musical showcases were devoted to singing the new compositions of our fellow monastic composers,” Father Blaine said. “Two composers from the host communities whose music caught my attention were Sister Christina Manderfeld and Father Jerome Coller. The latter entertained us with an enjoyable, 45-minute piano recital Wednesday evening. At the talent show the next evening, he and I teamed up to play several duets, which proved to be a big hit.” photo by J.D. Benning
Father Blaine Schultz, Abbey organist and music director, dedicated much of the month of July attending two conventions of church musicians. On July 6 he attended the 32nd annual convention of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NAPM), which convenes every other year. The convention, which gathered under the theme, “Sing to the Lord,” the title of the recent document from the United States Catholic Bishops, was attended by three thousand church musicians from every state. Father Blaine attended a speech by noted writer Father Ron Rolheiser of the Order of Mary Immaculate, who spoke on “Spirituality and Creativity: The Struggles of the Artist.” He also heard from Father Ron Paul Turner, a Kansas City, Mo., priest whose talk, “The Roman Missal: Preparation and Reception,” addressed apprehensions about the new translation and discussed catechetical, musical and liturgical tools available to prepare congregations for receiving the new texts. Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, the episcopal moderator of NAPM, also was a featured speaker, and Kate Kuddy and Katherine DeVries, Chicago church musicians, addressed “Insights on Ministering to Teens and Young Adults.” “An impressive list of over 130 local and nationally known composers and musicians was on hand to conduct, among other activities, twice-a-day, 75-minute break-out sessions held in 20 different locations simultaneously,” Father Blaine noted. “In one break-out session, Abbot Gregory Polan of Conception Abbey, editor of the Revised Grail Psalter, described the revision of the 1963 Grail Psalter and the reasons for the new translation.” Sectional meetings for choir directors, organists, pianists, cantors
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Word
in a
The following homily was delivered by Brother Jeremy Heppler at Prince of Peace Church in Olathe, Kan. on the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 5th, 2009. To better understand this homily, check out the readings and gospel from July 5th: Exodus 2:2-5, 2nd Corinthians 12:7-10, and Mark 6:1-6.
Family Fireworks
M M
any years ago my family went to the town park for a picnic, and to light the night sky with fireworks. All was going well. We young kids were having a blast, as were the adults. We were doing our best to brighten up the dark sky. My younger brother, Jason, loved, or I should say still loves, sparklers. he would write things and light things on fire with them. Jason was ready to be handed yet another one. But, my dad turned the wrong way. Accidentally, the burning end of the newly lit sparkler found Jason’s flesh. A little while later, it was déjà vu all over again. Needless to say, Jason wasn’t very happy. That night, fireworks occurred at the park and on the car ride home. Jesus, too, was no stranger to family fireworks. He had just returned home from a trip in which, as we heard about the last two Sundays, he showed his power over creation by calming the stormy sea, healing a woman of an illness, raising a dead girl, and in his spare time, a reading found between the last two Sunday gospels tells us, he drives out demons. Yet, when Jesus arrived back in Nazareth, the reception was not so friendly. The townsfolk were astonished at his preaching, his wisdom and knowledge. Instead of rejoicing in proclamation of the Good News, they could not accept his teachings and great deeds, because, after all, he was just the boy down the street, a nobody, the son of a carpenter. In this way, Jesus was just like the Old Testament prophets. They too were often rejected and ignored. Despite this, they continued to proclaim the need to turn away from sin and turn toward God. They had to proclaim this message – it was like a fire burning within them. Our Lord did not let being burnt by his relatives stop him from bringing his light to the darkness of the world. He kept on teaching, healing and doing marvelous deeds. This Gospel gives us two important messages. The first is the need to persevere. You may be unappreciated at times, even by those closest to you. Don’t hide the light of your God-given talents and wisdom under the bushel basket, but let them shine. Secondly, remember that your words are like the sparkler. You can brighten up the dark sky or you can burn someone. As we heard from 2 Corinthians, our words are to be used for the common good. Yet, sometimes the words that we say really burn and can even scar another. Take as an example, the priesthood ordination 20
class of 2009, when surveyed, about 45% of the newest priests were discouraged from considering the priesthood by at least one person. Of that group, most were discouraged by family and/or friends. These new priests must be commended for persevering. But this fact makes me wonder how many young people stopped considering the priesthood or religious life after being discouraged by a loved one. Brother Jeremy Heppler The good news: The study showed that at least 75% of new priests received encouragement to attend seminary by a friend, family member or parishioner. If you see someone you think might be a good priest or religious sister or brother, pray for them, yes – we need your prayers, but also encourage them. And if you know someone you think would make a good Benedictine – well, send him our way! As you approach the Lord in the Eucharist today, resolve to imitate him by bringing light to the darkness. Ask him to allow his word and His life to burn like a fire within you so that you may persevere when rejected and encourage, not discourage, others to live out their faith.
FALL 2009
c
f
Marked with the sign of Faith
M M
Brother Paul Meinhardt (1910-1969)
any people are unaware that in a Benedictine Community all the members are monks. But some are priests and some are brothers. The difference is simple. The priests pursue the course of studies leading to ordination to the Priesthood. The brothers do not. Monks may, in the tradition of St. Benedict’s Abbey, be teachers at Benedictine College, pastors, administrators, farmers, plumbers, gardeners, librarians, serve in ways beneficial to the Body of Christ. Those who are called to the priesthood may serve away from the Abbey Community as parish priests and chaplains. Both the brothers and the priests are formed by study and living under the Rule of St. Benedict. All take the vow of Stability and in our monastic tradition some serve at home and some away. There was a time when the brother’s life was a “hidden” life and the model for that was St. Joseph! The former Brothers’s Chapel in the crypt of the abbey Church is dedicated to him.
Editor’s Note: Abbot Owen Purcell is at work compiling a necrology of St. Benedict’s Abbey, a volume of brief profiles on each of the deceased members of the Abbey from its founding to the present. This document offers a thorough, poignant and often entertaining
Since the Second Vatican Council the brothers were allowed all the legal rights according to Church Law previously held by monkpriests only. Full membership in the community. Even yet, a brother cannot be elected Abbot because the Benedictines are considered in Church Law, a “clerical” institute. But the world-wide Congress of Abbots has petitioned Rome that this be changed. We await and pray for a favorable decision. It was into this older framework that Brother Paul came as a young man. This native of Paxico, Kan. became carpenter, plasterer, painter, manager of the Raven Roost, campus postmaster, library helper, monk and confrere, a hunter! A monk of many trades and master of all, perhaps he is best known as the brother who managed the Raven Roost and he was present there to serve, listen and advise hundreds of students in his lifetime. He was soft spoken and had a winning smile. Brother Paul loved Raven Athletics and was delighted at the two National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national basketball championships the Raven teams won in 1954 and 1967. There is a piece of a goal post on display at the Roost from the former Central Intercollegiate Conference Football Championship. Alumni of his era remember him fondly. Brother Paul was a quiet man with a silent presence. He preached many a homily, mostly without words.
look into the history of the Abbey, one monk at a time. In order to provide our readers with some insight into the lives of the men who have made the history of St. Benedict’s, Kansas Monks will publish one or more of these profiles in each issue. If you have an anecdote
about the monks you read about in these profiles or about any other deceased monks, Abbot Owen would enjoy hearing from you. You may contact him by telephone: (913) 360-7817, or more easily by e-mail: ojposb@yahoo.com.
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Prayer Join Father Meinrad Miller November 6-8 for the annual fall men’s retreat. Spaces are limited For information contact: jalbers@kansasmonks.org or call 913.360.7830
the annual men’s retreat Kansas Monks Receives Award story from Kansasmonks.org
Kansas Monks, the quarterly magazine of St. Benedict’s Abbey, won three 2009 Catholic Press Awards including first place in “General Excellence” for top honors among religious order magazines. The awards were announced May 29 at the national convention of the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada. In recognizing Kansas Monks, a judge in the General Excellence category praised the magazine for its bright artwork and range of articles, “from pleas for prayers for particular individuals to longer pieces detailing good works.” “This is truly a community award,” Editor Dan Madden said. “Of course, a great deal of credit goes to our Benedictine College graduate J.D. Benning, who is responsible for the graphic design and much of the skilled photography of Kansas Monks. But we are also fortunate to have talented monks writing columns, an Abbot who is a skilled photographer and writer in his own right, and team of monks who serve as an editorial board, critics and proofreaders.” Madden also expressed gratitude to friends like local banker/photographer Rich Dickason, who contributed photographs for two covers, Robin Ranieri, who routinely donates his time and talents as a photographer, and the talented Benedictine College student photographer Alzbeta Voboril who also contributed a cover photograph. Kansas Monks also placed second and third in the “Best Feature Article Religious Order Magazines” category. Madden and Benning teamed for the feature package of “West of the Missouri: Memories of Camp St. Maur” and “Minerva & the 22
Maur Hill Madman,” which placed second. “I loved the tone of this story, how the writer drew the reader in right from the beginning with a fun, light-hearted lead and continued throughout the story,” the judge wrote. “The writer does a skillful job of making the reader feel like he is there at the camp, walking through it and sharing the memories first hand.” Placing third in the same category was “Ship of the Prairie: A Reflection on the Abbey Church.”. “There is some nice writing in this piece, particularly in the physical descriptions,” the judge wrote. This article by Dan Madden, intertwined brief reflections on several features of the Abbey Church written by members of the monastic community—Father Denis Meade, Father Brendan Rolling, Abbot Barnabas Senecal, Father Bruce Swift, Father Blaine Schultz, Abbot Owen Purcell and Father Meinrad Miller.
FALL 2009 Sister Mary Elizabeth Albers, the Prior’s sister, as a SOLT sister. Sister Mary Elizabeth is a 2004 graduate of Benedictine College. During her two years of novitiate she was stationed in Seattle, Wash., and Holman, N.M.. She will now serve as assistant to the postulant director in Bosque, N.M.
abbey notes Father Aaron Peters is in residence in the Abbey now after serving as Chaplain to the Ursuline Sisters of Paola since 1995. The Ursulines have merged with another community of their order in Kentucky. Father Michael Zoellner recuperated in the Abbey after intestinal surgery in Frankfurt, Germany. He returned to his duties at the Sisters of Charity Motherhouse in Leavenworth, Sunday, Aug. 2. His doctors judged that he suffered an embolism, which necessitated immediate surgery even as he completed a trip in Germany. Abbot Owen Purcell offered Masses for the Sisters on some of the days that Father Michael was recuperating. Father Marion Charboneau led a retreat for faculty and staff of Maur Hill-Mount Academy and the Atchison Catholic Elementary School, Aug. 12, at the Abbey. The faculty and staff joined the monks for lunch in the Abbey dining room. Father Bruce Swift, Brother Leven Harton and Brother Novice Simon Baker participated in a Sunday afternoon picnic for seminarians, parents of seminarians and priests of the Archdiocese, sponsored by the Topeka Serra Club, Aug. 2. The picnic was at the home of Dr. Alfredo and Maria Iloreta near Lake Sherwood in Topeka. Abbots Ralph Koehler, Owen Purcell and Barnabas Senecal participated in the 140th anniversary of SS. Peter and Paul parish, Seneca, Sunday, Aug. 2. Archbishop Joseph Naumann was celebrant of a midafternoon Mass and of the dedication ceremonies for the new school and parish facility just completed. Father Roderic Giller, the last Benedictine pastor, was recognized in Seneca for initiating the idea of a new structure. Prior James Albers traveled with members of his family to Corpus Christi, Tex., where they attended the July 13 first vows ceremony of
Abbot Barnabas Senecal and Brother Lawrence Bradford participated in the July 19 Catholic Charities of Topeka fund raiser at Christ the King church in Topeka. The program consisted of six groups or single person music performances. Abbot Barnabas and Brother Lawrence did a combination of historical comment and song, using two Wesley songs, “Love Divine, All Love Excelling” and “The Church’s One Foundation,” as well as “Hail Mary, Gentle Woman,” and “I Sing the Mighty Power of God.” The history focused on Kansas in the 1850s. Brother Novice Simon Baker made a pre-vows retreat at Assumption monastery in Ava, Mo., August 5 through August 11. Father Bruce Swift, novice master for Brother Simon, accompanied him on this retreat. Brother Martin Burkhard has made a new work of art that is to be mounted on a wall of the north monastery courtyard. The central focus is a Benedictine medal, hand carved by a former focus missionary, surrounded by two inch ceramic tiles brought from Mexico and stored in the Abbey. A wooden Benedictine cross provides the mounting space for the medal and tiles. Brother Martin had this on display in the monastery dining room. Bishop Herbert Hermes was in Colorado, preaching and seeking support for his Brazil Mission work from parishes in the Colorado Springs diocese and is presently at the Abbey. Father Meinrad Miller gave the community retreat for the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Norfolk, Neb., June 7-13. Abbey Notes are selected from the Home Pages newsletter written by Abbot Barnabas Senecal. For more from Home Pages, see the St. Benedict’s Abbey Web site at kansasmonks.org.
Ways to give to St. Benedict’s Abbey Gifts of Appreciated Property Gifts of appreciated property held for more than one year, such as real estate, common stock, mutual funds, bonds, IRAs or retirement plans, offer significant advantages to the donor. Gifts of securities are encouraged when supporters have the desire to make a charitable gift and avoid capital gains tax. Gifts of real estate may be accepted upon approval in accordance with appropriate gift acceptance policies. Charitable Gift Annuities In exchange for your gift of cash, securities or other property, we will provide you and/or a named beneficiary an annual fixed annuity payment for life. Gift annuities offer immediate tax advantages, including partial avoidance of capital gains tax on the appreciation of donated property. Annuity rates can range from 5-11% depending on your age. Charitable Remainder Trusts You may establish a significant gift in the form of a charitable remainder trust that can provide a substantial income to you during your photo by J.D. Benning
lifetime and, if you choose, during the life of a named beneficiary. Upon the death of the final beneficiary, the trust is terminated and the remaining principal is given to St. Benedict’s Abbey. A charitable trust can also be flexible to allow you to make future contributions and receive additional income tax deductions. Charitable Bequests A gift in your will is an excellent way to support St. Benedict’s Abbey, one of its endowments, or to create a new endowment. You can make a specific gift amount in your will, name a percentage, or make the Abbey a beneficiary of the remainder of the estate. Life Insurance May times an old life insurance policy is no longer needed. Simply name the Abbey as a beneficiary. You could also name the Abbey as the owner and beneficiary of a new policy.
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KANSAS MONKS
Non-profit Org. U.S. Postage PA I D KC, MO Permit No. 6318
1020 N. 2nd Street, Atchison, KS 66002
Kansas Monks USPS 290-760 Abbey Offices 913.367.7853 www.kansasmonks.org
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FALL 2009 | VOLUME 4 | NUMBER 3
photo by J.D. Benning
