Kansas Monks Fall 2010 by kansasmonks

FALL 2010

Gorgeous Green 1 a photo by Abbot Barnabas Senecal

KANSAS MONKS

Features:

contributing writers:

4......we remember

Abbot Barnabas Senecal “We monks have many friends who form community with us.”

Eternal rest grant unto him... Brother Martin Burkhard passes into eternal life.

From the Abbot (3) | Abbey Notes (23)

THE MONKS OF BRAZIL . . Portraits of our confreres from St. Joseph’s Priory in Mineiros.

Brother John Peto “A Christian is known by his happiness in the Lord!” Oblates (17)

Father Daniel McCarthy “The liturgy nourishes us all along the process of our human maturation.” A Grateful Response (21)

Brother Leven Harton has gone from a struggling peanut patch to the Abbey’s new Home Ministry.

Abbot Owen Purcell “It’s all a day at a time.” Marked by a Sign of Faith (20)

Father Meinrad Miller -

“Pray for vocations to St. Benedict’s Abbey!” American Benedictine Academy (21)

Power of Poverty . . . . . 15 Father Kieran McInerney returns to his native Kansas from his “home” in Brazil.

Prior James Albers “In our vocations we must make the decision to love..” Clothed With Faith (23)

Prior Duane Roy “Working at the daily task of being monk” Somos Irmãos (9)

American Benedictine Academy . . . 21 Evangelization is theme of Benedictine gathering hosted by St. Benedict’s Abbey and Benedictine College.

08 . . . . . .

a Grateful Response liturgy & the life of the church

09 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SomosweIrmãos are brothers 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Obl ate s 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Word

in a

20 . . . Marked with the sign of Faith

faith 22 . . . . . . clothed with God’s Will In Our Lives

23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Abbey notes

The Abbey Church was lit in blue light from Aug. 25 to Sept. 8 to honor Mother Teresa’s 100th birthday. Photo by Father Jeremy Heppler +

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: Father Jeremy Heppler, JD Benning, Abbot Barnabas Senecal (cover), Mary Asher, Diana Klein, Megan Bickford Kansas Monks magazine is published by the Office of Development. For a free subscription: 913.360.7906, or development@kansasmonks.org.

From the Abbot

FALL 2010

Communication Strengthens Friendships

of our work with students and with parish members, from talks we have given and sacraments we have administered. These help define us and give us personal support, as is true with all people. It has been a blessing for me to be asked by the Archbishops of our Archdiocese to administer Confirmation to the young people of parishes. Through this I work with the priests of the Archdiocese, parish catechists and secretaries. I become acquainted with many families through these ceremonies. I was visiting a friend who recently had open-heart surgery in Overland Park. I met a parish organist who commented on Confirmation. A hospital staff member told me I had confirmed his son. Both of these persons were pleased to tell me they graduated from Benedictine College. May we all cherish friendships that grow out of significant contacts. We monks of St. Benedict’s have many friends who form community with us. We thank them most sincerely. If you would like e-mail updates from St. Benedict’s Abbey, please send your e-mail to development@kansasmonks.org. We also invite you to our Web site: www.kansasmonks.org.

photos by JD Benning

One of the means our Development Office used to announce the photo exhibit in the Abbey Art Gallery in August was to send a message to all persons for whom we had e-mail addresses in our mailing file. There were 4,600 among the 19,000 persons to whom we mail Kansas Monks. Only 100 of those 4,600 were returned as not workable at this time. This was the first time we have done a “broadcast” by e-mail. We would love to gather more e-mails to share more about events and news here at the Abbey. Dan Madden, editor of Kansas Monks and director of our Office of Development, has been making trips to visit with donors. Several persons who came to the Gallery were persons Dan recently saw in their home or place of work. Certainly, the more effective contact is person to person, and we welcome those opportunities to be with our friends in person. Today, electronic communication is so prevalent. We see college students walk the campus, drivers of cars, and folks seated on benches, talking on their cell phones. More common among young people is texting – thumb talk. Monks are communicators. A few have cell phones. More have computers and have grown accustomed to e-mail. We are fortunate to be on the Benedictine College campus and to be on-line every day, all day. We also have e-mail through a commercial provider, 1and1. Monks are communicators. We preach and teach and advise. We communicate with one another daily, about our work and our hobbies, about issues of the day, about books we are reading – habits of all. Through communication friendships are established and maintained. Sure, we also practice night silence and try not to disturb the quiet that exists around us throughout the day. Monks are friends to one another, even in the midst of differences arising from backgrounds, convictions and fields of study. We also value friendships outside the monastic community. These grow out

KANSAS MONKS

we remember... Brother Martin Burkhard

Brother Martin Burkhard, 94, the oldest monk of St. Benedict’s Abbey, died early in the morning of June 20, 2010, after suffering a series of heart attacks during the previous weeks. He was born May 7, 1916 in Anaheim, Calif., the son of John and Clara Depweg Burkhard. Brother Martin attended Anaheim Union High School in the early 1930s. He first tried the monastic life with the Trappist monks in Pecos, N. Mex. (that community has since moved to Oregon), and in 1949 he came to St. Benedict’s Abbey as a claustural oblate. During his early years here he worked in maintenance around the Abbey and college grounds, and in 1970-1971 he worked in the St. Benedict’s College offices. In 1973 Brother Martin decided to become a vowed member of the Abbey community and entered the novitiate. He professed his vows as a monk on July 11, 1974. Following novitiate, Brother Martin worked in the art department at Maur Hill until 1978. From 1978-1989 he was the prefect of Junior class students in their dorm. After retiring from Maur Hill Brother Martin helped around the Abbey in various roles. In recent years he made a contribution to community life by plac-

May 7, 1916-June 20, 2010

Brother Martin was an avid art appreciator. Above, he is at work in 1959 assisting Jean Charlot with the fresco in the Abbey Church.

ing works of art that highlighted the liturgical season and Feasts of the day in the Abbey Refectory and the main hallway. He recently made a wood and ceramic cross that is placed in the abbey’s north courtyard. He also volunteered at the Sacred Heart Thrift Store in Atchison. Volunteers who worked with him at the thrift store appreciated Brother Martin’s steady work and his peaceful manner. In his quiet way Brother Martin witnessed to the presence of Christ. Brother Martin was always present at community prayer, faithful to Lectio Divina, and to the work assigned him. He was a model for monks, young and old, of the value of trusting in God in the simple, ordinary day-to-day life. A particular gift of his was the way he greeted you. Monks assigned to parish work, or monks returning from studies or home visits remarked about the warm welcome they received from Brother Martin. Brother Martin was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters. He is survived by his monastic brothers and three nephews, all of Calif.

Word

a farewell

Homily for Brother Martin Burkhard

photo by Abbot Barnabas Senecal

Genesis 1:1-16 | Philippians 3:8-14 | Matthew 5:1-12 The following homily was delivered by Abbot Barnabas Senecal at the Mass of Christian Burial for Brother Martin Burkhard. Brother Martin would enjoy the humor of this story. Last Saturday evening I was a guest in the home of a young couple in Kansas City. They told of another couple who took their two children to church regularly. Neither listened well to their parents who talked to them frequently about silence. The next Sunday the younger cried mightily, leaving the father no choice but to take him out of church. The older child reacted to this, saying loudly, “How come he gets to leave?” Brother Martin knew silence. Not only the silence that settles around a person who loses his hearing, but the silence of being alone, the silence of choice when one is listening well to another, the silence of one at prayer, the silence of sharing a moment of sadness with another, the silence of an artist who knows that inspiration comes from within, in response to beauty and possible beauty around him, and the silence of acceptance. Brother Martin lived to be 94 years old. It was difficult for him to accept limitations that began to enter his life, like not being able to drive a car. He was often alone in the coffee room, reading, snacking, awaiting another to come with whom he might visit. Brother Martin worked well with high school students. He taught them art, and he taught them the art of living well. He gained their respect by listening to them, in the classroom, in the dormitory, on a bench on the campus. He continued his interest

FALL 2010 in the lives of his students into their adult lives. He listened to their calls or read their e-mails, and loved to travel to Mexico to be among families who loved and respected him greatly. Brother Martin knew the silence involved in prayer. Yes, he came to community prayer and joined in as best he was able. It was important for him to be with the community, in the Liturgy of the Hours and in Eucharist. He was a good reader, a reader of spiritual matters and of a wide range of history and fiction. He loved the Southwest, its literature and its art. Brother Martin knew how to be with a person experiencing sorrow or difficulty. A hand on the shoulder, chosen words said with genuine feeling, a willingness to spend time when time was needed. One phase of his ministry at the Thrift Store these past ten years or so was to sit with Donna Willming’s father, sharing stories and concerns. Donna’s father, Ray, then died, and Donna said Brother Martin became her father. Now, he, too, has died. Brother Martin knew the silence of the artist, the silence that could pick up a piece of cloth, handle an empty picture frame or a set of candlesticks, and see in each a way to decorate the dining room of the monastery. He could guide a high school student in the making of a piece of art, teaching them to listen and to imagine, to follow the Lord in an act of creation. Brother Martin lived art, recalled his involvement with Jean Charlot in the making of the frescoes in the abbey church, continued, until his death, a desire to make beautiful things almost out of nothing. Brother Martin knew the silence of acceptance, giving rise to an ability to live with what is, not to be anxious about many things, to accept what he could not change. He allowed this to be a positive, to be a realist. He would complain, and he could say his disagreement, but that never took away what one confrere called “his sweetness.” Brother Martin knew Christ. He knew Christ’s teachings about the beatitudes, and he lived those teachings. He was a blessed man, and we who lived with him knew of his simplicity, his honesty, his carefully chosen words, his desire to be busy in significant ways. He sought not sympathy, yet he lived with a caring heart. He sought to be a peacemaker in school, in the monastery, among friends who walked his path in life. He was not a complicated man but a single-hearted man. None of us would repeat what the child in the earlier story had said, “Why does he get to leave?” We know why he was chosen to live. He had lived well, quietly, as asked by the Father. As the recitation of the beatitudes closes with, “Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven,” so we close our day-to-day relationship with Brother Martin, glad, and rejoicing that he has lived with us. 5

photos by JD Benning

KANSAS MONKS

the monks of saint joseph’s priory

Kansas Monks shares with you with you, our friends and benefactors, portaits of the monks of St. Joseph’s Priory, the foundation of St. Benedict’s Abbey in Mineiros, Brazil. To order a free digital portrait of a monk, please contact the Office of Development at development@kansasmonks.org. To order a printed portrait shipped to your home, either send an e-mail or phone 913-360-7906. Father Kieran, pictured below recently returned to St. Benedict’s Abbey for health reasons. For more on that story, see page 15. See also in this issue the debut of Somos Irmãos, a column by Prior Duane Roy, featuring news from St. Joseph’s on page 9.

Prior Duane Roy

Father Joaquim Carlos Carvalho

Father Josias Dias da Costa

Father Rodrigo Perissinotto

Father Vinícius de Queiroz Rezende

Brother Haroldo Carvalho Ferreira

Brother Diego Neves Oliveira

Brother Carlos Alberto Nogueira Filho

Brother Gabriel Vinicius de Faria Gontijo

Brother Jackson André Pereira Gomes

Father Kieran McInerney

FALL 2010

From the monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey beginning September 27th Every order made fresh by monks for you!

benedict’s brittle Fill out the forms below to order a 2 pound tin of Benedict’s Brittle. Fill out the bottom form(s) to send a tin to a loved one. Drop the order form off at St. Benedict’s Abbey, 1020 N. Second St. Atchison, KS 66002, place it in the envelope in this issue of Kansas Monks or call 913.360.7906. Name (please print) :____________________________________E-mail:_________________________________ Address:_________________________________________________________________________________ City_______________________________ State:____ Zip:_________ Phone:________________________ Total Cans of Brittle:____ x $25.00 = $______ For gifts please fill out the form(s) below. Make checks payable to St. Benedict’s Abbey. Visa:__ MC:__ Card No.:______-______-______-______ Exp. Date:_____/_____ Week to ship:___________

Send to:________________________________

Address:________________________________

City________________ St:____ Zip:________ Cans of Brittle:____ Week to Ship:____________ Card to read:_____________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________

All tins of Benedict’s Brittle will be shipped the Monday of the week indicated under week to ship. Tax and shipping & handling are included in the $25.00 price. Weekly production is limited so reserve your order now.

KANSAS MONKS

liturgy & the life of the church

Born Again Great insight into a culture is gained through sharing in its funeral rites. When the rites are Christian, we can gain a different perspective into our own faith. When the funeral is for a friend, we can come to know ourselves better as well. Father Daniel McCarthy Alison Elvins was discerning and insightful in leading small group discussions on matters of faith. We collaborated together just last Advent and Christmas seasons when I prepared a pilot project of reflections on the prayers of the Sunday and festive Masses. She knew how to adapt my rather scholarly materials for the personal faith sharing of her group, and by so doing I learned how to write in a way that meets people more directly in their faith experience. By the end of the pilot project, Alison had become ill, but the group agreed to continue their reflections this coming year. When Alison passed away recently her long-time friend, Benedictine Father James Leachman of Ealing Abbey thought that she would have appreciated our celebrating Evening Prayer for the Dead with Reception of the Body. He knew that her friends would include believers from different Christian churches, and he wanted all of them to feel welcome and very much a part of this evening liturgy. This liturgy was developed with the collaboration of the three parishes of Doniphan County, Kan., when I was pastor there until 1999. I collaborated In baptism we are given the light of Christ. During with Peggy Evening Prayer for the Dead we sing to Christ the Stanton, Shirlight shining during our night vigil as we await the ley Kimsey and eternal dawn. other parishioners to expand on the traditional rosary recited at the funeral home. We began by receiving the body into the church for a night vigil before the funeral Mass. Initially we celebrated the reception of the body in the context of the liturgy of the word, but because that duplicates the Liturgy of the Word at the funeral Mass, we switched to evening prayer for the dead. We tried the official rite, which is based on the monastic tradition of evening prayer, also called Vespers, and I tried adaptations from our liturgy at St. Benedict’s Abbey. But in both cases the monastic tradition seemed rather ill suited to the commotion of a parish funeral. When I studied the difference between the monastic and parish traditions of the liturgy of the hours, I realized that we could incorporate elements of the parish or cathedral tradition of evening prayer into the rite of reception of the body. The simple liturgy we developed, 8

photos by Diana Klein

a Grateful Response

as it turns out, parallels the Easter vigil, thereby strengthening the parallel between our baptism into Christ and our funeral rites. We asked our friend Joan Wingert to write the music for this liturgy, which was published by Celebration in Kansas City through the kindness of Patrick Marrin. Crossing the pond to England with this liturgy in hand does not mean that people will sing to the same tune. Some of the music was well known or adapted well to the new cultural context, but I had to reformulate some of the music. Take for instance the traditional evening Psalm 140/141, “Let my prayer rise like incense.” I reworked the text of this psalm to the tune of “Amazing Grace” and when I began to lead it, they sang to their own tune and way of singing the hymn. It went well, to my great surprise. Alison knew how to nurture people as they mature in their baptismal dignity and faith, so we began her service at the font acclaiming Christ the light. We sang the hymn, “Now Fades All Earthly Splendor,” which is well suited as a hymn to Christ the light at twilight as we began the all-night vigil. As we processed to the front of church we sang the In paradisum, the words said of the poor beggar Jairus whom angels led to the bosom of Abraham. Each person was invited to put a grain of incense on the charcoal and we sang the incense Psalm 140/141. We decided to use the gospel canticle from night prayer, the Nunc dimitis, which is the canticle proclaimed by the Prophet Simeon, who said he could now die in peace because he had beheld Christ the salvation of the world. The intercessory prayers were given spontaneously and from the heart by this community well trained in such prayer. The practice at the Ealing Abbey parish is to leave the coffin over night in the church’s transept before the statue of the Virgin Mary. When the monastic community processes to that statue to sing the Marian antiphon after night prayer, the casket lies in state between the monks chanting Salve Regina and the figure of our Mother. In this way funerals in the Abbey parish also become part of the monastic round of prayers. Alison made her final vigil in the church on earth as she now awaits the eternal dawn when Christ who feeds us on his body and blood in the Eucharist, will welcome us at table. He will put on the apron and wait on us at the feast. I wish to share with you the anonymous poem adapted and shared by her Goddaughter during the funeral (next page):

In Baptism we are washed in the life-giving waters; in the reception of the body we sprinkle the casket directly from the baptismal font from which we were reborn unto everlasting life.

FALL 2010

My Godmother kept a garden. A garden of the heart; She planted all the good things, That gave my life its start.

Her constant good example, Always taught me right from wrong; Markers for my pathway To last my whole life long.

She turned me to the sunshine, And encouraged me to dream: Fostering and nurturing The seeds of self-esteem.

I am my God Mother’s garden, I am her legacy. And I hope today she feels the love, Reflected back from me.

Somos Irmãos

we are brothers

We are Brothers! In gratitude we accept the invitation from the editor of Kansas Monks to share with you our lives and experiences from Saint Joseph Priory in Brazil. We too, are members of Saint Benedict´s Abbey. We are brothers, in mission, in vows, in prayers. We share the same Benedictine heritage and vision. Here in Brazil we are 10 monks: five priests, two clerics, and three novices. I am the only North Prior Duane Roy American, 69 years old, standing on the shoulders of all those Kansas Monks – pioneers, missionaries, apostles and prophets – who first arrived in Brazil and left their mark and fruits over these past 48 years. Our Brazilian members average an age of 32.1 – a young community, yet with maturity. In the months ahead, some will share their thoughts and experiences with you. We work on two fronts. Our Priory is located in the interior of the State of Goiás (the name of local indigenous people, much like the name Kansas is from the Kansa Indians). The Priory is located in midwest Brazil (as is Kansas in midwest USA.) The population of the city of Mineiros presently is 60,000, and thriving due to agrobusiness. It was here in this city, the first three Kansas monks arrived in 1962. Today three priests monks – Fathers Rodrigo, Joaquim and Vinícius–share parish ministry while living the monastic life. Two other monks, Father Josias and I, live in the the capitol city of Goiânia. The population here is 2.2 million, and growing. Here we have our House of Studies for junior monks and novices. In short, we

The first thing we are given in baptism is the sign of the cross, and after baptism we are entrusted with a white garment to be brought unsoiled to the eternal liturgy. At the font we clothe the casket in the white baptismal garment, the funeral pall, and put a cross and the open book of the gospels on the casket.

maintain two monasteries, 280 miles apart. It is an expensive venture in money, time and energy – “burning the candles on both ends!” Your support is important to us both financially and in prayer. We believe we must invest in formation – initial and on-going – to provide the necessary leadership and ministries. We have plans to send one monk for course work in monastic formation over the next two summers. Another monk will spend the month of January 2011 in Rome taking a course on the Rule of St. Benedict with writer and lecturer, Benedictine Sister Aquinata Bockman. In future issues we will share more about how we understand and live our Benedictine heritage “Brazilianly,” or in the Brazilian way. A bit of trivia: Did you know that the first Benedictine monasteries in the Americas were founded in Brazil The custom wood work, done by local laborers in the 16th century as well as Dom Pedro Recroix, adds beauty to by Portuguese sail- the São Bento Church in Mineiros. ors who became monks and friars? Editor’s Note: Father Duane Roy assumed the office of Prior of St. Joseph’s Priory in Mineiros, Goiás, Brazil in January 2010.

photo by Abbot Barnabas Senecal

And when the winds and rains came, She protected me enough; But not too much, she knew I’d need To stand up strong and tough.

photo by Diana Klein

My Godmother Kept a Garden

B e a u t y in fa ce s an d p la ce s KANSAS MONKS

“The photographs of Abbot Barnabas Senecal invite us to stand in silent reverence before a world that is at once familiar and yet utterly mysterious. As an artist, he sees with eyes that are wise, but never jaded. He is a reader of faces, an investigator of landscapes, a collector of those moments the less observant among us might easily dismiss. His subjects run the breadth of his physical travels and his own soul’s journey. Whether he is capturing the silhouette of a tired traveler against some Roman columns, a family of owls, a pattern of snow drifts against a stone wall, a pipe-smoking monk, or wide-eyed Mexican boy dressed up in monk’s garb, his images lead us to inexhaustible flights of fantasy and speculation. Through his eyes, all of creation appears both whole and holy again, and always there is the unseen hand of the Creator. We cannot help but desire to embrace anew this world of complexities rendered simply, small wonders writ large.” - Judith Valente, national correspondent for PBS-TV’s “Religion & Ethics News Weekly,” author of “Twenty Poems to Nourish Your Soul.” Abbot Barnabas’ photos are featured on the St. Benedict’s Abbey website: Kansasmonks.org. Posters of Abbot Barnabas photos are available for purchase. Abbot Barnabas’ photos were featured on PBS, find them online at PBS.org.

a n exh i b i ti o n o f wo r ks by Abbot B a rna ba s S e ne c a l s h ow i n g n ow in St B e ne dic t ’s Abbe y Ar t G al l er y

FALL 2010

Through the lens of a monk 11

KANSAS MONKS

PEANUT BRITTLE

FALL 2010

by Dan Madden | photos by J.D. Benning It started as a good old fashioned Catholic guilt trip. Brother Leven Harton, in the process of planning a mission trip to El Salvador for a group of Benedictine College students, sent boxes of peanut brittle and other treats to his incomeearning friends with a note that began something like this: “Merry Christmas to you! As you can see I’ve sent you delicious treats to munch on during the holiday season, some tasty peanut brittle, decadent peanut clusters and mouth-watering cracker jacks. What is the purpose of such a generous act? To guilt you into giving money to a worthy cause of course! The high-quality sweets you have received are made with monk-grown, Kansas peanuts and pecans, nuts sown by your friend, Brother Leven Harton himself.” Slathering it on like his pre-hardened brittle, he delivered his cradle-Catholic closer: “Hours and hours of intense, back-breaking labor went into the production of this candy just for you. Can you possibly refuse to offer a gift in return?” Turns out they couldn’t. Recipients of the letter responded generously. Brother Leven’s peanut-laden pleas helped fund mission trips, FOCUS conferences and other worthy adventures. Especially popular was the peanut brittle, a recipe Brother Leven received from his mother. Now Brother Leven is taking Mom’s recipe beyond cleverly wielded guilt to a wider audience in the form of “Benedict’s Brittle,” a new home ministry to support the works and life of prayer of St. Benedict’s Abbey. Packaged in tins bearing the image of a pious looking St. Benedict holding a plump peanut, “Benedict’s Brittle” arrives this autumn, just in time for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. Brother Leven visited the monks of Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas, who have sold peanut brittle for several years and learned all he could about the business. “They have more orders than they can serve,” Brother Leven said. “I came away really fired up. I realized that after production, packaging and shipping this can still be a lucrative cottage industry for our community.” Brother Leven conducted thorough cost analysis and marketing planning and evaluated the time it would take away from his studies and formation and reported back to his superiors. He received hearty approval from Father Denis Meade, his junior master, and Abbot Barnabas Senecal, who were both impressed by his resourcefulness. In true Benedictine spirit, Brother Leven’s business started from humble beginnings, and like a true Kansas monk endeavor, it required almost obstinate persistence. In 2007 the young monk got the cockamamie idea to grow peanuts in Kansas, where the growing season is too short and the muddy, clay soil too dense. Why? “I just love peanut butter!” he replied with a grin. Two years later, after battling hungry deer and the weather he “succeeded” with what he called a “weed farm with a few peanuts.” But he did harvest some 10,000 worthwhile peanuts. In the ensuing years, he nurtured about 300 to 400 plants. Trouble is, it takes about 30 plants to make one jar of peanut butter. That’s about 70 to 80 hours of hot labor for 10 jars of peanut butter.

Then came Mom’s visit and the peanut brittle recipe. Like a mad scientist he experimented in the Abbey kitchen. The first few batches were inedible. By Christmas, he had concocted four batches, one worth eating. “The three others were really chewy, but I didn’t want to waste them, so I set them out for the monks,” he recalls. “Brother Robert and Brother Anthony each lost a filling eating it.” It took probably more than 100 batches for Brother Leven to perfect his craft to the point that he felt comfortable sending his candy out for fundraisers. It’s a lot better than anything you’ll buy in the store, he says. He recently bought some from the biggest brand on the market and declared it “awful.” “It has no character,” he says. “It’s full of preservatives.” He has no qualms in saying his is better. Lots of peanuts, no preservatives. “There’s a 30 second window in the process that determines whether it’s undercooked or burned and a candy thermometer isn’t as precise,” he explains. “I go by color and density. I’ve got it down now, more or less.” While Brother Leven will have to haul in outside peanuts to supplement his orders, some of his own “Carolina blacks,” grown out behind St. Benedict’s Abbey, will be sprinkled throughout every order that he ships out. And the same labor and sprightly resourcefulness of one of St. Benedict’s youngest monks will be behind the wise monk on the “Benedict’s Brittle” label. Despite some initial costs, such as restructuring the Abbey kitchen and acquiring tools, Brother Leven says a peanut brittle business is still a low risk investment for his community. He said he had to guarantee to sell a few hundred orders in the first year, which he is confident the Abbey’s friends will help him do. And if all else fails, he can always fall back on Catholic guilt.

Brother Leven’s work with peanuts was featured in the Winter 2008 issue of Kansas Monks. Photos of Brother Leven and Brother Simon Baker hard at work harvesting peanuts are available online at Kansasmonks.org.

Editor’s Note: Benedict’s Brittle is available for purchase through kansasmonks.org, calling 913.360.7906, or by filling out the form on page 7. We encourage you to place your order for the holiday season soon. A video detailing the Brittle creation process is available online. See kansasmonks.org or search ‘Bendict’s Brittle’ on YouTube. 13

KANSAS MONKS

Obl ates Oblate Patrons

One of our oblates recently mentioned that she struggled in attempting to explain what oblates are to a friend. The best place to begin is with the requirements for being an oblate of St. Benedict. They are few. A person must be a Christian. Oblates are truly ecumenical and no Christian is barred from membership. The person thinking about oblation should have a sincere desire to better his or her Christian life with a deeper prayer life. He or she needs to have some idea about Benedictine life no matter how brief to begin a sincere search about becoming an oblate. With the above in place one can begin the search. In the past many oblates came from our schools or parishes and had some acquaintance with monks but that is not the case today. So many are looking for a deeper spiritual life with some direction to grow. This past summer the two oblate groups here at the abbey have looked at some important Benedictine persons. We began with a brief study of St. Benedict through the eyes of St. Gregory the Great. Gregory wrote the only account of the events in the life of Benedict especially the miracles connected with his life. The Rule of St. Benedict is also a good source of the kind of man Benedict was. His Gregory the Great rule is not harsh and allows for many kinds of characters to be part of monastic life. The challenge throughout the Rule is to grow in the spiritual life through community, and gain a deeper prayer life primarily through the Psalms and Sacred Scripture. From the very beginning many different persons have felt called to follow Benedict and his Rule. It has survived for 1,500 years, which in itself says something. It does not call for great intellectual challenge but for day by day striving to become more like Christ. Gregory the Great was himself a monk before becoming one of the few popes to have the title “Great” attached to his name. We then looked at the two patrons of Benedictine oblates. St. Henry the Emperor (973-1024) was not only a great ruler but was also responsible for many monasteries adopting the Rule of Benedict as their way of life. Prior to that time many rules were followed by different communities. Henry himself wanted to be a monk, but had been told he could do more by remaining the emperor and using his deep faith and power to bring about a commitment to the existing monasteries of Europe. He was likely an oblate although in a different sense than we understand today. Henry is well qualified to be one of the patrons of Benedictine oblates. His feast is on July 13. St. Frances of Rome (1384-1440) was a wealthy Italian who was known throughout her life for generosity toward the poor and

as an exemplary mother and wife. She was able to run a large estate and household from a young age but at the same time maintain a deep prayer life. As a widow she founded an order of sisters who followed the Rule of Benedict but who lived a very different life as religious. They could live in community or outside of community. In community they wore a simple Brother John Peto habit but did not do so outside of the Director of Oblates house. We were able to determine that only one such community exists today in Rome. Pope Benedict XVI visited the community several years ago and praised them for their way of life. Her symbol is an angel as she was protected throughout life in a special way by her guardian angel. Her feast is March 9. An interesting fact about her feast is that on that day in Rome taxis are blessed. I have never been in Rome but it is my understanding that Roman taxi drivers need as much protection as possible. The last person we studied was Dorothy Day (18971980), an oblate of St. Procopius Abbey. Dorothy took a radical approach to the gospel after a rather difficult youth in which she had an abortion and later a child from a common law marriage. With the help of friends and a growth in her prayer life she turned her life around and became the founder, along with Peter Maurin, of the Catholic Worker Movement. She lived the gospel in her daily life and was deeply devoted to prayer and simple living. She became an oblate in 1955. She traveled to many places to aid the least of humanity. She was a friend of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. Along with Eileen Egan she is best remembered as a tireless worker and advocate of the poor of the world. I would like to note that Eileen Egan was the sister of Benedictine Sister Kathleen Egan, living at the present time at Mount St. Scholastica Dorothy Day Monastery here in Atchison. These persons St. Henry, St. Frances and Dorothy Day, were able to dedicate their lives to service in different ways but with a balance between prayer and work. Prayer and work are the hallmarks of Benedictine spirituality. Balance is the way to survive, and for many, following the oblate life is a way to do this.

- 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? Come and see or contact me, Brother John Peto, jpeto@kansasmonks.org 14

913-360-7896

The power of poverty

FALL 2010

Priest changed by warmth, community

by Dan Madden Father Kieran McInerney returns to his native Kansas, at age 84, a transformed man. Pain in his back has been only partially relieved by major surgery, a damaged eye has curtailed reading, and a myriad of illnesses have cut him off from the precious pastoral ministry that has nourished his soul for a lifetime. But sit and listen to Father Kieran and there is much to gain from an old man who decades ago, after working with the poor in Atchison, ventured off to the southern hemisphere to minister to a people who did almost everything – from speaking to eating to greeting one another to facing adversity – in wildly different ways. Father Kieran wavers between diplomacy, gratitude, sadness, reverie, passion, conviction and sober disappointment as he discusses his return “home.” But coursing through his conversation is a man who knows he has been greatly blessed by the experiences of life among the poorest of the poor in far-off Brazil. A man who looks upon his late confrere Bishop Matthias Schmidt as a significant mentor and a saintly man. “My understanding of Church has evolved,” he says. “I’m not attracted to the pomp and circumstance of the triumphal Church.

Father Kieran stands outside of Ruy Barbosa Cathedral in Brazil in 1980. Bishop Mathias Schmidt was bishop of Ruy Barbosa from 1976-1992.

Ten of my years in Brazil were in the Diocese of Ruy Barbosa, in the state of Bahia, in the Northeast of Brazil, with our Bishop Matthias where the pastoral approach at that time was the preferential option for the oppressed poor.” During that time, he saw Bishop Matthias undergo a conversion and become the Bishop of the Poor for Latin America and Father Kieran was also changed by the poor people who shared their lives with him. He observed their warmth and optimism as they formed community despite oppressive conditions and intense suffering. During that time, Father Kieran served as pastor for two cities, 23 rural communities, and seven villages. “I learned from those people an awful lot about Christ and community and sharing, and those 10 years formed my present concept of Church,” Father Kieran says. “The Church in the States is part of a different culture, but my personal conviction of Church is founded on living with the poor faith communities, helpless and often ignored.” Father Kieran says he is happy. “My community is doing everything they can to make me comfortable,” he says. “I have a large family in the Benedictine community. But at the same time, I had returned to Brazil to try and be productive. This is a difficult change. I will use this time for more spiritual development and reading, and as a time to renew old friendships and discover new ones.” Father Kieran returned to Kansas in May for back surgery following a boisterous and passionate farewell from the people of Mineiros and Goiania, where he had lived for the past three years. His nephew, Jerry, flew down to Brazil to bring him back north. Father Kieran says, sadly, that he will not return, ending 33 years of service to the people of Brazil. He will stay at St. Benedict’s Abbey and receive the health care he needs. A $25,000 donation dedicated to Father Kieran, will be used for the community’s library in Brazil. In his most recent three-year stint in Brazil, following the deaths of his sister and brother, Father Kieran has helped raise $50,000 in grants to build a computer lab for a Franciscan School, served in pastoral work, and translated the book Kansas Monks by Father Peter Beckman from English to Portuguese for the Benedictine community of St. Joseph’s Priory. 15

Word

KANSAS MONKS

We live by faith and not by sight

The following homily was delivered by Abbot Owen Purcell at Mount St. Scholastica on August 8, 2010. We human beings live a sort of in-between type of existence. We are gifted with these wonderful intelligences, and yet a lot of time we miss the obvious. We are filled with lots of theories about many things. In fact, if President Obama asked us how to get out of Afghanistan we would not hesitate to tell him. Yet, perhaps this morning we could not get the car out of the garage. This speaks to the practical aspects of life. There is an angelic side to us despite that we do some humanly stupid things. We live by faith and not by sight. Genesis tells us that Jewish ancestors in faith knew about the night of the Passover and with that knowledge they made an act of faith that has made all the difference. - Hebrews 11:1-2 They believed and then they knew.

“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.”

Kansas Monks Receives Award

Kansas Monks magazine is among the best religious order magazines in the United States and Canada, according to the Catholic Press Association. The quarterly publication of St. Benedict’s Abbey garnered third place in “General Excellence” at the 2010 Magazine Awards, and first place for “Best Feature Article.” “The photographs in this publication are engaging,” said the judges in the General Excellence category. “They are well-placed, cropped, and superbly reproduced. They give the reader a meditative visual delight.” The praise was primarily directed at art director J.D. Benning who designs the magazine and is the main photographer. Editor Dan Madden placed first in feature writing for his series, “Why We Need Benedictines,” an in-depth look at Benedictine humility and the monastic vows professed by the monks of St. Benedict’s. “Good journalists let people tell ‘their’ stories, not the writer’s story,” the judge said. “Dan Madden takes a history piece and transforms it into a story about contemporary monastery life and its value through those practicing it. Each vignette succeeds as a stand-alone story but choices made about organization and 16

“Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.”

structure hold the entire piece together. Despite its length, it’s an easy read, a testament to the author’s skills in efficiency, tone and language.” The Catholic Press Association consists of more than 600 Catholic publications in the United States and Canada.

photo by JD Benning

in a

The Second reading is from the Book of Hebrews, chapter 11. That chapter is a listing of the wondered faith worked in the lives of other figures in the Old Testament. The sentences begin, “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed - Psalm 33 when he was called to go out from his homeland.” It was by faith that Abraham and Sarah believed that they could conceive Isaac. They believed and then they knew. In the Gospel we see that the people in the Gospel lit their lamps and got dressed to meet the bridegroom, the Son of man, Jesus. They believed that he was coming and they knew it when he came. St. Anselm of Canterbury wrote many philosophical treatises but he is remembered best for this sentence, “I believe so that I might understand.” Faith seeking understanding! He believed and then he knew. I am reminded of a little boy who was pestering his parents for a Christmas pony. To discourage him they put bags of refuse, old straw and manure from a neighbor’s barn around the Christmas tree. They hoped that the little fellow would be discouraged and forget the desire for the pony. But the opposite happened. The parents questioned him why he was not discouraged. He replied, “With all these little bags of barn sweepings and manure, there is bound to be a pony in there somewhere!” And so it is with us: In all the trials of life and when things seem the darkest and smelliest, we in faith, believe in a Power Greater than ourselves, and then we know.

The above image of a prisoner at the Kansas State Penitentiary by J.D. Benning. Kansas Monks magazine drew praise from national judges for its photography.

St. Benedict’s Abbey presents-

FALL 2010

daily reflections

Online Lectio Visit Kansasmonks.org for daily reflections from the Monks & Oblates of St. Benedict’s Abbey.

KANSAS MONKS

2011 CALENDAR

A collection of photos & texts by Abbot Barnabas Senecal yours for $12.00

INCLINE THE EAR OF YOUR HEART Listening to Saint Benedict’s Message of Peace

A new book from St. Benedict’s Abbey press by Dan Madden. “Dan Madden has caught the spirit of the Benedictine way of life as he elegantly probes with memorable prose and pictures a treasure that till now may have been hidden in a field we had yet to discover; but it is one we can uncover and even take it home with us.” - Archbishop James Keleher

$25.00

$23.25

These products and more available online at Kansasmonks.org or by phone: 913.360.7906. Incline the Ear of Your Heart also available at the following bookstores: I. Donnelly in Kansas City, Mo. Trinity House in Overland Park, Kan. and Blessings in St. Joseph, Mo. There is a $5.00 shipping charge on all orders.

monastic moving men FALL 2010

monks lend a hand at college move-in-day.

Saturday Aug. 21 new incoming students arrived on the Benedictine College campus to begin their journey through the 2010-11 school year. A few of the monks walked down the hill to aid the students. Mary Asher was there to capture the cooperation. From top left to right: Brother Ulrich Henningsgaard lends a hand. - Prior James Albers pushes a new student’s cart toward the dorm. - Father Brendan Rolling, director for Mission and Ministry, chats with Danny Fairley of campus security. - Brother Leven Harton shares a laugh with a parent. - Brother Christopher Start carries a college student’s all-purpose essential: the microwave. Father Meinrad Miller, Benedictine college chaplain and professor, talks to new Ravens.

KANSAS MONKS

Marked with the sign of Faith Father Victor Gellhaus

1897-1977

ather Victor Gellhaus was born in St. Benedict, Kan., and baptized at St. Mary’s Church. He came to St. Benedict’s in Atchison in 1910, graduated from both the high school and later the college with a bachelor’s in philosophy in 1919. He also completed his theology in Atchison and was ordained June 22, 1922, at St. Benedict’s, Atchison. He finished his novitiate at St. Vincent Archabbey and was professed July 2, 1916. From 1924-27 Father Victor was principal of St. Benedict’s High School, replacing Father Louis Baska. In the years 1931-1934 he was a doctoral student at the University of Munich, Bavaria, Germany, where he had a bird’s eye view of the rise of Adolph Hitler. In 1934 he became Chair of the Department of History at the College and continued that office until Sept. 1963 when Father Peter Beckman succeeded him. He was on sick leave from 1943-1945 mostly at St. Benedict’s Parish, Kansas City, Kan. He returned to the College to be student chaplain and, again, professor of history. He lived in The Old Priory that housed the chemistry lab and adjoined the parish church. In 1967 Father Victor retired, had an operation at the Atchison Hospital and was unable to enjoy his retirement because of chronic illness that confined him to a wheel chair. He had planned on some leisure time at St. Mary’s Parish at Wildcat, for fishing on Lake Nemaha and smoking with his dear friend, Father Leander Scheier. He spent some time at Cray Manor, at the Atchison Hospital, time at St, Margaret’s in Kansas City, Kan., enjoyed a renewal of energy in 20

1970, came to the refectory and the church for Mass. During his retirement he was honored with a one-man show of his delightful water colors. He, Father Peter Beckman, and Dennis McCarthy frequently painted together. Father Victor authored many book reviews for the Historical Review and wrote articles for the New Catholic Encyclopedia. His chosen field was medieval history and he was a fierce defender of the Church’s role in it, contrary to professors at Harvard and Yale whom he considered inimical. To him Pope Gregory VII was a hero and a confessor for Henry IV in the Investiture Conflict. He, in Victor’s opinion, brought sacramental forgiveness to Canossa. His aim not being to make Henry grovel. When he came to class Father Victor brought a well worn and underlined text. Some times he used a foreign language to make a point. Once he used the work “Kulturkampf,” and a student snickered. To say that Father Victor was disturbed is an understatement. He exploded. There was a New York Yankee pitcher named Vic Raschi. He was of some reknown. His own nickname, “Quick Vic” made its way to being applied to Father Victor. Father was truly a great man and learned to turn the ill-health that prevented a “fishing” retirement into one in which his rediscovered water colors came to enrich the legacy of community. Many have said that he was the best teacher they ever had at St. Benedict’s College.

FALL 2010

The American Benedictine Academy

College, Abbey host Benedictine Gathering by Father Meinrad Miller | photos by JD Benning St. Benedict’s Abbey and Benedictine College hosted the meeting of the American Benedictine Academy (ABA) here on the campus of Benedictine College Aug. 5-8. The theme of this year’s gathering was Benedictines and Evangelization. Sister Jacqueline Ernster, from Sacred Heart Monastery in Yankton, S.Dak., has served as the President of the ABA for the last two years. Fifty-five monks, sisters, and oblates registered from around the United States. In addition, monks from the Abbey, Sisters from Mount St. Scholastica, and oblates came to talks, and helped with running a small book shop. Three keynote speakers helped to shed light upon the theme: • Father Ezekiel Lotz, from Mt. Angel Abbey in Oregon, addressed the area of Benedictines and post-modern culture. • Sister Ephrem Hollerman, from St. Benedict’s Monastery in Minnesota, spoke of the development of a culture of evangelization in America, as well as the teachings of Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II on the matter. • The Abbot Primate of the Benedictine order, Abbot Notker Wolf, originally from the Ottilian Benedictine Congregation in Germany, and currently at Sant’Anselmo in Rome, gave an overview of the work of Benedictines throughout the world. On Friday evening the participants were hosted by the monks

for Vespers in the Abbey Church for the Feast of Our Lord’s Transfiguration. This was followed by a picnic style dinner in the monastic refectory that included fresh picked tomatoes and corn from the Abbey garden. Two artistic events followed dinner: participants went and viewed Abbot Barnabas’ new display of photographs in the Abbey Art Gallery, located in the crypt of the Abbey church under the tower. And later there was a music recital in the Abbey Church that featured Father Blaine Schultz, Abbey choirmaster; Sister Janelle Maes, organist at the Mount; and Abbot Primate Notker Wolf, playing flute accompanied by the Chair of the Benedictine College Music Department, Dr Ruth Krusemark. Dr. Krusemark finished the program by playing an original piece she wrote for the Abbey Church organ, entitled “To Perseus.” On Saturday morning, there was a panel discussion on missions from American Benedictine houses in other countries. Following the panel, there was a business meeting and election of officers of the ABA. On Saturday afternoon there were small group discussions with the keynote speakers. In the evening there was an awards banquet in the Benedictine College cafeteria. On Sunday morning there was an address by the new President of the American Benedictine Academy, Sister Laura Swan, from St. Placid Monastery in Lacey, Washington. This was followed by Mass with the monks in the Abbey Church, with Abbot Primate Notker as celebrant and homilist. At Mass the new officers were installed. The whole meeting then concluded with brunch in the cafeteria. There is a long history of the Abbey with the American Benedictine Academy. In 1950, when the American Benedictine Academy started a journal, The American Benedictine Review (ABR), the first editor, from 1950-1958, was a monk of the Abbey, Father Bonaventure Schwinn. Later Abbot Brendan Downey would serve as an Assistant Editor of the ABR. The late Father Timothy Fry was both editor of the American Benedictine Review, and of the popular edition of the Rule of St. Benedict, RB80 published by The Liturgical Press in Collegeville, Minn. to commemorate the 1500th Birthday of St. Benedict in 1980. While Father Timothy was editor of the ABR, the magazine received numerous awards from The Catholic Press Association. In 1969 the ABR was named the top general interest magazine by that group. The judges remarked, “With a benign brilliance of ideas, writing and editing, this thinking and thought-provoking magazine is a classic. No identity crisis here in reaction to changing thought or art forms.” 21

clothed with faith God’s Will In Our Lives Love is a Decision Attending a parish celebration at St. Michael’s, Axtell, Kan., of the 50th anniversary of the ordination of our Father Albert Hauser– a parish he has served for many years – one short line from his homily struck me as the foundation for accepting God’s will in our lives. Father Albert, rather poignantly and emotionally, said, Prior James Albers “Love is a decision.” What a profound thought. Love is something we decide to offer, to experience and to live by. We choose to take on the yoke of love. We choose to accept the love God has for us in accepting his will. Love is not what we feel, but it is what we decide to live. St. Gregory the Great, the monk and pope who lived shortly after the time of St. Benedict, says that to understand how to make that decision to love, we need to look no further than Christ. “For he says: I am the good shepherd. Then he goes on to tell us the characteristic of that goodness, so that we can imitate it: The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. As he counseled, so he acted; as he commanded us, so he set the example. The good shepherd laid down his life for his sheep, that he might render his body and blood in our sacrament and fill, with the sustenance of his flesh, the sheep whom he had brought back.” Christ accepted the will of his Father for him because he loved the Father. He had ample opportunity to disprove this love, but, though divine, he made the human choice to love the Father. And in that choice Christ gave us the example of true love, to abandon our own will for the will of the Father. In love Christ shows the way to put another ahead of ourselves, of my desires, whether that be God, my fellow monks, our families, or those God has placed in our life to shepherd. So Christ shows us the way to abandonment of our own will for the will of the Father; to live in the kingdom of God. St. Matthew in his gospel directs us to “seek first the kingdom of God and his justice and all the rest shall be added unto you.” In the action of seeking the kingdom we decide to seek out God, the source of all love. Indeed there will be difficulties in this; failures, contradictions, very difficult moments and sometimes distressing ones, but if we have total confidence in Jesus as we choose to abandon ourselves to him, then he will take care of us. Abandonment to love will always triumph. To decide to love doesn’t mean we are accepting a life free of complication and worry. One author wrote, “I emphasize this concept of ‘worrying with the full consent of the will,’ for it is very

important in the spiritual life to make a distinction between our nature and our will, united to the will of Jesus. ‘Homo duplex.’ My nature says, ‘No,’ my will says, ‘Yes.’ My nature trembles; with all my will, I smile through my tears. My nature is troubled and afraid; my heart recalls the divine testament, ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.’ My nature revolts; I force myself to say, ‘All is well, Jesus, do not change anything.’ It is a fight which we must take up again and again… This is the drama of our life. But the beautiful thing is that Jesus sees our will united to his by a fundamental choice—the profound, habitual disposition of having only one will with him.”1 We make that fundamental choice, take on the profound, habitual disposition, when we make the decision to love, and in that love to serve. In our vocations, whatever God calls us to, we must make that decision to love; to In chapter four of his Rule St. Benedict tells love God and serve us one of the instruments of good works is to God and those he prefer nothing whatever to Christ. has given to us. As St. Gregory the Great notes, “It comes to this: those who really love are the ones who really serve God.” Let us ask for the grace each day to decide to love and offer that love in the service of God. If you are a young man interested in a monastic vocation 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 by telephone at 913-360-7830 Père Jean du Coeur de Jésus D’Elbée, I Believe in Love: Retreat Conferences on the Interior Life. Petersham, Massachusetts: St. Bede’s Publications, 1974. 1

Christ shows us the way 22

photo by Megan Bickford

KANSAS MONKS

FALL 2010

abbey notes Father Marion Charboneau is teaching two classes in Benedictine College’s history department. He is offering a section of the Freshman Survey Course, US History until 1865 and an upper division class on the Early American Republic. Abbot Barnabas Senecal participated in the 150th anniversary celebration of St. Augustine’s parish, Fidelity, Kan., Sunday, Aug. 29. Father Augustine Wirth of our abbey celebrated the first Mass there in 1860, and fifteen Benedictine priests served their until 1885. Benedictines again served the parish from 1936 to 1939, and from 1971 to 2002. Prior James Albers preached the homily at the Mass of Christian Burial for Jeanne Marie McDonald, mother of Father Richard McDonald. Father James and Father Richard had been together in Rome for priesthood studies and have been friends since then. Father Richard was the principal celebrant of the Mass at Church of the Ascension, Sept. 2. Father Gerard Senecal serves as secretary for the Atchison Ministerial Alliance, and distributes by e-mail minutes of each meeting. Sister Mary Palarino of the Mount community is the President of the Alliance. A note from the Sept. 1 meeting is this: “Kansas Baptists are gathering in Atchison, October 7-9, to mark a 150th anniversary for Baptists in Kansas. Festivities will headquarter at the Heritage Center in Atchison.“ Father Meinrad Miller will teach the three novices of the community on Thursdays during the fall semester. He will use as a text, In the Unity of the Holy Spirit, by Abbot Sighard Kleiner, O.Cist., a 1989 publication. Father Matthew Habiger participated in a Pro-Life Conference in Brownsville, Tex., August 21-22, and a parish weekend in Mercedes Tex. On Aug. 24 he did a radio show on Radio Maria. From Sept. 7-9 he will give the keynote address and two talks to 160 priests in Orlando, Fla., in a clergy conference. Brother John Peto, Sister Gabrielle Kocour and Sister Sheila Carroll are offering Lectio Divina sessions for adults of Atchison, in the Lower Lounge of the Abbey Guest house, on Thursday evenings, Sept. 9 and 23, Oct. 14 and 28, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9, from 7:15 p.m. to 8 p.m.. Father Jeremy Heppler, chaplain and religion teacher at Maur Hill Mount Academy, participated in the three-day retreat (right) for the students, Aug. 18-20. This note was a summary from the school about the event: “Last Wednesday through Friday, students started the school year in a new way. They spent three days on retreat, getting to know

each other and growing closer to the Lord. Although most students and parents didn’t know exactly what to expect, the response from the retreat has been overwhelmingly positive. There was a lot of laughter, fun, prayer, sharing, and relationship-building during the three days. The music, sessions, small group time, confessions and group activities were all mentioned several times as being the high points of the retreat. A special thanks goes out to the Benedictine College students, Kansas City youth ministers, and our own staff who helped lead the retreat and thank you St. Joseph’s and Father Bertrand for letting us hold this at the church.” Father Denis Meade is a judge for the Marriage Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. He receives portfolios for review and writes his opinions here at the Abbey. He also participates in the sessions of the Court of Second Appeal for the four dioceses of Kansas. Brother Damian Cayetano, a member of Christ the King Priory in Schuyler, Neb., arrived Aug. 19, to attend classes at Benedictine College. Brother Lawrence Bradford collected black swallow tail caterpillars from his potted parsley plants in the north courtyard, to give to Connie Hallberg, an entomologist on the Benedictine College faculty whose son is doing a Boy Scout project. As hymns for the Divine Office, Father Blaine Schultz (left) has introduced the monks to several new compositions; the texts are written by Sister Genevieve Glen, O.S.B., and the music by Father Tobias Colgan. From the Heart of Silence and Be Glad of Heart, All You Who Seek. Brian Nelson, a doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas and the former Brother Ambrose of our abbey, has published two CDs of his original compositions. A 2009 issue is entitled Responsorial Psalms for Advent and Christmas. A 2010 release is entitled Vocalise, Instrumental, vocal and sacred works. Dan Backman of Atchison built and placed a small two-seater bench near the guesthouse entrance. He offers to make them for sale. He calls it a friendship bench because as people spend time “sitting long and talking much,” friendship will develop. White, green and blue turquoise pectoral crosses were presented to the three Abbey monks who made the 2008 Pilgrimage to Bavaria with John and JoAnn Henningsen, on the occasion of JoAnn’s presence for the August 22 opening of Abbot Barnabas’ Photo Exhibit, financed by Memorials for John who died in March 2010. 23

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HOS

HOSPITALITY

Fall 2010 | Volume 5 | Number 3

Hospitality is acting as Christ, who washed the feet of his disciples. It is a ministry of presence and service.

excerpt from Incline the Ear of your Heart photo by JD Benning