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I lift my eyes to the mountains; from where shall come my help? My help shall come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. -Psalm 121:1-2
St. Benedict’s Abbey Monastic Horarium
Unite your prayer s w ith those of the Monk s of St . Benedict’s Abbe y Sunday Vigils (Office of Readings) - 6:30 AM Lauds (Morning Prayer) - 6:45 AM Mass - 10:00 AM Midday Prayer - 12:05 PM Vespers (Evening Prayer) - 5:00 PM Compline (Night Prayer) - 7:30 PM Monday-Saturday Vigils - 5:45 AM Lauds - 6:00 AM Midday Prayer - 11:45 AM Mass - 12:10 PM Vespers Mon-Fri - 5:00 PM Vespers Saturday - 5:45 PM Compline - 7:30 PM Holy Hour for Vocations with Compline Saturday - 7:00 PM
Contents 4 - From the Abbot
Abbot James invites us to follow St. Benedict’s exhortation to “hasten toward our Heavenly home.”
5 - A Heavenly Home
A pictorial journey through the construction of St. Benedict’s monastery and Abbey Church.
8 - Becoming an Apostle
Br. Leven offers a few tips to aid you in your prayer before, during, and after the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
10 - The Abbey Church
A brief tour of the design, features, and intricacies of the Abbey Church.
12 - The Abbey Crypt
We explore the Abbey Church crypt.
13 - The Frescoes
We detail the three frescoes of the Abbey Church and offer a special fold out poster of the Abbey Church fresco on page 14.
16 - In Memoriam
We celebrate the life of our brother, Fr. Blaine Schultz.
17 - An Offering Help us bring Christ to the world. Stability is central to the life of the monk – this vow keeps us rooted in this place and reminds us that, no matter where we are, our spirituality flows from St. Benedict’s Abbey. Our very lives are sustained by the perpetual prayer of the Abbey. One of our most important works is sharing the love of Christ with all those we serve – you can actively take part in bringing with us to bring Christ to the world by becoming a Partner in Stability. Your monthly support is critical to making our prayer and work possible. For more information, visit our website:
KANSASMONKS.ORG/STABILITY
Fr. Gabriel discusses offering Mass for specific intentions and invites you to have a Mass offered for your intentions, friends, or loved ones.
18 - The New Abbey Church
Fr. Meinrad reflects on the Abbey Church and its relationship with the students of Benedictine College.
19 - A Tool for the Work of God Br. Karel explores the majesty of the Abbey Pipe Organ.
20 - The Monk & Holy Saturday Fr. Jay Kythe shares a reflection on the monastic choir and its placement between the Abbey Crucifix and Fresco.
22 - The Blessed Sacrament Chapel Fr. Daniel McCarthy explains why the Abbey has a separate chapel for the Blessed Sacrament.
24 - The Return to Nazareth We are excited to announce the completion of the Return to Nazareth Garden!
27 - The Infirmary Renovation The monks are currently updating the monastic infirmary – learn how you can help.
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unit y How would you describe your living room? Four walls, a ceiling, probably a place or two to sit and share a conversation, perhaps a table to gather around and share a meal, perhaps a Crucifix on one of the walls – each space in your home, its objects and history, likely carries a long, living memory and a unique experience every time you walk into it. Now let’s describe our Abbey Church: a place to sit, a table with bread and wine, a crucifix, so what makes it special? If you’re like me, as a kid your mom told you that your church, “is where Jesus (or God) lives.” But it’s not the only place he lives, for Christ is always with us, but rather it’s where we can truly meet God. Here all the other meeting places of our lives are taken up into the Mystery of God and transfigured in the light of his glorious love. In this place we encounter him in the sacraments. In this place we experience our greatest joys – whether in marriage, baptism, or religious profession. In this place we experience our deepest sorrows and regrets – in confessing our sins before the Lord, in saying goodbye to a loved one in a funeral, or even coming to the Lord to console us in our times of deepest need – it is here that the Lord extends himself to us. Since 1957, the Abbey Church has been the spiritual home to the monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey and the students of Benedictine College. It has played host to countless joyous occasions – but perhaps what we should remember most is that it is a place of communion. Here we are called together to receive Communion, here we lift up our intentions to the Lord in prayer together, here we are united in the one Body of Christ. For us, as monks and friends of St. Benedict’s Abbey, this communion has generated a unity and history we share in this place. Within the body of Christ we are united as a Benedictine family. While we may be separated by space (or indeed, even time) our prayers are gathered so we are one in the Father, that this living in every room of our lives is but a foretaste of our destiny, our eternal dwelling in the Father’s house, which, our Savior has told us, has many rooms. In these pages we explore our Abbey Church, its intricacies and more. We hope as you read you are transported here, that you can recall the sights, sounds, smells, and most of all the encounters in this beautiful place. Wherever you are, know that you are in our prayers, and that you have a spiritual home at St. Benedict’s Abbey.
F O R A S I N O N E B O DY W E H AV E M A N Y PA R T S ... S O W E , T H O U G H M A N Y, A R E O N E B O DY I N C H R I S T - R O M A N S 1 2 : 4 -5
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F r om the A bb ot
Our Heavenly Home “Are you hastening toward your heavenly home?” In chapter 73 of his Rule St. Benedict poses this question to the monk who desires to put on the yoke of obedience, let down the anchor of stability, and seek the path of fidelity and conversion to monastic life (the three vows of a Benedictine monk). “… your heavenly home?” That is the life of the monk, his ultimate goal: seeking Christ, and through him the Father, hastening toward our heavenly home. All else – our work, our relationships, our recreation, our daily rhythm – are ancillary. This is played out beautifully in our Abbey Church, where above the altar the double-sided crucifix shows the passion of Christ (facing the nave), the death of Christ (facing the choir section), and the glorified, resurrected Christ in the fresco (at the other end of the choir). In between these two realities: that of Christ’s passion and death and his resurrection we, as a monastic community, gather for prayer each day, offering psalms and canticles in the Divine Office, and offering the bread and wine of human life for the sacrifice of Christ in the celebration of the Mass. As monks we place our lives in this transitory reality between the world in which we live and the world to which we are hastening – our heavenly home, the New Jerusalem. We have a foot in both worlds to encourage humanity from one world into the next through our prayer and sacrifices; the offering of ourselves in the monastic, celibate life. Through this offering, there is a moderation, a balance, a firmness that is the calm rise and fall of our common life. The ebb and flow of monastic life has been very evident for our community in recent years. We have witnessed the final monastic perseverance in the deaths of four of our confreres, we have rejoiced in the celebrations of two priestly ordinations, and we have welcomed new life in monastic professions. One might say this is not “ebb and flow,” but these are “raise-the-flag” type moments. Yes, of course. However, if we answer that question posed to us by St. Benedict – “Are you hastening toward your heavenly home?” – these are moments that contribute to and help lead us along the 4
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way to our ultimate goal – they are the means rather than the ends. In death, our brothers who have gone before us have reached their final goal. For us their perseverance offers encouragement in our lives, to seek Christ through moderation and steadfastness, striving to keep on an even keel. Maybe a “steadiness” of life is a better way of putting it. Rejoice when we are called to rejoice; grieve when we are called to grieve; and recognize that these moments always lead us back to Christ: our goal and our center. Again, this is shown in the fresco of the Abbey Church. Two depictions of the life of St. Benedict, and two depictions of the life of our community, each in the four corners of the fresco painted in muted browns – the black habit standing out as the lone color-shift, a stark contrast against the world, yet ever a part of it. The vibrancy of color coming forth from the central figure of the Resurrected Christ in the Holy Trinity, a reminder that the glory is yet to come, and that he is at the focal point of it. If those ancillary events of our lives as monks – those muted browns: our work, our relationships, our recreation, our daily rhythm – don’t lead us back to the vibrancy of He who is the center, Christ, then we must work to form our interior, form our conscience, and bring “steadiness” to our lives so as to consider all those gains, “so much rubbish,” as losses “because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus [our] Lord,” (cf. Phil. 3:7-11). St. Benedict’s question to the monk who desires to follow the Rule is really a question for all of us, not just the monks. “Are you hastening toward your heavenly home?” “Then… we must run and do now what will profit us forever” (Rule of St. Benedict Prologue: 44).
The first profession of Abbot James Albers – Dec. 8, 1996. Pictured: (L to R) Br. Lawrence Bradford†, Abbot Barnabas Senecal, Fr. Hugh Keefer†, Fr. Meinrad Miller, Br. James.
A Heav e nly Home When Abbot Innocent Wolf retired from his office in 1921, the monastic community had outgrown their home (now Elizabeth Hall at Benedictine College). Having too many monks is certainly not a bad problem to have, but over the next few years it was clear that a new Abbey was needed. In 1922 the monks, now under the leadership of Abbot Martin Veth, decided to put the Abbey on hold in favor of a new gymnasium (at left, now the Haverty Center) for the college. By 1926 plans for an Abbey were created, a loan of $300,000 was secured, and on November 11, 1926, ground was broken for a magnificent new Abbey on the bluff overlooking the Missouri River Valley. The stone was quarried locally and cut on site.
The Abbey rose from the bluff stone by stone, but with each stone the construction costs mounted. An additional $100,000 was borrowed and by the time the Abbey was ready for occupancy the cost had ballooned to $780,000 (adjusted for inflation, a cost just shy of $12,000,000 in 2020). Plans for the Abbey Church were temporarily put on hold and on August 5, 1929 Abbot Martin blessed the new Abbey; a noble home for the deeper religious life that he desired for the monastic community.
After living in their new home for just two short months, the Great Depression racked the nation – jobs were scarce, prices plummeted and, to add to the mounting burden, local farms experienced a drought. The salaries from monks in parish work provided the only income – just enough to cover the interest on their loans; but, owing to the great depression, pastors could not be certain of their own salaries. Despite their own hardship, the monks sent financial aid to another abbey in even worse distress. Thus, for 25 years the monks gathered for Mass and prayer in their chapter room, modified to serve as a chapel (at left).
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As time wore on the western facade of the monastery stood incomplete – a stark reminder of the hardship wrought by the great depression. Doors within the monastery itself led to dangerous precipices; the foundation for the would-have-been Church took on the form of ruins – its walls and window frames shrouded in vines and surrounded by piles of unused stones. Through it all, however, the monastic community and college continued to grow. But with the onset of another global conflict, the future was, again, suddenly clouded with uncertainty.
As World War II raged, enrollment at St. Benedict’s College shrank to 75 students, most of whom were junior monks from other monasteries or those not able to serve in the military. To further complicate matters, Abbot Martin (at left) fell ill and petitioned the Holy See to allow him to retire from his office. He was hailed for enriching the monastic prayer life, increasing the size of the monastic community, developing the College, and seeing to the construction of the new Abbey. As he announced his retirement he reminded his brothers to continue to pray, “Let me ask you to fall back on prayer. This is God’s house... He knows what is for its greater welfare...May God protect and prosper the community and sanctify all its members; may he bless and assist my successor... Orate Pro Me.”
As the tide turned and an Allied victory seemed increasingly likely, the community readied itself for the post-war challenges ahead. Ten monks, most of whom had been professors, had been away serving as military chaplains. With their return, a massive influx of students was expected and new dormitories were urgently needed. Abbot Cuthbert McDonald turned to alumni Ernie Dunn and Leo Nussbaum to helm the $1,000,000 fundraising campaign, the Centennial Expansion Program began, and the long-awaited dream of a new Abbey Church suddenly felt achievable. In 1947 a plan was created for the Centennial Expansion with the Abbey Church and dormitory high on the bluff to the south of the monastery. Curiously, when ground was ultimately broken in 1950, the new dormitory was placed to the west of the Abbey down the hill – it was named Memorial Hall for all those who had sacrificed their lives in World War II. 6
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It was Abbot Cuthbert’s great hope to build a chapel so the students and monks could come together to praise God under one roof. Architect Barry Byrne, the designer of the Centennial Expansion of the campus, was commissioned to design a grand Abbey Church that would have room for 600 students and 160 monks, estimating the project cost at $1,000,000. It was decided that the structure would be more modern; though a departure from the Gothic design of the monastery, it would provide a compliment to the Abbey and serve as the bridge between the monastic community and the student body. On May 21, 1956, Abbot Cuthbert, flanked by the student body and the majority of the monastic community, laid the massive cornerstone in an elaborate ceremony.
The monks determined that all minor altars and shrines would be placed outside the main body of the Church to place the full focus on the high altar as the center of the church’s purpose and liturgy – the sole exception would be a large fresco on the church’s eastern wall. The communion rail was also omitted to provide those in the nave an unobstructed view of the sanctuary. Under the supervision of Fr. Anselm Llewellyn an organ was designed; a grand instrument with thirty-one stops and forty ranks of pipes was installed for $67,000. The organ was later expanded in 2002. Like the monastery before it, the cost grew to $1.62 million and a $233,000 loan was secured to cover the remaining debt.
With the completion of the Abbey Church celebrations abounded. The Abbey played host to the largest gathering of Abbots since monasticism was brought to the Americas to consecrate the 29 minor altars simultaneously. Centennial day followed (right) and 1,250 people crammed in to take part in the celebration of Mass with Archbishop Amleto Cicognani, the Apostolic Delegate of the Holy See to the United States. The student Mass and conventual Mass were united, realizing a now 100-year-old dream. Father Timothy Fry, Student Chaplain, in his homily at the opening of school Mass on September 14 said, “The family before had been invisibly united in the worship of God since Mass was celebrated in St. Benedict’s Church and in chapels in the various residence halls. . .Now we are all visibly united in offering our teaching, learning and other activities of college life together at a community Mass ‘that in all things God may be glorified.’” Continued on page 10 Fall 2020
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Becoming an Apostle - tips for prayer before, during, and after mass
by Br. Leven Harton
In the Mass, the Church offers us the height of prayer – the ability to truly live the Last Supper with Christ each day, to encounter him in the Eucharist. In the Mass we become the apostles: sitting at the feet of Christ, listening to him in the Gospel, breaking bread with him in communion, experiencing his true presence in the Eucharist, and praying with him after receiving this great sacrament. However, these remarkable experiences can fall flat for us. Our engagement with the prayer of the liturgy, it must be admitted, can sometimes falter, and distraction or boredom can dominate our minds. How do we enter into liturgical prayer well ?
liturgical REMEMBER what prayer is The Church enjoys two great traditions for encountering God: private, devotional prayer, and public, liturgical prayer. While these two modes of approaching our Father are intertwined and feed off of one another, they do present different experiences. Private prayer allows us freedom to set our own pace, choose our own considerations, tailor the time of prayer to fit our preferences, inclinations, and inspirations. The liturgy, however, is very different: it is given. We don’t select the details of prayer when we go to Mass, we just follow and receive what is set before us. Liturgical prayer, in this regard, is ascetical, it represents an offering we make by training our attention not on what we fancy, but on what is provided. Entering into liturgical prayer, we should prepare ourselves for receiving what comes and exercising our will to stay attuned to the prayer offered by the church. It will certainly be work.
PRACTICE
private prayer on a regular basis Our readiness to enter into the liturgy can be taken to a new level if we have a daily relationship with Christ outside of the Mass. The intimacy and familiarity of simple conversation with the Lord prepares us to make offerings and receive from the Liturgy. Consistency in cultivating our interior life during the freedom of daily meditation fosters an awareness of the Lord’s presence, near to us at all times. With this habit of extra-liturgical prayer, we will begin to find his voice within the structures of the Mass, speaking through them.
Br. Leven Harton has been a Benedictine Monk since 2006. He currently serves the community as the prior and vocations director – are you interested in learning more about becoming a monk? Visit our vocations website: MONKVOCATIONS.ORG 8
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“He comes to us and lets us see Him in lowliness, when He descends from the bosom of the Father into the hands of the priest at the altar.” - saint francis of assisi
silence before entering into mass The key word here is “enjoy.” Not “endure” but “enjoy.” We have the opportunity, in a quiet church as we await the beginning of the Mass, to let ourselves quiet down and appreciate what it feels like to be quiet, to be in a posture of waiting. Of course, real-world concerns might interfere and we may not have the freedom of a monk to saunter into the pew at any old time we wish. Even if we have only a minute or two before the liturgy starts, we can focus on stillness for whatever interval of time we have and acknowledge our need to be centered on Christ. Then, once the liturgy begins, we move our attention to the prayer that is offered, whether that be a hymn, an antiphon, or the simple sign of the cross.
your BE AWARE of neighbor This suggestion might be surprising—don’t we want to avoid the distraction of looking at other people? Isn’t that a hindrance to prayer? Let me be clear: I don’t recommend looking at our neighbor’s cute outfit or her new hairstyle, noticing his new pair of Nike shoes or the fit of his jacket. Rather, we remember and acknowledge that our neighbors, at the Mass, are part of us. As St. Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians, “[Y]ou are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (12:27). We belong to one another, are connected to one another in the action of prayer at the Mass. This can be burdensome, of course (maybe they sing off key, or have a loud toddler), but it can also be wonderfully self-transcending. This awareness occurs at championship games and concerts, but it can also occur at the Mass, if we are really alive to what is happening. Our neighbors are part of our prayer and their contribution embellishes and intensifies our own participation.
BE THANKFUL Perhaps you have heard it before, but it bears repeating, the word “Eucharist” in Greek means “thanksgiving.” And we can always use a reminder every now and then. If we are at Mass and we sincerely summon up and offer our gratitude to God at that time of prayer, we will be more focused and more receptive to God’s presence to us. Practice gratitude at Mass, both using the words and prayers provided as well as offering our own specific thanksgiving in our hearts. It is doubtful that these tips will make Mass as riveting as our favorite source of entertainment. We are bound to experience this type of ancient prayer as a work, something that requires effort from us. In making this effort, we bring out ourselves toward God. We make a gift of ourselves. This gesture of spending oneself (as any married couple can tell you) is rarely a painless, care-free activity. But it is an experience that proves its surpassing worth in perseverance. Our engagement with the Mass will slowly become sweet as we turn more of ourselves over to the prayer through the seasons of our lives.
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The Abbe y Chu r c h The completion of the Abbey Church was a triumph for the monastic community and the students of St. Benedict’s College – it continues to serve as a place for the monks and students to come together to praise God in the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. Its austere simplicity is worthy of note – its intent is to focus all gathered on the altar at its center. The 270’ long Church features a striking ceiling crafted of aluminum tiles to look like a Kansas sunrise or sunset. While there was no collaboration between the architect Barry Byrne and the fresco artist, Jean Charlot, the ceiling powerfully draws your eye to God the Father at the head of the magnificent fresco (which we’ll detail later). High on the bluffs of the Missouri River, the Church resembles a ship, with the tower as its mast – Byrne envisioned a ship sailing through the wheat fields of Kansas. At the base of the bell tower is the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. With the toll of the bell all on campus are reminded to look to the tower, knowing that Christ rests at its base, providing the spiritual foundation for the campus. Why reserve the Blessed Sacrament in its own chapel? Fr. Daniel McCarthy explains and explores this mostsacred space on page 22.
t he pipe or gan Father Anselm Llewellyn spent more than 10 years preparing to lead the effort to acquire a pipe organ for the new Abbey Church. Funding was short at the time, so the dream of the full organ wasn’t realized until 2002. Four divisions, Great, Positiv, Swell, and Pedal are located above the sanctuary. The Epistle and Gospel divisions reside above the choir and are the principle pipes used for the monks’ prayer. At the west end is the Antiphonal division featuring a significant hooded trumpet. The nearly 2,600 pipes are controlled by the three-manual console in the choir. Br. Karel discusses the Abbey’s pipe organ and its intricacies on page 19.
t he altar It was the first desire of the monastic community that the Altar be placed at the center of the Church and that nothing be added to the Church that might detract from it as the focal point. It was their desire that the altar would be a stone table with four legs, but architect Barry Byrne convinced them that such a table might be lost in the grandeur of the space. Thusly the marble altar was designed with its massive brick foundation running through the crypt all the way to the ground. It was decided during construction to raise the altar from its original resting point and two additional steps were added, elevating the celebration of Mass all the more. Massive altar cloths cover the altar according the feast or liturgical season. 10
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t he choir Prayer is central to the life of the monk, and it is here that the Opus Dei, the work of God, is carried out in the Liturgy of the Hours. The 174 seat choir was designed based on the choir of the Abbey of Sant’Anselmo, the center of the Benedictine Confederation in Rome. The choir resides between Christ crucified on the Abbey crucifix and Christ glorified in the Abbey Fresco. For more on this see Fr. Jay’s article on page 20.
the crucifix The cross was a symbol of terror during Roman times, a gruesome reminder of what awaits anyone who dared run afoul of Roman authority. In the early days of Christianity, the faithful began the practice of wearing the Crucifix as a declaration – a symbol to state their belief in Christ – that they, like Him as He approached His death, were not afraid. The Abbey’s Crucifix is suspended directly above the altar. In the double-sided crucifix and fresco our salvation is shown: Christ crucified, Christ in death, and ultimately glorified with the Father. Entering the Church it is nearly impossible not to feel the gaze of Christ from the Cross. As the celebrant incenses the altar at Mass or Solemn Vespers, he pauses and incenses the Crucifix, begging Christ’s intercession for us as our prayers rise to Heaven.
“ We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” - 1 Corinthians 1:23-25
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The A bbe y Cry p t Beneath the massive Abbey Church is the Crypt – this space is truly a symbol of Benedictine Hospitality broken up into various chapels, a gathering space, and an art gallery – all built with the intention of providing hospitality for our friends and guests. When entering the Crypt, after passing through the narthex, you enter the Guadalupe Chapel. The cottage at St. Benedict’s Abbey was once home to a small group of Benedictine Guadalupanas sisters from Mexico City, Mexico, who served as cooks and provided support to the monastic community. Jean Charlot, the artist responsible for the Abbey’s frescoes, also created a relief of St. Juan Diego that is set in the front of the altar. Flanking the crypt are a series of 16 altars – prior to Vatican II, each priest was required to celebrate a Mass individually each day (shown at right).
s t. schol a st ica chapel Down the hall from the Guadalupe Chapel is the St. Scholastica Chapel, named for St. Benedict’s twin sister, founder of the women’s branch of the Benedictine order. The chapel, a gift from the Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica Monastery in Atchison, features a carving of St. Scholastica that mirrors the outline of the Abbey Church (at right). The wall features a series of abstract, stained-glass windows detailing her final days: Knowing that her earthly days were coming to a close, she implored St. Benedict to stay longer during his annual visit. He refused, not wishing to be away from his own Abbey too long. She prayed that God would prevent his departure and a violent storm ensued, answering her prayer. As such, she is the patron saint against storms and rain.
st. jo se ph chapel
the a rt ga l l e ry Once home to four of the aforementioned altars (now housed within the monastery and our apostolates) the Abbey Art Gallery rests at the base of the Abbey bell tower. This space has played host to a great number of exhibits, including two by Abbot Barnabas Senecal, since its installation in 2007, curated primarily by the late Fr. Blaine Schultz.
Described in more detail in the fold-out, the St. Joseph Chapel is located within the portion of the Abbey that was completed in 1929 (though the space remained in the open air until the Abbey Church was built.) Dedicated to Christ’s earthly father and the lay brothers who prayed there each day prior to Vatican II, the small chapel features a unique set of the Stations of the Cross – each shows only the face of Christ as he experiences that stage of his Passion (above at right). The chapel features a striking twelve-legged altar with the Latin inscription: Hoc Facite In Meam Commemorationem – Do This in Memory of Me.
The Frescoes of st. benedict’s abbey
Arguably the greatest miracle to ever occur in the Americas was the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the hill at Tepeyac near Mexico City. On the periphery of the fresco are scenes from the life of St. Juan Diego: a faithful convert to the Catholic Faith, Juan Diego was passing near Tepeyac Hill when he was awestruck by a woman bathed in light – she revealed herself to be the evervirgin Mother of God. She implored him to tell Bishop Juan de Zumárraga to construct a chapel there in her name. Conveying her wishes to the bishop, the bishop dismissed Juan Diego. Upon passing the hill again, he told Our Lady that she should find someone of greater import to convey her message. She told him she had already found her messenger and sent him back to the bishop. The bishop demanded a sign from Juan. Returning again to Tepeyac, Mary told Juan to return the next day and she would provide his sign. That night, Juan’s uncle fell ill and, owing to the need to see to his care, Juan failed to return to see Mary. On an errand for supplies for his uncle, Juan avoided returning to Tepeyac, embarrassed for having missed their meeting – Mary intercepted Juan nonetheless, gently chiding him, “Am I not here, I who am your mother?” She assured Juan that his uncle was healed and the bishop’s requested sign waited for him at the top of the hill: Castilian roses, native to Spain and not grown in the region. He gathered the roses in his tilma and returned to the bishop. Standing before the bishop, Juan Diego let the roses drop to the ground, and the miraculous image appeared on his garment. The basilica, built on the hill in Mary’s honor, still stands to this day. Millions of Catholics travel to the site each year. Jean Charlot’s fresco take on the tilma has a more pastel appearance than it’s miraculous counterpart and is in keeping with the rest of the frescoes at the Abbey. Beneath the fresco on tile (translated from the Spanish) it reads: The flowers sprouted in our land – we praise you, Holy Mother of God!
Passing through doors at the end of the crypt, one is struck by the stark change in the stone. The St. Joseph Chapel is the only public portion of the Abbey Church that features the original Gothic style architecture with peaked windows, massive hand-cut stones, and arches (that compliment the design of the Church). The chapel itself, with the Blessed Sacrament reserved within, provides Monks, students, and guests a place for prayer and the chapel plays host to Masses for a variety of purposes. The fresco on the East wall was offered by fresco artist Jean Charlot as a thank you to the non-ordained brothers of the monastic community for their assistance with completing the massive Abbey Church Fresco. At the time of the Church’s construction the Liturgy of the Hours was prayed in Latin in the Abbey Church by the priests and in English in the St. Joseph Chapel by the lay brothers. The fresco itself is truly remarkable, featuring a rare father-son moment between Christ and his earthly father, St. Joseph. Christ, depicted as lefthanded, is about to drive a nail in the wrong spot on the bench he and St. Joseph are working on – a nod to his fully-human nature. The tools shown in the fresco depict items from around St. Benedict’s Abbey.
The Trinity & Episodes of Benedictine Life the fresco at st. benedict’s abbey
The only true departure from the austerity of the Abbey Church is the 610-square-foot fresco – painted by Jean Charlot in the summer of 1959. The fresco draws the viewer into the earthly and heavenly interplay that is personified in the adherence to our Christian faith. The center of the fresco stands out in four-inch relief. It is surrounded on the periphery by scenes from the life of St. Benedict on the left and scenes from the history of St. Benedict’s Abbey on the right. The Heavenly Realm is vibrant – full of color and life. Conversely the Earthly Realm is comprised only of varying shades of brown, the black monastic habit the lone contrast against its surroundings – a reminder that, as we learn in First John, we are in this world, but our true home lies in the vibrant destination that is Heaven.
The Life of St. Benedict
The History of St. Benedict’s Abbey
Upper Left
Lower Left
Upper Right
Lower Right
During the construction of a monastery (St. Benedict founded twelve communities during his time on Earth) a wall collapsed on a monk as he was working, mortally wounding him. Upon receiving a blessing from St. Benedict, the monk was miraculously revived.
St. Benedict, as detailed by Pope St. Gregory the Great in his Dialogues, had many encounters with the evil one. At Monte Cassino, St. Benedict’s principle monastery, the devil came and sat on a rock (represented as a bat), telling St. Benedict he was doomed to fail. Upon blessing the stone, the evil one was banished and construction continued.
Our founder, Fr. Henry Lemke, arrived in Kansas in 1855 in the midst of the Bleeding Kansas conflict. A “border ruffian” had fallen ill and no one would take him in. Fr. Henry offered the young man his own bed, caring for his infirmity and bringing him back to his faith before he was ultimately overcome by his affliction.
The Abbey has three primary apostolates: pastoral work & chaplaincies, shown by the monk with a horse; work, depicted by the monk with a block plane; and education, illustrated by the child in the lower right corner. In the early days of our foundation priests rode on horseback across the Kansas territory to provide sacraments to the settlers.
Entering the Abbey Church, the eye is drawn up immediately, not just by the sheer expanse of the space, but more specifically by the altar, Crucifix, and fresco. In progressing forward it’s almost impossible not to notice the brightly colored ceiling that naturally drives your eye back to the God the Father – surrounded in golden yellow, He pierces the browns of the earthly realm. The Father’s hand’s are outstretched as a priest extending his hands over the gifts at Mass; and directly beneath the hands of the Father is the Holy Spirit, shown as a dove, descending upon the actual Body of Christ – a beautiful representation of the trinity and a parallel to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that occurs each day in front of the fresco on the altar. Christ is depicted glorified and bloodless, though his hands and feet still bear the marks of his crucifixion. At the left of Christ’s head is the sun – its presence a reminder that all of creation is caught up in the Paschal Mystery. At his right is a solar eclipse – the Gospels tell us that at the time of the death of Christ that all the world was covered in darkness. You can feel the intense sorrow of Mary and the apostles during the Good Friday liturgy – but with his resurrection we know that this moment was not one of loss, but of God’s ultimate salvific love for each of us. At Christ’s right and left are twin siblings St. Benedict and St. Scholastica, shown with croziers and holding copies of the Rule of St. Benedict to represent them as the founder and foundress of the Order of St. Benedict. To St. Benedict’s left is a raven that carried away a piece of poisoned bread intended for St. Benedict. At St. Scholastica’s right is a lightning bolt – the sign of her preference of the love of God and brother over all things (see page 14 for a bit more on her life). Angels flank Christ in the heavenly realm holding the relics of his Passion: The Shroud of Turin, the spear that pierced his side, a chalice at either side, the sponge used to offer him drink, and finally the nails and crown of thorns.
Eternal rest grant unto him Fr. Blaine Schultz, osb
Born • September 17, 1933 Professed • July 11, 1954 Ordained • May 26, 1960 Died • September 18, 2020 Fortified by the Sacraments of the Church, and the Apostolic Pardon, Fr. Blaine Schultz, OSB, died peacefully at St. Benedict’s Abbey, on September 18, 2020, the day following his 87th birthday. Several monks and health care staff were present with him when he died. Kenneth Schultz was born on September 17, 1933, in Kansas City, Missouri. He was later adopted and raised by Fred and Mary (Kasick) Schultz. He attended St. Benedict’s Catholic Grade School in Kansas City, Kansas. He attended Maur Hill Prep for his high school education, graduating in May 1951, enrolling in St. Benedict’s College that fall. In July 1953, he entered the novitiate of the Abbey, receiving the name Blaine. He professed First Vows on July 11, 1954. In 1956 he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Benedict’s College. He professed his solemn vows as a monk on July 11, 1957. Following studies for the priesthood at the Abbey’s School of Theology, Fr. Blaine was ordained to the priesthood in the Abbey Church on May 26, 1960, by Archbishop Edward Hunkeler. He served as a teacher and prefect in the dorms at St. Benedict’s College for two years. Having demonstrated great love for beauty and the arts, Fr. Blaine was asked to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Kansas in 1964 and a Master’s degree in music from the University of Wisconsin in 1966. Fr. Blaine went on to teach in the music department at St. Benedict’s and Benedictine College from 1966-2005 where he cherished fond memories of working with many gifted colleagues and students. He was also instrumental in Atchison’s Community Concert Series, of which he was president for a number of years. In that role, he worked closely with Sr. Joachim Holthaus, OSB. Many students at Benedictine College over the years also benefited from the fine arts course that Fr. Blaine team-taught with Sr. Joachim and Dr. Doug McKenzie. 16
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Fr. Blaine served the monastic community as choirmaster from 19682017. He worked to make the Liturgy of the Abbey prayerful and beautiful. He possessed a keen ability to choose psalm tones and music that fit the liturgy – music that is still appreciated today. Fr. Blaine was Subprior of the Abbey, 1969-87; Junior Master (formation director of monks in simple vows), 1969-80; and Guestmaster from 1982-2018. For countless people over the years Fr. Blaine was a listening ear. Whether welcoming guests, visiting friends, or counseling those in need, he always reflected that wisdom of St. Benedict in his Rule: Never give a hollow greeting of peace or turn away when someone needs your love.
the
Father Blaine Schultz Legacy Fund To honor Fr. Blaine’s lifetime of service as a composer, music educator, organist, and Abbey Guestmaster, the monks have established the Fr. Blaine Schultz Legacy Fund. This endowed fund will provide for the care of the Abbey’s pipe organ, musical instruments, and liturgical needs. Further, the fund will provide for the Abbey Guesthouse – seeking to carry on Fr. Blaine’s spirit of Benedictine Hospitality.
Fr. Blaine was preceded in death by his parents, Fred Schulz and Mary (Kasick). He is survived by two sisters: Marcia (Jerry) Hubbard, and Mary Kay (John) Shamet. Vespers for the Dead and the Mass of Christian Burial can be viewed at: Youtube.com/ kansasmonks
To contribute to the Fr. Blaine Schultz Legacy Fund, see the included envelope. For more information please contact us: info@kansasmonks.org or call 913.360.7897
An Offering lift your intentions to God through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at St. Benedict’s Abbey
by Fr. Gabriel Landis In 1997 I heard the Lord call. To ask Him for special graces to aid me in my discernment, I wanted to have a Mass offered. Having never requested a Mass offering, I turned to a priest-friend to seek his guidance. He reminded me that, first and foremost, the Mass is the font and height of prayer, and that there is no greater way to lift my intentions to the Lord than through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. He also encouraged me to send a small stipend along with my prayer request. Now, this article is not just how you can support St. Benedict’s Abbey by sending a sacrificial stipend to us for your Mass Intentions. There is something greater going on. You see, first, we need to be aware that the Mass is not just about reliving the Last Supper. The Mass is the same sacrifice that Christ made on the Cross, but unbloody, made
At each conventual Mass, a priest of St. Benedict’s Abbey personally lifts your intention to God, uniting his and your prayers with Christ’s Salvific offering.
on the altar. And there is a something greater going on: You are partaking in Christ’s salvific suffering. You get to offer up and unite your own sacrifices, your own sufferings, your own prayers to those of Christ on the Cross. Does this always mean you have to send in a stipend when requesting a Mass? No. Does the stipend aid you, by its sacrificial nature, in sharing the salvific work of Christ? Yes. My point is this: for the good of souls, at every Mass, unite to Christ some kind of sacrifice, be it your own prayers, physical or mental pain, an act of charity to someone, a stipend, or something else. By doing so, you participate in Christ’s salvific work. It is true that Mass stipends are a benefit to the Abbey. They help sustain our liturgies and our lives, enabling us to, as our Holy Father St. Benedict directed, “do battle for the true King, Christ the Lord.” In every issue of Kansas Monks, there is an envelope asking you how we at St. Benedict’s Abbey may intercede to God for you in our prayers. Each week we receive these envelopes with many requests like, “Pray for my deceased son/daughter/wife/husband/friend.” Or “Pray that my children come back to the Church.” Or “Pray in thanksgiving for our wedding anniversary.” Many times in these prayer requests we are asked to offer a Mass for these intentions. It is a great privilege to share in your lives by lifting your needs to the Father in our daily prayer and through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. If you would like to have a Mass offered for a friend, loved one, or any other intention, request a packet of Mass cards with the enclosed envelope or visit Kansasmonks.org/Mass – if you wish, a card featuring art from St. Benedict’s Abbey may be mailed to the person or family for whom the Mass is being offered.
Would you like to have a Mass offered for a friend or loved one? Visit our website at Kansasmonks.org/Mass to request a Mass online, contact us by phone at 913.360.7866, or email info@kansasmonks.org, to request a complimentary packet of five Mass cards. The cards feature art from St. Benedict’s Abbey. Mass Offering
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The New Abbey Church by Father Meinrad Miller Choirmaster, Oblate Director, Benedictine College Theology Instructor As a young monk back in the late 1980s I met alumni of the college coming back for their 50 th anniversary of graduation. Many of them had not been back to their alma mater since graduating, so they had never seen the “new” Abbey Church. At that time the Abbey Church had been in use for 30 years, and so I thought it was rather old. What I learned from talking to those alumni and to the wise elderly monks who were here when I joined was the absolute pride they took in the new Abbey Church. For the first time in the 100-year history of the Abbey, there was an Abbey Church that was able to unite the monastic community, guests, and students in one space. When the current parish church was built, it served as the church for the monks for large liturgies; but the daily praying of the Liturgy of the Hours took place in the old priory, and later in the choir chapel of the old Abbey (now the Heritage Room in Elizabeth Hall). When the monks moved into the new Abbey in October 1929, plans for a new Abbey Church had to be tabled because of financial considerations. Once again, the monks prayed the Liturgy of the Hours, and celebrated Mass inside the cloister of the Abbey, which excluded guests from participating. Large liturgies were still celebrated in the parish church from 1929-1957. That brings us to the glorious “new” Abbey Church, dedicated in 1957. Abbot Cuthbert went to Washington D.C. to personally invite the papal delegate, Archbishop Amleto Giovanni Cicognani to preside over the Solemn Mass. Present with the Archbishop and Abbot Cuthbert on that joyful day were most of the Benedictine and Trappist Abbots of North America. Later in that academic year, Archbishop Edward Hunkeler of Kansas City in Kansas presided over the solemn Mass for St. Benedict’s Day; and the monks from St. Procopius Abbey in Illinois celebrated the Divine Liturgy according to the Byzantine Rite.
Today we can still appreciate the sacrifice of the monks and our faithful friends who contributed to the building of an Abbey Church that truly serves as the center of the spiritual life on campus and for guests of the Abbey. It is here at the altar that we celebrate daily the source and summit of our life in the Holy Eucharist. It is here that oblates, friends, retreatants, spiritual seekers, alumni, students, and faculty can truly seek God in silence, the Liturgy of the Hours, the Mass, confession, and Adoration. St. Benedict teaches us about the care we should take in promoting the Oratory (his name for a monastery church): “The oratory ought to be what it is called, and nothing else is to be done or stored there. After the Work of God, all should leave in complete silence and with reverence for God, so that a brother who may wish to pray alone will not be disturbed by the insensitivity of another (RB 52:1-3). For 63 years the People of God have gathered in the Abbey Church as a united family. Both in times of joy and times of sorrow, in times of new beginnings at the religious profession of vows, oblation of Oblates, and welcoming of freshmen to Benedictine College, or of saying goodbye at the Baccalaureate Mass or in the funeral liturgy of a monk. May the Holy Spirit continue to strengthen our communion with the Father and the Lord Jesus as we continue to gather to sing the praises of Almighty God, and receive His mercy and grace.
OBLATES Are you an Oblate? Learn more or contact Fr. Meinrad at:
kansasmonks.org/oblates
Br. Meinrad kneels before Abbot Ralph Koehler at his entrance into the novitiate. 18
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A Tool for the Work of God the abbey pipe organ
b y B r. Ka r e l S o u k u p
The Second Vatican Council maintained that “in the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church’s ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man’s mind to God and to higher things” (Sacrosanctum Concilium ¶120). Our monastic community is blessed to have an instrument that does just that. The Abbey’s pipe organ is truly a special and unique instrument, one that always receives high praise from visiting organists. I’ve occasionally heard well-intentioned, but misinformed tour guides say that it is the largest organ west of the Mississippi River. I do not know where that notion came from, but it’s not true. And it misses why the Abbey’s pipe organ is so special. Fr. Blaine Schultz (below, at left), who accompanied our liturgies on the organ for more than half a century, always said that the specialness of our organ isn’t because of its size, but because of its relation to the space it occupies. Fr. Anselm Llewellyn met organist Ernest White in the 1940s while studying at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. White acted as an adviser to the M.P. Moeller Company in Hagerstown, Maryland. He advised Fr. Anselm that, when it came time for the monastic community to build its church, the community would save itself a lot of time, money, and headache if the organ and church were designed together, instead of building a church and then trying to fit an organ in as an afterthought. When St. Benedict’s Abbey built its current church in 1957, White designed and the Moeller Company built the organ which still serves us today. Because of a lack of funding, the entirety of the organ as designed could not be installed during the church’s construction. Altogether, the original organ consisted of 1,945 pipes on three manuals (keyboards) and a pedal board. An expansion completed in 2002 by the Mid-States Organ Company brought the total to 2,507 pipes. Unlike most organs which are housed as a self-contained unit, the Abbey’s
organ is situated in five locations throughout the church so that it truly fills the entire space with sound (Nave pipes shown at right). Monks support each other in prayer, not just by praying for one another, but especially by praying with each other. The common prayer provides basic accountability for the monk to ensure his fidelity to a life of prayer. Many of our elderly confrères could not pray the psalmody without the assistance of their juniors who set up their books. And, as we alternate between sides of the choir in the recitation of the psalms, we proclaim the word of God to each other. Not a day goes by—except for Good Friday—when the organ doesn’t support our prayer. More important than the beauty of the sound the organ makes is the prayer it enlivens. By sustaining the pitch and tempo, the organist frees the other monks to concentrate on the text, on the spirit of the prayer, without having to be excessively concerned with the technicalities of musical execution. St. Benedict frequently refers to our common prayer as the opus Dei, the work of God. It is a sacred duty for us to pray for ourselves and for the world. Fr. Blaine often said that we prayed for those who could not or would not pray for themselves. We are truly blessed to have such a fine tool for our work.
STREAM MONK MUSIC Hear Fr. Blaine play the organ & the monks sing on Spotify and other platforms:
kansasmonks.org/music Fall 2020
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The Monk and Holy Saturday The Meaning of the Monastic Choir by Father Jay Kythe
“And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.”
- 1 kings 19:11-12
Just as Elijah had stood at the entrance of the cave and listened carefully to that still small voice of the Lord, another man would stand at the entrance of a different cave and listen. St. Benedict escaped from the noise of the world “to seek God” in a cave at Subiaco in the mountains of Italy. After his experience in the cave, he founded monasteries that eventually spread (and continues to spread) throughout the world, teaching his monks to seek God in silence. When you walk through the front doors of our Abbey Church, passing from the small narthex to the massive expanse of the nave, it is here that the essence of the Christian life is lived. In this grand space the faithful participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Confessionals flank the walls where sins are forgiven in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Here people receive the Eucharist and are strengthened to go back out into the world. But an important lesson is learned while one sits and gazes at the altar and then looks past the altar. When one looks at the altar and then desires to see the grand fresco more clearly, there’s something in the way: a double-sided crucifix. The side that faces the lay Christian is the side of Christ alive but still in His Passion. Here is our Lord uniting Himself to the still-suffering Christian in this “valley of tears.” The world is never a pleasant place when one has his heart set on the kingdom of heaven! He must peer beyond the scene of the crucifixion to the Resurrection, keeping his eyes fixed on that glorious Hope seen in the colorful fresco of the Risen Christ. But in between the altar and the fresco is another world, the world of the monastery. The side of the crucifix the monk beholds is that of Christ who has died. It serves as a reminder of the day each one of us laid down our lives before the altar and were covered with the funeral pall. Having professed solemn vows and prayed the Suscipe three times before the altar, the newly professed monk lies prostrate before it and is buried under the heavy garment that will ultimately shroud his casket – the next time he will be covered with it will be at his actual 20
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The Spir i t of th e L or d G od i s upon me , be cause th e L OR D h a s a no in t e d m e to br i n g g ood t i di n gs to th e affli cte d; h e h as se n t me t o bind u p t h e br oke n h e a r te d , to procla i m li be rty to th e ca pti ve s, and the o pe n i n g of th e p r i s on to th ose wh o a re boun d. – isaiah 61:1
funeral. He has died to the world and rises again in Christ. In fact, the ancient chant from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is echoed when the pall is lifted, “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you life!” It makes sense that the side of the crucifix that faces the monastic choir is that of Christ who has finished His act of self-offering to the Father, who uttered those words, “it is finished,” who has surrendered His Spirit, whose body lies dead on the Cross. The monk must do the same, forever united to Christ. Victory is manifested on the Third Day, when death is overcome. Christ rises in splendor, draped by a radiant white garment of light. In order to glimpse this image, the monk in choir must simply turn his head to the fresco to behold the victorious One and realize that he too shall share in that victory, along with all the faithful. When we sit and pray in that choir stall, in that place that feels in between, with Christ on the Cross on one side and the Resurrected Christ on the other – between Good Friday and Easter Sunday – the monk lives in the silence of the tomb of Holy Saturday. Holy Saturday always seems kind of forgotten. It is where Christ is most active, yet we don’t see Him. His body is buried, but He descends to the abode of the dead to free the faithful. For this has He come. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Isaiah 61:1). Here the monk must learn a very important truth the hard way: God is most active when we think He is not. See Jesus asleep on the boat; in His tired humanity He sleeps but the God who created the Universe is still active and is master even of the storm that threatens the boat. When monastic life gets dull and boring—the monastic author Michael Casey calls it, “The Unexciting Life” — the monk must keep this truth before his eyes. In silence God meets the soul, and in silence He does His most important work in the soul, the work of healing and of salvation. So the monk sits there, in the silence of the choir stalls, and listens for that still, small, whispering voice of God, and covers his head with his mantle before the Presence that he encounters.
T H E D AW N F R O M ON H IG H an advent experience
Though these pages come to you after the start of Advent, we invite each of you to take part in our ongoing Advent Retreat and receive our monastic retreat guide. From where does our hope come? This is the question which confronts us today from every point of entry: our relationships, work, civic life, you name it. What a gift and opportunity we are given in Advent, the Church’s New Year, to take up this question and rediscover what makes us new. The monks invite you to join us in taking these steps into the holy days of Advent, days given to awaken us to that great event proclaimed by Zechariah and carried by our Lady: “In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Our in-depth guide to Advent and resource for making a monastic retreat-in-place, Remain in Me, are available online or you can request a hard copy free of charge at Kansasmonks.org/advent2020 – Retreat conferences are available at our youtube channel: youtube.com/kansasmonks Fall 2020
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T h e Pl a c e o f C h r i s t the blessed sacr a ment chapel at st. benedict ’s abbey by Fr. Daniel McCarthy When you visit the Abbey Church you may be confused as you walk through the main doors and look for the tabernacle housing the reserved Blessed Sacrament or the red candle. These are not immediately visible from the main doors, but rather are located in a separate chapel set off to the right, at the side entrance to the church. Interestingly, this chapel was dedicated in 1959, well before the Second Vatican Council, with the Blessed Sacrament reserved in a chapel distinct from the main body of the church. It may surprise you further to learn that since 1600 the Roman church has preferred a separate chapel for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament rather than on the altar where liturgy is celebrated. This is certainly not the common practice in our region where the tabernacle is typically placed front and center in the main hall of a church. How did this come to be? We’ll pick up the story when St. Charles Borromeo was working in Rome. Toward the end of the Council of Trent (1545-1563) his uncle was elected Pope Pius IV (1559-1565), who then appointed his nephew Charles Archbishop of Milan (1560-1584). St. Charles remained in Rome to serve his uncle as cardinal secretary of state and as archpriest of the basilica of St. Mary Major (dedicated in the year 434). Charles was sympathetic to the novel fashion already practiced in Sienna and Verona and so wanted to reserve the Blessed Sacrament in a tabernacle placed on the main altar of the Marian basilica. But before he could do so, he returned to Milan. His predecessor and successor were both from the Sforza family. The first began to build a chapel attached to the basilica which was finished by the second who had the tabernacle installed in their chapel, where Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590) has since been buried. There the tabernacle remains, held aloft on the arms of golden angels. Pope Pius IV gifted to his nephew a bronze tabernacle for the cathedral in Milan. Charles built a base to bear its weight and then inserted the free-standing altar into this base. He took a liking for the Roman way his uncle would sit in his cathedra (the chair of the bishop) at the head of the apse flanked by the clergy on both sides.
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Realizing the tabernacle would block his view, he instructed that it be raised and held aloft on the hands of angel statues (below, at left). This would allow him to look through the space between the altar and the tabernacle to see and be seen while sitting at his chair, the cathedra located in the head of the apse. Borromeo wrote instructions on arranging a church which became the standard thereafter, except for Rome. The church of Rome responded by publishing the first edition of the ceremonial of bishops in 1600. It argued that the Blessed Sacrament should be reserved in the most prominent place in a church, which would be front and center, but because we can never show sufficient honor to the reserved sacrament, we should also work to balance other important elements, such as the proper functioning of the solemn celebration of liturgy by the bishop. The proper celebration of solemn Mass or vespers requires certain actions such as sitting in the cathedra, wearing a miter, incensing the bishop, none of which would be appropriate to do before the reserved sacrament, which should receive full attention, honor, reverence. Thus, the Ceremonial of Bishops, following the Council of Trent, legislated that the Blessed Sacrament be reserved in a worthy place separate from the main body of the church. Indeed, if the bishop were to celebrate Mass on an altar where the Blessed Sacrament was reserved, the reserved sacrament had to be removed from the tabernacle and reserved in a different worthy place so that the proper reverences due to the Blessed Sacrament would not interfere with the solemn celebration of liturgy. A commentary of the ceremonial of bishops published in two-oversized illustrated volumes in 1860 says that the bishop should not celebrate Mass with his kidneys turned toward the Blessed Sacrament. (The reference to kidneys may be a euphemism, where we might say that one should not turn one’s back on the reserved sacrament.) The commentary cites an authority named Crassus who said that when the bishop is to celebrate Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is to be removed from the locale of the altar. It seems that two competing values were presented. In Milan they developed the primary place in the church for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament, whereas in Rome they preserved the proper celebration of solemn liturgy by reserving the Blessed Sacrament in a separate chapel. None of the major basilicas of Rome to this day have the Blessed Sacrament reserved on the main altar, although lesser and later-built churches do.
D o y ou r e a li z e th a t J e sus i s th e re i n th e tabe rn a cle e x p r e s s ly for y ou – for you alon e ? He burn s wi th de si re t o c om e i n to y ou r h eart. . . go wi th out fe a r to re cei ve th e J e s us of p e a c e a n d love. -st. thér èse of l isieu x
The Blessed Sacrament Chapel at St. Benedict’s Abbey rests at the base of the 125’ bell tower. (Frontal view at right) The Roman empire continued in Constantinople until the city fell to the Ottoman empire in 1453, only 39 years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. When our region of the United States was settled, immigrants brought with them the Milanese custom of placing the tabernacle front and center on the high altar. But the Roman custom of reserving the Blessed Sacrament in a chapel separated from the main body of the church was traditionally preserved in cathedral and abbey churches like ours where liturgy was celebrated solemnly with some regularity. The Second Vatican Council mandated the renewal of liturgy, which included a revision of the ceremonial of bishops, which to this day says: ¶ 49. It is recommended that the tabernacle, according to a very ancient tradition observed in cathedral churches, should be placed in a chapel separated from the central hall. If however in a particular case the tabernacle is on the altar on which the Bishop is about to celebrate, the Most Holy Sacrament should be transferred to another worthy place - Ceremoniale episcoporum, ¶ 49 2008.
After the council, the liturgy in Milan was renewed as was the cathedral church. The altar was removed from its backing – the base that supports the tabernacle. The altar was moved forward and is once again a free-standing table. The backdrop with its tabernacle was also moved forward in the apse so that it now stands as a backdrop to the sanctuary. This means that when the bishop stands at the altar his back is turned toward to the Blessed Sacrament. Many churches in our region were renovated in a similar way, by placing a new altar out front where the priest celebrates Mass with his back turned towards the Blessed Sacrament reserved behind him, because of the desire for the tabernacle to be placed front and center in the church. The major basilicas in Rome, however, did not need to be renovated in a similar way because their altars have always been free-standing and they have reservation chapels separate from the main body of the church. Our Abbey Church was constructed with a separate chapel for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament according to the legislation since just after the Council of Trent, still in effect when our church was built prior to Vatican II, and that legislation remains in effect today. When we implemented the reform after the council, we did not need to change our altar, just as the major basilicas in Rome were not changed because they preserved the older practice. I suspect that the practice of celebrating the Eucharist while standing at the altar with one’s back turned toward the Blessed Sacrament does not yet represent a lasting response to the desire for both a worthy place for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament and a church arranged for the proper celebration of liturgy. The arrangement of the Blessed Sacrament chapel in our Abbey Church, however, should be neither surprising nor confusing because it is Roman.
Read more about this in Fr. Daniel’s forthcoming volume: Word and Spirit. For a list of resources from Fr. Daniel visit Kansasmonks.org/danielmccarthy Fall 2020
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Bringing the Gospel to Life the
Return to Nazareth prayer garden
Have you ever been lost? Really lost. Fear, anxiety, panic – they set in and it can be difficult to regain control. The feeling for a parent losing a child must be at least ten-fold – compounding that same fear with an ominous dread of what might happen. Even when that child is the Son of God, those feelings would be inevitable – you can feel the tension as Mary and Joseph frantically search and search for Jesus. But with their reunion comes great joy and understanding – it is this joy of discovering Christ and the Holy Family that the Easterday Family and the monks hope to share in the Return to Nazareth Garden. “For decades my wife, Mary Alice, had wanted to construct a roadside chapel, somewhere that people could stop along their way and spend time with God,” Mike Easterday said. “During a retreat I took a walk around the Abbey grounds; as I passed by the overlook on the East Lawn I thought, ‘this would be a great 24
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place for something!’ The Gospel account of Mary and Joseph finding Jesus in the Temple struck me, and I had an image in my mind of the Holy Family walking along the path.” In November of 2017 Mike took this vision Mike & Mary Alice Easterday to Abbot James Albers who, along with the monastic community, immediately embraced the project. “Abbot James brought in architecture students from Benedictine College and they transformed my vision into something beyond my imagination, – it was
incredible!” Easterday recalls. “Benedictine College students took a simple concept – just 10 verses in the Bible – and this is what they were able to create!” Abbot James approached Architecture Professor John Haigh with the project; it was his hope that students would be able make this a project for Benedictine College’s annual Discovery Day. Margaret Jones and Adèle Bischel were selected to bring the Easterday’s vision to life. “We started by reading the scripture and trying to figure out how the East Lawn specifically could represent the Holy Family,” Jones said. “The part that really stuck out was the verse about obedience – that Christ, in his humanity, was obedient to Mary and Joseph. This is in keeping with the monks’ vow of obedience as well. The whole garden forms a cross, representing Christ’s obedience to the Father – with all this in mind we wanted the whole garden to be a representation of obedience.” In the Return to Nazareth Garden we are presented with a unique opportunity to physically enter into the Gospel, “The statues are not on pedestals and are sculpted to be life size,” Mike Easterday points out, “so you can walk the path with the Holy Family.” Anne Trimble, daughter of Mike and Mary Alice, sees the garden as a thank you to the monks and a way to honor her parents’ legacy, “The Abbey has always been a big part of our lives and having this at the Abbey is a great way to honor my parents and the monks – to give back to them for their years of service to us. You leave a legacy by living it – the monks have lived their legacy and it’s a great way for my parents, who have lived their legacy as well, to leave their mark.”
As the plan continued to come together, Adèle and Margaret suggested separating the statue of Jesus from those of Mary and Joseph; from a distance they would appear to be together, but as you approach you first encounter Christ – he is the one beckoning you forth and inviting you into this place of prayer. Kate Marin (at right), a Benedictine College alumna, was selected to bring the Kate Marin - Sculptor sculptures to life; her prayerful approach to the medium is evident in her final rendering of the Holy Family. “My hope is that each visitor, no matter their background or beliefs, will be welcomed into an encounter with the Divine through this sculpture of the Holy Family,” Marin said, “and that they might find rest and reassurance on their own personal journeys through the example of these holy people: Jesus, Mary and Joseph. “It has been an honor and a gift to sculpt this monument. This work has been special to me for many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is because it is for the monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey... It is an incomprehensible honor and joy to install a monument of love, gratitude, sacrifice, and prayer in a place that already holds such a large part of my heart.” The final piece of the garden is the shelter, resting atop the bluff overlooking the Missouri River Valley. Margaret recalls her and Adèle’s vision for the building. “Originally there was going to just be a small shelter (Mary Alice wanted people to be able to visit in inclement weather) – but the pergola became a destination. As you walk through the garden you are journeying with the Holy Family to the destination to experience God’s wonder in the views – as you’re traveling east you’re traveling to the head of the cross.” For decades an oak tree on the bluff had been a backdrop for countless marriage proposals and other special moments. Now the shelter will serve this same purpose as well as offering a destination for people to pray. Mary Alice Easterday is overjoyed that her dream has finally become a reality: “We wanted to create a place for people to stop, to have a place to rest, and to spend time with God – this garden will be a beautiful place to simply be with God.” Page 24 Photos by JD Benning | Page 25 Statue Photos by Christa Rieger | Photo of Kate Marin by Jackie Marko | Sculptures by Kate Marin • katemarinart.com Fall 2020
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Putting downs Roots
by John Paul Haigh, Architect
The monks live the life of prayer and work par excellence – rooted through their vow of stability to this specific place. Throughout my adult life I have struggled to lay down roots. I have turned to the monks’ example of commitment for the confidence to invest, for the first time in a decade, in building and gardening projects on my property in Atchison. Further, it overwhelms me that God did not see equality with Himself as proper for us, but he saw something better and more fitting for us: that he should take on our likeness, which was created in his image! He comes to us in our own flesh with all its weaknesses and disease! When Abbot James came to me with this project Adèle and Margaret were proven leaders. Adèle possessed a maturity that naturally derives from experience and hard work as well as a confidence in her design – she’d already been published in a national architectural publication. Margaret had the academic wherewithal to take on an additional year-long project without missing a beat in her coursework. I appreciated Margaret’s naturally outgoing personality, which I knew would benefit from the experience of interaction with members of the team: patron, client, and contractor. I knew these students had the talents and presence-of-mind to prepare their design ideas and then present them to the Easterdays, as well as to members of the monastic community. I hope that all who visit the garden see that the beauties of the natural world look even more radiant when clothed in supernatural vision.
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Kansas Monks
Prayer by Design
by Adèle Bischel, Co-Designer
Being a student at Benedictine allowed me to have the monks as teachers for class and also as a good example. I loved seeing them around campus! They were always happy to talk about anything and they were so joyful. Designing this garden for the monks allowed me to get to know them better and make the garden fit their needs as much as possible. We received their input throughout the design process and we were able to adjust the design as needed. Ultimately I wanted the monks to have a peaceful place to pray and meditate. The overall theme of the Return to Nazareth project is a representation of obedience. It shows Jesus’ obedience to his parents and ultimately to God the Father and to the cross. It also ties that into the unity of the family, the attachment they have for each other, and the roles they each play. I am most proud of the way we tied in so much symbolism within such a small project. It makes it meaningful to every visitor and provides a peaceful and spiritual environment. I hope that anyone who visits the garden is able to think more deeply about this Gospel passage and discover that the story goes into much more depth than one would first imagine. In the visitor’s search for meaning, I hope they find understanding through the design of the garden, the placement of the statues, and the statues themselves.
C a r i n g f o r o u r B r o t h er s updating the monastic infirmary
BEFORE
As we seek to care for our elder and infirm members, we have been raising funds and have started the process of renovating our infirmary facilities. By supporting this project you can provide for the needs of the retired monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey, men who have given their lives in service to Christ and His Church. The current monastic infirmary was established in the 1980’s and no longer provides an adequate standard of care. By renovating the rooms the monks will have a greater quality of life and increased mobility. A limited budget has allowed for the initial phases of the renovation.
Infirmary Renovation Project Room Renovation 7 Rooms x $8,000.00 $56,0000.00 Nurse Call System $22,000.00 Whirlpool Bath 2 Tubs x $12,000.00 $24,000.00 Bathroom Updates $15,000.00 Accessible Office $25,000.00
AFTER
The nurse call system is also in urgent need of replacement. The current system is difficult for elderly and infirm monks to operate. With a new system the nurses will be able to respond more quickly to the needs of the monks. Aside from improving their quality of life, this will greatly increase response time in emergency situations and make it possible for monks to request aid from anywhere in the monastery. New whirlpool baths are needed to provide an adequate standard of care and significantly improve the safe operation of the whirlpool.
Improve Accessibility $8,000.00
Current whirlpool
Additionally, many parts of the Abbey including the nurse’s station, do meet the standards for accessibility; this project will allow the monks full access to their home. We are excited to share that more than $45,000 was raised toward the infirmary renovation on #MonkMonday, November 30, 2020! Thank you to everyone who contributed to this campaign. In gratitude for all donations of $25 or more, we would like to offer you a copy of our new Christmas CD, Awake with Joy. Visit Kansasmonks.org/monkmonday or use the enclosed envelope to support the Infirmary Renovation Project and claim your copy (soon also available for streaming).
Total Project Cost $150,000.00 Funds raised to date $117,000.00 Current Need $33,000.00
KANSASMONKS.ORG FACEBOOK.COM/KANSASMONKS TWITTER @KANSASMONKS Fall 2020
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St. Benedict’s Abbey Atchison, Kansas 1020 N. 2nd Street, Atchison, KS 66002 Kansas Monks USPS 290-760 Abbey Advancement Office 913.360.7866 kans a sm onk s . or g
Winter 2020 | Volume 14 | Number 2
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presenting the lumen vitae medal to sr. irene nowell, osb and dr. scott & kimberly hahn
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