Return to Nazareth Booklet

the

Return to Nazareth St. Benedict’s Abbey

Atchison, Kansas

St. Benedict ’s Abbe y • Atchison, Kansa s

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The Return to Nazareth a gift to the monks and friends of St. Benedict’s Abbey From the Family of Mary Alice Easterday In thank sg iv ing for her lifetime a s a lo v ing , c ar ing w ife , mother, g randmother, and g re at g randmother.

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Return to Nazareth – Luke 2 :4 6 -5 2 –

A f ter th re e days th e y found him in the te mple , sitt ing in the midst of th e te ach e rs , liste ning to the m a nd a sk ing them qu e stion s , an d all w ho he a rd him w e re a stounde d at his u n derst an din g an d his a ns w e rs .

W h en h is parent s saw him , the y w e re a stonishe d, a nd his m o th er said to h im, “ S o n, w hy hav e y ou done this to us?

Yo u r f ath er an d I h ave b e e n lo ok ing for y ou w ith g re at a n x ie ty.”

A nd h e said to th em, “ Why w e re y ou lo ok ing for m e ? Did yo u n ot k n ow th at I mu st b e in my Fathe r ’s hous e ?”

B ut th e y did n ot u n derst a nd w hat he sa id to the m . He w e nt d o w n w ith th em an d c ame to Na z a re th, a nd w a s ob e die nt to th em; an d h is moth er ke pt a ll the s e thing s in he r he a r t .

A nd Je su s adv an ce d in w is dom a nd a ge a nd f av or b e fore G o d an d man .

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Fr om the A bbot: Retur n to Na z areth The “Abbey Overlook” has been a favorite place for generations of monks and guests of St. Benedict’s Abbey, whether coming from near or far. I might have argued that the overlook itself was enough to inspire ref lection on the beauty and myster y of God – and I still would. However, we see before us, in this Return to Nazareth project, God’s vision of man’s genius through art, prayer, and labor. “God grants his creatures not only their existence, but also the dignity of acting on their own, of being causes and principles for each other, and thus of co-operating in the accomplishment of his plan” (CCC 306).

I see God’s Providence – Dominus Providebit – I see his working hand in The Return to Nazareth Garden as it was envisioned and brought to reality. Mike and Mar y Alice Easterday brought the idea to our community of creating and gifting a place where individuals and families could stop, experience God’s beauty, and enter into prayer. They specifically wanted to focus on the return of the Holy Family to Nazareth after the child, Jesus, was found in the Temple teaching the elders. The Son of God, who revealed his wisdom and divinity in that moment, also showed to his parents their dignity in his obedience to them. And through that obedience he foreshadowed the restoration of man’s dignity. Jesus would offer obedience to God the Father in giving over his life for our sins, “becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8).

As the Abbey and the Easterday family moved for ward with this concept, the Abbey community also desired to make this a project of the larger community. We engaged the newly formed Architecture Department at Benedictine College, and requested that this be a Discover y Day project – a collaborative endeavor between students, professor, and monastic community. From there Adèle Bischele and Margaret Jones – Benedictine College students, now alumnae – brought to imager y the Easterday ’s vision and the monks’ hopes for the design

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of the garden. It was then the work and inspired labor of Professor John Paul Haigh to provide the architectural technicalities that allowed Michael S. Hundley Construction of Atchison to execute into existence these prayers and labors.

The central focus of the Garden is, of course, the statuar y of the Holy Family in journey, the Holy Family leading, contemplating, inviting us into our own journey of obedience. The students and monks worked together to select a sculptor, and I believe, God’s Providence was guiding us again. The Abbey Community ultimately chose Benedictine College alumna, Kate Marin. Through her incredible gifts she was able to take that vision and those hopes and form them into prayer – into art that is, itself, lectio divina. (Don’t tell anyone, but this is Kate’s first major commission!)

It is our sincere hope that The Return to Nazareth Garden inspires you in your own prayer as you see the magnificence of this place – God’s creation and man’s labor working together to reveal beauty that leads us into the myster y of God’s plan for salvation.

Abbot James Albers has served as the father in Christ to the monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey since December 28, 2012 when he was elected to succeed Abbot Barnabas Senecal. After graduating from Benedictine College and spending some time working he felt called to return and join the Abbey in 1995. He has served the monastic community in a variety of roles including an 11-year stint as prior.

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Bringing the Gospel to Life The Creation of the Return to Nazareth 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 of St. Benedict’s Abbey hope to share with the world 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 Abbot James Albers, Mike Easterday, and Mary retreat I took a walk around the Abbey grounds; as I passed by Alice Easterday with monks and members of the the overlook on the East Lawn I thought, ‘this would be a great Easterday family at the Garden groundbreaking. 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 to Abbot James Albers who, along with the monastic community, immediately embraced the project. “He 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 to use this as a Discovery Day project. 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’ 6 • The Return to Nazareth Dedication

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 – these men have lived their legacy and its 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, a Benedictine College alumna, was selected to bring the sculptures to life; her prayerful approach to the medium is evident in her final rendering of the Holy Family. (For more on Kate’s artistic process and the creation of the sculptures see the article starting on page 10).

The final piece of the garden was the shelter on the eastern end of the garden, 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 the 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 desination 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.” St. Benedict ’s Abbe y • Atchison, Kansa s

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A dèl e Bisch el pr oje c t design er

Adèle Bischel was born and raised in Paris, Kentucky. Half French, she was able to spend much of her youth in France where her love for architecture first began. She credits her wonderful professors with furthering her inspiration to pursue architecture. At Benedictine College, she developed a deeper understanding of architecture and its connection to God, who she calls “the greatest architect of all.” The desire to understand and create beautiful and meaningful structures became a goal in her life. What made this project so meaningful and enjoyable to her was the message behind it and the aspect of catholicism, sacrifice, and family that it represents. This Holy Family Garden was an important experience as it was the first real project she designed. Adèle was grateful to have such a talented classmate and friend, Margaret Jones, to design it with.

Joh n Paul Ha igh a r ch ite c t

John Haigh is a licensed architect who resides in Atchison, Kansas, having previously worked in the profession in Milwaukee, Chicago, and South Bend, Indiana. Originally from the state of Washington, John has lived in the Midwest since 2001, receiving his Masters degree in Architecture from the University of Notre Dame in 2004.

From 2003-2012 John worked in South Bend, Indiana, under the notable Arthur Ross Award-winning architect Thomas Gordon Smith, a leader in the resurgence of both the practice and instruction of classical architecture.

Under Smith, John was the acting manager from 2005-11 for a wide array of projects: Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Classical Galleries in the American Wing; Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey, Oklahoma; Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, Nebraska; the Alliance for Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame; and many others.

During those years John was a regular guest critic for Smith’s classes at the University of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture.

John’s personal work consists of residential, multi-generational housing, as well as the design and execution of sacred furnishings for Catholic parishes, including a parish hall renovation. As project manager he has worked on a number of award winning projects, including projects with Smith that have been published in the Classicist.

Haigh is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the National Council of Architecture Registration Board. He is also a Board Member of the Society for Catholic Liturgy, an association founded on the conviction that the sacred liturgy’s incarnational nature plays a central role in shaping Catholic culture.

John currently serves as an Assistant professor of Architecture at Benedictine College – he and his wife are the proud parents of nine children.

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M a r g a ret Jones pr oje c t desig ner

Margaret Jones graduated from Benedictine College in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture degree. She is originally from Jefferson City, Missouri and credits her initial interest in architecture to growing up in a town with many beautiful and historical buildings. These buildings instilled a passion for beauty and a love of traditional architecture that eventually led her to pursue architecture at Benedictine.

“I am very thankful for the experiences I had while in school at Benedictine,” Jones said, “especially the ones I shared with St. Benedict’s Abbey. The monks served as important spiritual role models and are great mentors on how to lead beautiful and meaningful lives. I’m happy to have had the chance to work on this project with them and for them as a thank you for their mentorship over the years.”

Margaret is pursuing her Master of Architecture degree at the University of Notre Dame and hopes to use her degree to create spaces that embody the Benedictine values she gained from her time at school. She is grateful to the professors, monks, family, and friends that helped her and who continue to encourage her in her studies. She is also very grateful for her partner on this project, Adèle Bischel, who helped make the project come to life.

K ate M arin Sc u lp tor

Kate Marin earned her Bachelor’s degree in Art and Theology at Benedictine College in 2012, and continued to teach Drawing as an adjunct professor for two years. She discovered her call to work in sculpture when, in her first experience of the medium, her hands seemed fluent in the language of figure and clay.

Her gift led her to the Sacred Art School in Florence, Italy. During the two-year program there and an additional year spent studying privately in Florence, she was chosen by her teacher, Cody Swanson, to help complete a commission of The Visitation for a chapel in Madrid, Spain. Two of her student works won grand prize and first-runner up in a national art competition sponsored by the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Her first professional commission, The Holy Family’s Return to Nazareth, brought her back to the United States in August 2019.

Residing in Kansas City, Missouri, Kate pursues her vocation as sculptor and is available for projects large and small.

She creates works that help call people deeper into the truth of their own mystery, and accompany them on the journey toward the infinite. In her personal journey, she has met the infinitude of the Triune God in the person of Jesus Christ. She hopes that her works will, in a similar and derivative way, “make perceptible…the world of the spirit, of the invisible, of God.” (St. Pope John Paul II, Letter to Artists) She looks forward to many future works for the Church. Commissions, questions, and proposals for collaboration are most welcome. Contact the artist at KateMarinArt.com.

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Holy Family ’s return to na z areth a reflection by sculptor kate marin The Holy Family – they are a timeless example of faith, humility, obedience, and love. As you traverse the path to the bluff, you are traveling back to Nazareth alongside Mary and Joseph after they’ve found Jesus in the temple. The heart of the Return to Nazareth Garden offers an opportunity to encounter the Holy Family in a new and profound way in the bronze monument, The Holy Family’s Return to Nazareth. You are presented with the opportunity to enter the Gospel, truly meeting the Holy Family, experiencing the fullness of their humanity.

M olding a Co ncep t In conceptualizing and planning the piece I was presented with three criteria: First, Mike and Mary Alice Easterday, who conceived the garden as a place to encounter the Holy Family, wished to present a scene from the Gospel of Luke, “He went down with them and came to Nazareth…”

(Luke 2:51). Second, the monks wanted the sculptures and garden to emphasize obedience in theme and tone. Finally, Margaret Jones and Adéle Bischel, Benedictine College Architecture students (now alumnae) and the designers of the garden, planned it with the statue of Jesus separated from the statues of Mary and Joseph. In this way, Christ is the first figure to welcome the viewer as they enter the garden. There was plenty of creative freedom within those parameters and I was able to build a very personal narrative of this historical and biblical event.

As I began praying with the scripture and meditating on this journey I was amazed by how deeply intricate the dialogue and interpretation could be from such a short story. This representation of the Holy Family, in this particular moment of their life, gave me the opportunity to bring the viewer into deeper understanding of who each member of the Holy Family is, what role they each play in the family unit, and what their family dynamic has to teach us about marriage and family life, even more than 2000 years later.

In developing the concept and design I wanted to introduce, with Christianity, themes such as the equality and complementarity between men and women; the universality of the Church and resolution of the tension between 10 • The Return to Nazareth Dedication

historical realism and interpretation through the lens of cultural diversity; the importance of representation in art; healthy and holy masculinity; and the theology of the body.

With all of this considered, I was able to imagine a scene that would express not only what the Holy Family was likely going through in this moment of their lives together, but would also present the viewer with other themes and angles from which to enter the contemplation of this Family and the Gospel message in our modern time and in our particular area of the world.

Bri ng in g the Holy Fa m i ly to L i fe Once I had grasped my concept and goals for the piece I began the process of bringing it to life visually. The first part of that process, for me, is selecting live models from which to model the figures. It was important to me to sculpt them with physical attributes that are more representative of the part of the world from which they came.

Traditional representations of the Holy Family often depict them with physical features more representative of European ancestry – primarily because those depictions were made by and for Europeans. While choosing the features and look of my representation of the Holy Family, I focused on the idea that I am an American sculpting this monument for a community in America. So, while I wanted to honor the heritage that the actual Holy Family came from, I also wanted to honor the place that this representation of the Holy Family would reside. One wonderful thing about our country is that it is a “melting-pot” of cultures with a beautiful blend of cultures and heritages coming together to make the diverse “look” of our people. That diversity lends itself to the expression of the universality of the Catholic Church. Christ came for all people, so I wanted to make the Holy Family look like they were from their own part of the world while balancing a The statues began in miniature multicultural look that makes them seem as if they could be from any part before being sculpted into the figures of the world. I wanted any visitor, no matter their ethnicity, to feel welcome seen in the garden. to approach and belong within the Holy Family.

To achieve this I worked with many models from different ethnic backgrounds for each figure. I employed seven different models from different races to form the face of Mary. For Joseph, I referenced six men to find his face.

Finding young models was more difficult, but for the face of Jesus I employed two brothers with a beautiful blend of multiracial ancestry and used the features I had found for Mary and Joseph to complete the features I chose for the young Christ. It was a wonderful challenge to use my understanding of anatomy and form to sculpt faces, not of each of my models, but of the Holy Family that I could see through all these actual faces.

It was important to use live models to create the forms and poses that I felt would best convey the story I was trying to tell. I wanted to represent an active Holy Family, all of them participating in the moment. In the gesture of each figure, the narrative is told. Each of them holds a posture that gives you a different point of entry into their story.

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Clothing the figures was also a wonderful and creative part of the process because it gave me the opportunity to broaden the narrative by adding wind and motion to their garments – these are outdoor sculptures and everything around them is alive. The trees blow in the breeze, birds will sing, people will be walking the path. I wanted to bring some of that life into the bronze itself. The motion sculpted into the fabric is my way of visually representing the presence of the Holy Spirit – residing in them, but also dancing around them, guiding their way.

A M omen t in Time In my take on this moment from the Holy Family’s life, I wanted to set a scene that incorporates the viewer into the story and composition.

I imagined them journeying home to Nazareth after a very significant three days of separation. Jesus has stopped along the path because he has noticed you, the viewer, following closely behind – and he is inviting you to follow him. I imagined Mary and Joseph walking, intent on getting the family home safely. Mary, in her motherly instincts and deep connection with Jesus, was the first to realize that he has fallen behind. Joseph has kept a close eye on his family. Though focused on forward progress in the journey, he has kept them, constantly, in his watchful periphery and is about to realize that something has caught Mary and Jesus’ attention.

It was my firm desire that the sculptures be installed directly onto the walking path with no barrier around the sculptures and no pedestals lifting them off the ground away from the viewer. This makes for less visual interruption to the scene and allows for our physical participation within it. As the viewer enters the garden they are welcome to walk right up to each figure as they prayerfully consider what each person of the Holy Family is communicating to them. This is also the reason for the space between each figure – rather than sculpting them to touch in any way. I wanted the viewer to be able to contemplate each character individually because each member of the Holy Family had their own unique experience of this moment and each has something unique to teach us.

As you enter the garden and follow the path leading to the Holy Family, you view the young Jesus, flanked by his parents. From this perspective, they stand together as two pillars guarding, nurturing, and supporting their son in his mission. On one side you see Joseph and from this viewpoint it appears as if his outstretched hand is coming to rest on Jesus’ shoulder – a loving and supportive gesture. On the other side of Jesus you see Mary, turning towards him to see what is happening. Though her hand is reaching towards Joseph’s, in this view it is meant to look as if it is coming to meet Jesus’s outstretched fingers. It is a gesture of tenderness and an ode to Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam. The viewer is offered a snapshot of the intimacy and love present in this family.

From beneath the shelter in the garden, looking back towards the Holy Family, another prominent perspective is offered. From this angle, the hands of each member of the family appear to join in the middle, with Christ’s hand in the traditional gesture of blessing being at the center. This view emphasizes their unity; though three distinct individuals they are one under the covenant of marriage.

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The cross arms of the garden path on either side of Mary and Joseph offer still another perspective. This gave me an opportunity to highlight the marital relationship between Mary and Joseph by situating them in the center of the cross. The viewer sees the profiles of Mary and Joseph’s faces turned toward one another. The partnership between Joseph and Mary was essential in raising and loving Jesus. The intimacy between Joseph and Mary was deep and cultivated throughout their relationship. After all they had endured during those three days searching for Jesus, and faced with a long journey through the desert alone (as the caravan was already well ahead of them), I am sure they were leaning heavily on each other’s strengths and the comfort they provided each other to make it through this trial, like so many other trials they had already faced as a family up Full-sized clay sculptures are created to this point. This perspective gives the viewer the chance to engage with and cast in bronze to create the final their specific relationship within the larger family unit. rendering we enjoy in the garden.

S a int Joseph It was really Joseph who led the way in the development of the narrative I felt inspired to depict. Not knowing much about St. Joseph before beginning this project, this came as a surprise. He is a completely silent character in this passage and throughout the Bible, but he spoke the loudest to me in my initial prayer and contemplation. In Joseph I saw an opportunity to dialogue about healthy and holy masculinity.

I wanted to offer men an example to look to as they work to more fully realize their own masculinity. In my opinion, the world has told men many lies about what it means to be a man – but through St. Joseph (and hopefully my depiction of him) men are given an invitation into a different experience and understanding of themselves. Men are told it is not okay to be vulnerable, or to need other people’s support. But this lie imprisons them and can lead to repression of their emotions and unhealthy outlets. This hurts not only themselves but also their families.

In contemplating all of this, in contrast with the example given to us by St. Joseph (throughout Scripture and tradition), I was able to understand how I needed to pose Joseph to visually represent the deeper layers of his personhood that I wanted to portray.

I tried to convey, in his gesture, strong leadership and a sense of determination in his forward movement. In leading his family safely home, he wouldn’t have lost sight of their needs, so his head is turned toward them. This is meant to emphasize the attentive and protective posture of a father and husband. While his head is inclined toward his family it is also oriented upward as he lifts his prayers to God. I can’t imagine what Joseph must have gone through as he searched for Jesus while also trying to console Mary and keep faith. That must have been so heavy – even now, as he has his son back in his watchful care, he may still be processing that burden. In my understanding of him, Joseph St. Benedict ’s Abbe y • Atchison, Kansa s

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wouldn’t have hidden from those emotions, but would have been present to them in dialogue with God. We see this in Joseph’s expression and parted lips as if he is in mid-conversation with the Lord. Joseph wouldn’t have found this vulnerability before the Lord to be a weakness and he also wouldn’t have been afraid to reach for Mary in vulnerability to ask for her love, support, and partnership. These acts of vulnerability create a stretching of Joseph in the pose. As his eyes reach to heaven and his arm to Mary, his heart is exposed. This is Joseph’s strength.

Th e Bl essed V ir g i n M ary The rest of the composition flowed easily with St. Joseph as its foundation.

From the scripture we know that Mary pondered and processed “all these things in her heart” which is conveyed in her pose: one hand resting gently on her heart while she beholds her son on the path. Jesus has separated from her again, this time to minister to us as he waits for us to join the Family’s journey. I imagine that Mary would have felt this distance deeply, still stricken with the memory of their three days apart, and may have even wanted to move towards him or call him back to her. I had originally sculpted Mary with her lips parted as if she was saying Jesus’s name. However, as I contemplated her further, I came to believe that she would have held that tension quietly within herself, not trying to control the situation or solve it, but rather, quietly beholding her young son stepping into his mission.

So I sculpted her, lips closed, gazing watchfully on her son as she waits and wonders. I imagine that she is renewing her fiat in this moment.

Mary’s posture is not only oriented toward her son, her momentum within the pose is still moving in the direction of Joseph, following her husband’s lead on this journey. I wanted to portray their different, yet complementary roles within the family, as man and woman, while still representing their equality. Mary’s outstretched hand lies on the same plane as Joseph’s hand. He seems ready to catch it, to lift her up. Her hand awaits his receptively – ready to be held by the man worthy to hold it.

Mary’s pose emphasizes her strength and expansive capacity in her role as wife and mother while also emphasizing her quiet wisdom and receptivity.

Jes us Ch rist It was amazing to contemplate Jesus at age twelve. In this scripture we see him reaching adolescence, stepping into his calling with that passage into adulthood. There is a boldness in what he has just done for the last three days and I tried to translate that into this present moment on the path as he confidently reaches out to each of us.

Though the obedience of each of the Family members to each other and to the mission has been discussed and subtly represented in the compositional interactions between each of the figures, it is in the figure of Jesus that this 14 • The Return to Nazareth Dedication

theme expands and becomes a larger part of the narrative. Jesus is obedient to his human parents and the direction they are leading him (in this present, physical journey, but also in the wider, spiritual sense) and this is evident in his gesture as his weight pushes forward, in the direction of his parents. He intends to follow them. His arm reaches towards them, hand gently gesturing in a way that communicates to them that he is coming. He is about to continue on with them. But Jesus is also obedient to his heavenly Father, and the mission he has been sent for: us. So he waits for us, with his other arm extended toward us, inviting us to follow. In these two acts of obedience his arms are extended almost equally to either side and his posture becomes cruciform, representing his obedience in every level of his call, to the very end. The pose I chose for Jesus reminds us of what this little boy will ultimately face for our sake. It reminds us that part of our journey is in taking up our cross and then continuing on with him.

I n Closing 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, 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 of the Holy Family.

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. The monks meant so much to me for the 7 years I lived in Atchison, first as a student at Benedictine College and then later as an adjunct professor there. It was actually at the Abbey’s Holy Week retreat that I received the clarity necessary to move to Florence, Italy to study sculpture. That retreat is forever tied to my memory of starting on this path so it is hard to put into words how much it means to me that my first professional work would end up residing here at the 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. God writes the best stories and His generosity cannot be outdone. I will never be able to adequately express my gratitude and wonder. To him be the glory.

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gu ide d meditation of

The Holy Fa m ily ’s R e tu r n to N aza r e th – Luke 2 :4 6 -5 2 –

Begin in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Invite the Holy Spirit to guide your prayer and then read through the passage slowly (on page 3 of this booklet).

What are you bringing with you on this journey? Hopes? Gratitude? Fear? A specific need? Be where you are. The Savior is inviting you to follow in freedom. When you are ready, begin your journey forward.

Feel your feet moving you forward. Are your steps heavy today? Are you carrying any pain? Is there a lightness to your step today? Are you feeling rushed? Offer your physical and emotional reality to your Savior. Look up: there he is coming into clearer view.

You are still a little way off, but before you get closer, pause. From a distance this view of the Holy Family has something to say to you. Notice how the young Jesus is flanked by his parents, your spiritual parents, Mary and Joseph. Jesus did not come into this world alone. He did not carry out his saving ministry alone. He needed their support and care throughout his life and in this moment, too. Notice how, from this angle, it looks as if Joseph’s hand is resting on his young son’s shoulder. Feel that same reassuring touch from your Heavenly Father now. He is with you always. See how Jesus’s small fingers are reaching towards his Mother. Mary has never hesitated to reach back. Her nurturing and warm embrace is always ready to receive her Son, and you.

Jesus was not alone in this world and you are not alone either. Think of those God has placed in your life to love and support you. Think of your spiritual family, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Mother and her most chaste spouse Saint Joseph, the angels and all the saints, people you have loved that have gone before you. You are not alone in this journey.

When you are ready, walk on. Jesus is waiting hand-outstretched towards you. He has an invitation for you today.

Hear him call you by name as he says, “come, follow me.” In what way is Jesus asking you to follow him today? Is he trying to take you down a new path in your life? Is he asking you to continue a little further down a path that has been difficult for you? Is he asking you to stop and rest awhile? Whatever the path remember that it is part of a larger path that is leading to your heavenly Home. Just as the Holy Family journeys on this desert path back to their simple and quiet home in Nazareth they stay ever aware that it is part of a larger journey to their true home in heaven.

The journey is not without worry or uncertainty. Look to Mary now, walk towards her. Notice her expression as she looks upon her son, found after three anxious days. Her motherly heart will never forget those three days without Him, and this distance between them now, as he has fallen behind on the path to wait for us, is difficult to bear. She doesn’t know what his strange words meant in the temple and she continues to contemplate them even now. What is to come in her child’s ministry? What other trials and sufferings will her family have to endure? As she contemplates all this, she holds the pain in perfect tension with her trust in God. Notice in her face that this quiet contemplation is also filled with peace and trust. Even in her pain she takes the posture of adoration as she beholds her son doing what he has been sent to do. She renews her fiat.

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With your eyes, follow Mary’s gesture as she reaches for Joseph. He reaches back. They need each other’s strength and partnership in this moment, and are not afraid to reach out in vulnerability towards one another. Linger here for a moment. Where might you find some relief by opening up in vulnerability to those who can support you on your journey? Do you feel God’s hand reaching towards you in this moment? Will you reach back?

From Joseph’s outstretched hand, travel your gaze upward to rest on his face now. He carries similar questions and burdens as Mary’s from the previous three days. As he processes what he has been through he must also press forward and stay present to this moment in order to get his family home safely. Joseph knows His strength is the Lord and he lifts his gaze to heaven, uttering a prayer, unafraid to dialogue with the One who knows his heart and never fails to provide what he needs. Lift your own prayer up to God now. Where do you most need God to fill you with strength? What responsibilities are weighing heavily on you now, tempting you to stop pressing forward on your own journey? Ask Joseph for his intercession now and look to his example of humility and perseverance.

When you are ready, turn and walk towards the river. Once you are under the shelter of the prayer awning, turn back and take in the Holy Family from this viewpoint. Look at their unity. Though they are all at separate points on the path, each having their unique and individual experience on this journey, they are one. Like them, we are each on our own unique journey, but are one with Christ and His Body, the Church. Each one of us brings our own gifts, perspectives, wounds, experiences, weaknesses, sins, hopes, and personalities, and yet none of those things disqualifies us from following Christ’s call into communion.

Next, rest your eyes on their hands: from this perspective, they seem to be coming together to touch, to unite.

Three different persons, three different hands, three different parts of the same whole. Think of all the parts of you that make you, you. The parts you show people and the parts you don’t. The parts you are proud of and the parts filled with shame. The parts of your past and the parts of your present. The parts that doubt and the parts that trust. Ask God to begin an integration of all these parts within you today; to reunite you to yourself, to heal your brokenness, to deepen your integrity. He has willed from the moment he first thought of you, that you would be whole, so that you may be integrated into the Body of Christ, whole and perfect as he is perfect. Maybe you have already allowed him entrance in this way, but today renew your desire for integration within yourself. Let that desire build up until it overflows. Your desire might become a prayer for unity in the Church, and for the whole world to be united as one in Christ.

Entrust yourself – your journey, your desires, your prayers - to the Holy Family. Turn back to the river to take in the view of God’s creation all around you.

Breathe deeply, and as you exhale, let go in total faith and trust in God. This can be a moment of holy surrender and abandonment to God’s will in your life. Renew your trust in Him. Trust him to lead you from here as you linger on the memories of your journey up to this point and how far he has already brought you.

Before you go, receive deeply the beauty that surrounds you, receive the gift of this moment. Let your heart cry out in praise and thanksgiving for all that God has given to you in this time of prayer. Thank him and give him your love. It is enough.

St. Benedict ’s Abbe y • Atchison, Kansa s

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Putting downs Roots

Prayer by Design

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.

For the first time in a decade, I have turned to the monks’ example of commitment for the confidence to invest in building and gardening projects on my property in Atchison.

Being a student at Benedictine allowed me to have the monks as teachers for class but 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.

by John Paul Haigh, Architect

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 posessed 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.

18 • The Return to Nazareth Dedication

by Adèle Bischel, Designer

The overall theme of the Return to Nazareth projet is a 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 passage in the Bible and remember that the story goes into much more depth than one would first imagine. For them to search for the understanding of the passage through the design of the garden, the placement of the statues, and the statues themselves.

There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting, there’s a place that is wondrously fair, For it glows with the light of His presence. ’Tis the beautiful garden of prayer.

Oh, the beautiful garden, the garden of prayer! Oh, the beautiful garden of prayer!

There my Savior awaits, and He opens the gates to the beautiful garden of prayer.

There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting, and I go with my burden and care, Just to learn from His lips words of comfort in the beautiful garden of prayer.

There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting, and He bids you to come, meet Him there; Just to bow and receive a new blessing in the beautiful garden of prayer.

Photo by Tanner Martine • Poem written by Eleanor Allen Read by Anne Trimble, Daughter of Mike & Mary Alice Easterday, at Garden Dedication St. Benedict ’s Abbe y • Atchison, Kansa s

19

O G o d, who w ere ple a s e d to g ive us the shining example of th e Holy Family, g rac io usl y g rant th at we may i mit ate th em in pract ic ing th e v ir tue s of f amily li fe and in the b on ds of ch ar i ty, and s o , in the j oy of your h ous e, del ight o ne day in e ter n al re w ards .

Thro ugh o ur L o rd Je sus Ch r ist , your S on , w ho live s and reig ns w ith you i n th e un i ty of th e Holy Spi r it , o ne G o d, for e ver an d e ver.

Amen .