17 minute read
From the Abbot
the Call oF the ravens
N
early 600 people were guests on the College campus Feb. 4-5. Half were high school seniors compeing for Presidential and Dean Scholarships for the coming year. Half were accompanying family members.
They were guests of Benedictine College at a wonderful dinner. Dr. Michael Boland, a graduate of 1981, welcomed them before the meal. He credited BC with instilling in him a desire to be a life-long learner, to serve others in significant ways, and to build upon Christian faith as a platform for decisions and values. He is a neurosurgeon working in three hospitals in St. louis, Mo., and offering his skillful surgery to citizens of Guatemala on an annual service trip there, and by having youngsters from latin america live with his family as he tends to their medical needs in St. louis. What a wonderful spokesman for college hopefuls to hear on the evening before they were to give their best in formal interview and in spontaneous essay writing on a topic that had not been previously announced.
The admissions Office had asked that I follow Dr. Boland by giving a Benediction. I had sketched these notes and had written a verse that I sang to the musical line of “The Servant Song,”
“Hunger is an experience. Some hunger passes when we are fed. Some hunger persists when we learn a little and want more. Some hunger persists when we compete alongside equals. Some hunger persists when we love and are loved in return. May we hunger throughout our lives.” The Servant Song’s third verse: “When you come to Benedictine, you will learn to work and pray. Time alone and time together, learn of self and of the lord.”
you know, even the psalmist knew about ravens. The next morning we prayed Psalm 147 and these verses rang out: “(The lord) covers the heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth, makes grass sprout on the mountains, gives animals their food and (gives) ravens what they cry for.” each of the 288 high school seniors desires to join these ravens who call to the lord in familiar ways. each has proven abilities and we welcome them all. Five will win full-tuition scholarships and five will win 75-percent scholarships. Others sholarships are available as well.They will join Benedictine men and women in “calling upon the lord.” Students may join the religious communities in the liturgy of the Hours. Students may pair with the Benedictine Sisters as Prayer Partners.
May the lord of the Psalmist answer all our needs. May our hungers persist and give us the momentum to move “Forward, always Forward,” in our response to other’s needs and in pursuit of a virtuous life.
Benedictine College engineering students cooperate on a project.
Benedictine College’s tight-knit community life has been one reason for a steady increase in enrollment.
KANSAS MONKS Abbey to Begin Capital Campaign Feasibility Study
Three monks gathered on a bluff in Doniphan County more than 150 years ago to bring monastic life to Kansas. Collectively, for hundreds of years, our monks have been serving Jesus Christ and providing a place of spiritual retreat for thousands of Christians from our historic monastery in scenic atchison. St. Benedict’s is truly a one-of-a-kind spiritual community. as sponsors of Benedictine College and Maur Hill-Mount academy, and as pastors in area parishes and chaplains in hospitals, convents and prisons, the monks gather to them the faithful seeking community in Christ, as did their predecessors on the frontier. The monks open their hearts and home to guests by the hundreds with Benedictine hospitality, welcoming each person as Christ, true to the rule of Benedict, as did their three rustic spiritual ancestors. and within that monastery and its adjoining Church, the monks do their most important work. They gather four times daily to lift the world to God in prayer in the liturgy of the Hours and the eucharist.
Naturally, serving so many people and running an active abbey leads to unique facility and fiscal challenges. as a result, the abbey has embarked on a feasibility study to determine if now is the time to begin a capital stewardship campaign to address several pressing needs. We are actively pursuing suggestions and advice from the friends of the abbey to help us with such an important decision. We hope you will take a moment to help us by visiting our website at Kansasmonks.org and following the link to the online survey. Or you may complete the survey on the adjacent page and return it to us in the envelope provided. We value your input.
Purpose and Mission
Our mission is to be a Catholic monastic community of men who live as brothers of the lord by seeking God through His Son, Jesus Christ, according to the rule of Benedict. Our monastic values of prayer, work, hospitality, and stewardship enable us to minister the love of Christ through celebration of the eucharist, educational endeavours, and service to the poor, the sick, the well, the elderly, and the young.
photo by J.D. Benning
after nearly a century of ministry, the monks’ home is in need of renewal. It will require an effort of those gathered within, but also from those the monks have touched – to teach, to welcome, to pray for, to advise, to provide with spiritual direction, and to offer the sacraments. additionally, we face long-term maintenance issues, as well as providing healthcare and retirement funds for our monks. as our leaders have sought God’s will for the abbey, they have chosen to embark on a feasibility study to determine if now is the time to address these critical needs. We know that by following this process of prayer and discernment, God will lead our steps and help us build consensus for this vision to restore and strengthen the abbey.
Financial Considerations
The abbey has identified needs of approximately $3 million to renew our monastery home, both spiritually and physically. Half of the money we hope to raise will go toward replacement of the 885 windows in our historic monastery and repairing our monastery’s slate roof. replacing more than 12,000 square feet of old metalpaned windows would cut the abbey’s gas usage by an estimated 50 percent and electricity usage by 15-to-20 percent. at current utility costs, that would save the abbey more than $26,000 a year, not to mention the decrease in wear and tear on furnaces and air conditioning units. The other half of the $3 million raised would go toward endowments for planned giving, vocations and education to provide for the future of our community and its apostolates; for healthcare and retirement for monks who have dedicated their lives to good works; and for maintenance of facilities and grounds.
The Urgency
The issues facing St. Benedict’s abbey are urgent. The sooner we are able to repair the windows, the sooner we will recognize the sizable savings and allow us to be better stewards of our natural and financial resources. additionally, the needs of our monks are real and need to be addressed immediately. It seems clear that the time to act is now. your prayers and participation in this process matter greatly. We are thankful for all that God has provided our abbey. Now we look to Him to help us move into this phase of restoring our house of worship and providing for our monks. We pray that God would lead and provide for the abbey to move forward by faith to meet these needs and challenges. Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey. We will report the results in an upcoming issue of Kansas Monks.
Father Justin Dean, has been appointed assistant Director of Development. Father Justin will assist friends of St. Benedict’s abbey in fulfilling their stewardship goals and will personally express the gratitude of the monastic community to the many people who support the abbey through their prayers and financial support. Father Justin will also be helping conduct a feasibility study for a possible capital campaign to replace windows and repair the moastery roof. To reach Father Justin, call him at 913-360-7884 or send an e-mail: father.jdd@ gmail.com.
Thank you for taking time to complete this confidential survey. your responses will help us determine the future direction for the abbey. Please begin by reading the article on the previous page and then complete the survey. as an alternative, you may complete these questions online by visiting our website at Kansasmonks.org and clicking on the survey link. (one survey per person please).
Please respond to the following statements. Questions include space for two responses to allow spouses (a and B) to complete this survey together. If you wish to provide comments please provide them on a separate sheet of paper. you may, if you wish, give us your contact information. Please return this survey in the enclosed pre-addressed envelope (or take the online survey) no later than april 8, 2011. If you have any questions please call 913.360.7906 or devopment@kansasmonks.org. Thank you for your input.
Name (optional)_________________________ Address__________________________ City__________________State____Zip_______ Phone No.__________________________ E-Mail_______________________________
It is important for me to support the monastic tradition and way of life.
Strongly
Agree A B
Because St. Benedict’s Abbey is in need of a new roof, window replacement, solutions for supporting retired monks and educating members, I consider it urgent for the Abbey to conduct a capital campaign now to raise money to renovate the monastery and address other long-term financial issues.
Strongly Agree
A B
I would be Yes No interested in volunteering to A assist the building B committee in developing the facility and renovation plans by participating in another survey.
I Don’t Know
If we are able to answer all of your questions, is this a campaign you would be willing to support financially?
Yes No
A B
I Don’t Know
4.
What information would be most valuable to you to determine whether you make a financial commitment to a capital campaign at St. Benedict’s Abbey? (Please check all that apply to you.) A B How the plan connects to the Abbey’s mission & future Bene t to the Abbey Fundraising plans and costs Project plan and budget Levels of support among friends of the Abbey
6. The table below represents the approximate size and number of gifts needed to complete the approximate $3,000,000 project St. Benedict’s Abbey is considering.
We are sensitive to the fact that you may need more time to pray and reflect before making such a large decision. Therefore, we are not asking you to make a commitment at this time. However, if the Abbey held a fundraising campaign and you were asked to consider a three-year pledge above and beyond your current support for the Abbey, is there a category on this chart that might reflect the size of gift you and your family would be willing to consider as part of the campaign? One response per household please.
Number of Gifts Needed Amount of 3-Year Gift Monthly Contribution Check box for your potential gift level 1 $300,000+ $8,334
2 5 5 5 10 $150,000 $86,000 $65,000 $43,000 $30,000 $4,167 $2,389 $1,806 $1,195 $834
12 12 15 $22,000 $8,700 $4,200 $612 $242 $120
KANSAS MONKS Marked with the sign of Faithc f
Father Gervase Burke 1901-1965
adevotee of the comic strip character, Popeye, and a recipient of an original message from Popeye’s cartoonist, e.e. Segar, Father Gervase Burke died of cancer. He had been diagnosed in 1963 and The Kansas City Star interviewed him six months before his death. He was at peace about his situation and told the reporter, “you’re going to die too, you know… the only difference between you and me is that I know the time. at death man is meeting not his end but his fulfillment. you can’t change the ending. The real ending of the play is that the character has fulfilled himself.” Father Gervase was born in Wheaton, Kan., came to St. Benedict’s College and made first profession July 2, 1921. He completed college in atchison and completed theology studies at Sant’anselmo. He earned a master’s in english at the University of Toronto. He was a popular dean of men, prefect at St. Joseph’s Hall, teacher of english, book reviewer and wit. During World War II Father Gervase was a chaplain in the U.S. army, stationed in Dakar, which is near Senegal in Western africa. He loved the troops and the warm weather and thereafter was never warm again. He often wore his army greatcoat to early morning prayers at the abbey and was known to use a Zippo lighter to warm his hands at prayer. Once as chaplain he demonstrated his wit in a piece for the Bonjour the West african army Weekly, addressing controversy over “obscenity” in the USO shows.
“I suffered them, I suffered from them, I suffered for them and I suffered with them,” he said of the “entertainers.” “They were off color because they were below par, they had dirt because they didn’t have talent, and they were filthy because they weren’t funny.” He called the entertainment not so much a threat to the morality of the soldiers but rather an insult to 90% of the servicemen and women who viewed
Athem. “I am a chaplain,” he said. “Of course I am interested in the morals of mens . . . But please note that I am not complaining that these shows lower a soldier’s morals . . . I am simply complaining that they insult his intelligence.” That same wit carried over to the classroom.His excuse for not giving “a” grades was that the last time he gave one the Civil War started. Father Gervase maintained a practical view of life and death until the end, but never lost his zeal for living. “I admit, I’d like to be a young Catholic right now,” he confided to The Kansas City Star in 1963 as he was dying. “There are new insights abroad, new attitudes toward people who are not Catholics, a broader acceptance of the truth, no matter who says it. But you learn to face facts, to accept things.
Father Gervase served as an army “Oh, I’ve liked being alive and chaplain during World War II. doing what I’ve done,” he said. “and if someone were to ask me, I’d say I’d like another hundred years or so.”
Abbot Owen Purcell is compiling a necrology of St. Benedict’s Abbey, profiles on the deceased monks of the Abbey. It offers a thorough and entertaining look into the history of the Abbey, one monk at a time. If you have a comment, insight or addition e-mail Abbot Owen: ojposb@yahoo.com.
Every Benedictine ‘ ’Needs his Baseball
Father Gervase Burke, the redoubtable english teacher at St. Benedict’s College from about 1933 to 1963, was probably the greatest baseball fan in the history of St. Benedict’s abbey. Father Gervase liked other sports, such as football, and one of my most vivid college memories is of him attending college basketball games while at the same time reading books. The books did not seem to interfere with his enjoyment of basketball, nor did the games seem to diminish his enjoyment of reading.
But baseball was his real love. The Kansas City athletics had come to town by then. When things were not going well, Father Gervase would go about saying in a loud voice, “Oh, those a’s!” even when preaching he might slip in, “Oh, those a’s!” at appropriate times.
Father Gervase died before the royals came to Kansas City. He would have rejoiced at their World Series victory. at their current SPRING 2011 doldrums he would probably say, “Oh, those royals!” The royals seemed a little better this year than last. Their hitting improved and the team was rarely completely out of a game. There is no question that they need better pitching. It is sad to see Zack Greinke traded since he was one of the Father Michael Santa few royals with whom fans have had some identification. Such identification is important for the growth of a baseball tradition.
We can learn from Gervase Burke that it is important for a monk to have a vicarious identification with something. It takes us out of our own limited world and helps take an interest in others. It might be a local sports team, a saint, a politician, or some other public personality. Here at the abbey we monks are working on what is called a “Customary.” It is a little book that describes how a monk ought to behave in his daily life. Maybe it should have a sentence that says, “each monk should have a strong vicarious identification with organizations or persons outside the monastery.”
Oblates
Many oblates pray part of the liturgy of the Hours daily or at least with some frequency, but I imagine very few ever are able to pray the Hour of Vigils. This hour used to be called Matins and was the night office of the monks. It was prayed sometime after midnight and consisted of a good number of psalms and readings from the Old and New Testaments plus readings from the Fathers of the Church. The Vatican Council shortened this office to two or three Psalms, a reading from Scripture and one from a reliable orthodox source, usually a Father of the Church (but it can also come from a more modern writer). Many Trappist monasteries still pray this hour around 3 a.m., often with only several monks reading in a darkened church, while the rest of the community listens. It is a very reflective office.
Here at the abbey we pray this office daily at 6:20 a.m., and follow it immediately with Morning Prayer. The entire office takes about 35 to 40 minutes; slightly longer on Sundays and solemnities when the gospel of the day is added and the office ends with the great hymn of praise –the Te Deum. The Psalms prayed at this hour of office are reflective and challenging.
Here at the abbey our office is on a four-week cycle, and during that time we pray a number of Psalms at Vigils: Psalms 18, 89, 68, 132, 63, 104, 139, 107, 10, 91, 78, 105, 106, 44, 78, 37, 94, 14, 49, 53, 25, 11, 71, 52, 77, 82, 79, 140, 22, 38, 74, 6, 69, 55, 102, 42, 43, 35, 13, 17, 61, 109, 31.
“I say to the Lord, you are my God; hearken, O Lord to my voice in supplication.” -Psalm 140:7
a good prayer experience might be to take a Psalm and read it very slowly and then reread it. Try to find a line or two that speaks to you. Don’t be concerned if the rest of the lines don’t seem to say anything at the time. look at Psalm 140 for example. Maybe a verse strikes a note with you. Verse 7 – “I say to the lord, you are Brother John Peto Director of Oblates my God; hearken, O lord to my voice in supplication.” This particular verse might have a very strong meaning to someone begging something from God at a particular time. Hang on the verse throughout the day. Psalm 109’s first verse might be a real help – “O God, whom I praise, be not silent…” Just the first half of the verse may speak to someone who has been asking God for something and is growing weary of asking, who is now not afraid to challenge God a bit. Verse 14 in Psalm 77 brings forth a different aspect of our relationship with God – “O God, your way is holy; and what great god is there like our God?”
The above is, of course, a form of Lectio Divina, bringing the Psalms into real life by using the prayers that Jesus prayed.
Sometimes I have a question from an oblate about his or her membership when they live a great distance from atchison or are not able to attend meetings for other reasons. Once you have made your oblation you are an oblate of the abbey as long as you wish. I use this magazine as the primary form of communication with oblates but would be most happy to send you more frequent communications via e-mail or regular mail if you would so desire. every month I send out an email and mail a few copies of news of a more personal nature to oblates who attend meetings or have requested more news. This little newsletter has more names and more information about what is going on here at the abbey.
If you would like to receive this information, either by e-mail or regular mail, please contact me: johnpeto1@gmail.com.
