Kansas Monks Spring 2008

Spring 2008

A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF ST. BENEDICT’S ABBEY

“When he is to be received, he comes before the whole community in the oratory and promises stability, fidelity to monastic life, and obedience...”

Kansas Monks

Spring 2008 VOLUME 3

No. 1

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Spring 2008

Kansas Monks

Table of Contents 5

True professions

9

Sitting at feet of Christ

11

Through eyes of a master

14

Benedictine Roots

Brothers Gregory and Leven take avowed steps

Seeking freedom is a community quest Gallery opening latest success in campaign Monks are pastors, teachers... and family to this clan

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Congratulations Brothers

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Eternal Rest

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From the Desert

27

Marked with the Sign of Faith

Photo courtesy of Terri Modlin

Celebrations from our Brazilian confreres Father James Downey passes away ‘I want to be a saint’

Remembering Father Theodore Leuterman

The Appropriately named Ravens fifth-grade boys’ basketball team from Cathedral School in St. Joseph, Mo., found a calming influence in the story of St. Benedict’s Abbey’s Father Gilbert Wolters, and went on to capture its first tournament championship of the season. Pictured, back row, left to right, Joseph Madden, Jack Schanze, Cort Patrick, and Jacob Modlin. Front row, left to right, Antonio DePastino, Jacob Byrne, and Alexander Blizzard.

*from the editor*

Monastic Motivation

5th-grade hoops team finds inspiration, friendship in 100-year-old monk

By Dan Madden

Cover photo: Brother Gregory Dulmes listens to instruction from Abbot Barnabas Senecal during his solemn profession, Dec. 8 in the Abbey Church. Cover Photo by Robin Ranieri

Publisher:

Abbot Barnabas Senecal, O.S.B., bsenecal@kansasmonks.org

Editor:

Dan Madden, dmadden@kansasmonks.org

Graphic Design:

Sophia Harrison, sharrison@kansasmonks.org

Contributing Writers:

Prior James Albers, Brother John Peto, Fr. Marion Charboneau, Abbot Owen Purcell, Larry Ebner, Fr. David Metz, Nathan Byrne

Photography:

Abbot Barnabas Senecal, Br. Jeremy Heppler, Br. Joseph Ryan, Megan Bickford, Robin Ranieri, Dan Madden, Sophia Harrison Kansas Monks magazine is published quarterly by the Office of Development, 1020 N. 2nd Street, Atchison, KS 66002. For a free subscription: 913.360.7897, or development@kansasmonks.org.

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I was deep in thought as I drove to the St. James School gymnasium. I am the coach of a fifth-grade boys’ basketball team at Cathedral School in St. Joseph, Mo., and for the first time all season my boys were about to breathe the rarified air of a championship game.

I needed a heck of a pep talk.

The past three weeks had been among the sweetest I had ever experienced as a youth basketball coach. My little band of seven fifth-graders was on a winning streak, but that wasn’t the point of my strange feeling of peace.

It was how they were winning. My assistant coach, Pat Modlin and I nearly giggled on the sideline as we watched lessons taught in practice materialize before our eyes in

games. Unselfishness had become our secret weapon and the boys were truly enjoying playing together. They were Summer 2007

A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF ST. BENEDICT’S ABBEY

Kansas Monks

SUMMER 2007

VOLUME 2

No. 2

Fr. Gilbert

A hundred years and still afloat

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whipping the ball around to one another with no regard for personal statistics. It was becoming a regular occurrence for each player on the roster to contribute in the scoring column, as they had in our semifinal game of the St. James Continued on page 8

Spring 2008

Kansas Monks

Brother Robert’s return to the land he tilled and the people he loved We flew 5,346 miles and drove 250 miles in early January to get to Mineiros, Goías, in Central West Brazil.

Brother Robert Heiman and I came to be with our monks in Brazil as two young men were accepted as postulants, one as a novice, one into first vows, another into lifetime vows, and a fifth was ordained a deacon. It was a time of harvest, a time for witnessing a yield.

Brother Robert worked for seven years in Mineiros, returning to Atchison in 1978.

Now, thirty years later, he returned to witness dramatic change in the city and the community of St. Joseph´s Priory.

He worked very hard in

through this life, to help their own people.

Brother Robert was welcomed by Prior Josias and Father Joaquim, men who became monks in the time Brother Robert was here. With us during our first meal in Mineiros was a Sister Aloisia, the first Brazilian novice that Franciscan Sisters of Holland welcomed to their mission foundation in 1945. She had known Brother Robert in the 1970s; their reunion was a very happy one. Many others enjoyed such reunions with him.

As we drove from Goiânia to Mineiros, Portuguese was the principal language in use

by Fathers Josias and Duane; Brother Robert was able to

He is pleased... to know that acres of grain and pasture have yielded to family settlements. tilling the ground which the Priory owned, raising crops and cattle each year. He lived in community and prayed with the others. He is pleased to see the growth of residential areas around the monastery, pleased to know that acres of grain and pasture have yielded to family settlements.

He is pleased to see young Brazilians committing to the Benedictine way of life, to make it their own, and

recall some Portuguese and join in with them. I’ve never learned Portuguese, and know I miss a lot of great conversation. During times on the drive when there was silence, or when English predominated, Prior Josias would read pages in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin in Portuguese, pages browned from age. “This book started the Civil War in the United States,” he said.

From the Abbot

Josias is an anthropologist to the core, and his interest is world-wide. He loves music of many countries, including Country Western music of the States.

Conversation in the car varied a great deal. One comment of Duane was that Brazil will be able to expand its agricultural production by 100% in future years because it has rich land and the elements for increased production, like water. He then pointed out a field of sugar cane that ran for 17 miles. Already the fields are extensive.

We drove by rather newly constructed plants for the slaughter of pigs, chickens and turkeys. Even the city of Mineiros has these new industries. Every year when I return here I see new store fronts, freshly painted in greens and yellows and reds.

Many motorcycles fill the streets.

Duane told me that the little shanties built along the highway are likely shelters for the landless who seek land.

But, he said, the movement for land reform has changed because this second and third generation of seekers doesn’t know how to live on the land and, upon failure, seek employment in the cities.

Duane assists Bishop Herbert Hermes in the Prelacy of Critalândia. Duane writes an annual resume of activities of the year past, and he wrote three pages of the 2007 story on the day I wrote this column. Father Duane, the translator of To Be Seed, the book of tribute to Bishop Matthias Schmidt, is a gentle man, calm and capable, giving assistance in many ways.

Benedictine presence in this country has been enriching, for those who live the monastic life and for those with whom they share life. May that interaction continue and prosper. May these new Benedictines in our Brazilian community find the life meaningful and enduring.

Brother Robert has found it to be so, in the United States and in Brazil.

Abbot Barnabas Senecal, OSB 3

Photo by Dan Madden

Kansas Monks

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Spring 2008

Kansas Monks

Brothers Gregory, Leven take avowed steps

By Dan Madden

L

Photo by Dan Madden

iving quietly alongside her son for 30 years, the Virgin Mary was a model disciple whose pattern of life is an example to each Christian, Abbot Barnabas Senecal told two young men making monastic vows at St. Benedict’s Abbey on Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

“There is a quiet side to being a Christian,” the Abbot said in his instruction to Brothers Gregory Dulmes and Leven Harton. “It is a pattern of life in which we learn acceptance, in which we learn to listen, in which we learn to be open and not closed.”

He also noted that Mary was a woman who lived in a community in which she gained and gave support.

“This is a pattern that every Christian lives,” he said, “within family, within parish and school community, and for some, within religious community.”

Before a full Abbey Church, Brother Gregory professed his solemn vows, a lifetime commitment to St. Benedict’s Abbey. Brother Leven professed first vows, beginning the three-year period of formation before he may ask the community to accept him for solemn vows.

The celebration was the culmination of a weekend in which Abbot Barnabas also received three young men into the Abbey’s novitiate. Nicholas Padley, Adam Wilczak and Stephen Watson entered the one-year novitiate, receiving the monastic names Philip Neri, John Paul and Maurus respectively.

Four-years removed from

Brother Gregory Dulmes, left, and Brother Leven Harton extend their arms in exultation as the entire monastic community sings the suscipe at the Mass during which they professed their solemn and first vows, respectively.

his own novitiate entrance, Brother Gregory found the weight of his commitment to be profound. He said the part of the Rite of Profession that struck him was the moment when he lay prostrate on the floor before the altar and his fellow monks covered him in a funeral pall. Following the singing of a lengthy Litany of the Saints by all in attendance, he emerged from beneath the pall to profess his vows.

“This was symbolic of dying to an old way of life and rising to a new one,” Brother Gregory said. “In a sense I had already been doing this by living as a monk, but this was making it permanent.”

Although he noted that formation never really ends, and that a monk is always “developing, growing and praying,” he acknowledged a sense of accomplishment in fulfilling the stages of formation leading up to his profession.

“I’ve now committed my life to Jesus,” he said. “There are a lot of other things I could be doing right now. I could have a wife and children, my own house, a career, but the Lord has offered this and I have accepted it for whatever purpose he has for me.”

Brother Leven’s lifetime commitment remains three years away, but first profession carries its own weight of commitment.

While the novitiate was a serious promise, professing vows is a “whole new ballgame,” he said.

“This is three years of giving myself to God in a way I’ve never done before and constantly examining how to do it better,” Brother Leven said. “But there is also a special grace that comes with it, a special union with God.” Abbot Barnabas vested each of the professing monks in a new garment. Brother

Gregory received the cuculla, a floor-length garment that symbolizes his acceptance as a solemnly professed member of the community. Upon his death, it is the garment in which each monk is buried.

Brother Leven received the traditional hood worn by Benedictines to symbolize his new level of commitment to the community.

Drawing a parallel with a new project on the horizon for Atchison, the Abbot said the celebration of profession is “as important as a new highway bridge is to the life of this city, so persons who build the bridge of our Benedictine community, from its past and present into its future, are welcomed and give us strength.

See more photos on the next page 5

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Kansas Monks

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Photos by Dan Madden

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Bottom: Father Meinrad Miller, left, and Prior James Albers cover Brother Gregory Dulmes with the funeral pall during his profession. He later emerged from beneath the pall, symbolizing his death and resurrection from his previous life to a new life as a monk.

Below, Brother Leven Harton reads his vows to Abbot Barnabas Senecal during his simple profession. Brother Jeremy Heppler, foreground, and Father Hugh Keefer look on.

Photo by Dan Madden

When he is to be received, he comes before the whole community in the oratory and promises stability, fidelity to monastic life, and obedience...

He states his promise in a document drawn up in the name of the saints whose relics are there, and of the abbot, who is present. The novice writes out this document himself and puts his mark to it and with his own hand lays it on the altar. After he has put it there, he begins the verse: “Receive me, Lord, as you have promised, and I shall live; do not disappoint me in my hope”... Then the novice prostrates himself at the feet of each monk to ask his prayers, and from that very day he is to be counted as one of the community.

The Rule of St. Benedict

Spring 2008

Kansas Monks

Abbey Notes

Prior James Albers, Father Brendan Rolling and Brother Leven Harton particpated in the 10th Annual National FOCUS Student Leadership Conference in Grapevine, Texas, Jan. 2-6, along with 250 Benedictine College students in an estimated crowd of some 4,000.

Brother Gregory Dulmes was installed as an acolyte during the community Eucharist Dec. 12.

Novices Adam Wilczak and Stephen Watson have returned to their homes in Topeka, Kan., and Lincoln, Neb, respectively. We have appreciated their time with us as postulants and novices and pray for continued vocational discernment.

Brother Philip Neri Padley presented two talks on Jan. 26 during break-out sessions at the Men of Valor conference at Mid-America Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan. His presentations at the ecumenical conference were on protecting your home and family from the invasion of pornography through the internet. Also attending the conference were Prior James Albers, Father Bruce Swift, and Brother Leven Harton.

The Abbey Gift Shop, in the

lobby of the Guest House, is open after the Sunday 10 a.m.

Mass. A line of note cards has been added to the inventory.

The cards feature the art work of the late Father Victor Gellhaus and the late Brother Emmanuel Perez, images from the stained-glass windows in the Abbey dining room, and the Charlot fresco in the St. Joseph Chapel of the Abbey Church. Oblate Patty Wolvington and her husband, Bill, prepared packets of these cards for sale.

Father Michael Koller has discovered a trunk in the attic of SS. Peter and Paul rectory that contains possessions of several Benedictine priests who served the parish in years past. We look forward to bringing these materials to our Abbey archives.

VML, an advertising agency in Kansas City, Mo., has generously agreed to work with the Abbey to redesign our Web site. Matt Anthony is the CEO of VML. Father Blaine Schultz, Abbey guest master, has compiled a report for 2007, which states, “Approximately 638 guests stayed in the Abbey Guest House, almost all were adults—relatives and friends of the community, alumni, friends or job interviewees

of Benedictine College, students, Protestant clergymen, and retreatants.”

The Serra Clubs of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas now number about 400 members; four separate clubs now consider themselves one. They gave each Archdiocesan seminarian $1,000 for personal use in 2008, and gave the Abbey $2,000 to support our membership. The monies came from the club treasuries, the God’s Little Green Acre program, and from the personal donation of Dick Miller of Kansas City, Mo. Nine monks of the Abbey attended the annual Christmas luncheon Dec. 28 in Lawrence, Kan. Father Meinrad Miller and Father Matthew Habiger are teaching 2008 Spring courses for the Institute for Religious Studies offered by Benedictine College.

Prior James Albers hosted five young men on a vocation retreat during the weekend of Dec. 7-9. These men participated in the liturgies of novitiate entrance and profession of vows.

Father Marion Charboneau, chaplain at Maur Hill Mount Academy, was pleased to have one of the Abbey’s Tower al-

tars placed on the front edge of the school chapel sanctuary. A frontal piece from the wood altar that had been in this position was used to edge the newly installed stone altar, commemorating the beautiful woodwork which Brother Emmanuel Perez had created decades before. Buck Alberts and Les Burchett were prime movers in this altar project.

Tom Wagner did the woodwork.

Father Hugh Keefer fell on the ice at Kansas City International Airport Feb. 8, suffering a broken kneecap. He is back in the Abbey, recovering. He moves about the monastery in a wheel chair, and walks carefully with a walker.

Father Hugh, 80, works daily in the Abbey business office, handling posting of accounts, payroll and benefits, and all health insurance paperwork.

Brother Dominic Cason was admitted to Heartland Medical Center in St. Joseph to adjust his medicines and restore normal kidney function. He is diabetic and had been treated for gout in his left foot. He returned to the abbey after a five-day stay at Heartland.

Brother Joseph Ryan will join the St. Benedict’s AbContinued on page 25 7

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Father Gilbert

Continued from page 2

Photo by Sophia Harrison

Father Gilbert answers questions from the Cathedral fifth-grade basketball team.

blue sweater. The headline: “Father Gilbert: A Hundred Years And Still Afloat.”

Minutes later, I entered the gymnasium, smiling, with the Father Gilbert issue in my hand.

As my appropriately named Ravens gathered around for a pep talk, I held up the cover 8

ahead or behind in the score, you stay focused on what you are doing each time down the court, one lap at a time.”

Usually, as we break huddle to go onto the court, our team yells, “One, two, three, Ravens!” But this time, at the insistence of the boys, we placed our hands on the Kan-

Photo by Sophia Harrison

Invitational Tournament the previous night. I was coaching a confident, happy, lovable team.

Still, here we were, in the final game of our final tournament, with our first opportunity to call ourselves champions.

We were playing a talented, well-coached Hyde Elementary School team, known for relentless defense and a frenzied full-court press. Despite our soaring confidence, and my sense of peace, there were bound to be some nerves.

I was blocks from the gym, my mind still grasping for inspiration. Then, as I looked over my shoulder to change lanes, a flash of blue caught my eye from the back seat.

Sitting there, a bit wrinkled and torn around the edges was a Summer 2007 issue of Kansas Monks. Smiling back at me from the cover was Father Gilbert Wolters, in his baby-

photograph and introduced them to my friend Father Gilbert, a pretty good athlete in his day, who on his 100th birthday was still swimming 10 laps a day, three times a week.

“When Father Gilbert swam a lap he was living in the moment,” I told the boys.

“He was thinking only about completing that lap. Then, at the end of each lap, he moved a penny from a pile on the edge of the pool to another pile, and started his next lap.”

I told them that for Father Gilbert it wasn’t about trophies, or recognition, it was simply about achieving the next lap.

“That,” I said, “is how I want you boys to approach tonight’s game. Each time down the court you focus on playing defense or doing your job on offense. If you commit a turnover or miss a shot forget about it, and move on to your next task. Just like Father Gilbert moving a penny from one pile to another. If we are

Father Gilbert bids farewell to the team, shaking hands with Joseph Madden as Cort Patrick, left, and Alexander Blizzard, await their turn.

sas Monks cover, on the smil- gangly, hot-shooting forward, ing face of St. Benedict’s old- went to school and told one est monk, and chanted, “One, of his teachers he had a new two, three, Father Gilbert!” hero—Father Gilbert. A week The Ravens missed some later the team piled into cars shots, and they turned the ball and rode to Atchison where over. But they never looked they finally got to meet their nervous. At one point when we new inspiration. They prewere a bit out of control, I had sented him with a hooded to call a time out to calm them “Cathedral Basketball” sweatdown. As they entered the shirt just like they all were huddle, I quietly said, “Keep wearing. It had been made moving pennies to the other special for Father Gilbert that pile, boys, just keep moving very morning by Terry Supple pennies.” They smiled and of 1st Street Graphics, after he had heard about the boys’ returned to the court.

Down the stretch, when planned field trip.

Bridging a quintuple-genHyde turned up the heat, we kept swimming laps. We had eration gap, the boys asked a slight lead, but the boys Father Gilbert about his life weren’t looking at the score- growing up in Atchison, about board. In the face of a fren- what it was like as a boy zied press, I proudly watched swimming in the Missouri as our Ravens shook off some River and when he first knew initial turnovers and methodi- he wanted to be a monk. Then, cally and successfully ran our they all gathered around the 100-year-old priest to pose for press breaker.

After the final lap had been a photograph. He held a basswum and the final buzzer had ketball as they all smiled into blared, my little band of fifth- the setting sun. When it came graders wore first-place med- time for the Ravens to leave als around their necks with the for practice back in St. Joseph, same smiles on their faces as the boys each shook Father Father Gilbert’s on the cover Gilbert’s hand and thanked of that magazine I’d retrieved him. He patted each of them on the shoulder and retreated from the back seat of my car. from the twilight chill into the

monastery.

He wore his new sweatshirt The day after the tournafor the rest of the evening. ment final, Jack Schanze, our

Spring 2008

Kansas Monks

Sitting at the feet of Jesus The shared search for freedom

By Prior James Albers Vocation Director Pope Benedict XVI, at the beginning of his encyclical Spe salvi (“Saved by Hope”), released before Advent last year, speaks of the virtues of Faith and Hope being synonymous. To this idea he adds, Faith is not merely a personal reaching out towards things to come that are still totally absent: it gives us something. It gives us even now something of the reality we are waiting for… Faith draws the future into the present, so that it is no longer simply a ‘not yet.’ The fact that this future exists changes the present; the present is touched by the future reality, and thus the things of the future spill over into those of the present and those of the present into those of the future.

The Holy Father said this Faith allowed early Christians to abandon the material substances that sustained them in the present world for a “substance” that endured.

This abandonment of self provided a new freedom that “is revealed… in the great acts of renunciation, from the monks of ancient times to… those of our contemporaries who enter modern religious Institutes and movements and leave everything for love of Christ, so as to bring to men and women the faith and love of Christ…”

While reading the Pope’s encyclical, I used for Lectio a passage from the gospel story of Martha and Mary. A parallel was drawn in my prayer between what Pope Benedict

was offering and what the gospel shared. Martha moving busily about the house makes preparations for their time with Jesus, while Mary sits at the Lord’s feet listening to what he has to say. And we know that when Martha asks Jesus to encourage Mary to help with the tasks at hand, he responds, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Martha is so caught up in her routine as host she loses sight of what choices she has before her. God, in Jesus Christ, is in her presence, and she fails to realize the need to dwell in that presence.

As monks, we are called in our search to be in the constant presence of Christ. It is there that we develop a very personal relationship with him through our prayer, work, and above all in listening for his response. This is the freedom of which Pope Benedict speaks: to renounce the things of the world, along with our anxieties and worries, so that we can freely choose to be in the presence of God. God invites us into this presence, bringing us “new freedom” where “things of the future spill over into those of the present.” In this we are given a deeper relationship with God on our pilgrimage to Calvary, and beyond, to Easter and eternal life.

God sent his only Son to save us by his Passion and death; to show us through his own life that our lives have meaning; that God loves us; that despite all our failings, no matter how dark, he cherishes us as his sons and daughters;

that our sacrifices have purpose; that we each have dignity; and that death is never the end of who we are.

The daily interior struggle that we each live with is that we ache for “something more.”

It is a natural longing for happiness, but we recognize that we can’t be happy alone. We need common life together.

We long for that communion in the Body of Christ, that friendship with one another in Christ’s presence. And that is what Mary experienced in the opportunity to sit at the feet of Jesus; the fulfillment of that ache for “something more.” This is the longing of the monk, a shared search for Christ in community—friendships with confreres that lead us to communion with God. Our challenge comes in discerning when God is calling us to sacrifice more, to renounce ourselves to have the freedom to be in Christ’s

presence, to turn away from our own desire and embrace the will of God. Our challenge is to have the courage and humility to ask for the grace to seek out those moments, and throw ourselves into them.

God encourages us to dethrone the distractions that keep our hearts restless and empty. If we strive to be in Christ’s presence, to make room for the real King, he’ll do much more than fill the void. He’ll make us what he intended us to be: saints.

So let us live our journey not with anxiety and worry, but in peace, refocusing our lives on that which really matters eternally—friendship with God. May we each have the courage and humility to seek God’s will for us, and the strength of good habit to follow it. May we find that Easter hope leading to our salvation and granting us true freedom in Christ our Lord.

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Journey Forward Campaign Naming Opportunities The following features of Phase I of the Living Journey capital campaign are available as naming opportunities for benefactors. The suggested gift is provided with a description of the project.

Listed in italic print after some naming opportunities are the names of donors who have already contributed the amount and requested that particular opportunity.

Abbey Church Elevator $100,000 Part of the Abbey Church narthex expansion, this elevator provides full and easy access to the church’s main level and crypt.

Abbey Church Entrance Ramp $75,000 The stone ramp with iron rails fulfills Benedictine hospitality by providing access to all who wish to enter the Abbey’s house of prayer.

(Retirement Research Foundation in memory of William J. Gentle) Crypt Art Gallery $150,000 The crypt level of the tower altar area in the Abbey Church is a secure art exhibit for Abbey artwork and the work of visiting artists.

Art Gallery Endowment $250,000 The monks hope to establish a perpetual art gallery endowment to provide for the purchase of religious artwork and funding for visiting exhibits.

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Abbey Narthex Gathering Space $250,000 The main component of the Hospitality Project, this major addition to the Abbey Church provides a more spacious gathering area and more accessible restrooms in the narthex of the Abbey Church.

(Dan Brosnahan in memory of Bishop Matthias Schmidt) Abbey Crypt Gathering Space $150,000 Also part of the Abbey Church addition, this area provides more gathering space and additional accessible restrooms on the Abbey Church’s crypt level, just below the Narthex addition.

Abbey Church Interior Side-Mounted Lift $50,000 This self-operated lift will give complete access to people wishing to enter the sanctuary and the monastic choir sections of the Abbey Church, which were previously accessed only by a series of steps.

(Retirement Research Foundation in memory of William J. Gentle) Abbey Church Interior Two-Step Ramps $15,000 These ramps allow wheelchair passage from the choir section to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and to the sacristy.

Abbey Dedication Crosses (12) $1000 each Twelve wall-mounted crosses/ candle holders in nave of the Abbey Church will commemorate the dedication

of the church upon the 150th anniversary of St. Benedict’s Abbey.

(Robert Sharp in honor of Abbot Brendan Downey and Father James Downey; Patrick Dyer; Donald F. Aaron Sr. in honor of Father Leo Aaron; Gina Dyer Osborn; Jim King in honor of Sister Helen Buening, Father Anselm Llewellyn and Father Terence Sullivan; John and Mary House in honor of Father Gilbert Wolters; Rita Coupe in honor of The CoupeSullivan Family; Joseph Geist in honor of Fr. Columban Clinch; James and Pat Asher, James and Maureen Asher, John and Jeannie Asher, Martin and Aggie Asher, Mary Asher, Robert Asher, Dave and Elizabeth Gruenbacher in honor of the Asher family; Lucy Walker in honor of Leo and Anna Schmidt; Vincent and Eleanor Kohake, Seneca, Kan; Stephen and Amy Minnis Benedictine College classes of 1982 and 1984) Guest House Lounges (3) $20,000 each These three rooms are used daily by monks to welcome guests and provide spiritual direction to retreatants, visitors, and Benedictine College students.

(Don and Julie Strathman in memory of their son Keith Strathman; Norman and Shirley Youngberg) Guest House porter apartment $50,000 This is home to a monk who lives near the entrance to the guest house in order to provide a ready welcome to guests. It has been expanded, carpeted and painted.

Gift Shop $25, 000 A gift shop has been built in the guest house reception area to provide religious items with an emphasis on Benedictine books and gifts.

Guest House Ramp and Accessible Entrance $50,000 A stone ramp with iron rails and a larger, more accessible entryway welcomes guests who seek information or accommodation from the monks.

(Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica) Guest House Lobby and information center $100,000 An expanded lobby, with switchboard and reception area, better serves Abbey and Benedictine College guests.

South Guest House Entrance $25,000 A new, wider doorway and large window offers a view of the Missouri River valley beyond the Abbey overlook.

Monastery Bell system $5,000 A new electronic system of bells calls monks to the guest house to meet visitors.

The melodic bells are less disruptive to the cloister than a voice intercom system.

Naming Opportunities for Vestments & Other Articles for Worship in our 150th Anniversary Year Six Brass Candlesticks for Use at Altar $7,500 (Designed by the late Dennis McCarthy) Skip McCarthy in Memory of Dennis McCarthy Continued on page 12

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Kansas Monks

Gallery opening latest success in campaign Sense of urgency prevails over fundraising efforts

By Dan Madden

Photo by Sophia Harrison

More than 100 people turned out to view yet another completed project in the Journey Forward Capital Campaign Feb. 10 and 12 at St. Benedict’s Abbey.

A new art gallery, located in the lower crypt level of the church, provides a location for the monks to share artworks from their own collection of art, as well as the work of visiting artists.

“Benedictine abbeys, since their beginnings in Western Europe, have always been centers of art, music and learning,” Abbot Barnabas Senecal said. “In our own humble way, we hope this gallery will continue that tradition.”

Simultaneously celebrating Black History Month and inaugurating the new gallery, the monks unveiled their long-hidden-away collection of black and white photographs by the famed AfricanAmerican photographer Gordon Parks, who died in 2006.

The photos were presented to the public in two viewings.

The first event was attended

by Charles Parks, a nephew of Gordon Parks, and his wife Ella. The collection, which Parks presented to the monks in gratitude for their hospitality, is the result of his 1955 assignment by Life magazine for a special Christmas issue on Christianity. Life published a collection of Parks’ photographs that focused on the prayer life of the monks. But upon completion of the project Parks presented the Abbey

Charles Parks, nephew of the late Gordon Parks, views a photograph taken by his famous uncle during a 1955 visit to St. Benedict’s Abbey. The photographs were on display at the opening of the Abbey’s gallery Feb. 10.

with 32 of his favorite prints from his weeklong visit to the Abbey, many of which did not appear in the issue. The photos present a more complete picture of monastic life, showing the monks at work and play and in their various apostolates as pastors, educators and laborers. The collection’s public emergence from years of storage drew much media attention, including a 7-page cover article by Lisa Gutierrez in the Feb. 10 Kansas City Star Magazine, an installment in the award-winning column

by Alonzo Weston in the St. Joseph News Press, and a feature in The Leaven, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

The art gallery was the second project completed in the current capital campaign.

Last year the abbey finished a major accessibility project which added external accessibility ramps and more accessible entrances to the Abbey Church and Guest House, expanded the Church’s narthex and the crypt gathering spaces to include an elevator and more accessible restrooms, and added wheel chair lifts

and ramps inside the church worship space.

The final two projects will be crucial to the stewardship of the Abbey’s future resources. There is an urgent need to replace the monastery’s 75-year-old slate roof, and to replace the building’s 885 windows. “There are two driving motivations in these projects,” Abbot Barnabas said. “We must make our home more energy efficient— as good citizens of the world, and as good stewards of the many financial gifts that come our way from our generous friends and benefactors. But there is also the importance of art and history. This monastery is a piece of Atchison and Church history. We must remain vigilant to ensure that any renovation maintains the historic integrity of the building.”

The Abbot said the campaign has reached an urgent stage. Of the $4 million needed to finish all projects, $1.5 million remains to be raised.

But the deadline for raising it is the end of the year.

“We have almost always taken care of our needs

through our annual budget, without relying on capital campaigns,” he noted. “The first time we reached out like this was to build our monastery in 1929. The second time was when we built our Abbey Church 50 years ago. This third time,” he said. “is to enable us to share Benedictine hospitality with all people and to be better stewards of our resources as we move into the future.”

The Abbot stressed that the campaign is not a request for a hand out. “We are asking our friends, as we always do, to join us as partners, to invest in Benedictine service. By completing these extremely necessary projects, we can turn our resources more fully toward promoting vocations, educating young priests as pastors, preparing monks as teachers, chaplains and spiritual directors. We are Kansas Monks, as we have been for the past 150 years, and our prayer and work will continue each day.

We simply need your help with a little house work.”

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Abbey publishes two new books on courageous confreres Warrior A In God’s Service The Memoirs of Peter Henry Lemke 1796-1882

To Be Seed

nd n. ni-

The Warrior and the Bishop A Warrior in God’s Service

ng aed to

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Kansas Monks

To Be Seed

hed me an

e’s nihe

Henry Lemke, O.S.B.

as ot, peir

“In peace, he lies down, Soon. he slept.

Awakes becauseand theEditing Lord sustained him..”to English Commentary Translation German EditionMaria BastosMarc da Rottinghaus Silva Willibald Mathaesar. O.S.B. Deborah Sudbeck Ruy Barbosa, BA

The memory and witness of

Bishop Matthias Schmidt Benedictine Monk and Bishop of the Diocese of Ruy Barbosa, Bahia.

Compiled by Luciano Bernardi, OFM Conv.

Diocese of Ruy Barbosa 1992

Translated by Duane Roy, OSB Saint Benedict’s Abbey Atchison, KS 2002

Two new books, published by St. Benedict’s Abbey, about two of its well known members are now available for sale at a price of $15 dollars each. A Warrior in God’s Service is the translated memoir of Father Henry Lemke, the first Benedictine monk in Kansas. To Be Seed is a collection of history and tributes about Bishop Matthias Schmidt, the revered Brazilian prelate.

Two historical books on two remarkable monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey are now available for purchase. Both books have been published by the Abbey.

A Warrior in God’s Ser-

vice, a memoir of Father Henry Lemke, the adventurous missionary priest who was the first Benedictine monk in Kansas, is available for $15.

Father Henry, who ventured west from Pennsylvania, with

a wagon train, and whose pioneer spirit led to the founding of St. Benedict’s Abbey, wrote his own story of heroism and endurance, of troubles with superiors and a spirit of independence and adventure. Fa-

Naming

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Continued from page 10 Cope, Stole, Humeral Veil $2,500 (For Benediction & Other Eucharistic Events) Cope, Stole, Humeral Veil $2,000 (For Benediction & Other Eucharistic Events) 12

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ther Henry accepted Bishop Miege’s invitation to serve in Kansas. He claimed homestead land, and experienced the struggles of the Civil War. To Be Seed, also available for $15, is a collection of tributes to and historical stories about Bishop Matthias Schmidt, one of three initial monks who volunteered for missionary work in the Abbey’s foundation in Brazil.

Father Matthias went on to become a bishop, beloved in the Diocese of Jataí and then for 20 years in Ruy Barbosa, an impoverished area of North Central Brazil.

By the time he died of a heart attack in May of 1992, at the age of 61, he had become beloved by the people of the region for his courageous work on their behalf for peace and justice.

He wrote his message of love and service in the hearts of thousands, and they in turn wrote this book of tribute to his memory.

To place an order contact the Office of Development at, development@kansasmonks. org or by telephone at 913360-7897.

Eight Sets Available Contact Office of Development at 913-360-7897 or by email at development@kansasmonks. org. Gifts can be mailed to: 1020 N. 2nd St. Atchison, KS 66002

Spring 2008

Kansas Monks

Monk’s invitation lasted a lifetime

By Fr. David Metz Special to Kansas Monks In the summer of 1987, Savior of the World Seminary, near Kansas City, Kan., was closed and the seminary program was moved to Maur Hill.

I was beginning my junior year in the fall of 1987. The junior class at Maur Hill, at least those who were boarders, lived on the second floor of St. Leo’s Dorm. Our prefect was Brother Martin Burkhard.

The sign on his door read very simply, “Bro. Martin,” and he

let the students call him Bro. He was a great dorm prefect and very well disciplined.

Not too much got past Bro Martin and if you were ever in trouble you knew it.

What I cherish the most is how he planted the seed of Benedictine life and spirituality in me. Sitting in his office one day he asked me, “Have

Cover provides winter view of ‘most beautiful place on earth’

By Larry Ebner Special to Kansas Monks The picture on the front of the Winter 2007 issue of Kansas Monks holds special meaning for me.

My father died in 1945 when I was 5 years old. He is buried in the cemetery at St. Benedict Church in Bendena, Kan. Through the years my mother and I would make the trip from Kansas City through Atchison to visit the grave each Memorial Day. We would always stop at this spot. We would look out over the bluff, view the Missouri river, and simply enjoy the quiet, serene calm. She would always say that this

was the most peaceful place in the world. I was too young to really understand what she was saying.

My mother is buried in that same cemetery as I will be. I have continued to make that same trip every Memorial Day. I have traveled the world much more than she ever did. I have found that she was right.

So much so that the view has become a part of me. When I want to relax, I simply close my eyes and enjoy the scene in my mind’s eye. I feel fortunate to have it so close.

My view has always been in the spring. Your picture is the first time I have seen it in winter. It is beautiful.

Thank you.

you ever thought about being a Benedictine monk?” Being at Maur Hill was my first encounter with Benedictine monks, so I did not know too much about them. On a Saturday morning, Brother Martin took me to the Abbey for Mass and then to the refectory for lunch with the monks. He even showed me a little bit of the monastery and what it looked like from the inside.

That was truly a profound, spiritual moment in my life.

I followed God’s call to the priesthood and was ordained for the Diocese of Salina, Kan., 10 years ago.

For my seminary formation, I attended St. Meinrad College and School of Theology, which is also run by Benedictine monks. That time in the seminary allowed the seed that Brother Martin planted to take root and grow. I have

a great love for the life and spirituality of the Benedictine monks of St. Benedict’s and St. Meinrad.

I did not go on to become a monk, but I recently became an oblate through St. Meinrad.

I only stayed at Maur Hill for one year, but what I gained from Brother Martin’s interest and invitation has lasted a lifetime.

Editor’s Note: If you have a story about a monk or monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey who have touched your life, send it to us at development@kansasmonks.org, or mail it to us at: Kansas Monks 1020 N. 2nd St. Atchison, KS 66002 We may publish your submission in a future issue of Kansas Monks

Winter 2007

Kansas Monks

A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF ST. BENEDICT’S ABBEY WINTER 2007

VOLUME 2 No. 4

As the rain and the snow come down from Heaven, so shall my word be.

Isaiah 55:10-11

1

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Benedictine Roots

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Like many Catholics on the plains of Kansas, the Albers-Sittenauer clan has called the Kansas Monks pastors, teachers... and family.

By Nathan Byrne

E

ating with the monks was really neat, or so five-year-old Betty Sittenauer thought.

Her mother, who cooked the meals, thought otherwise.

“I picked up the bad habit of mixing all my food together from Father Clement,” said Betty, recalling the years when her family lived and worked on the St. Benedict’s Abbey South Farm. “This habit is a challenge for me to this day.”

The mixing, however, may have been a metaphor for something else.

Bob Albers served Mass alone for the first time in 1947.

Father Augustine Rottering was visiting his childhood friend and Bob’s uncle, Msgr. Edward Albers, pastor of St. Rose parish in Mount Vernon, Kan. “Father Augustine had great patience with a server who made lots of mistakes,” Albers said.

Like the food Betty Sittenauer so enjoyed mixing, her family and that of Bob Albers continued to blend at different times throughout the years.

Continued on next page

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Photo courtesy of Rox’s Images

Previous page: St. Benedict parish, Bendena, Kan., former parish of the Robert and Betty Albers family. Photo by Dan Madden

The Albers family, standing, Prior James, middle row, left to right, Greg, Betty, Bob, and Joe. Frotn row, left to right, Jean, and Sister Mary Elizabeth, SOLT.

In that same mix, Father Augustine Rottering is often found.

“We have fond, fond memories of Father Augustine,” said Bob. In 1963, Father Augustine and Msgr. Edward Albers concelebrated the wedding Mass of Bob Albers and Betty Sittenauer at Sacred Heart parish in Atchison, bringing together years of Benedictine influence on both families.

“They helped to shape the very core of who I am,” Betty said.

The paths of Father Augustine and the Albers family would intertwine yet again in the late 1970s.

Now, Father Augustine was pastor of St. Benedict’s in Bendena, Kan. In his first Christmas there, young James Albers was honored to carry the infant Jesus in procession.

“There was never a prouder young boy than Jim was at that moment,” his father, Bob said.

But Jim eventually returned the favor.

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Young Jim Albers grew into James, and on Oct. 2, 1999, he made his solemn profession as a monk of St. Benedict’s Abbey.

“It has become evident to me that my life here at St. Benedict’s Abbey is strongly connected with my family life,” he said on that day. “This connection goes way beyond this moment; it reaches back nearly 150 years.”

The year after Father Henry Lemke, Father Casimir Seitz and Father Augustine Wirth had established St. Benedict’s Priory in Doniphan, Kan., Father James Albers’ family made its first contact with the Kansas Monks.

In 1858, a cabinetmaker named Peter Reichenberger and his wife Barbara made the trek west from New York City to Northeast Kansas.

Ultimately, the Benedictines would move that first monastery to Atchison, and the Reichenbergers would settle near Bendena. The Reichenbergers—Father James’ great-great-great grandparents on the Albers side—would go on to be served by many Kansas Monks at St. Benedict’s in Bendena.

Mary Reichenberger Eck—Father James’ greatgrandmother—was born to Nicholas and Catherine (Hess) Reichenberger on a farm just south of St. Benedict’s Church in Bendena, where she was baptized by Father John Stader.

Nicholas and Catherine moved their family to a German-Catholic colony west

The Peter and Barbara Reichenberger family, ancestors of the Albers clan, were among the first settlers in Doniphan, Kan., where the Kansas Monks founded their monastery in 1857.

Father Lawrence Theis

of Wichita. Bishop Louis Mary Fink, one of the Kansas Monks, organized similar colonies throughout Kansas.

The Sittenauer side of the family became intertwined with the Benedictines in a similar way.

“They have influenced my life since the day I was born,” said Betty (Sittenauer) Albers.

But that influence started much earlier.

In 1883, Abbot Boniface Wimmer of St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Penn., returned from a trip through Bavaria. The abbot would make such trips in search of money and young men for his monasteries in the New World.

Upon this particular return, however, the abbot brought with him Michael Sittenauer, Father James’ great-great uncle. Michael soon made his vows and took the monastic name of Joseph before being ordained. After ordination, Father Joseph volunteered for the Kansas mission at St. Benedict’s Abbey.

Father Joseph was named prior, and convinced his brother, Mathias, to settle in the hills of Atchison County.

Mathias is the great grandfather of Father James. Mat-

Spring 2008 thias’ children and many of his descendents over the next century would be educated and pastored by the Benedictines of Atchison.

Another of Father James’ great-great uncles on the Sittenauer side, Father Lawrence Theis of Wathena, made his monastic profession at St. Benedict’s Abbey in 1893.

Back on the Albers side, Father James’ great-grandparents, Bernard and Margaret Albers sent their sons (Father James’ great uncles) Louie and (Msgr.) Edward to St. Benedict’s College in the 1920s and ’30s.

The Albers and Sittenauer families continued to run figure eights around a growing Benedictine influence which strongly shaped both sides.

But the two families would not intersect for some time.

One near-miss came when Father George Sittenauer, a 1904 graduate of St. Benedict’s College, was the home plate umpire in a game of townball between South Central Kansas opponents Willowdale and St. Leo.

Kansas Monks Joe Albers—father of Bob and grandfather of Father James—was on the mound for St. Leo. Bottom of the ninth.

Two outs.

Full count.

The pitch…

From Joe Albers’ point-ofview, Father George, pastor at Willowdale, missed a called third strike, sending the game into extra innings.

Years later, Bob Albers would make the pitch to his father, Joe, that he would be marrying a Sittenauer.

The elder Albers responded by saying that the only Sittenauer he knew, Father George, had ruined his pitching arm.

“Are you still thinking about the priesthood?” Bob Albers asked his son, James, one Saturday evening after they had spent the day shingling the roof of the family home.

Father Augustine Rottering, long-time pastor at St. Benedict parish, Bendena, Kan., and a link between the Albers and Sittenauer families, works in his wood shop.

Father Clement Nordhus was a close friend of the Sittenauer family when they lived and worked on the Abbey’s South Farm, where he was a bee keeper.

It may not have shown on his face, but James Albers was shocked.

“I think that I am being called to the married life,” he replied to his father.

“Can we still pray for it?” asked Bob. If the shock didn’t show the first time, it did now.

“Yes,” James answered quietly, thinking it wouldn’t do much good.

Today, Father James is the prior of St. Benedict’s Abbey.

“Growing up, I always thought you had to be a special parent to raise a child with a religious vocation. Now I know that is not the case,” said Betty Albers. “God chooses each person for a particular vocation in life, and, as parents, we have to nourish that calling just as you would en-

courage any other vocation.”

Growing up in families which already have been steeped in Benedictine tradition, Bob and Betty Albers brought it all together.

“My whole outlook on life has been shaped by (Benedictine) teaching,” Bob said.

“Betty and I then took the tenets of faith we were taught by the Benedictines and allowed them to influence our life and our family.”

The Albers’ daughter, Sister Mary Elizabeth, a member of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, also followed a religious vocation.

“I now begin to realize what is required of nuns and monks to leave the world and dedicate their lives to Christ,” said Bob. “That makes any sacrifice of mine rather insignificant.”

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Nature’s relen

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Kansas Monks Spring 2008

tless splendor

Photos taken by Br. Jeremy Heppler, Br. Joseph Ryan, and Dan Madden

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Parabéns Irmãos!

Photos courtesy of topminieros.com

Congratulations Brothers!

Clockwise from the top: (1) Brother Vinicius de Queiroz Rezende, who was ordained a transitional deacon, is pictured coming forward with his parents who are carrying his deacon vestments; (2) Brother Vinicius receives the Kiss of Peace from Bishop Aloisio Hilario de Pinho, F.D.P.; (3) Brothers Atílio Malta, left, and Haroldo Carvalho Ferreira sing the suscipe at the Mass during which Brother Haroldo professed his solemn vows and Brother Atílio professed his first vows; (4) Abbot Barnabas Senecal, left, and Prior Josias da Costa look on as Brother Haroldo signs his vows.

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Eternal Rest:

Fr. James Downey passes away Photo by Abbot Barnabas Senecal

Father James John Downey, O.S.B., 87, professed member of St. Benedict’s Abbey for 65 years, died in his sleep Tuesday evening, Jan. 29, at St. Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison, Kan. Upon being notified of his death, monks gathered in Father James’ room around his bed, prayed the prayers for the dead and sang the Ultima.

Earlier in the day Father James initiated a conversation with Abbot Barnabas, wanting to be assured that he was in good standing with the Abbot and the community. Abbot Barnabas assured him that he was. Father James was ready, though he gave no indication of failing health.

Father James was born Sept. 19, 1920, in Plattsburg, Mo., one of eleven children of William and Margaret Kenney Downey. He attended St. Rita Catholic School in Cameron, Mo., and graduated from Plattsburg High School in 1938. He continued his education at St. Benedict’s College, Atchison, earning a degree in economics in 1943, graduating cum laude, and completed studies in the Abbey School of Theology in 1946. He pursued graduate studies in economics at the University of Illinois the summers of 1946 and 1947, and Fordham University the sum-

mers of 1948 and 1949.

Father James served at St. Benedict’s College as the Director of Public Relations, 1960-1964. In 1964 he was named the assistant director of the St. Lawrence Student Catholic Center at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Later he served as pastor of St. Patrick’s Parish in rural Atchison County, and served as Administrator of

support of numerous bishops, priests, religious and lay people with the goal of aiding religious communities in the renewal of their lives following the Second Vatican Council.

Upon his retirement from the Institute Father James served at St. John Cantius Parish, Chicago, until his return to the Abbey in the spring of 2005.

Father James is survived

Father James was ready, though he gave no indication of failing health.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Wathena, Kan. In 1980 Father James became the Executive Director of the Institute on Religious Life in Chicago, Ill. In 1991 the offices were moved to Ann Arbor, Mich. He retired from that post in 2000 after 20 years of faithful service. The Institute was founded in 1974 under the leadership of His Eminence John Cardinal Carberry of St. Louis, with the

by members of the monastic community of St. Benedict’s Abbey; his sisters, Joan Schultz, St. Joseph, Mo., Margaret Ann Koechner, Tipton, Mo., and Sr. Theresa Downey, RSCJ, Grand Coteau, La.; a brother, Patrick Downey, Minneapolis, Minn.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Preceding Father James in death were his parents, four brothers, Michael Downey, Thomas Downey, James D.

Downey, and Abbot Brendan Downey, fifth abbot of St. Benedict’s Abbey, and two sisters, Sr. Rosemary Downey, RSCJ, and Frances Rogers.

Vespers of the Office for the Dead were celebrated Friday, Feb. 1, in St. Benedict’s Abbey Church, with visitation following. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Saturday, Feb. 2, in the Abbey Church, with Abbot Barnabas Senecal, O.S.B., as the principal celebrant.

It is fitting that Father James’ funeral Mass was celebrated on the Feast of the Presentation, a day which Pope John Paul II made into a World Day for Consecrated Life. As Father James helped many to live the consecrated life, so he received the prayers of the Church, and many of those same religious, on that day.

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In my thoughts, in my prayers

Br. John Peto Director of Oblates

One of the major questions which confronts us continually is “How do I really pray?” One of the most important things in our prayer lives must be the condition in which we approach prayer. I recently read the following quote: “What I take to church in my thoughts is what I take into the pew in church.”

This is indeed a challenging statement. I have been experimenting recently with my thoughts as I enter into prayer.

If I am thinking about some problem, that seems to be the basic thrust of my prayer at that time. If I am happy then prayer is joyful for me. In neither case can I really enter into pure prayer. By pure prayer I mean praying in such a way that only God is important. So much of our prayer life centers on requests for something or someone. While not necessarily a bad thing this type of prayer really does not help us delve into a real relationship with God. It is a challenge to empty oneself of all that goes on within our heads. If we attempt to do this for a long period at first it may be too daunting. The way to begin is to be emptied for two or 22

three minutes as we begin to pray in such a manner. I am aware that when we try to become uncluttered we have more thoughts than ever in our mind. It might be a good idea to say a simple prayer such as: “Jesus I love you, My Jesus Mercy” over and over during the early stages of such a prayer period and be content that we have not entered into any particular thought pattern.

It will take much practice to enter into such a prayer but the goal is to fall more and more in love with our Lord and Savior. It is so necessary to have a relationship with Jesus above all.

Maybe such prayer will be the beginning of prayer without ceasing.

It is important to have a proper place to pray. It needs to be comfortable but not too relaxed. It must above all be a place of silence. I will talk about the importance of silence in our lives at another time.

Some recommended reading:

By Benet Tvedten, O.S.B. A Share in the Kingdom: A Commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict for Oblates This has some excellent ideas about the Rule for oblates, but also includes snippets from Brother Benet’s own community life at Blue Cloud Abbey.

The View from a Monastery: The Vowed Life and Its Cast of Many Characters Here Brother Benet presents many of the monks with

whom he has lived during the past 50 years. He does such a superb job of showing how human monks remain while they strive for holiness of life.

A good lesson for oblates as they struggle to live their oblate way of life.

How to Be a Monastic and Not Leave Your Day Job: An Invitation to Oblate Life Here Brother Benet presents a number of oblates and how they strive to live their oblate life in the midst of a busy lifestyle. It is possible.

The above books are available from the oblate library here at the abbey. Please write and ask for any one of them.

They can be mailed to you for a period of several weeks. All of the above books are rapid reads.

I encourage you to attend one of our meetings. Each meeting begins with the reading of the Rule for the day and then a short presentation as to what that reading may mean.

Some discussion follows.

I have included discussion from the January meetings.

Saturday meeting: A discussion about the reading for the day from chapter two of the Rule was very lively and informative. The abbot becomes someone who represents Christ upon his election and the monks look to him in a different way than they do other persons in leadership.

The abbot is not the provincial superior for a term of office but remains an abbot for life even when he resigns or retires. One oblate commented on the need for the abbot to see all of the monks

as unique individuals and each needs to be treated as such. She went on to express how this always needs to be remembered in a family that each child is a unique individual even though all are given the same basic values and direction in the home.

Wednesday Meeting: We spent time on Chapter Three “Summoning the Brothers for Counsel” and how each person with final vows has a voice at such meetings. It was noted how even sometimes the youngest has something to say and needs to be heard.

Maybe some of the same may take place with families having discussions about certain issues but always recalling that someone has to have a final word. Calling for counsel does not mean monastic communities are democracies neither are families.

Pray With Us Please remember in prayer Josephine Weixelman who died Dec. 28, 2007. Josephine had been an oblate for many years. She told me that she became an oblate here after making a retreat. It was apparently the custom at one time for a retreat master to enroll retreatants as oblates at the end of the retreat. Josephine was privileged to have her son, Father Richard Weixelman, O.M.I., spend several years with her in Manhattan before her death. He has now returned to his work as a missionary in the Philippines.

Congratulations to the following Benedictine College graduates who recently made their final oblations in December 2007: Daniel Misener, and Laura Hendricks.

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From The Desert I want to be a Saint This is one of those stories about myself that I hate to admit. During my seminary years, I think it might have been around my second year, one of our instructors asked us what we aspired to be. One of my classmates said, “I want to be a Saint!”

He said it with much conviction and fiery determination. I remember, sadly, rolling my eyes, thinking “Duh! Yeah, we all want to get to heaven!”

A few others just shook their heads, as if to say, “There he goes again.” My best friend in the seminary, who always sat right behind me in every class, kicked my chair. It was his way of saying, “Oh, give me a break!”

I am embarrassed about how I responded to my classmate’s quite honest desire to become a saint. To this day

I am not sure if he meant he wanted to eventually be officially recognized and canonized by the Church; or just make it to heaven, where all who reside are saints by definition. I think some of us were just embarrassed by his zeal for Jesus Christ. Perhaps we thought he was nutty. Maybe, he was just ahead of the curve of the rest of us in the class. I too, now have that zeal.

Yes, of course all of us in the seminary wanted to be saints.

Why else would we want to become priests? We wanted to be priests and help others live good holy lives—in effect, helping them to become saints. All those who place their faith in Jesus Christ, and cooperate with His Grace to live a Holy life here on earth should make it to heaven. All of those are saints.

I want to be a Saint. No, I don’t have any aspirations

to be recognized and later canonized as “Saint Gabriel Landis!” Yet, I desire—in the interior of my heart—to be closer united to the Heart of Jesus, to be closer united to His Wounds. I think I have caught up with the zeal of my former classmate. (What was I thinking all those years ago; “There he goes again?” God forgive me.)

Since my first assignment as an associate pastor at Ascension Parish, I have slowly become aware of a growing desire for a greater interior life with Jesus. I think all my discussions and emails with my Spiritual Director probably are bearing fruit. To para-

phrase his teachings; “Gabriel, the Lord loves you just as you are and where you are, but He is always calling on you to be more and more like Him. He calls you higher and closer into His own Life.”

So what is the way to become a Saint? I refer to Father Jacques Philippe. I am reading his book, In the School of the Holy Spirit. And I draw from the wisdom of my own Spiritual Director, Father Tom Acklin, O.S.B., and his book; The Passion of the Lamb. I will explain more in depth in future columns, but for now the short answer is to truly pay attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We all receive these, perhaps we might need some work on better listening skills, but He does speak to us.

Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit to move in accordance with His Will. In the end, this will provide greater interior Peace as well as prepare you and me on our road to sainthood.

Praised Be Our Savior Jesus Christ! Now and Always!

Amen!

...To dust you shall return

Photos by Megan Bickford

Benedictine College students filled the Abbey Church to capacity for an Ash Wednessay All-School Mass. At left, students sing a hymn after receiving ashes; center, Father Bruce Swift in the foreground along with Father Denis Meade, Father Meinrad Miller, and Father Matthew Habiger distribute ashes; at right, Father Meinrad Miller was the homilist.

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From the Abbey Altar Courageously giving life; that is the Cross’ power If you enjoy reading about the Old West or the frontier, I’d suggest taking a glance at the current issue of Kansas History magazine.

An article in it talks about surviving on the frontier of southeastern Kansas in the late 1860s. One of the keys to making it in that world was banding together. Early settlers were quick to form associations and organize to aid people in need. What many an honest settler discovered, though, was that the frontier attracted many people whose good appearances concealed unreliability and bad character.

Such was the experience of Father Paul Ponziglione, a Jesuit missionary who discovered a man, posing as his nephew and a priest, was going about the country “baptizing” babies for a “fee.” We can also include young Mr. Brenner, who settled in Kansas with his wife and quickly assumed a respected place in his community. His neighbors were shocked when the wife he had abandoned in Indiana tracked him down.

Likewise, you can imagine the scandal when a newlymarried sheriff by the name of Davies failed to return a borrowed horse and buggy.

He needed it to visit his three other wives, one in Missouri, one in Arkansas, and another in Illinois.

Stories like these left many an individual struggling with a difficulty: these people needed each other, but how to know who could be trusted? It is a question which every person faces, one which breeds 24

in most of us a prudent concern and reserve about those we encounter, perhaps even a little fear and suspicion.

The Apostles were able to overcome the usual doubts and fears they might have had about Jesus—who was at this point still a stranger because they had the same experi-

This, too, was the experience of the Apostles. Somehow, in Jesus’s words “Come after me,” they did not hear the words of a man, but the voice of God. The normal human fears and doubts and worries which everyone has about safety and security melted away, and they went

Photo by Abbot Barnabas Senecal

By Fr. Marion Charboneau

ence as Abraham, one of their greatest and holiest ancestors.

Once long ago, Abraham heard the call of God: “You, go! From the land of your kinsfolk and from our father’s house to a land that I will show you.” Abraham experienced in these words the power of God; it was all that was needed to convince him to go.

off to follow Jesus. Recall for a moment that they were good Jews, dedicated to the greatest of the commandments: to love the Lord with all their hearts, with all their souls, and all their minds. To them, the Lord spoke and he was to be loved above all things, above even respected, profitable careers and the joys of family life.

With this Gospel, there’s certainly much to be said for those who’ve entered the monastic life and priesthood because we emphasize selfabandonment for the kingdom of God. More generally, though, God’s call is often direct and powerful enough to get us moving without much thought or consideration, it isn’t always so. We may have to make a decision in the face of doubts and fears and moments of hesitation. And no matter how clearly and powerfully God has spoken, we will still have to face moments of doubt and uncertainty.

We can take courage from Jesus’ decision to go to the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali. In his day it was called Galilee. Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and had ordered John’s arrest, and his order would result in John’s death as well. Lest we lose courage, know from this gospel passage that Jesus had the nerve to go into that very place, gather up some of John’s own disciples, and preach the very same message: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus was truly walking into the lion’s den, inviting death on the cross.

We take courage because we know that he has won.

This week, I found myself reading the experience of Father Emmerich Vogt, a Dominican priest and psychologist. He told about an old woman who had married a “miser,” and from the start got nothing from him. She suffered for many years with very little, except that given to her by sympathetic friends.

Father Vogt’s insight was that this really wasn’t the cross.

The cross, he reminds, is the Tree of Life, but her decision to tolerate her husband’s injustice did not give life to anyone. It made her a doormat

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and allowed her husband to be a heartless sinner. The real cross for this woman was to lovingly and gently confront her husband, and inform him that if he continued to deprive her, she would earn her own money and provide her own things. Her decision to stand up for herself and go to work, and the struggles that would bring, should have been her cross. She would have no doubt suffered doing this, but that new suffering would have

given life she had not had before.

Father Emmerich Vogt presents a fundamental truth of the cross—if it doesn’t give life, it’s not the cross at all. We monks are confronted with this reality day after day.

The monastery is our cross if we see to it that out of a conflict comes reconciliation and brotherhood, if out of anger and hurt come kindness and compassion. In this, we are very much acting in unity with

Jesus. After all, in the end, after he had risen, his disciples were to find him in Galilee (Mt 26:32, 28:7). Indeed, by going there, what Isaiah had said came to pass, that despite the terrible darkness cast on that land by John’s arrest and death, the land of Zebulun and Naphtali became a place of light through the risen Christ.

All of us have in our experience old, saintly monks whom we have looked to as models of holiness and char-

ity. They did it this way. They made their peace with God and with others, and through them, the cross brought its life to the world. In our own encounter with the cross in our vocation and in this Eucharist, let this be in our minds. Our Lord gathered the Apostles and moved to the cross, determined to bring life to the world. It must be the same with us if the cross is to have any power.

Abbey Notes

He was the first head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis teams, compiling a record of 321-129 during seven seasons, ending in 1990. He guided the 1986 women’s team to the NAIA national championship, the first national championship in UNF history. He coached 26 AllAmerica selections. Leo is a 1974 graduate of Benedictine College.

versary this year), the Eucharist, and Reconciliation. Msgr.

Michael Mullen is Pastor of St. Patrick’s; Father Anthony Ouellette is Associate Pastor.

tasks in Mineiros and will be with the group of young men, accompanying them in monastic formation and scholastic endeavors. Prior Josias and the community have decided to send the high school-age candidates to a Catholic diocesan school in Goiania. Previously, they attended the Salesian school.

Continued from page 7 bey Pilgrimage to Bavaria in April. Abbot Owen Purcell was originally in the group; Abbot Barnabas asked if he would prefer a trip to Rome a little later, in the spring, to be with Father Daniel McCarthy when he defends his doctoral thesis at Sant’Anselmo.

Also joining Abbot Barnabas on the pilgrimage to Bavaria are Father Denis Meade and Prior James Albers.

Abbot Owen will give a talk as part of the 150th anniversary observance of St. Joseph parish in Leavenworth, April 11. Father David McEvoy, pastor, has lined up a series of anniversary talks and that part of the parish’s history that touches on Benedictines will focus on the parish’s first pastor, Benedictine Father Casimir Seitz, who came to Kansas in 1857 as one of the first members of St. Benedict’s Abbey.

Brother Anthony Vorwerk was pleased to know that his nephew and godson, Leo Vorwerk, was inducted into the University of North Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, February 20, in Jacksonville, Fla.

Brother Philip Neri Padley, Novice, is baking bread for the monks’ table. A name for this bread, if produced for sale, might be “A Lemke Loaf,” in honor of the first Benedictine in Kansas, Father Peter Henry Lemke.

Father Maurice Haefling continues to serve the American Cassinese Congregation as one of four Financial Counselors. He recently traveled to Silver Spring, Md., on congregation business.

Father Meinrad Miller gave a Parish Mission at St. Patrick parish, Kansas City, Kan., Feb. 10-13. He preached at all the Masses over the weekend and gave a talk each night, Sunday through Wednesday.

The topics were Family, Our Lady of Lourdes (150th anni-

The Kansas City Star Magazine carried a wonderful cover story about the Abbey and the Gordon Parks photos, which were exhibited for the first time Feb. 10 in the art gallery created in the crypt of the Abbey church. Brother Dominic Cason, curator of the gallery, was featured on the cover. To read The Star article, go to: http://www.kansascitystar. com/238/story/475138.html.

The St. Benedict’s Abbey Capital Campaign committee met Feb. 10. Dan Madden, director of Development, and Gene Hegarty, chairman of the committee, led the meeting. Committee members who attended pledged themselves to gaining new members, and to undertake personal fundraising visits, with monks of the Abbey.

St. Joseph’s Priory, Mineiros, Goias, Brazil Prior Josias Dias da Costas has assumed leadership of the House of Studies in Goiania.

He has finished his teaching

Father Kieran McInerney is much at ease with his role and presence in Goiania. He joins in the prayer life, counsels with the young members, and teaches class on our history and on monastic lectio. He is also translating to Portuguese Father Peter Beckman’s book, Kansas Monks, with assistance from Father Rodrigo Perissinotto.

Father Kieran gave the retreat conferences for the community. He used the material he had prepared for the Ralph Voss retreat group in Atchison. He also showed a DVD of Bishop Matthias.

Brother Vinicius de Queiroz Rezende will be ordained to the priesthood on Dec. 12, 2008.

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Sisters of the Rule On Nov. 25, as part of the St. Benedict’s Abbey Sesqucentennial celebration, the Benedictine sisters from Mount St. Scholastica came to St. Benedict’s for vespers and a banquet. Pictured, clockwise from top: (1) Abbot Barnabas Senecal, Prioress Ann Shepard, and Sr. Mary Terese Morris await dinner; (2) The monks, and sisters joined their voices in song for vespers; (3) Fr. Matthew Habiger and Sr. Rosaria Schafer chat; (4) Sr. Philomena Glatzbach greets Fr. Regis Hickey; (5) and Br. Lawrence Bradford and Sr. Deborah Peters pose for a photograph.

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c

f

Marked with the sign of Faith

Theodore Leuterman (1912–1980)

Perhaps one of the most colorful and storied members of St. Benedict’s Abbey, at least in modern times, Father Theodore Leuterman died of a heart attack at a hospital in Kansas City, Mo., Dec. 9, 1980. He was pastor at St. Ann, Effingham, when first stricken.

He was a native of Milwaukee, Wis. Early on a member of the Catholic Central Verein, he graduated from St. Benedict’s High School in 1930 and from St. Benedict’s College in 1935, magna cum laude in philosophy. From 1935–1940 he earned a doctorate in theology at Sant’Anselmo and during

that time was ordained priest at Monte Cassino.

Before the involvement of the United States in World War II, he returned to the Abbey in 1941 and began a thirty-six-year teaching career at St. Benedict’s College, Mount Saint Scholastica College, Benedictine College and at the former Abbey School of Theology. He was prior of the abbey for 10 years, and later simultaneously chaplain of St. Benedict’s College and Mount Saint Scholastica College. At his death he was also pastor at St. Ann’s, Effingham, Kan. He was a zealous preacher and teacher.

When the monks who knew Father Theodore gather at “haustus,” or when his name

comes up, the stories flow readily. His language was colorful and often as earthy as his theology was celestial.

He was a dynamic teacher and went through boxes of chalk as though in a competition. To punctuate a statement he might, to get attention, say, “Here now, students!” On one occasion he is supposed to have said, “God went to work and said, ‘Here now!’” Or perhaps, St. Thomas Aquinas “went to work” and said…

He covered the black-

Editor’s Note: Abbot

Owen Purcell is at work compiling a necrology of St. Benedict’s Abbey, a volume of brief profiles on each of the deceased members of the Abbey from its founding to

the present. This document offers a thorough, poignant and often entertaining look into the history of the Abbey, one monk at a time. In order to provide our readers with some insight into the lives

of the men who have made the history of St. Benedict’s, Kansas Monks will publish one or more of these profiles in each issue. If you have an anecdote about the monks you read about in these pro-

board in the theology classroom each class with multiple scratchings over scratchings.

Once, Father Bernard Sause followed with a Canon Law class after Father Theodore had finished, and said, with a twinkle in his eye, “Honest to John what has that man been doing up here?”

Theodore’s memory will live forever in the story telling of our community.

files or about any other deceased monks, Abbot Owen would enjoy hearing from you. You may contact him by telephone: (913) 360-7817, or more easily by e-mail: ojposb@yahoo.com.

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In the shadow of your wings I rejoice Abbot Barnabas Senecal

Watching monks debated, “Would any of these eggs be fertile?”

Mother Goose sat patiently, providing warmth, day after day.

Nine of the ten cracked their shells.

It was Good Friday.

“They live!” said the watchers and the holy ones.

All of us, witnesses of life opening up, new again From egg, from mother, from father, new life.

Christ came from the tomb.

Many watched, wondering.

Amazement is real, shared by us, in word and sign daily.

Photo by Abbot Barnabas Senecal

Brother Anthony, glad provider and protector of the newborn, An almost father, a wise man about garden and goose.

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