ST. MICHAEL’S ABBEY HOSTS GALA TO SUPPORT EXCITING EXPANSION PLANS

BY ROSALIA RIPULLO

IT WAS A STARRY night above the canyons of St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado Canyon, but the real gems were among the 500 guests who raised $300,000 for the Abbey’s ambitious expansion goals this year.

The first is a digital relaunch of the Abbott’s Circle, a first-of-its-kind digital monastery.

The second is the continued expansion of the Evermode Institute, a new center for Catholic spiritual and intellectual formation in Springfield, Illinois that will involve several of the Norbertine Canons of St. Michael’s Abbey.

Fr. Ambrose Criste, O.Praem, who is overseeing the creation of the Evermode Institute, discussed the process.

“In March of 2022, we announced the plans to create the Evermode Institute,” he said.

Several Norbertine Canons from Orange County will be moving into the new Corpus Christi Priory in Springfield through the month of June and opening day for the new Norbertine community will be July 1.

“Corpus Christi Priory, where the Norbertine Canons will be living, working and praying, is an already existing property comprising residential buildings, retreat facilities, a conference center and a nearly-100-year-old church previously owned and operated by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis,” added Fr. Ambrose.

The Evermode Institute - the primary apostolate of the Norbertine Canons of Corpus Christi Priory - was founded to serve Catholic teachers, administrators, and formators, and offers a complete curriculum in the fundamentals of our Holy Faith. Its online learning management system will launch in September 2023. Learn more about this exciting project here: https://evermode.org/

The special gala, which was held earlier this spring, also paid homage to the anniversary of the newly constructed St. Michael’s Abbey, which was dedicated in 2021.

The Right Reverend Eugene Hayes thanked Bishop Kevin Vann, who was in attendance at the gala and hails from Springfield.

“It’s ironic as Springfield has given us our Bishop, said Abbot Hayes. “We will go back and try to pay back the favor that will be almost impossible, but we will be able to continue spreading the Gospel.”

Fueling the action to expand were written requests from several bishops belonging to the Norbertine community, asking for the start of a foundation in their dioceses.

These exciting goals detailing the Norbertine Canons’ monastic leadership, succeeded in giving the night a plethora of promise and generosity.

Abbot Hayes especially thanked the generous supporters in attendance.

“God’s grace, our efforts, our fidelity - but your generosity - gave us this ability,” he said.

Along with Fr. Ambrose and other Norbertine Canons, Fr. Augustine Puchner, O.Praem, will also be traveling to Springfield to launch the Evermode Institute.

“Springfield has a hero coming their way,” said parishioner and emcee, Todd Main of St. John the Baptist in Costa Mesa, where Fr. Augustine had served as pastor for many years.

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Pioneering a monastic movement into the digital world is also the relaunch of the Norbertines’ digital monastery, The Abbot’s Circle.

“The Abbot’s Circle offers a window into the rich beauty, history and prayer of an abbey like ours,” said Fr. Ambrose. “This relaunch has ushered in the beginning of a new and clearly needed digital ministry.”

Traditionally, monasteries like St. Michael’s Abbey have served as centers for art, scholarship and prayer, while also laying the foundations of Catholic culture. St. Michael’s Abbey has a growing roster of applicants of young men seeking the monastic tradition and the opportunity to envelop themselves in rich truth and education.

“It’s important, I think, for us to note here that in addition to firing the hearts of faithful Catholics around the world, this content is reaching unbelievers too and bringing them the truth of the Gospel,” added Fr. Ambrose. “Countless conversions begin with chance encounters with beauty and with truth.”

With a cross-country expansion, the re-launch of the Abbot’s Circle and the Evermode Institute, the Norbertine Canons continue to successfully expand their reach.

“We are creating thoughtful content with high production quality, carrying the work of abbeys into the digital age,” said Fr. Ambrose. “There is an audience from all over the world.”

To encourage patrons, Fr. Ambrose used the comparison of the Middle Ages marked by exaggerated violence and faithlessness.

“Walk into any gothic cathedral, listen to any Gregorian chant or read any page from St. Thomas Aquinas, and it becomes obvious that the Middle Ages were a time of growth,” he argued. “I bring this up to show that we can fall into a similar lie today. We see decay and struggle and we miss the incredible momentum in the Church, in Monastic leadership through the Norbertines.” C

Food Shipments Funded by US Catholics Are Bringing Relief to Families at Risk of Malnutrition

To combat hunger in developing countries, Cross Catholic Outreach has a simple but effective plan: Ship in Vitafood. Vitafood is a fortified rice product specifically designed to fight the effects of child malnutrition, and it can be packed in large shipping containers and cost-effectively sent to Catholic schools, orphanages and other local partners serving the poorest of the poor. A single container can keep crucial feeding programs running or provide

“Church leaders in Haiti, Guatemala and other developing countries are eager to help the hungry poor in their communities, but they need us to supply them with resources like this food. Getting a steady supply of Vitafood is critical to their programs. In some cases, where hunger is extreme, these meals can even save lives.” immediate relief when disasters strike. “Credit for the success of our Vitafood outreaches should really go to the compassionate Catholics in the U.S. who help us secure and ship these self-contained meal packets to Catholic missions around the globe,” said Jim Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic Outreach, a Vatican-recognized charity serving missionaries in the developing world.

According to Cavnar, Vitafood is also an extremely flexible resource. It comes in several different varieties and can be prepared with additional spices and ingredients to suit local tastes. Vitafood provides the optimal balance of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, fat and carbohydrates that a child’s hungry body needs. These meals are also important to the health and physical well-being of children and adults who are healthy but at risk of becoming malnourished.

What’s more, because Vitafood meals are donated to us by respected faith-based organizations, Cross Catholic Outreach only needs to cover the cost to ship the meals to hungry families. This means that for every dollar donated, 14 nutritious meals can be sent to a community in need.

Vitafood is a fortied rice, potato or lentil-based meal loaded with protein, vitamins and minerals.

“There are very few donations a person can make that achieve this much bang for the buck,” Cavnar pointed out. “Some of our donors are so impressed with the impact that they sponsor the shipment of an entire 40-foot container filled with food, effectively supplying the poor with tens of thousands of meals.”

Support for this outreach is particularly important now, according to Cavnar. The COVID-19 pandemic, the military conflict in Ukraine and widespread inflation have made obtaining food much harder for overseas missions.

“Our goal is to support those struggling Church leaders by bringing in the food they need. The health of poor families is at risk if we don’t,” Cavnar said. “As I see it, this is our opportunity to be a blessed instrument of mercy. It is our chance to further the work of the dedicated priests, sisters and Catholic lay missionaries who are doing everything they can to respond to this threat.”

A young girl waits for the meal to be served at her school in Nicaragua. Cross Catholic Outreach and its U.S. benefactors play a critical role in making this and other school lunch programs possible by sponsoring the food shipments these ministries need.

Readers interested in supporting Cross Catholic Outreach food programs and other outreaches to the poor can contribute through the ministry brochure inserted in this issue or send tax-deductible gifts to: Cross Catholic Outreach, Dept. AC02495, PO Box 97168, Washington, DC 20090-7168. The ministry has a special need for partners willing to make gifts on a monthly basis. Use the inserted brochure to become a Mission Partner or write “Monthly Mission Partner” on mailed checks so we can contact you about setting up those arrangements.

Legacy Giving Provides Catholics With Unique Opportunity To Bless Others

If you are like many Catholics born in the 1950s or before, you have probably begun to think about the spiritual legacy your life and actions represent. What did we care about? What did we value? These are some of the things we hope will be remembered.

“For a growing number of Catholics, this introspection has led to the exploration of ‘legacy giving’ — the use of one’s will, trust, life insurance or retirement policies to leave behind an echo of one’s beliefs, deeds and values — a blessing of others that will reverberate beyond our own lifetime, hopefully influencing our family and others we cherish,” explained Jim Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic Outreach, an official Catholic relief and development charity with a staff dedicated to such estate planning.

According to Cavnar, Cross Catholic Outreach has helped many Catholics establish these “legacy gifts” and expects them to play a significant role in future ministry missions.

“A will or trust can also reflect a person’s special heart for a country or for an area of need. It can be used to build houses for poor families or to build classrooms to educate children, for example,” Cavnar said. “Others simply want to help the poorest of the poor and make their legacy gifts for that purpose. It’s their way of saying, ‘As a Catholic, I value life and support works of mercy. I want my family to understand that calling and believe in it too.’ And because legacy gifts can be quite large, they often achieve incredible things. A single one might build an entire school or fund the construction of hundreds of homes. It’s producing an amazing impact and serves as an incredible testament to the faith of the giver.”

In addition to this service, Cross Catholic Outreach’s staff can also support donors seeking to establish a charitable gift annuity, charitable remainder trust or special endowment. And financial planners can obtain information to help those who seek professional counsel or establish donor-advised funds.

To learn more about these services, the charity recommends readers visit its special online portal at crosscatholiclegacy.org