Abbey Banner - Fall 2007

Volume 7 • Issue 2 • Fall 2007

THE A B B EY

BANNER Magazine of Saint John’s Abbey

Saint John’s Prep Celebrates Sesquicentennial Finale, 4 Monks’ First Family Weekend, 7 Saint John’s mission to the Ojibwe, 9 Petters Pavilion Blessed, 13 Saint John’s Arboretum marks tenth anniversary, 15 The Tornado of 1894, 17 Profession and Ordination Jubilarians, 18 Abbey Cemetery offers burial options, 20 Meet a Monk: Dan Ward, OSB, 22

Contents Page 4 Lee Hanley and Thomas Gillespie, OSB

Cover Story Saint John’s Prep prepares to celebrate Sesquicentennial Finale

by Daniel Durken, OSB

Saint John’s Abbey and Prep School November 10, 1857

Features 7 No strangers at monks’ first Family Weekend

by Daniel Durken, OSB

15 St. John’s Arboretum marks tenth anniversary

by Ryan Kutter

9 Saint John’s mission to the Ojibwe of Minnesota

by Doug Mullin, OSB

17 The Tornado of 1894

by William Skudlarek, OSB

13 Pavilion blessed, Eucharistic devotions stressed at dedication

18 Sixteen Profession and Ordination Jubilarians

by Richard Oliver, OSB, and Brennan Maiers, OSB

20 Expanded Abbey Cemetery offers burial options 22 Meet a Monk: Dan Ward, OSB, urban and social hermit

by Daniel Durken, OSB

THE COVER The Prep School academic building is focused on the front cover air view taken July 31, 2007.

Departments 3 From Editor and Abbot

26 Vocations

31 Banner Bits

24 The Abbey Chronicle

28 Obituaries: Vincent Tegeder, OSB, Linus Ascheman, OSB, Angelo Zankl, OSB

35 Spiritual Life

NOTE: Please send your change of address to: Ruth Athmann at rathmann@csbsju.edu or P.O. Box 7222, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7222 or call 800-635-7303.

Editor: Daniel Durken, OSB ddurken@csbsju.edu Copy Editor and Proofreader: Dolores Schuh, CHM Designer: Pam Rolfes

The Abbey Banner Magazine of Saint John’s Abbey Volume 7, Issue 2 Fall 2007

Circulation: Ruth Athmann, Cathy Wieme, Mary Gouge Printer: Palmer Printing, Waite Park, Minnesota Member Catholic Press Association

The Abbey Banner is published three times annually (spring, fall, winter) by the Benedictine monks of Saint John’s Abbey for our relatives, friends and Oblates.

The Abbey Banner is online at www.sja.osb.org/AbbeyBanner Saint John’s Abbey, Box 2015, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321

FROM EDITOR AND ABBOT

The Need to Read

by Daniel Durken, OSB

T

he start of another school year always excites me even though at my age the academic adage has changed to “reading, writing and arthritis.”

But I was hardly excited to come across some sad statistics on the state of reading in the United States: •

• • • •

Annually $78 billion are spent on alcohol, $37 billion on cigarettes, $6 billion on pet food and $1.7 billion on textbooks.

58% of the adult population never read another book after high school.

42% of college graduates never read another book.

80% of families did not buy or read a book last year.

57% of new books are not read to completion.

When Saint Benedict writes about “The Daily Manual Labor” in his Rule, he seems more concerned to provide time for reading than for working. He uses work-words such as labor, duties and harvesting eleven times and reading-words such as read, books and study fourteen times.

Monks were to read two to three hours daily.

He also has one or two senior monks do some monitoring while the brothers are reading to see that no one is wasting time or engaging in idle talk to the neglect of his reading. He does not order that kind of supervision of the brothers’ work.

I encourage you to order a contemporary guide to good books—the Fall 2007 Catalog of Liturgical Press. For your free copy call 1-800-858-5450 right now or order a copy online at sales@litpress.org. If you can’t find a readable and appealing book in the eighty-two pages of this catalog, I will send you a free copy of Waiting in Joyful Hope, Daily Reflections for Advent and Christmas 2007-2008 by Jay Cormier.

C

ongratulations to David Paul Lange, OSB, whose article “The Christ Figure” in the spring 2006 issue of The Abbey Banner won the first place 2007 Catholic Press Association award in the Best Essay category for religious order magazines. The judges’ critique said, “Using crisp, clean writing, Lange takes the reader right along into his process of giving the Lord a body and ends with an image not soon forgotten by readers.” +

He must increase, I must decrease

by Abbot John Klassen, OSB

W

e are blessed at Saint John’s with powerful religious symbols.

The Breuer church is surely one of them with its powerful focus on the altar. Another is Christ in glory in the Great Hall.

Finally, in the baptistery of the church we have the artistic presentation of John the Baptist by Doris Cesar.

In this bronze sculpture John is tall and thin. Many people in this country wish they could be so. This is where a faithful diet of locusts and wild honey takes you—protein and carbohydrates. No fats and no pasta. I wonder what John the Baptist’s metabolism would do with a Big Mac and a large order of French fries.

For the prophet John this commitment to simplicity is part of being ready to hear the word of God and proclaim it. It is not an idiosyncratic gesture, a manifestation of his large ego. It is the kind of discipline it takes to be a good athlete, or a dancer, or any other work that requires exquisite focus. John’s asceticism has everything to do with hearing and seeing God clearly in any situation. This can only occur because he is not invested in his own comfort, or in the way things are.

I don’t want to romanticize John the Baptist. We know he was martyred by King Herod because he refused to be silent. In our day we need men and women who live by strong principles, who are willing to risk for the sake of Christ, and for the sake of the poor and disenfranchised.

John reminds us that it takes personal and communal discipline to live for Christ and for the gospel. For the sake of concreteness, let me name some of them: personal prayer, fasting, silence, reflective reading of scripture, reading good theology and serious literature.

We want to say with John the Baptist, “He must increase, I/we must decrease.” There is a wondrous, joyful outcome to being like John the Baptist. We see firsthand Christ at work in our world. This is a source of joy and hope. +

The Abbey Banner Fall 2007 page 3

SESQUICENTENNIAL

Abbey Archives

The 1891 Prep Latin 2 class: The student in the front row, second from left, is Henry Deutsch, the future Abbot Alcuin Deutsch, OSB (1877-1951), fifth abbot of Saint John’s Abbey. The teacher is Demetrius Juenemann, OSB.

Saint John’s Prep School prepares to celebrate the Finale of the Sesquicentennial

by Daniel Durken, OSB

“There was poverty everywhere; a poor and miserable house; poor and scanty food; poor and bad lights.”

(Abbot Alexius Edelbrock, OSB, one of the first Saint John’s students)

T

he late August arrival of new and returning students to the Collegeville campus is a rite of passage to behold. Roads and walkways are clogged with pickup trucks, SUVs, trailers, U-Hauls, campers and cars, all bulging with the essentials for the academic enterprise—computer, TV, stereo, CD tower, play station, refrigerator, microwave, stuffed chair(s), couch, clothes, exercise and sports equipment, wall posters, cell

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phone, snacks and beverages.

It is unimaginable what the first five students brought with them when they arrived on November 10, 1857, at the seventy-five-foot-long wooden shack on the west bank of the Mississippi to begin school at the original Saint John’s.

There is no record of their belongings, but Anthony Edelbrock, one of the original five who became Abbot Alexius, reminisced thirty years later about what he discovered when he got there:

The College regulations were read to us. We had to rise at 5 o’clock, say our morning prayers, attend daily Mass, then study and 7 o’clock breakfast, i.e., a cup of coffee—if such it could be called—and dry bread, no butter or molasses or sugar there. After breakfast free for one half hour, at 8 o’clock classes began and lasted until eleven; then dinner, a watery black

soup with plenty of bread in it.

After soup came potatoes and meat, then bread. Our drink was water. After dinner, free time until one o’clock, then classes resumed. At three we received a piece of dry bread. This, with fresh water, was relished with a gusto. From 4 to 6 we had to study, at 6 o’clock supper.

The first dish was again the indispensable soup, the rest usually as at noon. From 7:30 to 8:30 study time, then night prayers and to bed.

Abbey Archives

The above reference to College regulations is a bit of an exaggeration. In February and March of the following year (1858) the school was chartered by the Minnesota Territorial Legislature and the Territorial Governor as “Saint John’s Seminary, the first Catholic institution of higher education in Minnesota.” But it would

have been closer to the truth if the place had been identified as an elementary school or at best a high school or minor seminary. The five original students were young teenag- The 1894 student refectory ers. Anthony celebration take place at Saint John’s was just two months past his Preparatory School on November fourteenth birthday when he and his 10, 2007. The Prep School traditionclassmates moved into the shanty that ally commemorates this date with also housed the five pioneer monks its annual Legacy Dinner. Hundreds and the two Rothkopp brothers who of alumni/ae, benefactors, regents, thought they owned the property. monastics and friends are expected to attend this special occasion.

With this humble beginning it is A highlight of the celebration will altogether fitting that the finale of be the presentation of the Armor our twenty-month Sesquicentennial

Abbey Archives

SESQUICENTENNIAL

Prep study hall, now the offices of Institutional Advancement

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A musical interlude on the path to the Stella Maris Chapel

of Light Award to Dan and Linda Marrin, the first time a couple has been so honored. Dan, 1964 alumnus, and Linda, chair of the Board of Regents, have been national co-chairs of the successful Comprehensive Campaign. Surpassing its $15 million goal, the campaign will help support student scholarships, faculty salaries and development, and the expansion of physical facilities such as the construction of the new Bede Hall that will provide space for the music and middle school programs.

Prior to this climactic celebration, several earlier Prep sponsored events will provide the drum roll to the major event. On Sunday, October

7, the annual Collegeville Colors will be presented. With the generous assistance of Thomas Kroll and Sarah Gainey of the Saint John’s Arboretum, this family festival unfolds along the trail through the woods to the Stella Maris Chapel on the south shore of Lake Sagatagan. A tribute to the awesome autumn splendor of the Saint John’s forest, the afternoon features presentations of art, song, poetry, drama and a sample of the 100 gallons of homemade bouja from the recipe of the Schellinger family. Thanks to the generous support of 1955 Prep alumnus Don Hall, the chapel is being renovated to make it a truer place of pilgrimage and devotion.

On October 12-13, the annual Oktoberfest Gasthaus will open its doors in Sexton Commons for a sumptuous dinner of genuine Austrian cuisine prepared by authentic Austrian chefs flown in for the occasion. The menu features such items as Schweinebraten mit Serviettenknoedel and Sachertorte mit Schlagsahne.

English translations accompany the German names.

Serving begins at 5:30 p.m. each day and reservations may be made by calling 320-3633317.

Saint John’s Prep

The final jewel in the Sesquicentennial crown is the publication of a Austrian chefs prepare mouth-watering Austrian cuisine at the Oktoberfest Gasthaus.

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100-page history of Saint John’s Prep School. This first history of the school is researched and written by Cindy Peterson, Prep librarian, and Sean Dwyer, Spanish teacher.

Similar to Jesus’ familiar parable of the mustard seed, Saint John’s Preparatory School began with a faculty of one (Cornelius Wittmann, OSB), a student body of five, and a facility that lacked electricity, plumbing, central heating and a telephone.

Saint John’s Prep

Saint John’s Prep

SESQUICENTENNIAL

A brimming barrel of bouja from the Schellinger family recipe

Who would have thought that this miniscule seed would take root, grow, blossom and bear the fruit of a century and a half of academic rigor and spiritual growth? The pioneer Benedictines knew that their mission was to humbly plant the seed and water it. But it is God who causes the growth. So from the beginning it is God who is glorified in all things. +

Daniel Durken is a 1947 graduate of Saint John’s Preparatory School.

SESQUICENTENNIAL The family of David Paul Lange, OSB, at the Family Weekend dinner in the Great Hall

Daniel Durken, OSB

No strangers at monks’ first Family Weekend

by Daniel Durken, OSB

A festival of family, friends, food and fun

Saturday and Sunday events included children’s games, tours of the Abbey Guesthouse, Petters Pavilion, Abbey Church, fire station, garden, and wetlands of the Arboretum, and the extraordinary exhibit of The Saint John’s Bible at the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library. On the weekend that honored our patron, Saint John the Baptist, families sang Evening Prayer and celebrated the Eucharist with the monks. A Saturday evening buffet dinner and a Sunday afternoon cookout satisfied the hungry.

An Entertaining Variety Show “There are no strangers here. We are all family.” Thus did Master of Ceremonies David Paul Lange, OSB,

introduce the Saturday evening variety show that brought the opening day to a rousing finale.

Robert Koopmann, OSB, pianist extraordinaire, opened the show with the spirited “Kitten on the Keys” along with the words and music of the ditty, “My Old Hen.” Novice Dan Morgan, OSB, played two haunting melodies on his unique uilleann pipes.

Jake and Sam Kruger, Saint John’s students, did juggling acts that combined skill and concentration.

Paul Vincent Niebauer, OSB, reached back into his pre-monastic days as a circus clown and brought forth an amazing fire-eating performance closely monitored by Bradley Jenniges, OSB, decked out in his assistant fire chief gear.

A sextet of monks sang “Home Sweet Home,” believed to be the first piece sung by the Benedictine pioneers. The

audience joined wholeheartedly in such favorites as “Clementine” and “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.” The piece de resistance of the program was a 36-minute video, a Sesquicentennial tribute to the abbey, produced

by Simon-Hoa Phan, OSB.

Just Horsing Around For me personally, the unforgettable experience of the day was the Horse and Wagon Tour of the Woods. My sister-in-law Joleen and I along with the 96-year-old father of Stephen Beauclair, OSB, and other members of his family hopped on the wagon

Daniel Durken, OSB

“W

e are family” was the theme of the abbey’s first Family Weekend, June 23-24. The blessings our monastic family shared with our biological families helped us complete our Sesquicentennial celebration. More than 700 parents, siblings, nieces, nephews and in-laws came to be with their son/ brother/uncle-monk for a day or two of friendship, food and fun.

Members of the family of Stephen Beauclair, OSB, after horsing around in the woods

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SESQUICENTENNIAL pulled by four powerful Percherons for the 2:30 tour. We clippety-clopped up the back road and past the Sugar Shack where maple syrup is produced.

Sixty members of the family of Simon Bischof, OSB, made up the largest contingent of relatives. Families of Stephen Beauclair, OSB, Don Tauscher, OSB, Fintan Bromenshenkel, OSB, Roger Kasprick, OSB, Hugh Witzmann, OSB, and James Phillips, OSB, also had sizeable sibling counts.

It is generally agreed that this Monks’ Family Weekend is well worth repeating. +

Richard Oliver, OSB

Sharon Beauclair

Over the undulating terrain we went, admiring the tall trees and swatting mosquitoes until we reached a fork in the road. The horses wanted to go right. The driver reined them to the left, up a hill, and down where the trail ended in the tall grass of a swamp. We were stuck and lost. The horses could not back up the wagon and one of them actually laid down on the job for a time. The wagon had to be unhitched so the horses and the carriage could be turned around.

Joleen’s cell phone alerted those waiting for the 3:30 tour that we would be considerably late. As a campus security officer guided us back, concerned relatives were told that we were just “horsing around in the woods.” During Evening Prayer that soon followed this escapade we prayed Psalm 33 that reads, “A vain hope for safety is the horse; despite its power it cannot save.” Our wagonload of wanderers had good reason to disagree. Our horses knew where they were going. We did not.

The team of horses turns around from a dead-end-trail in the woods.

Richard Oliver, OSB

Janet Niebauer

Richard Oliver, OSB

Robert Koopmann, OSB, entertains on the piano at the Variety Show of the Family Weekend.

Smaller family members could bounce around in a castle.

Paul Vincent Niebauer, OSB, and his fiery performance

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Dan Morgan, OSB, on the unique uilleann pipes

FEATURE

Abbey Archives

Center of top row: Abbot Alexius Edelbrock, OSB, second abbot, and Aloysius Hermanutz, OSB, first Saint John’s missionary to the Ojibwe at White Earth in 1881

Saint John’s mission to the Ojibwe people of Minnesota

by Doug Mullin, OSB

Perhaps the monastics who served the Ojibwe people received the greatest benefits from this mission.

S

aint John’s mission to the Ojibwe people of Minnesota was initiated in 1878 when Aloysius Hermanutz, OSB, began a remarkable fifty-one-year tenure on the White Earth Reservation. In cooperation with the Sisters of Saint Benedict’s Monastery, this ministry grew to include industrial schools for boys and girls at Saint John’s and Saint Benedict’s, and the mission on the Red Lake Reservation.

In addition, a total of forty-four mission outposts, Mass stations, or parishes were set up in and around these reservations. This ministry was the full time assignment at one time or another for over sixty-five monks, and ended for Saint John’s in 2000 when Julius Beckermann, OSB, concluded his twenty-fourth year of service at Saint Mary’s Mission on the Red Lake Reservation.

White Earth Mission Saint John’s service to the Ojibwe occurred early in the history of the monastic community and with very little planning. In the fall of 1878, Bishop Rupert Seidenbusch, OSB, Saint John’s first abbot and then Vicar Apostolic of Northern Minnesota, asked Abbot Alexius Edelbrock, OSB, to assume responsibility for the church at White Earth because the diocesan priest who was serving there, the colorful but not very savvy Father Ignatius Tomazin, would be moving to Red Lake.

On October 22 the community unanimously approved the bishop’s request. Within a week Abbot Alexius made an unannounced trip to the parish house of the pro-cathedral in Saint Cloud to tell the twenty-three-year-old Aloysius of his new appointment as

Indian missionary for White Earth.

A week later Aloysius and Alexius, along with Sisters Lioba Braun, OSB, and Philomene Koetten, OSB, from Saint Benedict’s Monastery, were on their way to White Earth.

Tough Early Years The early years were especially tough for the missionaries. Aloysius began working long hours chopping wood and studying the Ojibwe language. The first winter was especially cold. The -46 degree temperature did not keep the Ojibwe people from filling the church for Mass that first Christmas, even though the wine froze in the chalice and fire had to be brought to the altar to warm Aloysius’s hands. A week later the school burned down and Aloysius froze his scalp so badly trying to put out the fire that all his hair fell out.

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FEATURE Saint Benedict’s Mission School, White Earth, Minnesota, dedicated in 1892

Abbey Archives

and trust. Government contracts for boarding schools at Saint Benedict’s and Saint John’s were secured the next year (and White Earth a year later) and the children started coming.

With perseverance the missionaries made great progress. In three months Aloysius was able to preach and hear confessions in the Ojibwe language, much to the delight of the people.

Church membership grew and within a few years new land was acquired.

Abbot Alexius secured funds for building a new church (with a day school in the basement) and rectory (which also served as a boarding school for orphans). Eventually a convent and boarding school were added.

Since 1983 Saint Benedict’s Mission at White Earth has been under the direction of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate Fathers.

Industrial Schools In the fall of 1883 a Catholic nun unexpectedly arrived at White Earth to fetch twenty-five Ojibwe girls to be educated at an Indian boarding school in Milwaukee for which the government had contracted to pay that school $167 apiece. The federal Indian policy sought to assimilate Indian children into the dominant Euro-American culture and society by educating and

page 10 The Abbey Banner Fall 2007

socializing them away from their families and traditional culture.

The policy was a failure from the start and fortunately short-lived. It is now recognized that the plan would have amounted to cultural genocide.

While there were undoubtedly many good intentions and even positive results for the children who attended these schools, if these schools had been successful in their primary purpose, the loss of native cultures and identities would have been a great evil.

The nun from Milwaukee left White Earth without any students because she was unable to convince Aloysius or the Ojibwe parents of the value in having the children so far from home. Abbot Alexius began to think that Saint Benedict’s Monastery, Saint John’s Abbey, and the White Earth mission itself could run boarding schools. Parents would support the schools because the children would be much closer to home, and the schools would be operated by Benedictines whom the parents had come to know

The school at Saint John’s began with fifty boys from White Earth, under the direction of Chrysostom Schreiner, OSB. In the spring of 1886 the girls’ school at Saint Benedict’s burned to the ground and was rebuilt with bricks and labor provided

by Saint John’s. Despite many good intentions and much hard work on the part of the monks and sisters involved with these schools, the government funds which at best were never enough to cover the expenses were reduced over time and eventually cut off altogether. Both schools closed in 1896.

Red Lake Mission After leaving White Earth in 1878, Father Tomazin moved to Red Lake, but within five years he was forced to leave Indian ministry altogether. After Tomazin left, Aloysius traveled there from White Earth to make pastoral visits several times a year and was very well received by the Red Lake people. In 1884 Chief Little Thunder sent a letter to Abbot Alexius with the signatures of 112 Red Lake Ojibwe requesting that he be allowed to stay with them permanently.

FEATURE It was not until 1888 after Abbot Alexius had secured an initial agreement for funding from Mother/Saint Katherine Drexel and the support of the monastic chapter that Thomas Borgerding, OSB, and Simon Lampe, OSB, began their missionary work in Red Lake along with Sisters Amelia Eich, OSB, and Evangelista McNulty, OSB, from Saint Benedict’s Monastery.

The mission at Red Lake, which grew to include a boarding school and a large farm with a prize Jersey dairy herd, continues today with a parish and elementary day school under the pastoral leadership of the Crookston Diocese.

Epilogue The mission to the Ojibwe of Minnesota is a rich yet humble part of Saint John’s heritage. While many leaders of the Ojibwe communities served by Saint Benedict’s Monastery and Saint John’s Abbey have spoken highly of their Benedictine education, it is perhaps the monastics who served the Ojibwe people with open hearts and minds who received the greatest benefits from this mission.

The Ojibwe Character Missionaries often stated that they found much with which to compliment the Ojibwe character, especially intelligence, memory, and spiritual maturity. Historian William Watts Folwell writes in his study of the Ojibwe: “The Indian was intensely, even devoutly, religious.” The Ojibwe were admired also for their generosity and for the honor with which they gave and kept their word. They lived their lives in harmony with the natural elements and intuitively expressed gratitude to their Creator: “Miigwech!” (thank you) for the berries, the fish, the seasons.

-- from Full of Fair Hope: A History of St. Mary’s Mission, Red Lake, Minnesota, by Owen Lindblad, OSB

Abbey Archives

Abbey Archives

Newly ordained Doug Mullin, OSB, is associate professor of education at Saint John’s University.

Father Thomas Borgerding, OSB, (top left) and a First Communion class at the Red Lake Mission

A pow wow at St. Mary’s Mission, Red Lake, Minnesota

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FEATURE All photos on this page, except the eagle, courtesy of the Abbey Archives

Thomas Borgerding, OSB, veteran missionary to the Ojibwe of Red Lake, with (l. to r.) Brothers Placid Stuckenschneider, Elmer Cichy, William Borgerding and Michael Laux. All except William are deceased.

Benedictine Sisters before the altar of the church at the Red Lake Mission in the mid-1950s

The Red Lake Mission today

Sister Valois Barthel, OSB, tends the clothing dispensary at the Red Lake Mission.

Photos.com

page 12 The Abbey Banner Fall 2007

FEATURE

Richard Oliver, OSB

Pavilion blessed, Eucharistic devotions stressed at dedication

by Daniel Durken, OSB Entrance to the Petters Pavilion

The Petters Pavilion, made possible by the generous support of Thomas Petters in honor of his parents, Fred and Rosemary, includes: • the expansion and acoustical improvement of the abbey’s Chapter Room for meetings; • a bride’s room and a groom’s room for wedding preparations; • men’s and women’s rest rooms; • an elevator for access to the lower and upper levels of the church; • a new entrance to the east side of the church.

Several hundred guests joined the monastic community for the blessing of the pavilion on May 6, 2007.

After brief remarks by Abbot John Klassen, OSB,Thomas Petters and architect Vincent James, Rosemary

Petters read from the prophet Ezekiel who describes the new temple built to replace Solomon’s temple destroyed by the Babylonians.

A blessing prayer, the sprinkling of spaces with holy water and a special blessing for the large medallion of Saint Benedict that is the centerpiece of the Chapter Room completed the ceremony. Monks and guests processed into the Abbey Church for the singing of Evening Prayer, followed by dinner in the Great Hall.

Pointing out the sometimes tense relationship between liturgy and popular devotions, Kevin stated, “Perpetual adoration can easily lose its foundation in the celebration of the Eucharist and be seen apart from it, often with exaggerated promises if one participates, as though the value of the Mass itself is somehow limited even though it is the celebration of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus.”

Reflections on Eucharistic devotions

I

t was originally planned that the redesigned Blessed Sacrament Chapel would also be ready for dedication at this time. A lecture on Eucharistic devotions by Kevin Seasoltz, OSB, professor of theology at Saint John’s School of Theology•Seminary, was planned to conclude the occasion. Even though the chapel was not ready, Father Kevin gave his lecture after the dinner.

Richard Oliver, OSB

A

dictionary defines “pavilion” as “a part of a building projecting from the rest.”

Those few words hardly do justice to the newly completed structure that does indeed project from the Abbey Church. The question remains, “What’s it for?”

Thomas Petters, lead donor, speaks at the dedication of the pavilion.

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FEATURE Kevin’s presentation is published in the September, 2007, issue of Worship magazine. A copy may be ordered for $6.50 plus mailing fees by calling Liturgical Press at 1-800-858-5450. +

Richard Oliver, OSB

Kevin concluded, “We do well, however, to remember that no liturgical spaces, no symbols or ritual practices, even those that are an integral part of the liturgy itself, exhaust the infinite riches of God’s real presence everywhere and always in Jesus Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Lee Hanley

Carefully examining early, medieval and contemporary developments of Eucharistic devotion apart from the Mass, Kevin observed that “many eucharistic liturgies do not provide people with either time or space for silence and stillness. Hence many people yearn for the peace and quiet that contemplation in the presence of the reserved sacrament can provide.”

Thus the need for the reservation of the Eucharist in a suitable space designed for individual devotion.

Kevin Seasoltz, OSB Benedictine medallion provides focus behind the speaker’s stand.

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Lee Hanley

Lee Hanley

Fred Petters, father of Thomas, stands in the link between the Pavilion and the Abbey Church.

This stairway links the two floors of the pavilion.

FEATURE

The Arboretum

The plaque honoring Paul Schwietz, OSB, founder of the Saint John’s Arboretum

Saint John’s Arboretum marks tenth anniversary

by Ryan Kutter

The Arboretum encompasses over 2500 acres including the lakes, woods and prairie that surrounds the campus, but not the campus itself.

A

decade of dreaming and planning for an arboretum at Saint John’s preceded its 1997 founding that made Paul Schwietz, OSB (1952-2000), the Paul Bunyan of tree planting and prairie burns. Ten years later, monastics, staff and students continue the work of maintaining trails, creating educational experiences and answering inquiries.

The root of the Saint John’s Arboretum’s educational outreach has been the pre-K-12 environmental curriculum. The program that initially brought one hundred students to the area now gives five thousand young people a hands-on instruction as well as a marvelous opportunity to wonder as they wander over the water and through the woods.

A significant task for the Arboretum staff is to provide time and place for high school students to experiment in this living laboratory. Finding ways to stabilize student education and transportation funding has become a high priority for the Arboretum’s advisory council and staff. Although a larger percentage of elementary students have access through transportation grants secured by the Arboretum staff, these funding sources remain tenuous as the priorities of grant-providers change.

Another plan of the staff is to make available a more fully integrated life of stewardship, incorporating elements beyond biology, geology and the traditional sciences of nature education. For example, collaboration with the Saint John’s Pottery Studio

could demonstrate responsible use of local resources and their artistic expression. Exposing students to an insect lesson on the prairie followed by a study of the butterfly illuminations of The Saint John’s Bible would enhance the search for spiritual meaning in the surrounding creation.

Significant support for the Arboretum’s flourishing programs comes from individual and family memberships. Members receive the quarterly newsletter, Sagatagan Seasons, and announcements of programs such as watercolor classes, snowshoe hikes and bird watching sorties. The current membership of six hundred has surpassed its goal of five hundred by 2010. Abbey Banner readers interested in subscribing to an Arboretum membership should email

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FEATURE arboretum@csbsju.edu or call 320-363-3163.

Monks, students, visitors walk into the woods to sit on fallen logs and read Bible verses or Shakespeare to each other, to God and creation, each piece of which can teach a holy mystery. For students on the boardwalk gazing at a frog and for those who take time from their duties on campus, there are moments of wonder and a vision of life and heaven that persists on earth through continued good work. + Ryan Kutter is a 2003 graduate of Saint John’s University, a former Arboretum employee and current Arboretum member.

Autumn leaves in the Arboretum Sarah Gainey, assistant director of the Arboretum, speaks to a group of young students.

Friends, ice cream and maple syrup drizzle at the Arboretum’s Maple Syrup Festival

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All photos on this page courtesy of The Arboretum

The kiosk of the Arboretum

Taking a walk on the Boardwalk of the Arboretum

FEATURE

The tornado of 1894 devastates Saint John’s

by William Skudlarek, OSB

Abbot Bernard sees the destruction and says, “Alles ist verloren, all is lost!’

Abbey Archives

As he walked along the shore of the Sagatagan, he noticed a funnel cloud in the distance. Never having seen anything like it, he watched in fascination as it drew closer. Luckily, one of his companions knew what it was and got him to take cover before it came ashore, smashing into and shattering hundreds of windows in the recently completed quadrangle,

Abbey Archives

The wreckage of the cattle barn

The destruction of the powerhouse, butcher shop and another building

destroying many of the shops, and virtually leveling the newly constructed power plant and cattle barn.

Miraculously, no one was injured or killed.

The Indian students in the Industrial School had retired for the night in their dormitory.

Some monks rushed through the dormitory and led the boys out seconds before the tornado hit.

The material damage, however, was overwhelming. Abbot Bernard Locknikar, who was elected four years earlier, could only look on the devastation all around him and sob, “Alles ist verloren, All is lost.”

A few days later, writing about the disaster in Der Wanderer, Abbot Bernard said, “Wherever I turn my eye, I see nothing but desolation and destruction . . .

Only God knows how long it will take us to recover from this catastrophe. And yet, we should not complain.

We must thank God . . . because it could have been so much worse. In many places people lost their lives; He spared all here. . . And what has been

Abbey Archives

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une 27, 1894, was a very warm day in Collegeville. At around eight in the evening my grandfather, Joseph Skudlarek, had gone down to the lake to cool off after finishing work in the kitchen. He arrived from Poland in 1891 at age sixteen and had gotten a job at Saint John’s.

The badly damaged south wing of the Abbey

destroyed will, with the help of God, be built up from the ruins.”

Indeed, all the buildings were rebuilt in an incredibly short time.

By September 6, the opening day of school, new structures were up and a third floor had even been added to the badly damaged South Wing, the section that now houses the Health and Retirement Centers and the novitiate.

But the stress was too much for Abbot Bernard. He died two months later, on November 7.

My grandfather left Saint John’s to begin farming near Avon and to become a rural mail carrier. He died in 1976 at age 101. Seventeen years earlier I entered the monastery, spending my year as a novice on the floor that had been added to that South Wing in the summer of 1894. + William Skudlarek, OSB, is administrative assistant to Abbot John.

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JUBILARIANS 2007

Sixteen monastic profession and ordination jubilarians celebrate 735 years of service to abbey and church

by Richard Oliver, OSB, and Brennan Maiers, OSB

MONASTIC PROFESSION 70 YEARS William Borgerding, OSB For thirty years Brother Willie was the herdsman, first of the abbey’s Holstein dairy cattle and then of the Jersey herd at St. Mary’s Indian Mission, Red Lake, Minnesota.

For the next thirty-five years he was known as the “Night Abbot” for his duties as the campus night watchman.

“Brother Willie’s Pub” in the student center is named in his honor.

60 YEARS John Patrick McDarby, OSB Father Patrick taught prep school and college English classes for forty-three years and chaired the university’s English department.

He served on the chaplains’ team for Saint Benedict’s Monastery and is the abbey’s education facilitator. As editor of Confrere, the abbey’s in-house newsletter, he expresses his love of language by explaining an esoteric “Word of the Month.”

Don Talafous, OSB After assignments in the Bahamas and the Bronx, Father Don took up work at Saint John’s as professor of page 18 The Abbey Banner Fall 2007

theology, faculty resident, and college and alumni chaplain. He continues his popular writing in a quarterly letter to a thousand alumni, his daily reflections on the abbey’s home page (www. saintjohnsabbey.org/reflection) and his two volumes of Homilies for Weekdays published by Liturgical Press.

50 YEARS Allan Bouley, OSB Father Allan is professor of theology and liturgical studies at Saint John’s School of Theology•Seminary.

He also briefly taught at Illinois Benedictine College, Lisle, Illinois; Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota; and Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. He has served as the abbey’s director of liturgy and is a charter member of the North American Academy of Liturgy.

Brennan Maiers, OSB Father Brennan served as pastor of Minnesota parishes in Cold Spring and St. Paul and in the Bronx, New York. He moved into chaplaincy work at several monasteries of Benedictine women and at the Duluth Federal Prison Camp. He now is assistant abbey archivist, daily dispatcher of abbey cars and recorder of the abbey chronicle for Confrere.

25 YEARS Geoffrey Fecht, OSB Before his ordination Father Geoffrey held the university positions of associate campus minister and director of residential programs. As a priest he was associate pastor and pastor of churches in Hastings, Freeport and Saint Cloud, Minnesota. He served the monastic community as prior and chaired the Abbey Guesthouse and special events committees. He is currently the abbey’s director of development.

Columba Stewart, OSB Executive director of the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library and university vice president for programs in religions and culture, Father Columba is involved in microfilming ancient manuscripts in Lebanon and Armenia.

He served as director of monastic formation and chair of the abbey liturgy committee. He teaches monastic history in Saint John’s School of Theology•Seminary.

Jonathan Licari, OSB Ordained for the Duluth diocese, Father Jonathan later joined the abbey and taught theology, chaired the undergraduate theology

JUBILARIANS 2007 department and served as prior of the monastic community. He was pastor of the Collegeville parish and the last Benedictine pastor of Holy Name Parish, Medina, before its transfer to the Archdiocese of Saint PaulMinneapolis this past summer.

Thailand, Vietnam and the Netherlands and at various state-side bases. His many military medals include the Bronze Star and the Vietnam Service Medal. Retiring as an Army colonel, he served several Minnesota parishes and a retirement community.

Dennis Beach, OSB Brother Dennis served the prep school as English teacher, academic dean and director of the study abroad program at the Austrian Benedictine Abbey of Melk.

He now teaches in the university’s philosophy department. He chairs the abbey’s peace and justice committee and is active in the St. Cloud Sister City Organization with Tenancingo, El Salvador.

50 YEARS John Kulas, OSB Father John taught German classes for almost five decades.

He helped set up the laboratory for the modern and classical languages department which he chaired. He was the director of junior monks. His claim to fame came on the three occasions he presided and preached before President John F. Kennedy at Mass in a Washington, D.C., church.

PRIESTHOOD ORDINATION 60 YEARS Paul Marx, OSB After a decade at the prep school as prefect, teacher and coach, Father Paul studied sociology and founded the university’s sociology department.

The pro-life movement became his passion and he established the Human Life Center at Saint John’s and Human Life International at Gaithersburg, Maryland. Pope John Paul II named him “Apostle for Life” for his tireless defense of pro-life issues.

Stanley Roche, OSB Father Stanley taught English at the prep school and was its dean. He then became a U.S. Army chaplain, serving in Korea, Germany,

Corwin Collins, OSB Father Corwin taught religion, Spanish and social studies, coached hockey and was dean of students at the prep school.

He was headmaster of Benilde High School and co-principal of BenildeSaint Margaret High School in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. He then served as associate pastor and pastor of parishes in Detroit Lakes, St. Joseph and Albany, Minnesota.

Don LeMay, OSB Father Don served the university and abbey for more than forty years as teacher of Gregorian chant and theology, director of admissions, director of planned giving, vice president of institutional development, senior stewardship officer and deliverer of Saint John’s Bread to friends

and benefactors. He received the 1999 Father Walter Reger Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Alberic Culhane, OSB “My life is in ruins” describes Father Alberic’s work as field supervisor of archeological digs in Israel and Jordan.

Other assignments include professor and chair of the department of theology, director of the Scripture Institute for Clergy, faculty resident, chair of the corporate committee on design, acting university president, executive assistant to the president and editor of Saint John’s Abbey Quarterly.

25 YEARS Jerome Tupa, OSB Presently university chaplain and director of campus ministry, Father Jerome taught French and founded and directed student study abroad programs in Chartres and Cannes.

He is best known for his paintings of personal pilgrimages to the California missions and Rome and on the road from Paris to Saint James of Compostella. These paintings and his reflections are published in three volumes.

Priest jubliarians were recognized and blessed by the community on June 7 at the celebration of Mass during the community retreat.

Monk jubliarians renewed their vows and were honored during Mass on July 11, the Feast of Saint Benedict. + Richard Oliver, OSB, is the web master of Saint John’s Abbey. He is grateful to Brennan Maiers, OSB, assistant abbey archivist, for the collection of biographical data.

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FEATURE A view of the Abbey Cemetery, Lake Sagatagan and the Stella Maris chapel

Richard Oliver, OSB

Expanded Saint John’s Abbey Cemetery offers burial options

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esponding to increased requests from families, Oblates, employees, alumni and friends, Saint John’s Abbey now offers options for burial in its newly expanded cemetery overlooking Lake Sagatagan. The highly mobile character of today’s society often means that individuals and families can claim no specific geographical area as a permanent home. The abbey cemetery provides just such an identifiable and permanent resting place for loved ones.

The abbey cemetery, located on County Road 159 several hundred yards south of Emmaus Hall (former seminary) and just off the west shore of the lake, is being expanded to include a new 1.3 acre area that will provide burial space for friends of Saint John’s.

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The new space is south of the existing cemetery that was plotted in 1875-76. It will cover the space once occupied by the parish grade school and a small section of the present apple orchard. This new area will provide 1,000-1,500 burial plots and cremation niches. The program has been operational since September 1 and will be fully in place by November 1 of this year.

A new feature of the expanded cemetery will be a columbarium court, consisting of a series of walls in which 11” x 11” x 15” niches will serve as repositories for the cremated remains of the deceased. Cremation was permitted in 1963 by the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith and the permission was incorporated in the 1983 revised Code of Canon Law (# 1176.3) and in the Order of Christian Funerals. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The Church permits cremation, provided it does

not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body” (# 2301).

The expansion, enhancement and making available the abbey cemetery for persons other than monks and parishioners are intended to establish a new monastic ministry or apostolate for Saint John’s. Added to the abbey’s educational, publishing, pastoral and missionary apostolates, the new cemetery is the obvious way for the community to fulfill one of Saint Benedict’s tools for good works: “Bury the dead” (Rule, 4:17).

This ministry will ensure proper interment, memorialization and perpetual care for those loved ones whose life is changed, not taken away. The income from this ministry will help support Saint John’s Abbey and its ministries.

For further information please view this website: saintjohnsabbeycemetery.org. Or call 320-363-3434. +

FEATURE

Josie Stang has been appointed manager of the Abbey Cemetery.

For the past eleven years Josie has served the prep school as associate director of admission and financial aid coordinator. She and her husband Ron are the parents of three girls and a boy.

This map shows the current abbey and parish cemetery at the top with the new expanded area at the bottom. The shore of Lake Sagatagan is at the right.

This is the stairway from the new section of the expanded cemetery to the abbey/parish section with the columbarium at the right.

A view of the new section of the cemetery with traditional in-ground burial plots

Looking west with the columbarium in the foreground

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FEATURE

Nardyne Jefferies

Meet a Monk: Dan Ward, OSB, Urban and Social Hermit

by Daniel Durken, OSB

“If you want work well done, select a busy man: the other kind has no time.”

(Elbert Hubbard)

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n his Rule, Saint Benedict describes hermits: “They have come through the test of living in a monastery for a long time and have passed beyond the first fervor of monastic life. Thanks to the help and guidance of many, they have built up their strength and go from the battle line in the ranks of their brothers to the single combat of the desert” (ch. 1).

With the words “single” and “desert,” Benedict confirms our traditional image of the hermit who lives alone, if not in a desert then on an almost inaccessible mountaintop. Describing Father Dan as an “urban” and a “social” hermit seems to create a new oxymoron by combining incongruous concepts. Yet these two adjectives describe his current situation where incongruity gives way to ingenuity.

Serving as the executive director of the Legal Resource Center for Religious (LRCR) in Silver Spring, Maryland, since 1999, Dan is surrounded by the traffic and trappings

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of the nation’s capital. However, he lives alone in a house in a relatively quiet suburban neighborhood.

Taking Time to Pray Obedient to Benedict’s basic principle that “nothing is to be preferred to the Work of God” (Rule, ch. 43), Dan prays Vigils and Lauds of the Liturgy of the Hours and does lectio/reflective reading from 7 to 8 a.m. each day. He invites his house guests to join him.

He prays Midday Prayer at his office and Vespers when he returns home in the late afternoon.

Each Sunday Dan joins the Caldwell Hall Faith Community on The Catholic University of America campus for the Eucharist and frequent theological discussions. In a further effort to maintain the Benedictine balance of prayer and work, he does not take work home with him. This monk does not find time for prayer. He takes time.

Working at the Legal Resource Center for Religious Once in his office the whirlwind of work begins. The mission of LRCR is to integrate civil and canon law, and the spirit of religious life; provide legal education and consultation for Catholic religious and their professional advisors; identify trends and take action on legal issues affecting religious communities.

This mission is accomplished by: • publications on income tax matters and a guide to federal assistance along with a quarterly newsletter and the Center’s website, www.lrcr.org; • telephone and email consultation services by staff attorneys; • an annual national seminar to discuss current civil and canonical issues.

FEATURE A tribute to Dan’s contributions by Sister Lynn McKenzie, OSB, appeared in a recent issue of the American Monastic Newsletter: “Dan’s work on behalf of Benedictines is almost legendary. He has given sound canonical advice to many a monastic leader as well as been a compassionate adviser to individuals. He is frequently invited to religious communities to advise them on their constitutions and policies. Dan is always affable, practical, pastoral, knowledgeable and fun.”

The Social Side

Dan and the LRCR staff: l.to r., Nardyne Jefferies (secretary); Pat Nash (administrative assistant); Sr. Lynn Jarrell, OSU, (canon lawyer); Donna Sauer (civil lawyer)

Well aware that “all work and no play” also makes monks dull people, Dan complements the solitary style of his hermitage with the social side.

He frequently opens his house to confreres and friends who visit the Washington area for learning and leisure. He enjoys preparing nutritious meals not tainted by processed foods.

He introduces visitors to the excellent Metro transportation system of the area and suggests must-see sites.

Attorney, Professor, Author This multi-tasking monk who just turned sixty-three grew up in northeast Minneapolis, attended Saint John’s prep school, university and seminary, made his initial commitment to the monastic way of life in 1965 and was ordained in 1971. He earned graduate degrees in canon and civil law from The Catholic University of America and the University of Iowa.

Dan taught political science and canon law at Saint John’s, served as assistant to the university president and secretary to the Saint John’s Corporation, and is a twenty-one year member of the Council of the Abbot President of the American Cassinese Congregation of Benedictine Men. He has a

Dan’s good neighbors, Deacon Harry and Jean Davis, and his suburban home in Silver Spring, Maryland

current leadership role in the study of the corporate structure of Saint John’s Abbey and University and is the chair of the board of the ecumenical women’s monastery in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to publishing numerous journal articles on monastic and canonical topics, Dan has just co-authored with Sister Lynn Jarrell, OSU, Civil and Canonical Procedures and Documents in the Administration of a Religious Institute and Society of Apostolic Life.

Up, Up and Away Dan would probably win first prize at the abbey for accumulation of frequent flyer miles. He is in the air almost more than on the ground, traveling more than 67,000 air miles during the first half of this year.

His hermitage is very often high above the traditional one on that inaccessible mountaintop. But Dan Ward, urban and social hermit, is eminently accessible. + Daniel Durken, OSB, is editor and writer for Liturgical Press and was Dan Ward’s novice master in 1964-65.

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THE ABBEY CHRONICLE

What’s Up? The Abbey Chronicle

by Daniel Durken, OSB

“I should like to enjoy this summer flower by flower, as if it were to be the last one for me.”

April 2007 ■ The music department of our two colleges celebrated the Sesquicentennial with the production of a one-act opera, The Three Hermits, on April 19-22. Based on the delightful story of Leo Tolstoy, the opera celebrates the humility of three old hermits who don’t know the Lord’s Prayer but know how to run page 24 The Abbey Banner Fall 2007

Daniel Durken, OSB

B

y the end of July summer had turned consistently hot and dry, enough to create drought conditions in parts of Minnesota.

Frequent sprinklings kept much of the Collegeville campus green but local corn fields shriveled in the heat.

Then the “World’s Worst Weather” feature in the August 1st Minneapolis Star Tribune reminded us that it could be much worse. The previous day the temperature in Baghdad was 120˚ of dry heat. But oppressive humidity from the Persian Gulf had boosted the apparent temperature in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, to 144˚. So what are we complaining about?

■ Two new greenhouses mean earlier and later homegrown produce.

A 600-square foot “Hoop House” provides a month of additional growing time in the spring and fall. A 1,824-square foot, year-round useable greenhouse gives master gardener John Elton space to start and hold flowering plants and shrubs. St. Raphael Retirement Center director Judith Welter encouraged Bruce Wollmering, OSB, gardening coordinator, to build and plant three boxes on the south sun porch of the center to provide residents with fresh vegetables. The help of several Oblates

Tapping a sugar maple tree at the Arboretum’s Maple Syrup Festival

■ The maple syrup season collected 3,675 gallons of sap from 965 taps, producing 116 gallons of sweet, lip-smacking syrup. The sugar concentration of the sap was higher this year (2.7%) than average (2.0%).

Walter Kieffer, OSB, the project’s chief consultant and spiritual advisor, composed and prayed a blessing on the opening day of tapping the trees. Over 600 people attended two maple syrup festivals.

This “Hoop House” will extend growing season by two months.

Daniel Durken, OSB

A purple clematis climbs a campus wall.

over the water. Peregrine Rinderknect, OSB, sang the part of the Captain of the ship. William Skudlarek, OSB, and Robert Koopmann, OSB, played the cello and organ respectively in the orchestra.

The Arboretum

Daniel Durken, OSB

(Andre Gide)

A year-round greenhouse to start and hold flowering plants and shrubs

THE ABBEY CHRONICLE

May 2007

June 2007

■ The College of Saint Benedict graduated 469 seniors while 472 students, including 29 from the School of Theology•Seminary received diplomas from Saint John’s University. Saint John’s Prep School graduated 61 students.

■ The community retreat, given by Irene Nowell, OSB, adjunct professor of theology in Saint John’s School of Theology•Seminary and member of Mount Saint Scholastica, Atchison, Kansas, focused on the theme, “Praying the Psalms.” Sister Irene, who prays the psalms daily, gave inspiring presentations that were a product of her heart and head.

Richard Oliver, OSB

■ The bi-annual abbey rummage sale was held in the Warner Palaestra on May 18-19. Coordinated by Paul Richards, OSB, this event gives confreres a chance to answer their petition: “This is the prayer of the monk:

Richard Oliver, OSB

Daniel Durken, OSB

■ The billboard at the Saint John’s exit ramp onto I-94 east has a new message: the 2007 Division III National GOLF Championship won by Saint John’s golf team. The team finished twelve strokes fewer than runner-up University of LaVerne of California in the 23-school Saint John’s national championship golf trophy competition.

Congratulations!

Three young girls check out a keyboard for sale at the bi-annual abbey rummage sale.

Thomas Gillespie, OSB

Help me get rid of my junk.” The sale generated $1,600 for the missions of White Earth and Red Lake, Minnesota.

is greatly appreciated as they spend a day or two helping in the abbey produce garden.

Irene Nowell, OSB

■ Billed as “The Prior’s Last Hurrah,” a visit to the Carlos Creek Winery in Alexandria, Minnesota, concluded the laudable custom of Prior Raymond Pedrizetti, OSB, to sponsor occasional excursions. A dozen monks sipped samples, toured the facility and agreed that its products were of good vintage.

Prior Raymond’s Last Hurrah

■ Novitiate candidate Johnnie Senna of San Francisco and three participants in the annual Monastic Experience Program are identified

Four men experience monastic life.

in the accompanying photo above: l. to r., Karl Gardner of Bradenton, Florida; Jeremiah Sauber of Atlanta, Georgia; Senna; and Andrew Minkler of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. They were introduced to Benedictine life through daily prayer, work, meals and recreation with the community.

July 2007 ■ A busload of confreres joined the Monastery of Saint Benedict’s community on July 4 to celebrate the arrival in Minnesota 150 years ago of the first Benedictine Sisters.

Beginning in the community cemetery with a tribute to pioneers and predecessors, the program continued with the Eucharist and concluded with a picnic supper. Once again there were generous reasons for gratitude.

■ Five area mayors published a Proclamation that reads in part: “WHEREAS: For 150 years the daughters and sons of Benedict and Scholastica . . . have served in a spirit of sacrifice, with wisdom, courage and vision, to influence the cultural and religious life of Minnesota and the Midwest. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, as the area mayors of the Cities of St. Cloud, St. Augustine, Sartell, Sauk Rapids and Waite Park, do hereby proclaim that July 11, 2007, the Solemnity of Saint Benedict, shall be observed as CENTRAL MINNESOTA BENEDICTINES DAY.” +

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VOCATIONS

Joseph Schneeweis, OSB, professes solemn vows “He comes before the whole community in the oratory and promises stability, fidelity to monastic life and obedience.”

Daniel Durken, OSB

(Rule 58:17) sen, OSB, the monastic community, family, friends and colleagues, Joseph made his lifelong commitment to the vows of stability, the monastic way of life and obedience.

Joseph professes his solemn vows before Abbot John.

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he millennium-old details of Saint Benedict’s ritual for receiving brothers into the monastic community were carried out at the solemn profession of vows of Brother Joseph on July 11, the feast day of our founder and patron. In the presence of Abbot John Klas-

Joseph, 44, is the son of James (deceased) and Joan Schneeweis of nearby Melrose. Following in the footsteps of his teacher parents, he has taught an array of classes from swimming, catechism for Hispanics and English as a second language to physical education and world history—the

latter at Saint John’s Prep School the past three years. His classrooms were located in Guatemala, Swaziland, Mexico, Zimbabwe, Louisiana, Texas, Massachusetts and Minnesota. Prior to his entrance into the novitiate of Saint John’s Abbey, Joseph was a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).

This fall Joseph will live in Italy to study languages for a year before pursuing the licentiate in monastic studies at the International Benedictine College of Saint Anselm in Rome. +

Doug Mullin, OSB, ordained to the priesthood Richard Oliver, OSB

“Because he is a priest, he must make more and more progress toward God.” (Rule 62:4)

C

ulminating several years of discernment over the integration of the priesthood into his life as a Benedictine monk, Father Doug was ordained by the Most Reverend Richard Pates, auxiliary bishop of the Saint Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese, on August 4. Doug, 52, is the son of Delbert and Mary Ann Mullin.

He grew up in Bloomington, Minnesota, and made his initial commitment to monastic life in 1979.

Doug has an impressive list of teaching assignments, scholarship, and administrative services in education. Prior to his academic duties in page 26 The Abbey Banner Fall 2007

Father Doug concelebrates his ordination Mass with Bishop Pates.

the university, he taught grade six and was principal at Saint Mary’s Mission School, Red Lake, Minnesota.

He then taught mathematics and was dean of students at Saint John’s Prep School.

With graduate degrees in religious education, school administration and educational leadership, he is associate professor in the education department of the university, teaching mathematics pedagogy, and a faculty resident

in campus student housing. He has served as chair of the education department and completed a six-year term as subprior of the monastic community.

At the suggestion of Abbot John Klassen, OSB, that he prepare for the priesthood, Doug wrestled with the question how the priesthood would support his primary commitment as a monk. He summarizes his search in the article on page 27. +

VOCATIONS

Why a monk becomes a priest

by Doug Mullin, OSB

I

n 2001 Abbot John Klassen

asked me to think about being ordained. “Ordained!?” I said.

“I thought I had settled that question twenty years ago when I became a monk.”

Abbot John explained, “There are two models for discerning this issue.

The most common is for a monk who believes God is calling him to ask the abbot for permission to begin seminary studies. The abbot seeks counsel and responds to the request. In the second model the abbot asks the monk to consider ordination. Now you must decide how to respond.”

After prayer and consultation I explained to Abbot John why I decided twenty years earlier that I should not seek ordination.

“First, I believe there is only one valid reason for being ordained—to be of service to Christ and the church. A monk who feels called to ordained ministry should be open to

a parish assignment. I believe that my monastic vocation is a call to live in community. Also, I love teaching and don’t want to give this up to go to a parish.”

The abbot expressed his appreciation of my work in the education department and added, “I’m not asking you to be ordained to serve in a parish.”

I explained that I work long and hard already and I do not want to take on more work—especially weekend pastoral ministry.

Abbot John patiently responded, “I personally enjoyed doing pastoral work on weekends during the summer and I think you would, too. But I’m not asking you to consider ordination just to send you out for weekend assistance.”

I continued, “I see that two-thirds of our community are ordained and there isn’t need for another ordination. People ask why we have so many

Monica Bokinskie

Father Doug describes his discernment process that led to his recent ordination to the priesthood.

priests at Saint John’s when they are needed in parishes.

“Furthermore, having so many priests gives us a richness that I believe is unhealthy. We could have a different presider for the Eucharist every day for three months.

This richness allows us to have an unhealthy complacency about the desperate situation of many parishes.

Adding more priests for the sake of our community would add to the problem.”

“But you are forgetting,” explained Abbot John, “that forty-seven of our priests are now in their eighties.

We need some younger ordained monks.”

After more prayer and conversations, I finally agreed to the abbot’s request and began seminary studies in 2003. I now recognize God’s call to me and seek to respond as generously as I can with trust and faith. +

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OBITUARIES

Lee Hanley

You showed us how to ‘move ahead and cover yourself with glory.’ Eh, Nadeau?” He never tired of urging us to “cover ourselves with glory” in the final exam or on some paper.

Vincent George Tegeder, OSB 1910 – 2007

P

rep School dean, teacher of American history with a special interest in the Civil War, abbey and university archivist, writer of obituaries of confreres, weekend pastoral assistant, and good humored presenter of Collegeville characters and events at the monthly Administrative Assembly—these are some of the contributions Father Vincent made during the seventyfive years of his life as a Benedictine monk and priest.

I got my love of American history from Vincent even though I had been bored with it in high school because of a teacher obsessed with dates and little of significance.—certainly not anything that would cover oneself with glory, as Vincent offered.

I owe my later love of the Civil War era to him and his Civil War Roundtable. As an English major, I

was tired of the endless battles and predictable results that I thought represented that conflict. Then one night, three classmates invited me to the Roundtable meeting, moderated by Vincent. I was amazed at how excited they all were in discussing battles, generals, Lincoln, lost opportunities, etc. Thanks to those friends and Father Vincent I am something of an expert on the War of Secession.

Father Vincent Tegeder’s career stands as a prime example of how the personal enthusiasm of a professor will never be replaced by mere textbooks. May he rest in peace. +

Avid SJU football fan, Vincent also enjoyed milk and a cookie.

Excerpts from a tribute by Ed Vogt, SJU ’65

We all smiled at Vincent’s pet phrases. He would say, “Well, Mr. Nadeau, that was a good answer. page 28 The Abbey Banner Fall 2007

Abbey Archives

I first met Vincent in 1961. He was notorious for mispronouncing the roll at the beginning of class. I remember he would go down the list of names and we would answer, “Here!” He’d call out, “ Barber?” “Here! But that’s Berber, Father.” “Cramden?” “Here!

That’s Cranston.” I’ll never forget the day he called out, “Smyth?” And the student rolled his eyes and said, “Here! But that’s SMITH, Father.”

Vincent, professor emeritus of history

OBITUARIES

Lee Hanley

Linus was asked by Abbot Jerome Theisen, OSB, to become headmaster of the Prep School. He reluctantly agreed to do it. After all, he was a strong introvert and this position required him to be engaged with crowds at formal events. Sometimes he even had to wear a suit.

Linus Thomas Aschemann, OSB 1948 – 2007

B

rother Linus, 58, director of the physical plant at Saint John’s for the past sixteen years, suffered a massive heart attack and died June 27. Dietrich Reinhart, OSB, president of the university, commented about his novitiate classmate: “I will always be grateful for Linus’ great care for this campus and all its people, for his tenacity and humor, for his tangible service of others from sunrise to sunset. We have lost one of the great ones.”

At the end of his second four-year term as headmaster Abbot Jerome suggested he get a degree in administration. Linus responded, “I would just like to work in the woodworking shop.” “Linus, we all want to work in the woodworking shop.”

friendship. I have worked for governors, three-star generals, mayors, college and university presidents. No one has demonstrated the skill that Brother Linus had. He was an exceptional individual.”

Truly Brother Linus was a faithful servant, committed to being at prayer and Eucharist in spite of the relentless demands of his work. He was ready for our Lord’s call. May he rest in peace. +

After earning a Masters in Business Administration from the University of San Diego, Linus became manager of the physical plant. Seldom did he have to wear a suit; blue jeans and work boots were fine. He had a huge capacity for work, for juggling multiple projects at different stages and letting his creative imagination be fully engaged.

Architect Gregory Friesen e-mailed this to us regarding Linus: “Brother Linus was one of my favorite people.

He extended to me respect, trust, and

Linus, MBA, from the University of San Diego

The following are excerpts from the funeral homily by Abbot John Klassen, OSB:

After serving as assistant to university president Michael Blecker, OSB,

Daniel Durken, OSB

Born in the small town of Clontarf, Minnesota, Thomas was the last of ten children. Entering our novitiate, he asked for and received the name Linus, the immediate successor of Peter the apostle but also the cartoon figure in Charles Schulz’ comic strip “Peanuts.” There Linus amazes Charlie Brown and Lucy with his philosophical reflections and solutions to problems.

Linus’ cap collection is symbolic of the many hats he wore.

The Abbey Banner Fall 2007

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OBITUARIES

Daniel Durken, OSB

and 2005 fall issues carried a short report of Angelo’s 103rd and 104th birthday celebrations in “The Abbey Chronicle.”

Angelo Gerhard Zankl, OSB 1901 – 2007

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s Saint John’s Abbey approaches the conclusion of its Sesquicentennial celebration, it is altogether fitting that the life of Father Angelo, 106, be concluded. His contact with Cornelius Wittmann, OSB, one of the abbey’s founders, made him the bridge that connected the entire 150 years of the abbey’s worship and work.

The story of 150 years is best told in the people who came here and were formed by this place and its way of life, by prayer and life in common. We are blessed to have Father Angelo with us as a welcoming and gentle man, as a link to the beginning of Saint John’s and as a continual witness that Bruno Riss [one of the founding monks of the abbey] was right when he said, “Let the rising generation remember that the service of God does not shorten life.”

Most surprised by his remarkable longevity was Angelo himself. Lance Crombie, SJU ’61, the nephew of

Abbey Archives

The Abbey Banner already knows Angelo. Under the title “Angelo Zankl, OSB, Celebrates a Century,” the magazine’s initial Spring 2001 issue featured an article on this first monk in the abbey’s history to reach one hundred years. The 2004

Just a year ago Angelo was pictured on the front cover of the Special Sesquicentennial Fall 2006 Issue and saluted in the article “Angelo Zankl, OSB, Living Link of Saint John’s 150 Years” by Peregrine Rinderknecht, OSB. The author concluded:

Abbey Archives

Angelo at his busy desk in Saint Raphael’s Retirement Center

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Angelo looks for a likely subject to photograph.

Angelo, reported that when he and his family visited him for the past eighteen years, Angelo’s parting remark was always the same: “Please do not plan to come back to visit me because I will be dead in two weeks.”

In over sixty years of active ministry as theology teacher, dean of men, artist, game warden, photographer, pastor and hospital and convent chaplain, Angelo did not tolerate idleness of mind. On his 101st birthday Don Tauscher, OSB, asked this life-long student, “Are you now finished learning and growing?” After an extended pause, Angelo leaned forward and replied, “Heavens no!

There is so much yet to learn.” May he rest in peace. + For the full obituaries of Fathers Vincent and Angelo and Brother Linus, send a self-addressed, stamped, business-sized envelope to Abbey Archives, Saint John’s Abbey, Collegeville, MN 56321-2015.

Remember our loved ones who have gone to their rest: Dorothy Bilheimer Josephine Bongiovanni Vern Bromen John Callahan Otmar Drekonja Herbert Kelly Mary Henry Knese Anna Koenig Mildred Kramme Sr. Margretta Nathe, OSB Matthias Rath Selma Stalboerger Raymond Tauscher Lucille Weatherhead Francis William

May they rest in peace.

BANNER BITS

Abbot Timothy Kelly, OSB, re-elected Abbot President of the American-Cassinese Congregation

As Abbot President, Timothy is to promote the authenticity of the monastic life of the 900 members of the congregation’s twenty monastic communities. He conducts the election of an abbot, accepts the resignation of an abbot, appoints an administrator of a community unable to choose an abbot and visits that community annually.

He also appoints visitators to conduct the official review of a community’s life every three to five years, and observes the financial health of each community. He is advised by a five-member council and four financial counselors.

Additionally Timothy supports the special initiatives of the international confederation of Benedictines, namely, the Alliance for International Monasteries, the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, the Benedictine Commission on China and the International Association of Benedictine Secondary Schools.

In reporting Abbot Timothy’s reelection, Abbot John Klassen, OSB,

Daniel Durken, OSB

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imothy Kelly, former abbot of Saint John’s Abbey, was re-elected for a six-year term as Abbot President of the American-Cassinese Congregation of Benedictine Men on June 22 at the General Chapter of the congregation held at Saint Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison, Kansas.

remarked, “The General Chapter thereby recognized the excellent work that Abbot Timothy has done in developing leadership and stability within precarious communities, working to strengthen the congregation’s financial structure, and his commitment to Benedictine engagement in the international environment. We can be very proud of the contribution that Abbot Timothy is making as Abbot President.” +

Lee Hanley

Michael Patella, OSB, appointed Rector of Saint John’s Seminary

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ince his July 1st three-year appointment by Abbot John Klassen, OSB, as rector of Saint John’s Seminary, Father Michael, 52, is concentrating on three major aspects of his recruitment of new students.

■ With the seminary’s emphasis on preparing monks for the priesthood, Michael has begun contacting potential speakers and facilitators for a Collegeville conference in the summer of 2009 on the subject of the monastic priesthood.

■

He has begun and will continue to visit the abbot and director of formation of Benedictine and Trappist communities in this country and abroad to acquaint them with the seminary’s academic program and faculty.

■

Finally, he has designed the summer studies with Saint John’s Holy Land program to be an essential component of the seminarian’s spiritual formation.

In addition to teaching classes in biblical studies, Michael chairs the Committee on Illuminations and Text for The Saint John’s Bible and is a faculty resident in student campus housing. He holds the rank of associate professor of theology with the doctorate in Sacred Scripture from the Ecole Biblique et Archeologique in Jerusalem. +

The Abbey Banner Fall 2007 page 31

BANNER BITS

Raymond Pedrizetti, OSB, completes, Thomas Andert, OSB, begins term as Abbey Prior Raymond and Thomas

“The prior is to carry out respectfully what his abbot assigns to him, and do nothing contrary to the abbot’s wishes or arrangements.”

(Rule 65:16)

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aint Benedict is concerned in his Rule that the appointment of a prior may cause problems if the prior considers himself a “second abbot” and fosters contention in the community (Rule 65). But neither Abbot John Klassen, OSB, nor the community had any such concerns when Father Raymond was appointed prior six years ago.

This 77-year-old humble, seasoned monk taught philosophy for years, served as the spiritual director of junior monks, is proud of his Italian heritage and his Duluth origin and enjoys a glass of wine and a plate of pasta.

Upon relinquishing his duties after two three-year terms, Raymond looked back on those six year of service and summed up his experience in three words—difficult but gratifying.

The difficult was finding priest-confreres able to meet the increased demand for weekend pastoral assistance and hearing confessions.

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The gratifying was the contact with community members, especially residents of Saint Raphael’s Retirement Center and those under supervision. He came to appreciate their honesty, courage and patience. He also enjoyed planning excursions to such interesting places as the Charles Lindberg Museum in Little Falls, the Bernick vintage car collection in St. Cloud and the Carlos Creek Winery in Alexandria.

Raymond plans to do a research project on the nature of community from a religious and philosophical perspective. His fidelity to the common observance will continue to be an example for the community to admire and imitate. +

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dministrative appointments come as no surprise to Father Thomas (or Tom). During his almost forty years as a monk and over thirty as a priest, Tom, 60, served as assistant principal at Saint John’s Prep School,

president of Benilde-Saint Margaret’s High School in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, headmaster of the Prep School, founder, director and instructor of the Prep School’s German Summer Camp, and resident hall director and academic advising officer of the university. He also taught college theology and education classes.

In addition to the day-to-day administrative duties of the prior, Tom sees his challenge and responsibility to help the community decide what God wants of us at this time. He will devote time and energy to assisting members establish a more collective community or, as he puts it, “to rediscover one another as confreres, to do a better job of living together, to be actively and visibly present to each other, to develop a better sense of the whole.”

May God bless and prosper the work of his and our hearts, heads and hands. +

BANNER BITS

Daniel Durken, OSB

Founder of Saint John’s Boys’ Choir retires; new director hired

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fter twenty-six inspiring years, Paul Richards, OSB, 52, has retired as founder and music director of The Saint John’s Boys’ Choir of international acclaim.

He is succeeded by Andre Heywood.

In his open letter to members of the choir in their 2005-2006 View Book, Brother Paul wrote, “In contemplating (and praying) about the upcoming 25-year celebration of The Saint John’s Boys’ Choir, I began to count.

Practices. Performances. Black Socks.

Ties. Bus rides. Tours. Items left behind on tours. Gum wrappers (mine).

Boys. Oh boy . . . hundreds of graduates of The St. John’s Boys’ Choir. I began to feel old. It quickly passed.”

Paul insists that directing the Boys’ Choir has kept him young and engaged, giving him opportunities to do what he never would have done apart from the choir. Two significant factors in his involvement are the challenge to teach and direct good music specially

attuned to the voices of youngsters, and the opportunity to play a significant role in the social, psychological, spiritual and cultural development of the boys.

Paul’s full-time duties as subprior (third-ranked monastic superior after abbot and prior) will keep him busy as he focuses on the continued monastic formation of the younger members of the community. In addition to advising the Boys’ Choir as requested, Paul will be engaged in fund raising for the choir. +

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ndre Heywood, 24, a native of Trinidad, premiered as a singer at his grandmother’s funeral when he was five years old. He and his family moved to Canada when he was eleven. The following year he began singing with the Amabile Boys’ Choir of London, Ontario. For two years he conducted the choir.

Andre recently completed his master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Western Ontario in London. At age fifteen he came to Saint John’s to sing with the Amabile Choir at the America Fest of Boys’ and Men’s Choirs. He conducted a choir in the 2005 festival.

A major objective of the new director is to maintain the legacy Brother Paul has established. This past summer he directed the annual Choir Camp at Saint John’s for a dozen third- to fifth-grade boys. In October the Boys’ Choir will reprieve the opera The Star Gatherer with music by Stephen Paulus and libretto by Gene Scheer. The opera’s world premier was successfully performed last year.

For information regarding dates, call 320-363-2588 or e-mail sjbc@csbsju.edu. +

The Abbey Banner Fall 2007 page 33

BANNER BITS

Lay employees retired and remembered

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he following lay employees of Saint John’s Abbey and University have recently retired:

Daniel Durken, OSB

Joanie Ricker: administrative assistant to the director at Liturgical Press page 34 The Abbey Banner Fall 2007

Lee Hanley

Mary Ann Terwey: first employed in 1975 by Liturgical Press for four years as an order entry clerk. After raising her family she returned to the Press as a part-time worker for several years in the shipping room. For the past twelve years she has worked full-time in that area.

Lois Warnert: a nurse at the Saint Cloud Hospital for over thirty-eight years before coming five years ago to St. Raphael’s Retirement Center, the care facility for the abbey’s elderly and infirm monks.

Daniel Durken, OSB

David Keller: served for thirty-nine years in the Student Accounts Office of the university.

Joann Symanietz: an eleven-year employee on the serving line of the student dining room before she was assigned to setting tables, serving lunch and dinner and after meal clean up in the monastic refectory.

Daniel Durken, OSB

Daniel Durken, OSB

Caroline Becker: employed in the abbey laundry for the past four years.

She formerly worked in the office at Fingerhut. She looks forward to volunteering, traveling, tending her garden and flower beds and reading a book a week.

Daniel Durken, OSB

Daniel Durken, OSB

for nineteen years. She will continue her hobby of quilting for the Seven Dolors Church Bazaar in Albany.

Harold Zipp: served for twentyseven years as Saint John’s preventive maintenance technician, working in the electrical and heating tunnels of the campus and maintaining the swimming pool. Fishing is a major item on his retirement agenda.

To these employees we repeat the words of the master in Jesus’ parable of the talents: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Come, share your master’s joy” (Matthew 25:21). +

SPIRITUAL LIFE

What is Your Spiritual Type?

The Arboretum

by Robert Pierson, OSB

Is there a right way to pray?

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very now and then in my work as a spiritual director I am asked the question, “Is there a right way to pray?” Sometimes people feel that the way they pray is not working for them, and they wonder if they are doing it wrong. That question prompted me to explore different prayer styles, and my research led me to a wonderful book by Corinne Ware titled Discover Your Spiritual Type, published in 1995 by the Alban Institute.

Based on a spiritual typology first described in A History of Christian Spirituality by Urban T. Holmes, Ware provides a helpful questionnaire that enables the reader to identify which of four types of spirituality might best fit their own personal approach to God and prayer.

The four types are the result of whether one experiences God through thoughts or feelings, and whether one

images God concretely or abstractly.

Those who have used this approach in understanding their spirituality have discovered not only that there are different ways to pray, but also different ways for us to foster our personal growth in prayer, depending on the type(s) that fit us best.

Another helpful resource that utilizes this spiritual types approach can be found on a website (www.methodx. net) sponsored by Upper Room Ministries of the United Methodist Church.

Here one can find a “Spiritual Types Test” designed for young adults that is a shorter version of the one Ware provides. They also name the four types (Sage, Lover, Mystic, and Prophet) and provide fun and helpful descriptions of each type. At the end of each description is a list of people (real and fictional) who exemplify each type. If this approach to spirituality interests you, please check out their website. + Robert Pierson, OSB, is the director of the Abbey’s Spiritual Life Program and the newly appointed guestmaster.

Retreat Schedule for 2007-2008

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e have three group retreats scheduled here at the Abbey Guesthouse for the coming months.

November 30 to December 2, 2007—Advent Retreat led by Abbot John Klassen, OSB. He will address the topic: “The Parables of Jesus and the Reign of God.” February 29 to March 2, 2008— Lenten Retreat led by Father Eric Hollas, OSB. His topic will be: “The Pilgrim’s Way from Ash Wednesday to Easter.”

May 30 to June 1, 2008—Spring Retreat led by Father Nathanael Hauser, OSB. His topic will be: “The Human Face of God.” For more information about these retreats, please contact the Spiritual Life Office at 320-3633929 or at spirlife@osb.org.

The Abbey Banner Fall 2007 page 35

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