Abbey Banner - Fall 2012 by Saint John's Abbey

Abbey Banner Fall 2012

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O LORD, how great are your works! How deep are your designs! --Psalm 92:6

Alan Reed, O.S.B.

This Issue

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Listen, my son, to your master’s precepts, and incline the ear of your heart. --Rule of Benedict, Prologue 1

Magazine of Saint John’s Abbey Published three times annually (spring, fall, winter) by the monks of Saint John’s Abbey. Editor: Robin Pierzina, O.S.B. Editorial assistants: Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.; Dolores Schuh, C.H.M. Fujimi bureau chief: Roman Paur, O.S.B. Abbey archivist: David Klingeman, O.S.B. University archivist: Peggy Roske. Design: Alan Reed, O.S.B. Circulation: Ruth Athmann, Mary Gouge, Jan Jahnke, Cathy Wieme, Danielle Ziehl. Copyright © 2012 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. Printed in Waite Park, Minnesota, by Palmer Printing. Saint John’s Abbey Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-2015 abbeybanner@csbsju.edu http://www.saintjohnsabbey.org/banner/ index.html Change of address: Ruth Athmann at rathmann@csbsju.edu Box 7222, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7222 Phone: 800.635.7303.

This issue of Abbey Banner celebrates Saint Benedict as depicted in bronze by Brother David Paul Lange and Mr. Steven Lemke, a young man, just beginning his search for God. On a campus that is home to over two thousand students, Saint Benedict invites another generation of explorers to listen to the voice of the master. Abbot John Klassen reflects on the role of reading and learning in the spiritual journey of Benedict and in each of our lives, and how Brother David Paul’s statue captures that reality. Brother Simon-Hòa Phan introduces us to this latest sculptural addition to Saint John’s, tracing its transformation from computer drawing to clay model to finished bronze, sharing the sculptor’s inspiration, and critiquing the statue’s significance. Brother Alan Reed presents other images of our monastic patron and spiritual guide. Our community observed the feast of Saint Benedict, 11 July, with glad celebration as Brother Peter Sullivan and Father John Meoska professed their solemn (lifetime) vows as Benedictine monks and Brother Isaiah Frederick professed his first vows. We are introduced to this generation of seekers as well as to nine jubilarians celebrating their silver, golden, or diamond anniversary of monastic commitment. Not all those who seek the mercy of God do so within the fellowship of a monastic community. Brother Daniel Morgan outlines the Youth in Theology and Ministry program that brings scores of teenagers to Saint John’s each summer to deepen their faith and explore their vocation. Mr. Ben DeMarais and Brother Paul Richards update us on The Saint John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps, the newest members and the newest program. Mr. Matthew Palmquist reflects on how his Benedictine heart was formed as an undergraduate at Saint John’s. Violence, crime, and evil have confronted every generation of humankind. Father Robert Pierson shares the story of our community’s ministry to those in jail or prison, while Sister Kathleen Hughes tells of the service to prisoners of war by our late confrere Father Godfrey Diekmann. In this issue we also outline the work of our missionary confreres in Japan, reflect on how prayer changes things, and learn about the avocation of one of our senior members, Father Fintan Bromenshenkel— who is rumored to have been taught his woodsman skills by Paul Bunyan! Father Timothy Backous closes this issue with a story of how sadness can be transformed into service.

Cover: Saint Benedict sculpture by Brother David Paul Lange and Steven Lemke in the auditorium plaza. Photo: Alan Reed, O.S.B.

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The editorial staff joins with Abbot John and the monastic community in extending prayers and best wishes to all our readers for the Spirit’s guidance in their search for God. --Brother Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

Reading and Learning

Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

hen speaking of Saints Dominic, Clare, Francis, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis de Sales, or Elizabeth Ann Seton, many people make reference to the “charism of the founder.” But such a designation does not really apply to Saint Benedict (or Saint Scholastica). Benedict is the beneficiary of three hundred years of monastic exploration: in the Egyptian desert, in the ten-membered cells of Pachomius, in the communities of Augustine, Basil, Caesarius of Arles, and other immediate precursors.

Benedict had a genius for reshaping, synthesizing, and adding new material in his “little Rule . . . for beginners” (Rule, 73.8). He created a structure of community life that is truly sacramental, functioning as a fundamental graced medium for each member’s salvation and journey to God. Abbey archives

The word “community” can easily become a buzzword—like Philadelphia Cream Cheese, just spread it over everything! It then lacks the specificity that supports its true meaning and purpose. Not so for Benedict and his Rule. There are, in fact, numerous elements in the Rule that give substance and definition to Benedictine community, such as calling it together for counsel, coming together at specified times for prayer, practicing lectio divina, or having all members take their turns at serving in the dining room or elsewhere in the monastery. For Benedict, community also means disallowing murmuring, complaining, and gossiping; giving each member a place in the community so that each knows where he or she stands; treating each person with respect; and constantly referring to the holy purpose of the community. The statue of Benedict created by Brother David Paul Lange, O.S.B., images Benedict as a young man, such as one of our students. The sculpted monk has a full head of hair, a muscular gesture and stance, with a stature comparable to the viewer. He is not on a pedestal; he is not monumental. At his feet is a stack of books, a reference to Benedict’s expectation that monks are to be given books, especially the Bible, that are to be read from beginning to end. In the concluding chapter of the Rule (73), Benedict points to the literature that he found beneficial for his own monastic life and for crafting the Rule itself. The sculpture of Benedict boldly reflects the truth of his life and of ours: ongoing reading and learning are essential dimensions of our spiritual journey.

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Monastic Profession

n the feast of Saint Benedict, 11 July, the monks of Saint John’s Abbey rejoiced in God’s blessings as Brother Isaiah Frederick professed simple (temporary) vows, and Brother Peter Sullivan, O.S.B., and Father John Meoska, O.S.B., professed solemn (lifetime) vows as Benedictine monks. Nine other confreres were honored on the occasion of their silver, golden, or diamond jubilee of monastic profession.

Brother Isaiah Frederick, from Phoenix, Arizona, graduated from Saint John’s University in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). He then served four years in the Army as a field artillery officer. Following active duty he worked in public accounting as an auditor, first in Minnesota and then in Arizona.

Sensing a calling to the religious life, Brother Isaiah returned to Saint John’s, this time to visit the abbey. He became a monastic associate in June 2008 and continued to work full time as an auditor for a firm in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. Since April 2010 he has worked in the abbey business office. Discerning that he was being called to monastic life in this community, Brother Isaiah made his oblation as a claustral oblate in October 2010. He recognizes now that “The feeling of community and family that originally brought me from Arizona to college here in 1991 also drew me back as a monk, and that is why I am professing vows in this community.” Brother Peter Sullivan grew up in Mattituck, New York. In 1997 he received a bachelor’s

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

Newly professed confreres (l to r) Brother Peter Sullivan, Father John Meoska, and Brother Isaiah Frederick.

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degree in world religions from Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania. He also earned a master’s degree in elementary education at Oakdale College in New York. Before coming to Saint John’s he worked as an elementary school teacher, started a small lawn care business, and managed a large pet store in New York. At Saint John’s, Brother Peter has worked in the university campus ministry office and currently serves as a certified nursing assistant in the abbey retirement center. Over the last few years he has developed a passion for drawing and oil painting. He is now taking art classes that may eventually lead to a career in art. Brother Peter is very happy that the community has accepted him for solemn profession, saying, “The monastic way of life has helped me to discover talents and interests I never knew I had. I have been greatly supported and encouraged by my brothers to pursue that which is lifegiving. I am extremely grateful for the love this community has shown me. It is quite humbling. I hope that I will be able to return that love when any of my confreres need my support and encouragement.” One of five children, Father John Meoska was born into a farm family and raised near Bloomington, Wisconsin. After

physical plant, and grounds of the monastic community. A good steward, he has personally planted over four hundred trees at Saint John’s and helped coordinate the installation of the abbey’s solar photovoltaic panels.

attending high school seminary he pursued his interest in science, receiving a bachelor’s degree in natural science from Saint John’s University in 1978. Four years later he completed a master of divinity degree at Saint John’s School of Theology·Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Madison, prior to entering the Spiritual Life Institute in 1986. After living as a Carmelite hermit for twenty-one years, Father John returned to Collegeville to explore Benedictine life, professing simple vows in 2009. Currently he serves the community as manager of abbey woodworking and assistant formation director, and assists with pastoral duties, including celebrating Mass at the Minnesota Correctional Facility– Saint Cloud. His interests include woodworking, iconography, gardening, and cooking. Father John was drawn to Saint John’s Abbey because, “Since my student days here, I have had a deep love for the monastic life as a viable way to seek God. Saint Benedict’s wisdom, embodied in the Rule, and the wisdom of countless other Benedictine men and women have formed me, guided me, and inspired me for many years. I love the Benedictine tradition and the way we live it, the daily schedule with its balance of prayer and work, and ‘the help of many brothers’ which I experience each day.”

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

Silver jubilarians Brothers David Paul Lange (l) and Benedict Leuthner.

Monastic Jubilarians Brothers David Paul Lange, O.S.B., and Benedict Leuthner, O.S.B., were honored on the

twenty-fifth anniversary of their monastic profession. A skilled artist and tenured member of the university art department, Brother David Paul has shared his creativity as a member of the design committee, a guide to Benedictine pilgrimage sites in Europe, and a strong tenor voice in the abbey schola. He has also clowned around with summer circus campers and been an advocate for peace and justice. For the past fifteen years Brother Benedict has served as the abbey procurator (treasurer), overseeing the financial affairs,

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

Brother David Manahan receives a cane for the next fifty years of monastic service.

Golden jubilarian Brother David Manahan, O.S.B., has skills, will travel: helping maintain the physical plants of Saint Augustine’s Monastery (Bahamas), the Redlake Indian Mission (Minnesota), and Sant’ Anselmo (Rome). He has also designed and crafted furniture at the abbey woodworking shop, served as curator of the abbey art collection, and worked as a graphic artist for Liturgical Press for twenty-two years. Six diamonds (in the rough?) remain of the monastic class of 1952. Throughout his sixty years of monastic life, Brother Urban Pieper, O.S.B., has been a master gardener, both for the abbey and for Saint Augustine’s Monastery, The Bahamas. In addition

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Monastic Profession

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

Diamond jubilarians (left photo, l to r): Fathers Tom Thole and Thomas Wahl, Brother Gregory Eibensteiner, and Fathers Meinrad Dindorf and Julian Schmiesing; (right photo): Brothers Gregory Eibensteiner (l) and Urban Pieper.

to harvesting produce for his confreres, he has been a beekeeper, manager of the university greenhouse, and occasional repairman. A mentor and dear friend of generations of international students at Saint John’s University, Father Thomas Thole, O.S.B., extended Benedictine hospitality as a faculty resident for forty years. He also found time to serve as weekend minister at Minnesota parishes and, until his retirement, was chaplain at a local senior care center. The first director of the Melk study abroad program of Saint John’s Preparatory School, Father Julian Schmiesing, O.S.B., has also shared his down-to-earth spirituality and considerable pastoral skills as prior and subprior (monastic superiors) both at the abbey and in Puerto Rico, as prep school prefect, and as pastor in several Minnesota parishes.

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A thoughtful and inquisitive presence in our midst, Father Meinrad Dindorf, O.S.B., has been a teacher and scholar in the School of Theology·Seminary, a pastoral presence to the Native American population in Redlake and in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and chaplain for hospital patients and senior care residents.

graces many campus classrooms and monastery rooms. Dozens of purple martins have Collegeville homes, thanks to his habitat hobby.

A student of Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Italian, and German, Father Thomas Wahl, O.S.B., now wrestles with Japanese at Trinity Benedictine Monastery in Japan, where he and his bread rise early each day. He has shared his love of Scripture, particularly the psalms, as a teacher in the School of Theology·Seminary and as a Holy Land guide.

Jesus is urging us to give ourselves decisively to our vocation, to fully cooperate with the grace that has been given to us, to trust the God who has called us on this path.

Brother Gregory Eibensteiner, O.S.B., has served the Native Americans of the Redlake and White Earth reservations in Minnesota, and in the abbey woodworking shop he has crafted handsome furniture that

Truly, by the mercy of God, [these confreres] have done their best to let the Holy Spirit work in them.

With Saint Paul, we know that the cross is surely part of our life together, and that true transformation happens on this path. But as Father Arnold Weber used to say, we have to make sure that we carry the cross, and not drag it! --Abbot John Klassen,

O.S.B.

Youth in Theology and Ministry

Daniel Morgan, O.S.B.

his summer I worked with participants of the Youth in Theology and Ministry (YTM) program, a program that began in 2000 with a grant from the Lilly Endowment and is sponsored by Saint John’s School of Theology·Seminary. Saint John’s Abbey is a vocation partner to YTM, providing financial and ministerial support. With a mission to “apprentice Catholic leadership youth and their adult mentors to live as disciples of Jesus Christ,” YTM aims to stimulate and nurture excitement about theological learning among youth and adults; encourage a new generation of young Christians to consider vocations in Christian ministry; recruit youth to the YTM summer institute that represent the diversity of

American Catholicism; foster the development of pastoral ministry skills among the counselors; and become a laboratory for Catholic youth ministry and vocation research. I served as a spiritual director for the summer institute’s counselors and high school youth, an experience that was an eye opener for me. The quality of the YTM program is remarkable! I was especially impressed by the enthusiastic faith expressed by these young people, who love learning, working, and praying with the Saint John’s community.

In their own words: •

•

• • •

YTM archives

Brother Daniel Morgan

“I’ve become much closer to God. I’ve learned to be a good member of my faith community; YTM has given me a strong sense of thankfulness.” “My relationship with God has strengthened 110%. I better understand my religion and have a clearer image of what my vocation is. I’m ready to go home and share my experience. It is now clear to me that wherever life may take me, it is always my responsibility to care for God’s creation. I’m lucky to be made in God’s image.” “Now I know that I should pray, not only for my family but for others. YTM really showed me that people suffer and that kindness does wonders.” “YTM helped me learn about my faith. I can’t find words to explain the impact that YTM had on me.” “I learned that I really like helping people, and I really want to help people.” “YTM has taught me to not always be asking, but to listen.”

Each summer institute focuses on a different theological question or theme; this summer’s question was, “How can we be silent?” The youth explored the multiple dimensions of this question by engaging in theological study, service work, prayer, community building, and vocational discernment. The effect the YTM program has had on youth has been significant. Nearly half the participants have considered becoming a priest, sister, or brother; three-quarters have considered lay ecclesial ministry. The program also has inspired youth to study theology in college (before YTM, twenty-five percent considered theology; after YTM, near three-quarters have considered theology; one-quarter of participants actually go on to major/minor in theology). Since the year 2000 more than sixty YTM alumni/ alumnae have enrolled at Saint John’s University or the College of Saint Benedict. Brother Daniel Morgan, O.S.B., is a faculty resident for Saint John’s University and student in the School of Theology·Seminary.

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Benedictine Volunteer Corps

Year Ten: New Volunteers Benjamin DeMarais

his year marks a milestone as The Saint John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps (BVC) begins its tenth year of operation with fifteen new volunteers—all graduates of Saint John’s University—serving eight different Benedictine communities in seven countries across the globe. Minnesotans Joseph Gair, Coon Rapids, and Kyle Auringer, Mantorville, have already arrived at Hanga Abbey in southwestern Tanzania. Also in East Africa from Minnesota will be Timothy Hendrickson, Rochester, and Michael McCarty, Champlin, who will live and work in Nairobi with the Tigoni monastic community. Serving at Glenstal Abbey in Ireland are Minnesotans Michael Doyle, Lakeville, and Robert Floren, Kenyon. In the Holy Land Paul Vanasse from Wilson, Wisconsin, and Joshua Seaburg from Moorhead, Minnesota, will continue the work at “the Meeting Place,” a camp for the mentally and physically handicapped in Tabgha on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. This is perhaps the most distinctive site of all as the volunteers will live in the Holy Land with a community of German monks where most of the campers and locals speak either Hebrew or Arabic!

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Ælred Senna, O.S.B.

Benedictine volunteer corps 2012 (l to r, front row): Michael McCarty, Evans Yamoah, Joseph Gair, Ted Kain, Robert Floren, Michael Doyle, Moses Adeagbo, Joshua Seaburg; (back row): Ryan Miller, Jacob Ingalls, Paul Vanasse, Aaron Stolte, Timothy Hendrickson, Kyle Auringer, Lucas Kennedy.

The Benedictine volunteer corps has a tradition of training young men to be true pioneers in their discovery and development of new sites. This year’s newest site is Saint Thomas Benedictine Abbey in Kappadu, India. Aaron Stolte from North Saint Paul and Moses Adeagbo from Irvington, New Jersey, will be the BVC pioneers in India. Rounding out the international volunteers for this year, and continuing the BVC presence in Latin America, Evans Yamoah from Rosemount, Minnesota, and Lucas Kennedy from Wausau, Wisconsin, will serve at Resurrection Priory in Cobán, Guatemala. The two domestic volunteer sites this year will be Saint James Parish in Chicago, and Newark Abbey in New Jersey. Minnesotans Ted Kain of Saint

Cloud will serve in Chicago, while Ryan Miller, Stillwater, and Jacob Ingalls, Saint Louis Park, will serve in Newark, the BVC’s oldest site. Mr. Ben DeMarais, a former Benedictine volunteer in Tanzania, is a faculty resident at Saint John’s University.

New Initiative: Bahamas Paul Richards, O.S.B.

n 20 May the fifteen new members of the Benedictine volunteer corps boarded a plane to Nassau, The Bahamas, where they completed their BVC retreat, which this year included painting, repairing, and cleaning Saint Augustine’s Monastery where monks of Saint John’s

Abbey had served for more than one hundred years. These men are part of the “regular” BVC program, as noted above. Their May project was to prepare the former monastery in Nassau for a new initiative of the Benedictine volunteer corps. In August four men—Tyler Etheridge, John Dwyer, Peter Blattner, and Charlie Swanson— who just completed their year of service in the corps, began a second year as Benedictine volunteers, this time in The Bahamas. They now pray, work, and live the common life in service of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nassau. The impetus for this project came from Saint John’s University president emeritus Father Robert Koopmann, O.S.B. In January 2010, along with other university administrators and three university regents— Mr. Prince Wallace, Mr. Jim Sexton, and Mr. Chris Coborn—Father Bob called on Archbishop Patrick Pinder. The archbishop talked about how much the Benedictines did for the Church and for education in The Bahamas. During the conversation Father Bob emphasized that he prefers to look to the future rather than talk about the past. “We do not have monks to send to The Bahamas,” he explained. The community at Saint John’s made a painful but necessary decision some years back that

Roman Paur, O.S.B.

Benedictine volunteers, Bahamas (l to r): Charlie Swanson, Tyler Etheridge, John Dwyer, Peter Blattner.

we could no longer send monks. “But,” Father Bob said, “what about sending Benedictine volunteers who would lead Benedictine prayer and serve the archdiocese in various ways?” Archbishop Pinder was very excited about the idea. He asked Father Bob and the other visitors to stop at Saint Augustine’s, which the archdiocese now owns, to inspect what would be the housing and chapel for a new venture.

The work of the BVC in The Bahamas is and will be aimed at teaching in the schools of the archdiocese, providing youth ministry on New Providence and the family islands, as well as praying the Divine Office at the monastery. May God bless this good work, these dedicated volunteers, and all those they serve! Brother Paul Richards, O.S.B., is the founder of the Benedictine volunteer corps.

Feast of Saint Benedict Hanga Abbey, Tanzania

The Mass was epic—with traditional singing, percussion, little girls dancing and singing. My God, the singing! That was the first hour. Then a onehour homily, thirty minutes of ceremony to recognize the monk making solemn vows, thirty minutes for the Eucharist. I thought we were done, but there was another hour of random speeches. It was all in Swahili, but there were some cognates. I think they were talking about the education system. I heard “sociology, business administration, information technology,” who knows. After Mass everyone started playing traditional drums and dancing and singing and chanting. I couldn’t believe the energy. . . . Finally they brought out the cake, accompanied by a “cakey song” and “cakey dance,” which was a bit depressing because the cake wasn’t nearly big enough to serve everyone there. Or was it? Watching the cake being served was like watching the seven loaves and fishes feed the masses. Each person got a slice the size of two fingers, so everyone got some; and there was about one fourth left over! --Joseph Gair, Benedictine Volunteer

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Woodland Stewards

Molly Roske “What I did all last winter could have been done in a week with a machine. It took me eight months! I’m just glad they let me keep doing it.” --Father Fintan Bromenshenkel, O.S.B.

or being a pioneer of computer science, Father Fintan’s refusal to use a machine for splitting firewood is surely an irony not lost on the monk himself. His wry understatement underscores that he has personal motivations more than efficiency or speed for undertaking the activity; it’s the sensory poetry of the woods that keeps him coming back in autumn, winter, and spring. His comment also suggests that the management of timber resources on abbey land is now shared with others—the unnamed “they” is the Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum staff—to which he makes a voluntary contribution in the Benedictine tradition of stewardship. At age 93 Father Fintan still can’t be kept out of the woods. Using a hand-held splitting maul that resembles a larger and heavier ax, he splits whatever wood Brother Walter Kieffer, O.S.B., and the arboretum staff can find for him. Sometimes it’s the leftovers from the arboretum’s annual permitted timber harvest; sometimes it’s the trees blown down during a storm. Trudging

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out to the woodpiles, Father Fintan splits wood by hand at the times of year when many seek refuge indoors. While there is a mechanical wood-splitter on campus (built by Brother Walter and former Brother Arnie Jirik in 1969), Fintan prefers to do it by hand: “It’s excellent therapy; it’s exercise! I’m nearly ninetyfour years old, and my health is perfect.” Father Fintan splits wood in order to get out in nature and to exercise in the way God must

Father Fintan Bromenshenkel

have intended human beings to do. Even before he joined the monastery as a novice in 1939, he enjoyed a close connection with nature, having grown up on a farm outside Sauk Centre, Minnesota. He remembers helping to reforest abbey lands while at Saint John’s Prep School in 1933, and many of those trees are now being harvested. After Father Fintan pursued graduate studies in physics and mathematics at the University of Minnesota and Notre Dame,

Paul Wegner

he put his education and talents to work assisting with land surveying at Saint John’s. He was instrumental in initiating computer science research in the Midwest, securing funds in 1963 from the National Science Foundation to purchase a computer for Saint John’s, one of the first computers in the state. (“I think only Carleton may have beat us,” he recalls.) The next portion of his professional life was in large part dedicated to teaching computer science and programming. He educated students as well as Saint John’s employees, and helped many departments’ operations, including the business office, registrar, and even Minnesota Public Radio, into the nascent digital age. Yet with all those responsibilities, he found time for splitting wood nearly every day for most of the year, for most of his life. In 1990 Father Fintan undertook missionary service in The Bahamas, where he spent several hours each day cutting down dead brush and pulling weeds. Returning to Saint John’s in 2005 he again took up the splitter and resumed his old hobby. He is not alone. Father Knute Anderson, O.S.B. (a youthful 83), has split wood by hand for the last ten years or so, also seeking a connection to the wonder of the natural world. “Puzzling over things like how frogs live through the winter, you begin

Father Knute Anderson

Abbey archives

to think after a while that God is there, and God is working. There’s something marvelous that’s being preserved here,” observes Father Knute. The demand for the firewood that Fathers Fintan and Knute split has waned. Firewood is now used occasionally in a few fireplaces on campus but is not a principal heat source, though a great deal is used for the production of maple syrup each spring. Most of the abbey land is reforested, but that does not mean its ecological significance

is in any way diminished, thanks to the continued vigilance and commitment to conservation demonstrated by the abbey and the arboretum staff. Fathers Fintan and Knute have found a way to express that commitment in a more personal, tangible manner, consistent with the long tradition of monks caring for their land. “In some ways I feel like we’re losing the woods as we open it up to the public,” Brother Walter admits. “But we can’t keep it closed up; it’s a matter of education, not just nostalgia. We must pass along this heritage. As things get developed, this is going to be a sanctuary.” Indeed, it already is.

Ms. Molly Roske, a 2008 graduate of the College of Saint Benedict, was a summer intern for the Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum.

Timber Tales Some of Father Fintan’s wood-splitting exercises have been more dramatic than others. Once, while walking back to the monastery from his woodpiles near the prep school, he neglected to cover his splitting maul. Alarmed at the sight of this white-haired, wizened old man in coveralls carrying a huge ax, “Somebody called Life Safety Services, and I got arrested!” No, not really arrested, he admits; but the officer did give him a talking-to about keeping his splitter covered. Father Fintan also recalls a lively moment this past spring. He wears an emergency call button on his chest “in case I need help.” But no one thought about the sensitivity of that button to the regular actions of a man splitting wood. “So I’m holding a load of wood in my arms, you know, in front of my chest,” he demonstrated, “and unbeknownst to me it alerted the abbot, the head nurse, and two Life Safety Services cars in two different places.”

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Saint Benedict

Simon-Hòa Phan, O.S.B.

he young man turns toward the source of sound, the task at hand half abandoned. In one arm a heavy volume, its pages opened, is awkwardly braced against his body. The other arm is lowered to his side, the forgotten quill enclosed in its hand. On the ground are more books, stacked high, with a pet bird perched nearby. The man is on the verge of making a decision, to stay with the task or to heed the call. This image is not that of a studious undergraduate distracted from homework by friends and video games in a dorm room but rather that of the young Benedict of Nursia— who would mature into the wise leader of fifth-century communities of Christian monks in central Italy and eventually be declared the Patriarch of Western Monasticism. The bronze sculpture stands slightly more than six feet tall on the ground of the auditorium plaza, in the shadow of the abbey and university church. Commissioned by Gene and Mary Frey in honor of their son, Jim Frey, university alumnus and former chair of the university board of regents, this latest addition to the collection of outdoor sculpture at Saint John’s is a labor of love by our Brother David Paul Lange, O.S.B., who was assisted

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Once the clay figure was built but still wet, a team of fabricators from New York constructed molds from which the bronze form was poured and refined. After transforming thousands of pounds of solid clay into the three-sixteenths-inchthick bronze statue, the casting team painted on the patina by hand, as with a painting. “In some ways I was just as surprised as everyone else when the bronze statue was revealed, because the process required a certain degree of detachment,” said Brother David Paul. “I couldn’t be there at Thomas O’Laughlin every step along the by university alumnus Steven way to make the thousand and Lemke. Beginning with pencil one little decisions that go into and computer sketches the two making a bronze sculpture of artists first created the figure this scale. The overall form is using nearly three thousand the same as the clay original, but pounds of Saint John’s clay. The I can tell that someone else has creative method they followed worked on it.” for six months was not typical of sculpture of this scale. They This is not the first time used no maquette (small model), that Brother David Paul has so the whole figure acted as portrayed Benedict as a young both the sketch and the final man. His charcoal drawings of design. They sculpted from the saint and his twin, the young the top down, starting with Scholastica, are displayed in the the head and finishing with the monastery. Unlike most images books and raven on the ground. of Saint Benedict, who is often They worked with solid clay, depicted as a wise patriarch in struggling to keep it from drying his later years, this portrait (like out too quickly and cracking the statue) captures him in his during the process. early years, stirred to follow his calling.

Thomas O’Laughlin

Situated among trees and outdoor tables and chairs of the auditorium plaza, the bronze Benedict turns toward the church banner and bells, “the source of the musical notes that call us to common prayer.” Depicting him in lifesize dimensions and placing him on the ground instead of on a pedestal expresses Brother David Paul’s desire to present Benedict as an accessible figure, someone to whom young people can relate in their formative years. “His height is such that we can look him directly in the face,” he noted. And the gravel base on which he stands echoes the rugged terrain of Subiaco, where for three years the young Benedict lived a life of solitude and prayer in a cave. “He was still struggling to sort out things,” explained David Paul. “Who cannot relate to the experience of searching spiritually, of being uncertain about the future, and needing to trust solely in God?” Benedict’s closed eyes were the last element added to the almost finished clay figure. He

closes his eyes to push away the surrounding distractions. When one “listens with the ear of one’s heart,” as Benedict would later invite his followers to do (Rule, Prol.1), it is the inner urgings of the divine to which one needs to listen and to heed. Brother David Paul chose the location for the home of the young Benedict. “I love the site,” he stated. “The canopy of leaves overhead is just right. And the shade is so inviting on a hot summer day. It definitely

reminds me of Subiaco. Also, I love the fact that people want to touch it. A lot of artwork is never meant to be touched, but bronze lends itself well to human touch and the various textures on him are exciting to experience in person.” The figure of the young monk is surrounded by linden trees, red brick buildings, and people relaxing at nearby tables. Its presence is seen and felt, as if he were a part of the Saint John’s community—among the monks in their daily prayer and tasks; among the students, faculty, and staff in their studies and work. With simple gestures and quiet posture it invites us to follow its example: to pause and listen, to ponder, and perhaps to be transformed.

Brother Simon-Hòa Phan, O.S.B., is an associate professor of art and faculty resident at Saint John’s University.

Thomas O’Laughlin

Top Photo: Blessing and dedication ceremony. Above (l to r): Mary W., Mary F., and Jim Frey, Steve Lemke, Gene Frey, and Brother David Paul Lange join Saint Benedict.

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Top left: The oldest known portrait of Saint Benedict from an eighth-century fresco in the Catacomb of Hermes in Rome. Bottom left: A stencil print by the Japanese artist Sadao Watanabe (1913–1996) commissioned by our Benedictine priory in Japan. Mr. Watanabe also created a print of Saint Scholastica. Though crafted almost thirteen hundred years apart, these two iconic portraits of Saint Benedict display remarkable similarities. Above: Two sculptures by one of Saint John’s founding members, Father Cornelius Wittmann (1828–1921). Rather than carving in a highly realistic manner, the artist employed simple, iconic elements to express the holiness of the twin saints, Benedict and Scholastica, each of whom holds a copy of the Rule. In the 1930s Brother Clement Frischauf (1869–1944), who painted the apse in the Great Hall, the former abbey church, repainted the two figures. They are 21 inches high and reside in the Saint Scholastica chapel in the crypt of the abbey and university church. Opposite page: A lithographic print of Saint Benedict commissioned by Abbot Alexius Edelbrock (1843–1908). In the background of this image of Saint Benedict is an 1881 view of Saint John’s from the east shore of Lake Sagatagan. The stains and discoloration in the image come from years of being framed with pine boards supporting the back of the print.

Prison Ministry

Robert Pierson, O.S.B. I was in prison and you visited me. --Matthew 25:36

hortly after I was ordained a deacon in 1983, Father Omer Maus, O.S.B., who was the Catholic chaplain at the Saint Cloud Reformatory, as it was then called, hosted our Saint Cloud Benedictine Deanery. The meeting included a tour of the prison, and I still remember the sick feeling in my stomach as I heard the large iron gate clang shut behind us. I thought to myself, “I don’t think I could ever do this kind of ministry.” About ten years later a Saint John’s School of Theology student, who was a volunteer for the Sunday Mass at the Stearns County Jail, asked me if I could help that coming Sunday by presiding at their jail Mass. I said, “Yes,” and I have been saying “yes” ever since. I became a regular volunteer at the Stearns County Jail on Sundays along with Father Anthony Ruff, O.S.B. When Father Joel Kelly, O.S.B., was relieved of his full-time chaplain’s position at the Minnesota Correctional Facility–Saint Cloud, as it is now called, I was one of a group of monks asked by Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B., to provide Catholic ministry at the prison on a volunteer basis.

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Each Monday evening a priest from the abbey accompanies a group of volunteers into the prison for Mass with the inmates. We usually have between twenty-five and forty men join us for the liturgy, and that celebration of the Eucharist is often the high point of my week. During the school year students from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University are the volunteers, and several other monks and I preside on a rotating basis. In the summer months the volunteers come from the REC (Residents Encounter Christ) retreat program and also include one or two sisters from Saint Benedict’s Monastery. Because there is no one else to play the piano when the students are gone, I have the privilege of helping lead the

music at the keyboard, assisted by one or two song leaders. I am often reminded of Father Daniel Durken’s comment about our liturgies: “They sing like a bunch of Lutherans!” And yes, they do!—especially when we sing one of their favorites, such as “Amazing Grace” or “How Great Thou Art.” The monks who currently provide pastoral ministry at the prison in Saint Cloud include Fathers Mark Thamert, John Meoska, J. P. Earls, Ian Dommer, and Nathanael Hauser, and Brother Joseph Schneeweis, who also serves as the coordinator of Saint John’s Prison Ministry Program. Other Benedictines who have been involved over the years but are no longer active include Fathers Daniel Durken, Jerome Tupa, and the late Patrick McDarby.

Father Robert Pierson

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One reason this ministry is so rewarding is we know that those who are sitting in front of us really need to hear the Good News about God’s love and mercy for them. We can tell when the words of a homily or the lyrics of a hymn touch their hearts. Sometimes we also get the chance to know the men more personally when they ask to talk to us on an individual basis for confession, for example. Many times I have thought, “If I had grown up in as difficult a family situation as they have, I might be here, too.” We learn early on that the inmates are real people just like all the rest of us; only they made mistakes and got caught. After helping at the Stearns County Jail for a couple of years, I was invited to get involved with the REC program. Residents Encounter

Christ is a two-day retreat in a correctional facility, sponsored by the Diocese of Saint Cloud, and conducted by a group of about fifty trained volunteers from central Minnesota. I have assisted with REC retreats at the prison in Saint Cloud and at the Stearns County, Benton County, and Morrison County jails. The retreat is based on another program— TEC (Together Encountering Christ)—which began as a very popular youth ministry program in dioceses around the country. The basic theme of the retreat is the paschal mystery—the dying and rising of Christ. I do not know of any other program that is so effective in presenting the gospel message in a form that is readily accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. It really works well in prisons and jails. On every weekend we witness people’s lives being changed. What a privilege!

Of course, as with any ministry, there are ups and downs. It is very disheartening, for example, to see someone return to jail or prison after having been released. Sometimes the changes that take place in prison are permanent, but sometimes they aren’t. When these people go home to the situations that may have contributed to their being in prison in the first place, they do not always succeed, especially the first time. But when they do succeed, thanks be to God! After almost twenty years in prison and jail ministry, I am not sorry that I said yes to God’s call. “Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me” (Matt 25:40).

Father Robert Pierson, O.S.B., is guestmaster and director of the Saint John’s Abbey Spiritual Life Program.

Small Group Retreats at Saint John’s 7–9 December 2012: Advent Weekend Retreat with Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

February 2013: Lenten Weekend Retreat with Father Joseph Feders, O.S.B.

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The retreat begins with supper at 6:00 P.M. on Friday and concludes following lunch on Sunday. Cost: Single room, $190; double room, $320 ($160 per person); meals included. Register online at www.abbeyguesthouse.org; or call: 320.363.3929.

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Prisoners of the WarStorm: Forest Stewardship Weathering

headache until he could get some food.

Kathleen Hughes, R.S.C.J.

or several years during World War II Father Godfrey Diekmann, O.S.B., served as a chaplain for prisoners of war, first for Italians and later for German soldiers. Italians captured in North Africa had been incarcerated in camps near Princeton, Minnesota. Every Sunday Father Godfrey celebrated Mass for them and delighted to converse with them in Italian. A large number, as he recalls, had relatives in the United States, but they were only vaguely aware of their whereabouts—“New York,” for example, but whether city or state they did not know. Godfrey became a “one man Red Cross,” writing scores of letters to Italian parishes around the country, helping to identify and contact relatives. A good number of grateful Italian soldiers stayed in touch with him when the war was over.

A less rewarding assignment was that of chaplain to the German prisoners of war held in four different camps in northern Minnesota. Each weekend Godfrey would take a bus as far as Ball Club (170 miles), where an old Chevy was available for his use. Godfrey was a notoriously bad driver who had almost killed Abbot Alcuin Deutsch, O.S.B., and himself in a snowstorm and has subsequently

Abbey archives

Father Godfrey and Italian prisoners of war.

driven only under duress. In this instance duty called. From Ball Club he drove great distances on back roads and logging trails, getting stuck, praying to Saint Anthony, moving on, trying to make it to at least three of the four camps each Sunday. The laws of the Eucharistic fast were very strict in those days. It was after 4 P.M. on Sunday before he was able to break his fast. As an auxiliary military chaplain, he wrote to the Military Ordinariate requesting permission to drink water during the long Sunday fast—which permission was refused! Looking back, Godfrey muses, “And like a damn fool I complied!” Sunday after Sunday he had a fierce, constant

Unlike the Italians, who flocked to Mass, the young Germans had been completely indoctrinated and remained Nazis to their fingertips. They were forbidden by their officers to have anything to do with outsiders. When Godfrey arrived at a camp, one of the higher officers would attach himself to Godfrey so that there would be no chance for anyone to go to confession. In two years’ time only five or six men were able to sneak to confession, and twelve to fifteen men assembled for Mass on any Sunday. Once Godfrey asked a lieutenant how it was possible for these young men to remain so staunchly loyal to Hitler. He was informed, “They have to believe in someone.” These trips were hard, the work discouraging. Late Sunday night a bus deposited Godfrey about a mile and a half from the monastery, and he would hike back to Saint John’s between one and two in the morning, having covered about five hundred miles in the course of the weekend. Sister Kathleen Hughes, R.S.C.J., a former resident scholar of the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research, interviewed Father Godfrey in preparation for writing The Monk’s Tale: A Biography of Godfrey Diekmann, O.S.B.

Excerpted from The Monk’s Tale: A Biography of Godfrey Diekmann, O.S.B. (pages 141–143), copyright © 1991 by the Order of Saint Benedict. Published by Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota. Reprinted with permission.

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Ministry in Japan

Roman Paur, O.S.B.

hen Father Edward Vebelun, O.S.B., decided to take some time off for discernment of his vocation, I was asked to return to Trinity Benedictine Monastery and resume my duties. We are grateful for the blessings of Father Edward’s dozen years of service in Japan; we miss and pray for him. I’ve now unpacked my bags and will be here a while longer. We are delighted that Father William Skudlarek, O.S.B.—with his cello!—has rejoined our community, even as he continues his commitments with Monastic Interreligious Dialogue in Rome and around the world. Previously Father William served our community during the transitional years from Tokyo to Fujimi. His accomplished language skills in both Japanese and Portuguese will be strong

Trinity Benedictine archives

Prior Roman Paur blesses new oblates at Trinity Benedictine Monastery.

assets in our pastoral ministry and retreat program. One junior monk, Brother Toshihisa Francisco Shimose, completed his fifth semester at Saint Francis Seminary, Tokyo. Another junior, Brother Hong Ching Andrew Lam, finished his master’s degree in monastic studies at the Jesuit Sophia University, Tokyo. Both confreres have returned to Fujimi to participate fully in the community life and formation program.

Imperial Visit On the afternoon of 26 July, to joyous bell ringing, Her Imperial Majesty the Empress of Japan graced Our Lady of Nasu Monastery with a visit. After meeting current abbess Mother Angela, former abbess Mother Agnes, and Sister Francha, who knew the empress as a student at the University of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo, Empress Michiko joined the sisters in the chapel of the Trappist community for prayer. She was then greeted with great applause in the chapter room where the sisters and chaplain Father Tony Gorman, O.S.B., were assembled. The sisters shared music in Japanese and Vietnamese, and the empress joined the sisters in singing most of the pieces. The afternoon visit concluded with tea, after which Father Tony remarked to the empress in Japanese, “Today was very enjoyable.” The empress responded in perfect English: “Remember us in your prayers.”

Our other juniors, Brothers Shuuta Maximillian Oka and Liting John Chrysostom (JC) Long, enjoyed their visits to Saint John’s Abbey where they were able to become more grounded in our monastery’s founding history and meet their Minnesota confreres. We were also honored by the spring visit of Brother JC’s mother, who came at considerable sacrifice to visit her son and learn more about our Catholic Benedictine monastic tradition. Our community now includes four Japanese men, two from Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China, and four Americans. Our senior monk, Father Thomas Wahl, after celebrating his diamond jubilee of monastic profession in Collegeville, continues to be active with weekend parish ministry, vegetable gardening, and culinary surprises. Father Roman Paur, O.S.B., is the prior of Trinity Benedictine Monastery in Fujimi, Japan.

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RunningChanges the Path ofThings Life Prayer

Roger Schoenbechler, O.S.B.

ne thing about prayer is certain: one learns to pray by praying. We can read books and listen to homilies and lectures on prayer; we can have discussions on prayer, and these are helpful. But we shall never really know what it means to pray until we have repeatedly made new and daily beginnings at prayer itself. We should not mind how clumsy our attempts at prayer may seem to ourselves. Just start praying, no matter how ragged the thoughts or words and phrases may be. One does not go into the business of prayer as one sets about producing a fine piece of writing or a work of art or craftsmanship. Beautiful things are for our pleasure, admiration, and use. If we can make our prayer beautiful, well and good. But prayer for me was usually an uplifting personal experience. As a young boy I was constantly thrilled, and still am, by the vast prairies of North Dakota with the hot sun and blowing winds in the summer, infrequent rains and occasional downpours with the accompanying thunder and lightning, wild winter blizzards and sub-zero temperatures, colorful sunsets, the bright stars at night, and the clean, fresh, unpolluted air. I had no difficulty in turning from these rugged beauties of nature to God, their creator. Prayer was Edited and excerpted from Symposium Two: On Private Prayer (May 1971) by the members of Saint John’s Abbey.

Alan Reed, O.S.B.

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a joyful contemplation and admiration of God’s greatness and majesty, God’s justice and mercy, God’s goodness and divine concern for us. Presence of God. In prayer, I think of where I stand in relation to God and to others, also in relation to the material things around me. I think of what God means to me, what my fellow humans mean to me, and what I should mean to them. I also think of the things around me and how I am to use them as gifts of God. The spirit of prayer depends not only on our being aware of God’s presence everywhere, but also on our being aware of the people around us. We are not alone on this earth as isolated individuals. An old proverb says: “All are brothers and sisters, and God is our Father.” This is the spirit in which we should pray, the spirit of the Lord’s own prayer as he gave it to the apostles. True Christians, living in the presence of God and their neighbors, will therefore have a certain zest for life and enthusiasm in living for God and others. Enthusiasm is a word that means “full of God.” That is what prayer does to a person. Reflection and Recollection. Prayer is basically religious reflection and recollection. Once we have this spirit of prayerful reflection, it will seek to break out into words or song or bodily movements, the playing of instruments and the like. It will express itself in joy in our work, in peace and harmony with others. Then our words,

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

our singing, dancing, or playing of instruments will take on a real meaning, expressing the spirit of prayer within us. Periods of silence, listening to the Word of God, applying the Word of God to our lives, are therefore essential to bring about the spirit of prayerful recollection. Prayer and Life. Learning to pray is the task of a lifetime, something we continue to pursue all the days of our life. That is, we should be learning through the years how to pray better. Prayer is certainly not to be engaged in only on occasion, as our mood prompts us. Prayer should be continuous, part and parcel with the daily flow of life within us. It enters into the very heart of our being as Christians. Prayer Changes Things! Willingness to serve others, even at the cost of great sacrifice, is necessary for prayer, because God does not accept the prayer of one who hates or willfully ignores others. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those

who trespass against us” (Matt 6:12). “And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your failings too” (Mark 11:25). Prayer changes things. Prayer changes us. It will change our lives if we really mean what we say about forgiving others, about depending on God and trusting in God. It will change our lives if we mean what we say about loving God and loving our neighbor, about helping others in need, about respecting the rights of others, about promoting peace and justice and the spirit of unity and cooperation. Yes, prayer changes things!

During his sixty-four years of monastic life Father Roger Schoenbechler, O.S.B. (1900–1986), was a Latin scholar, chaplain, publisher of scriptural and devotional works, and translator of hymns and psalmody.

Conversing with God Prayer is simply a conversing with God, a lifting up of mind and heart to God. Prayer must have the qualities of any sincere and friendly conversation. In order to carry on a conversation with others we must be on friendly terms, believe in each other and trust each other. So it is with prayer. We must have faith in God, trust that God will do what has been promised, and love God by being ready to do God’s will and serve others, since “we are all children of the same God.” --Roger Schoenbechler,

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O.S.B.

Revolutionary Heart

Matthew Palmquist Let us open our eyes to the deifying light, let us hear with attentive ears the warning which the divine voice cries daily to us, “Today if you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.” --Rule of Benedict, Prol.9-10

uring these first months since I left Collegeville, out there “on the edge of the prairie,” I have been struggling to adjust to the world of my new daily life. Initially I kept thinking that my friends and I would simply return from our summer adventures for another year of laughter, late night conversations, long walks through thick woods, bottomless cups of coffee, and endless stacks of papers. But that didn’t happen. It is September, and I’m not at Saint John’s.

But Saint John’s is in me. I realize now that to be truly Benedictine is to be a revolutionary at heart. To be Benedictine means fighting against the mundane, and sucking the marrow from the bone. The Benedictine way challenged me to ask difficult questions, to think critically, to challenge myself, and especially to grow physically, emotionally, spiritually, and communally. To be Benedictine is to possess the antidote that cures the Professional Sick Man or Woman. For me the true challenge has come outside of and after school, where I am encountering a world whose streets have no concept of Benedictine values. Now, more than ever, I hold on to those revolutionary ideas and ideals of the Benedictine way, to guide and remind me of the values I learned at Saint John’s.

These ideals give me purpose, and they give me strength. I carry them with me like some secret antidote, like a hidden light in the darkness that calms my nerves and helps me to face the uncertainties of life. Each morning when I wake up to the church bells across the street, or am moved by the hues of a rusty sunset, or breathe deeply of the air in a pine forest and smell the rotting humus beneath my boots, or hear the chickadees, I am reminded of that place and of those people and of those ideas, and I feel once again at peace with myself and the world. And so I walk on with a quiet, happy disposition and with the confidence to say: I got my money’s worth at Saint John’s! Mr. Matthew Palmquist graduated in May from Saint John’s University with distinction in Hispanic studies.

John-Bede Pauley, O.S.B.

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Abbey Chronicle

New University President March 2012 Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B., nominated and the Saint John’s University Board of Regents elected Dr. Michael Hemesath president of Saint John’s University, effective 1 July. Dr. Hemesath, a Saint John’s alumnus, previously served as professor of economics at Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota. He is the thirteenth president of the university, succeeding Father Robert Koopmann, O.S.B., and will be inaugurated on 20 October. On 28

Steve Voit

on the Gemini Lakes, and for perhaps the first time in a century, trumpeter swans nested at Saint John’s and added three cygnets to the local population. The dog days of August arrived a month early; the Fourth of July was oppressively hot and humid. July dew points in the upper 70s made indoor prayer uncomfortable, and outdoor work dangerous.

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

nseasonably warm weather and abundant rains throughout April and May hastened the arrival of spring, budding trees, and flowers. Fragrant lilacs that normally celebrate Mother’s Day or Memorial Day were in full bloom before the end of April. Hail, the size of golf balls, pelted Collegeville on Memorial Day, and might be the reason that two loon chicks, offspring of Big John, were not sighted after May. Several pairs of Canada geese hatched large families

Cool Canadian air in August announced another change in seasons—but which season? A couple of flowering crabapple trees and a magnolia were blossoming again! Unambiguous are the sounds of students settling into dorms and the first hints of orange and red maple leaves in the woods, confirming that summer has rushed by us. April 2012 • Abbot John Klassen led the monastic community in

the solemn celebration of the Triduum liturgies on 5–7 April. Prior Tom Andert and Father Jerome Tupa presided at the Easter Sunday liturgy for the Saint John the Baptist Parish and monastic community. On Easter Monday two hundred employees and other members of the local community gathered for a midday Eucharist, followed by lunch in the Great Hall. One employee observed: “This is why I work at Saint John’s; this would not happen anyplace else.” • Four university undergraduates —freshman Christopher J. Heitzig, sophomore Andrew M. Hovel, junior Carlos J. Dabu, and senior William R. Newkirk— were honored with the Caritas Award “Man of Extraordinary Service” on 13 April. Sponsored by the university campus ministry office and Saint John’s Abbey, with funding from an anonymous

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donor, the award recognizes Saint John’s students who are actively involved in service organizations, student activities, and academic service. Each honoree receives a $500 award for a volunteer organization of his choice. • Competing with ninety participants, many of them college athletes, Brothers Daniel Morgan, Nickolas Kleespie, and Lew Grobe took first-place honors in the Banana Swama Bike O’Rana—Fruit at the Finish Triathlon (the course was only slightly longer than the name of the contest) on 28 April. The team posted the fastest time of 1:06:52 (Dan, swimming .75K in 10:43; Lew, biking 22K in 39:15; and Nick, running 5K in 16:54). Alas, their winning times did not qualify them for the London Olympics. June 2012 • The monastic community celebrated the milestone

NCYC

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The National Catholic Youth Choir (NCYC) graced a number of liturgies at Saint John’s with a repertoire that ranges from medieval Gregorian chant to twenty-first-century music. For the past twelve years founding program director Father Anthony Ruff has sought to implement the directive of Vatican Council II that the “treasury of sacred music” be preserved and fostered in the modern liturgy. This year’s choir, conducted by Dr. Axel Theimer, included thirteen boys and twenty-one girls from fifteen states who also presented concerts during a tour of parishes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. anniversaries of several confreres in June. Fathers Barnabas Laubach and Don Talafous were ordained sixty years ago. Fathers Rene McGraw, Simeon Thole, Allan Bouley, and Henry Bryan Beaumont Hays were ordained fifty years ago. • Father Mark Thamert was appointed director of the Benedictine Institute of Saint John’s University, effective 1 January

2013, succeeding

Father Hilary Thimmesh who has served in that role since July 2009. The Benedictine Institute was established by the university’s board of regents in 2008 to honor the late Brother Dietrich Reinhart who had envisioned, during his last days as president, an organization to strengthen the Catholic, Benedictine character of the university.

On 21 May the campus community celebrated the culmination of eight years of prayer, study, and negotiations resulting in the reorganization of Saint John’s University as a civil corporation. During a prayer service and missioning ceremony Abbot John (left), board chair Ms. Ann Huntrods, and university president Father Robert Koopmann signed the Sustaining Agreement in which the abbey and university pledge their ongoing commitment to each other. A festive meal followed, during which the new university trustees presented a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible to the monastic community.

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Paul Middlestaedt

• For two and onequarter hours on the morning of 26 June Abbot John (right) and university president Father Bob Koopmann signed twelve copies of fiftyseven documents, representing all the agreements between the monastery and university in the new corporate structure that came into effect on 1 July. July 2012 • Oblate director Father Don Tauscher welcomed seventyfive oblates of Saint Benedict to their annual retreat on 13–15 July. Highlights of the weekend included four spiritual conferences by Father Robert Pierson on “the wideness in God’s mercy” in which he shared insights and experiences of coming to a deeper understanding of God’s love and mercy through his reflection on gospel passages. Pat DeGroot, Heidi Joos, Tom Keul, Jan Robitscher, and Helen Wang made their final oblation promises at Saint John’s while Elizabeth Liew made a “long distance” commitment in Malaysia. Seven new candidates were also enrolled during the retreat. • Last year during their annual service inspection of weather instruments at Saint John’s,

August 2012

Patti Epsky

representatives of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recommended that Saint John’s move to a digital system. (The monks of Saint John’s Abbey have been collecting weather data since October 1892.) A twometer pole with a temperature hive was recently added to the backyard of the monastery. A Nimbus thermometer remembers the highs and lows for the last thirty-five days and records the times they occurred. Primary observer Brother Neal Laloo, with assistance from Brothers John Brudney, Eric Pohlman, and Isaiah Frederick, records the data and shares it with the University of Minnesota climatology department, various departments at Saint John’s, and with NOAA. The biggest challenge this summer was to keep confused monks, who mistake the mechanism for a bird feeder, from filling it with sunflower seeds.

• Some confreres see things that no one else can see, so initial reports of a black bear on campus were met with smiles and polite nods. But when Brother Paul Fitt and Fathers George Wolf and Don Talafous all claimed, soberly, to have seen a bear, the community took note. Arboretum staff members and life safety officers have confirmed that a young black bear has been exploring the woods and even the monastic gardens. • Rarely seen because of their nocturnal lifestyle, southern flying squirrels have been observed in the Saint John’s woods. Two undergraduates have been working with biology instructor Kristina Timmerman as part of a summer research project of the chipmunk-size creatures, which do not actually fly but glide twenty to thirty feet between trees. Seven females and four males were trapped on the east side of Lake Sagatagan in a 300-square-meter plot, suggesting that there may be thousands of flying squirrels at Saint John’s!

Glaucomys volans

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Fifty Years Ago

Excerpted from The Record, official newspaper of Saint John’s University: 11 May 1962 • On 13–14 May the Johnny Players will present T. S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral. The production is the final program in the special series “Worship and the Arts in Christian Tradition” which has been presented in commemoration of the consecration of the new abbey church. The play, directed by Father Dominic Keller, is essentially an imitation of the passion of Christ written in the classical form of Greek tragedy. 25 May 1962 • A recording of the monastic choir singing Gregorian chants for the feast of Corpus Christi has just been released and is now available at Liturgical Press. This is the first recording of the monastic choir in the new church. 29 June 1962 • Senior Bob Gavin, co-captain of the 1961 Johnny football squad, was awarded the first Father Adelard trophy. This was the first annual award in honor of the late Father Adelard Thuente who died in April. It will be presented to the most outstanding senior Johnny athlete in the area of academics, character, and athletic ability. 24 August 1962 • The Saint John’s University Men’s Chorus, directed by Gerhard Track, climaxed a 22-concert tour of Western

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Europe this summer by being named “best of the Eisteddfod” at the International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales. In appraising the chorus’ performance, adjudicator Felix de Nobel of the Netherlands stated, “They made the music glitter and sparkle.” When the chorus was named “best of the Eisteddfod,” there was a standing ovation The dozen clerics who conduct tours of Saint John’s Abbey and University Church get a lot of mail. It’s been that way since 24 August 1961 when the church was consecrated. Father Gordon Tavis has scheduled reservations that include: Minneapolis Art Association, Waverly Grade School, eight Brazilian farmers, thirty servers from Saint Timothy’s, Moorhead Trinity Lutheran group, Phi Delta Kappa from the University of Minnesota, Northwestern Lutheran Seminary, Saint Ann’s Girl Scouts, twenty-four officials of the German government. For the theologians who act as shepherds to these visiting groups and families, the experiences have been variously amusing, alarming, and enlightening. Adapting the language of the theology seminar to the parlance of the Ogilvie Hobby Club was one of the challenges. Among the responses to the tours: • From a Lutheran minister, who drew out pad and pencil to record the explanation of the relationship of altar to lectern—

from the audience of more than persons.

10,000

• The third annual Scriptural Institute, directed by Father Alberic Culhane, opened on 6 August. The speakers included Father Raymond E. Brown, S.S.; Father Carroll Stuhlmueller, C.P.; and Father Louis Bouyer.

of Word incarnate to word— “Someday I want to build a church.” • One woman called the church “a huge, overbearing hunk of concrete.” • A fifth grader recognized the greenery near the baptismal font as a “return to the garden of paradise through baptismal water.” • Responding to the absence of statues in the main church, a minister exclaimed: “Calvin would buy this.” • A letter from a group of nuns paid the church its most integral compliment: “As soon as we entered, we felt like praying.”

The Record archives

About the same time that Life magazine (27 July 1962) included the Saint John’s church in its list of “spectacular feats” and “startling structures,” a fifth grader from Saint Therese’s School, Saint Paul, interpreted the north façade in this hand drawing.

Monks in the Kitchen

Bahamian Adventure Ælred Senna, O.S.B.

ow! Where to start? That was my question when I first saw the kitchen at the former Saint Augustine’s Monastery, in Nassau, The Bahamas, this past May. Though Saint John’s monks served in The Bahamas for more than a century, this kitchen had been little used since the last monks returned to Collegeville in 2006. The Saint John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps is establishing a new presence at Saint Augustine’s this fall (see article on pages 10–11). My job in May was to feed the fifteen volunteers, three monks, and two local, livein caretakers while we did some renovation work. That’s twenty men to feed (fifteen of them recent college grads) for ten days in a foreign country, from a kitchen that was limping along with a few mismatched pots and pans, and nothing in the pantry! So, where to start? Two of the Benedictine volunteers were assigned to help in the kitchen each day. As we worked to keep up with the meal schedule, we used what we had for cooking equipment, borrowing a few things from the nearby retreat center. We learned to shop wisely—for example, we didn’t buy center-cut pork chops when those with bones were $2 cheaper per pound! And, we

ate well—lots of banana bread, pasta salads, pork and beans, turkey and dressing, steamed snapper, stews made with local ingredients such as cassava and malanga, citrus cakes, and more. We even invited the nearby community of sisters over for brunch one Sunday. Some of our favorite dishes were the old standbys, such as potato salad and deviled eggs. (My deviled egg recipe, right, has been a favorite in my family for ages— tried, true, always well received!)

Old-Fashioned Deviled Eggs

In the end, everything turned out well. We prepared 491 meals and spent less than $10 per day per person. Given the price of food in The Bahamas, this could be considered something of a miracle. I definitely attribute it to the watchful guidance of the Holy Spirit!

Combine yolks with remaining ingredients (except paprika) and mix well to smash the yolks smooth. Spoon or pipe yolk mixture onto reserved egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika (or cayenne) to garnish. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

• 12 hard-boiled eggs • 7 T. mayonnaise • 2 ½ T. sweet relish • 2 t. yellow mustard • Salt & pepper to taste • Paprika (or cayenne pepper for a little kick!) Peel the eggs carefully. (It’s easiest to do while they’re still warm—to avoid leaving any pock marks in the whites.) Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and remove the yolks to a small bowl. Reserve whites on a serving platter.

Brother Ælred Senna, O.S.B., is the vocation director of Saint John’s Abbey.

Renovation zone: Saint Augustine’s Monastery kitchen.

Ælred Senna, O.S.B.

Abbey Banner Fall 2012

In Memoriam Please join the monastic community in prayerful remembrance of our recently deceased family and friends: Kenneth C. “Ken” Beach, Jr.

Matthew McSorley, O.S.B.

Daniel C. Vickerman, Sr.

Mary Carol Beirne

Everista Mitchell

Thomas J. Walsh, Jr.

Gilbert Burke, O.S.B.

Abbot Patrick Moore, O.S.B.

Mildred A. “Milly” Waltman

Ann Burns

S. Terence Nehl, O.S.B.

Janet Wenninger

Mayrellen Hanson Dahlke

Urban A. Notsch

James A. Wheeler

Lawrence J. “Larry” Dreis

Margaret O’Gara

Elizabeth A. “Bette” Young

Michael J. Ford

Donald F. Orth

Judi Ann Young

Thomas A. Foster

Thomas J. Patella, Jr.

Gerald J. Gelbmann

Ruth Pohlman

Adam Gott

James J. “Jim” Primus

Charles Henry, O.S.B.

Franklin J. Ross

John N. Janey

Loretta Ryan

Verna Koehn

John Scott, O.S.B.

Mary Lou Kuisle

Irene M. Selinski

Benjamin Laloo

Joseph M. Stang, Jr.

John P. Larson

James Stolpa

Al Leighton

Robert Studer

Jeanne Marie Lortie, O.S.B.

Laurence C. Supalla

Mary Ellen Machtemes, O.S.B.

Robert Swenson

Albert Marflak, O.S.B.

Eugene M. Thelen

Nancy McDarby

Columban Trojan, O.S.B.

Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones. --PSALM 116:15

Charles Henry Born on 23 March 1923, Father Charles (William) Henry, O.S.B., enrolled at Saint John’s University in 1941 but left college to serve in the Army Air Force during World War II. He resumed his academic studies at Saint John’s in 1946, entered the abbey’s novitiate in July 1947, and professed his first vows as a Benedictine monk a year later. After completing theological studies in Rome, he

was ordained to the priesthood in 1953. he continued his studies at The Catholic University of America, receiving a doctorate in canon law. In 1957 Father Charles was sent to Saint Maur’s Priory, a foundation of Saint John’s, in Kentucky; he continued teaching at its seminary until it closed in 1975. After completing clinical pastoral education, he served

as a hospital chaplain from Father Charles later transferred to Newark Abbey in New Jersey; with the blessing of that community, he returned to his native Saint Cloud several years ago and served at the St. Cloud Hospital.

1976–2002.

Father Charles died in the Saint John’s retirement center on 17 June and was buried in the abbey cemetery.

From Sadness to Service Timothy Backous, O.S.B. “Minneapolis Market” is a rather ordinary name for an extraordinary place. The brainchild of Saint John’s University alumnus Kurt Vickman, it is a food shelf with a twist that I’ll get to in a moment.

Look to your sadness to find your passion.

Kurt’s service of the poor grew from a deeply felt sadness and from a determination to act on that sadness—a technique that he says we can all use to find our true passions in life. He shared his insights with the confirmation class of Saint John’s Preparatory School, asking the students what makes them sad in the depths of their hearts. Once they identified it, he challenged them to think about possibilities for addressing it. In his own heart Kurt felt sadness about poverty and especially hunger. Why, he thought, should people go without food when we live with such abundance? He felt called to help feed the hungry. He began visiting food shelves to discover how they work and who uses them. How is food donated? How often can a person return for more food? The lack of dignity for the customers particularly bothered him. Most were given pre-assembled boxes with recognizable staples; he wondered, “Are they actually getting the food they want or need?” This provides the twist in Kurt’s vision. The Minneapolis Market resembles a much smaller Costco or Sam’s Club. Customers receive a photo I.D. and pass that is loaded with points. After swiping their card, they take a shopping cart and select food, as in a real supermarket. This allows each customer, not the food-shelf staff, to decide what to take home. Kurt finds that this process promotes respect for the person’s or family’s needs, and dignity in the face of searing disappointment and embarrassment. It allows those who would shy away from the shame of food shelves to seek the help they need. Each item in the store represents points, and each family is sponsored by individuals or organizations for a month or year, depending on the size of the donation. Kurt hopes to provide opportunities for card holders to earn points themselves. For now the Market relies on individual gifts that Kurt uses to put cards into the hands of the most needy. (Our confirmation class is sponsoring a family of four for one year.) Kurt’s efforts are inspiring! His advice to our preps was remarkably insightful: look to your sadness to find your passion. He has brought hope to a small neighborhood in south Minneapolis. What, do you suppose, your sadness could accomplish? Father Timothy Backous, O.S.B., is headmaster of Saint John’s Preparatory School.

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Fall 2012

Volume 12, Number 2

4 This Issue Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

14 Saint Benedict Simon-Hòa Phan, O.S.B.

24 Revolutionary Heart Matthew Palmquist

5 Reading and Learning Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

16 Saint Benedict in Art Alan Reed, O.S.B.

6 Monastic Profession

18 Prison Ministry Robert Pierson, O.S.B.

25 Abbey Chronicle and Fifty Years Ago Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

9 Youth in Theology and Ministry Daniel Morgan, O.S.B.

20 Prisoners of War Kathleen Hughes, R.S.C.J.

10 Benedictine Volunteer Corps Benjamin DeMarais Paul Richards, O.S.B.

21 Ministry in Japan Roman Paur, O.S.B.

12 Woodland Stewards Molly Roske

22 Prayer Changes Things Roger Schoenbechler, O.S.B.

29 Monks in the Kitchen: Bahamian Adventure Ælred Senna, O.S.B. 30 In Memoriam Obituary: Charles Henry 31 From Sadness to Service Timothy Backous, O.S.B.

Benedictine Days of Prayer 19 October 2012: 16 November 2012: 18 January 2013:

Hearing the Word of God: Jesus heals the deaf. What about death? I feel deathless. The conversion of Saint Paul.

The day begins at 7:00 A.M. with Morning Prayer and concludes about 3:30 P.M. Cost: $50, which includes retreat materials, breakfast, and lunch. Rooms are available in the abbey guesthouse for an overnight stay the night before. Register online at www.abbeyguesthouse.org; or call: 320. 363.3929.