Abbey Banner - Fall 2017

Abbey Banner Fall 2017

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How awesome is this place!

This is none other than the house of God and the gateway of heaven.

Paul Middlestaedt

Genesis 28:17

Title of Article This Issue

Abbey Banner Magazine of Saint John’s Abbey Fall 2017 Volume 17, number 2 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. Abbey archivist: David Klingeman, O.S.B. University archivists: Peggy Roske, Elizabeth Knuth Design: Alan Reed, O.S.B. Circulation: Ruth Athmann, Judy Bednar, Jan Jahnke, Beth Lensing, Cathy Wieme Printed by Palmer Printing Copyright © 2017 by Order of Saint Benedict Saint John’s Abbey Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-2015 abbeybanner@csbsju.edu saintjohnsabbey.org/banner/ ISSN: 2330-6181 (print) ISSN: 2332-2489 (online)

Change of address: Ruth Athmann P. O. Box 7222 Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7222 rathmann@csbsju.edu Phone: 800.635.7303

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n 25 June 2017 Saint John’s Abbey and University presented our Pax Christi Award to three of the most significant liturgical composers of the past century: Mr. David Haas, Mr. Marty Haugen, and Father J. Michael Joncas. Anyone even moderately familiar with music in the Catholic liturgical environment is aware of the work of each of these three composers. However, most of us are unaware of how broadly their work has made its way into the musical repertoire of congregations of all Christian churches.

This issue of Abbey Banner explores a few of the many facets of Benedictine education, learning, and scholarship. Since the mid-1800s, Saint John’s monks have been educators. Only months after settling on the shores of the Mississippi, our founders established schools for the immigrant population. Father Cornelius Wittmann (1828−1921) is credited with opening the first school— for twenty-five girls and boys—in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, in December 1856.

According to the superintendent of schools in Stearns County: “It was a free school in the fullest sense of the word, for no tuition was asked, and the teacher received no pay!” In 1857 the territorial legislature of Minnesota granted a charter for Saint John’s Seminary. It would grow into today’s Saint John’s Preparatory School, Saint John’s University, and Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary. Abbot John Klassen outlines the theory and meaning of Catholic, Benedictine education. Ms. Eleanna Maria Melcher reflects on her personal experience of Benedictine training. Brother Aidan Putnam introduces us to a renowned Benedictine student and scholar: Saint Bede the Venerable.

Throughout our history, the monastic community has collaborated with others in the service of the Church. Friends, neighbors, and students of Saint John’s have generously assisted in our mission and vision: supporting our apostolates and vital ministries, practicing environmental stewardship, and serving the poor and under-resourced. Father Roman Paur celebrates the dozens of abbey volunteers who do “lots of things.” Brother Paul Richards celebrates the service of the Benedictine Volunteer Corps, now in its fifteenth year. Father Geoffrey Fecht, on behalf of our entire community, celebrates the thousands who support the abbey and its ministries through their time, talent, and treasure.

Since 1963 Saint John’s Abbey and University have formally recognized those whose work and creativity have furthered the Benedictine heritage, bestowing on them our highest honor, the Pax Christi Award. More than sixty men and women, whose lives “exemplify Benedictine ideals,” have been so honored.

Abbot John and Brother Aaron Raverty sing the praises of the most recent additions to this august company: Mr. David Haas, Mr. Marty Haugen, and Father J. Michael Joncas.

Cover: Luke Ekelund, Benedictine Volunteer 2009, with friends in Esquipulas, Guatemala

We also honor our monastic jubilarians and a newly ordained confrere, meet a monk from Philadelphia, hear the graced reflections of a confrere’s last days, and more.

Photo: BVC archives

The staff of Abbey Banner joins Abbot John and our confreres in extending prayerful best wishes to all our readers for ever deepening insights and wisdom—the lessons of pupils in the school of the Lord’s service. Peace!

Brother Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

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Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

If you are willing to listen, you can learn; if you pay attention, you can be instructed. Sirach 6:33

The woods and wetlands that constitute the Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum help define Saint John’s unique “sense of place.” Following the death of our confrere and land manager Father Paul Schwietz in 2000, Mr. Tom Kroll has shouldered the responsibilities of land manager and environmental education coordinator.

Mr. Ryan Kutter offers a valedictory on the occasion of Tom’s retirement.

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A Grand Day for Singing

As President Michael Hemesath and I wrote in the letter of nomination: “You have generously offered your musical talents and contributed greatly to the ‘full, conscious, and active participation’ of the people of God in the liturgy as called for by the Second Vatican Council. Your compositions are sung by congregations and choirs and ensembles around the world, across a wide variety of Christian traditions.”

Abbey archives

Each of these composers, in his own way, attends to issues of justice and peace, and weaves them into his texts and music. Each of these writers is skilled in drawing on the rich resources of Scripture for its expression of faith in God, and how we are to stand with those who need our help. Our Father Virgil Michel, O.S.B., working in the 1920s and 30s, was a strong voice for the integration of liturgy and social justice, recognizing that we take our prayer as Church into a world that is filled with voices contrary to the Gospel. In the face of these voices, we need to find ways to make the Gospel real, especially for those who are most vulnerable.

Prior to the award ceremony, our community Mass was well attended, including guests invited for the presentation, as well as family members of the National Catholic Youth Choir (NCYC), and university graduates who were back for the reunion weekend. The Mass featured music composed by the awardees, as well as the talented voices of the NCYC, The St. John’s Boys’ Choir, and our abbey schola.

The award presentation featured a musical response by Mr. Haugen, Mr. Haas, and Father Joncas. Of all the Pax Christi Award presentations in which I have participated, this was by far the most moving.

Thanks to Father Anthony Ruff, O.S.B., who conceived the idea for this presentation and was strategically involved in the planning of the day. All of us who were able to be present knew that we had been part of something very special! Our spirits were indeed “uplifted with the knowledge that ‘all are welcome in this place,’ that ‘we are called to walk humbly with God,’ and that we are ‘raised on eagle’s wings.’”

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Monastic Jubilees

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uring a festive Eucharist on 11 July, Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B., and the monks of Saint John Abbey observed the feast of Saint Benedict with glad celebration as they honored our confreres on the occasion of their twenty-fifth, fiftieth, sixtieth, or seventieth anniversaries. “As we come to know ourselves, our need for redemption, we also come to know the blessing of forgiveness and the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” noted Abbot John. “Today we celebrate monastic vocation lived in each one of our jubilarians,” he continued, as each renewed his vows.

Father Don Talafous

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

Platinum Jubilarian Seventy years ago Father Don Talafous, O.S.B., professed his first vows as a Benedictine monk.

Since then, Father Don has become the face of Saint John’s to thousands of alumni, friends, and employees. Most of his service to Saint John’s University has been measured by the decade.

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For thirty-seven years he taught theology to undergraduates. For thirty-two years he was a faculty resident, living with the students and trying, with limited success, to remind his neighbors that silence is a Benedictine value.

For sixteen years Don served as university chaplain, celebrated for his weekly “Chaplain’s Letter” that was filled with thoughtful reflections, pastoral advice, and bad jokes. His theological and spiritual insights have been published by Liturgical Press and are available daily online. In 1996 Don was named university chaplain for alumni, a role that allows him to make the most of his amazing memory and his zeal for continued engagement with former students and their families. His regular jaunts in the woods have ended, and his overall mobility has been limited after a tendon in his foot stopped cooperating. Nonetheless, Don is the ubiquitous ambassador of Saint John’s: comforting those who mourn, praying for those in need, celebrating all Johnnie events, and faithfully communicating with anyone he has met during the previous millennium.

Diamond Jubilarian Father Allan Bouley, O.S.B., began his adventure as a professed monk of Saint John’s Abbey sixty years ago. Throughout his monastic life Father Allan has been focused on theology and liturgical studies. He taught briefly at Benedictine College, Lisle, Illinois; at Luther Seminary, Saint Paul; and at The

Father Allan Bouley

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. He faithfully observed his Benedictine vow of stability: nearly forty years of his professional life were given to teaching liturgy at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary, where generations of students and future Church leaders benefited from his careful analysis of texts and sound theological guidance. Allan’s practical awareness of how to pray well together assisted him in his role as abbey liturgy director. His scholarly insights made him a skilled associate editor of Worship magazine for twentyfive years. He is a charter member of the North American Academy of Liturgy. The Collegeville community and all those who pray with us are beneficiaries of Allan’s steady, lowkey leadership and sensibility for the way our monastic prayer looks and feels. A thoughtful voice in our midst, Allan now puts his love of words and

Brother Alan Reed

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

language, especially Latin roots of our vocabulary, to good use with the daily crossword puzzles.

Golden Jubilarian Fifty years ago Brother Alan Reed, O.S.B., made his first profession of vows as a Benedictine monk. Throughout these five decades, art, architecture, and design have been the focus of his professional work and inspiration for his personal creativity.

Brother Alan’s teaching career began with three years in the art classroom of Saint John’s Preparatory School, followed by twenty-three years of teaching art to undergraduates of Saint John’s University. He also served as chair of the university art department, learning firsthand of the challenges of herding cats.

Alan’s artistic gifts and inventiveness were further advanced by graduate studies at the Rhode Island School of Design and the University of Chicago. For five years he served the monastic

community as its subprior, another opportunity to herd cats.

Alan’s design sense, insightful counsel, and curatorial skills have been a blessing for The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, for the Saint John’s Arca Artium collection of books and art, for the production of The Saint John’s Bible, and for the design integrity and harmony of the Saint John’s campus. Since 2011 Alan has overseen, to critical acclaim, the design and layout of Abbey Banner. Within the monastery, as well as among his lay colleagues, Alan’s engaging conversations and storytelling help to build and bond the community.

Father Bradley Jenniges

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

Silver Jubilarian For twenty-five years, Father Bradley Jenniges, O.S.B., has faithfully pursued the monastic way of life as a professed Benedictine. His knowledge of mathematics, fondness for computer science, and mechanical

We have tried our very best to prefer nothing to Christ, to give ourselves to God’s call to live monastic life fully and completely.

Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

inclination have greatly benefited Saint John’s. During his four years of service as plant and utilities cataloger in the physical plant department, Father Bradley developed the first full CAD (computer-aided design) drawings of the campus, tracing all the pipes and cables of Collegeville (and there are lots of them!). For five years he worked in Saint John’s Information Technology Services; he also served as assistant treasurer in the monastery business office. From 1994 until 2010, the community could rest easy, knowing that assistant fire chief Brad was on the alert. He continues to keep the monastery’s bicycles in running order, despite the abuse they receive from riders of varied (or no) riding skill.

Brad’s productive and honorable life notwithstanding, in 2015 Abbot John appointed him prior of the monastic community—a position which requires that he daily listen to the moans, groans, and unreasonable demands of his confreres. Undaunted, Prior Bradley ministers calmly, patiently, and discreetly. Quickwitted and a keen observer of people, Brad’s tenure as pastor or prior has been a blessing to the local flock.

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Title of Article

Benedictine Values Eleanna Maria Melcher

M Aidan Putnam, O.S.B.

Ordination Witnessed by members of his family, friends, and confreres, Brother Efraín Rosado, O.S.B., was ordained to the priesthood on 20 May 2017 by Saint Cloud Bishop Donald Kettler.

As a priest, he serves at Saint John’s and the College of Saint Benedict, organizing and directing retreats and prayer services, teaching theology courses, and administering the sacraments. Father Efraín also assists local parishes, in particular the Church of Saint Boniface in Cold Spring, where he teaches Christian formation classes and Bible study lessons to Latino and Anglo members.

guests who arrive be received like Christ . . . . And to all let due honor be shown, especially to the domestics of the faith and to pilgrims.’ Benedictine monks are called to treat all guests and all the people we serve with courtesy, honor, and gentleness, and to provide not just for their physical needs but also for their

spiritual ones. I felt called to the priesthood in order to serve my brothers and sisters with the administration of the sacraments. My Hispanic heritage allows me to serve especially the Spanish-speaking immigrants and students who year after year arrive at our schools and missions.”

“Ordination to the priesthood,” reflects Father Efraín, “is a continuation and a development of the call that we monks have received from Saint Benedict to provide hospitality to all who come to our monasteries. In chapter 53 of the Rule we read: ‘Let all Alan Reed, O.S.B.

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y most formative life experiences have not been isolated events and activities, but a continuous accumulation of circumstances.

The roots of the person that I have become stem from the values, morals, and traditions with which I was raised and educated. My upbringing— which includes my family’s values and middle and high school environment—more than any individual experience, is truly the foundation of my being, and serves as my true north.

I attended Saint John’s Preparatory School, which provided a rigorous and challenging curriculum based on the Rule of Saint Benedict. Saint John’s offered me a unique environment in which to come of age, as it allowed for both spiritual growth and intellectual achievement. I credit much of my academic drive to the challenging coursework.

I have always striven for success, and during the progression of my high school career I came to learn something extremely important about my concept of success. Although success is often seen as an entity—a tangible award or form of recognition—it is so much more.

It is not always tangible, but rather an internal recognition of growth, be it in the joys of understanding and appreciation, or the honor of helping others.

Apart from my intellectual growth, my morality was shaped by my internalization of Benedictine values. I am neither Catholic nor religious, but Benedictine values have resonated with me in an everlasting way, and have been influential in molding my ideas, actions, and beliefs. Two of these values are often in the forefront of my consciousness: listening and respect for persons.

One cannot understand who I am without first recognizing the profound impact that my Benedictine education has had on me.

Respect for persons seems simple, but it is a powerful practice that directs us to be blind to class, race, position, religion—and focus instead on the common good. I have found myself using this tenet as the basis for my political ideas. Furthermore, the idea that all individuals are equal and deserve just treatment has led to my passion for medicine and public health, both of which I plan to pursue.

The word “listening” has a fairly mundane connotation in everyday life. But in the context of Benedictine values, it is quite profound. It mirrors the idea of respect for persons in that the voices of all persons should be heard. It goes further, however, as it calls for empathetic, attentive, and meaningful care for other people’s words. I interpret it further as enabling a true understanding of others by listening with attention to their personal stories, trials, and triumphs.

It would be easy for me to choose a single experience and relate it

Michael Crouser

to a specific aspect of my being, but I believe that one cannot understand who I am without first recognizing the profound impact that my Benedictine education has had on me. It has shaped me through an accumulation of small lessons, impactful role models, and individual growth. I have been molded by Benedictine values, and strive to uphold them each and every day.

Ms. Eleanna Maria Melcher, an alumna of Saint John’s Preparatory School, is pursuing her undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh.

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Pax TitleChristi of Article Award

S

aint Augustine of Hippo is often credited with connecting singing with prayer: Qui cantat bis orat (The one who sings prays twice). Those of us who have served as music ministers—cantors, choir members, or instrumentalists— in the service of the liturgy can attest to the devotional power and singular beauty of human vocal and instrumental expression in the congregational praise of our God. Indeed, as Sacrosanctum concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy promulgated by Vatican Council II in 1963, asserts: “Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy” (§14).

Musical expression is an important medium through which this ecclesiastical participation and consciousness among the faithful have been fostered.

A number of musical initiatives, both sacred and secular, played significant roles in the development of Saint John’s. Efforts to revive the tradition of Gregorian chant were well underway in the 1920s. In his quest for liturgical renewal, Father Virgil Michel, O.S.B., recognized the importance of Gregorian chant—as prayer first, and secondarily as artistic expression—especially in the education of schoolchildren. In his 1957 book about Father

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musicians are consistent with the vision of Father Virgil Michel, who insisted that liturgy always serve to promote social justice.

David Haas, Marty Haugen, and Michael Joncas demonstrate an ecumenical vigor as well, popular as they are with other faith traditions outside the Catholic orbit. “Their commitment to sung liturgy exemplifies the Benedictine spirit.”

their ready recognition is likely to be sparked by the titles of their most popular congregational hymns: “All Are Welcome” (Marty Haugen), “On Eagle’s Wings” (Michael Joncas), and “We Are Called” (David Haas).

Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.

L to R: David Haas, Marty Haugen, Michael Joncas

Virgil and the liturgical movement, Father Paul Marx, O.S.B., asserts that Virgil considered liturgical music “the highest and most spiritual of the liturgical arts,” but always subordinated to the liturgy itself as prayer.

Today the National Catholic Youth Choir, performing in liturgy and in concert, preserves and fosters the treasury of sacred music.

Secular music was also much appreciated and promoted throughout Saint John’s history.

A brass band that had celebrated the first “Exhibition Day”— commencement, June 1868— expanded in membership in subsequent years. By the beginning of the twentieth century, with the introduction of additional instruments, the

Alexus Jungles

band evolved into an orchestra.

Beginning in the 1950s, under the direction of Father James Kelly, O.S.B., and continued by Dr. Axel Theimer to the present day, the University Men’s Chorus has raised choral music to a professional level. Since 1981 The St. John’s Boys’ Choir has delighted audiences with both sacred and secular music.

In June 2017 our long history of musical appreciation and liturgical renewal were united as Saint John’s Abbey and University bestowed their highest honor, the Pax Christi Award, on a triad of liturgical musicians: Mr. David Haas, Mr. Marty Haugen, and Father J. Michael Joncas. Although much biographical information is available on each of these musicians,

Mr. Haas is the director of The Emmaus Center for Music, Prayer and Ministry in Eagan, Minnesota, and a campus minister at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School in nearby Saint Louis Park. Mr. Haugen is a liturgical composer, workshop presenter, performing and recording artist, and author. An artist-inresidence and a fellow in the Center for Catholic Studies at the University of Saint Thomas, Father Joncas has also taught at Saint John’s School of Theology.

“The worship of the universal Church,” notes the award citation, “has been enlivened by the work of you, the ‘Minnesota Three.’”

Father Robert Koopmann, O.S.B., president emeritus of Saint John’s University and an accomplished musician himself, expressed his delight with honoring these gifted musicians and men of faith: “Nothing builds community better than people singing together and being moved by this experience. These three composers have inspired Catholic and Protestant communities throughout the English-speaking world with music that is extremely singable, memorable, and energetic, with fine texts based on Scripture and sound dogma.

Brother Aaron Raverty, O.S.B., a member of the Abbey Banner editorial staff, is the author of Refuge in Crestone: A Sanctuary for Interreligious Dialogue (Lexington Books, 2014).

The Pax Christi Award

Alan Reed, O.S.B.

The Pax Christi award: Saint Benedict, bronze sculpture by Gerald Bonnette

Their music is moving and unforgettable to sing, play, and listen to.”

At the award ceremony on 25 June, Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B., and President Michael Hemesath explicitly connected the work of these composers with our Benedictine heritage and ideals, and with furthering issues of justice and peace. Their compositions are not only unifying, devotional, and uplifting, but also manifest a distinctive prophetic witness. As such, the creative endeavors of these

It is the purpose of the Pax Christi Award to honor those whose lives exemplify Benedictine ideals. In honoring these persons, we acknowledge them as spiritual heirs of Saint Benedict. We wish also to encourage them to persevere in living that spirit so that, through their example, our Christian heritage of faith, confidence, and service may flourish on the earth, and so “that in all things, God may be glorified” [Rule of Benedict 57.9; 1 Peter 4:11].

Award Citation from The Record, 21 June 1963, revised

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Good Title ofStewards(hip) Article Ryan Kutter

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or those of us involved in the Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum and Saint John’s Outdoor University over the past two decades, Mr. Tom Kroll has been a constant in our experience.

He served as one of the first members of the advisory council when founder Father Paul Schwietz, O.S.B., began to organize land management and educational programs in the mid-1990s.

Many of us will feel disoriented when Tom retires as Outdoor U director and abbey land manager in May [2017] after sixteen years of service. But Tom’s perspective encourages us to reconsider our own limited vision. As steward of a forest that has been actively managed since at least the 1860s, he is actually a short-timer. The Benedictines brought forestry practices from Germany, where management was already established with the long view of more than hundred-year plans.

One of the major forestry tasks pursued both by Father Paul and Tom is the regeneration of healthy oak stands. Casual observers often assume that the primeval feel of old oaks in the abbey arboretum is a constant; in fact, it is subject to constant change. Intentional management over more than a century has created a healthier forest than those on neighboring lands that

Mr. Tom Kroll

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Outdoor U. archives

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This article was published in the Spring 2017 Sagatagan Seasons (volume 20, number 1) and is reprinted with permission.

were left untended; under natural progression, these old oaks would quickly transition to a maple and basswood forest.

After many years of experimentation, Tom found a technique of progressively fencing small exclosures to prevent overbrowsing by deer. This allows oaks to sprout and advance to an age beyond risk for deerbrowsing. When surrounding trees are retired, the sunlightdependent oak saplings are able to grow to maturity. By continuing this technique over the next half-century, the arboretum can expect healthy oak stands into the next hundred years.

A new challenge for forestry is the advance of climate change, which is predicted to unravel the stability of Minnesota’s distinct biomes of prairie, deciduous forest, and coniferous forest. In some places biologists and land managers have attempted assisted migration by preemptively planting species that would best adapt to future conditions.

Tom prefers not to guess the future effects of these very real changes. He aims to keep the forest as healthy as possible with broad genetic diversity, and anticipates that existing plant DNA, in some cases currently unexpressed, will find ways to adapt to conditions better than speculative replantings.

Tom calls the stewardship tradition at Saint John’s palpable, felt in the presence of architecture,

history, and culture, as well as a great example where good forestry was implemented with a long vision. At a time when other rural monasteries were being engulfed by urban development, Saint John’s University’s then President Dietrich Reinhart, O.S.B., encouraged Tom to find solutions to preserve the ecological community at and around Saint John’s. Through the innovative establishment of 300 acres of conservation easements from neighboring properties and 306 acres of outright purchases of adjacent properties, Tom has assisted the abbey in expanding the core of the abbey arboretum and ensured a widening buffer of protected land.

The unique posture of monastic stability has provided the strong foundation upon which further gains can be made. Owing to Tom’s work with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Land Trust, the abbey is positioned at the beginning of a renaissance of land protection that was begun by the earliest monks at Saint John’s who methodically built upon multiple parcels of land.

Tom has been inspired by the monks who “treat everything as a vessel of the altar” [Rule 31.10] and treat land with the deepest respect.

Environmental educational programming facilitated by this landscape has grown from three thousand participants in 2002 to nearly twenty thousand in

2016. Tending to these human lives has been one of the most meaningful aspects of Tom’s work, done through the staff he has developed and encouraged.

Working with college students, Tom has been gratified to see “high quality young people develop into high quality adults.”

Oak trees sprouting when Tom undertook his work at Saint John’s are now little more than saplings blending into the understory of the forest. We know those early years of the abbey

arboretum’s emergence, planted

by Father Paul and cultivated by Tom, are critical. Considering the community of stewardship from Saint John’s Abbey, Tom Kroll, and all the land managers who have come before, land managers yet to come can work with confidence that the underpinnings of this forest and the educational outgrowth of it are well rooted and strong.

Mr. Ryan Kutter, a Saint John’s University alumnus, is the studio manager at The Saint John’s Pottery.

New Land Manager Following a national search after Mr. Tom Kroll announced that he was retiring in May 2017, Mr. John Geissler was hired as the Saint John’s Abbey land manager and Saint John’s Outdoor University director, effective June 2017. A 1999 university graduate, John majored in chemistry and later completed a master’s degree in environmental education at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

For the past ten years, he served as the director of the Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center in Duluth. “During my freshman year, I was given a drip torch to light a prescribed burn in Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum. The smoke cleared after that burn, but something stayed lit inside me,” reflects John.

As a student worker for abbey land manager Father Paul Schwietz, O.S.B., John was involved in the habitat restoration project and the formation of the educational program that would evolve into Saint John’s Outdoor University. Upon the untimely death of Father Paul in May 2000, John became the acting director until Mr. Kroll was hired as land manager and environmental education director. John now returns to his roots. When he learned that he had been chosen land manager, “I was overwhelmed with a joy difficult to describe,” he recalls. “All of the wonderful past Saint John’s experiences— walking through the rippling sea of tall grass prairie, the smell of the maple syrup boiling under a starlit night, the oak and maples in fall glory, the glimmer of Lake Sagatagan, the pines covered in snow, the church bells echoing throughout—were suddenly going to be a part of me again.” Welcome home, John!

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Benedictine Title of Article Education Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

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he Catholic intellectual tradition is a treasury of scriptural exegesis and catechesis, theology and spirituality, drama, literature, poetry and music, philosophy and moral thought, as well as art, architecture, history, and science.

This rich tradition is built upon cornerstones put in place by the earliest Christian thinkers. These cornerstones include a commitment to think seriously about the culture in which one lives, to attend with respect to the ideas and worldviews of others, to listen to what God is speaking through them, and to use ideas old and new to understand the Gospel—and communicate it in changing times and places.

The Catholic intellectual tradition has created a distinctive approach to education. This approach stresses the continuity of faith and reason, and has a deep respect for the cumulative wisdom of the past. The tradition places a high value on inclusivity and emphasizes the communal character of redemption and the integration of each person’s studies into life lived with others. All of this is infused This article is excerpted from a presentation, “Educating in the Benedictine Context: Why it Matters,” given with Sister Thomas Welder, O.S.B., on 3 June 2017 to members of the Association of Benedictine Colleges and Universities.

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by a sacramental awareness of the ways in which the divine is manifested in the created world, in history, ritual, imagination, and the human heart.

The Catholic intellectual tradition does not stand alone in these commitments but shares these values with other traditions of inquiry, both religious and secular. It attends to them in a way that is distinctive. Those who are shaped by the Catholic intellectual tradition hunger to understand the meaning of human living in relationship to God. They are unafraid of ambiguity or uncertainty, aware of vulnerability and failure, selfaware and self-critical. They aim to be generous in engaging ideas, both old and new, convinced that growth in wisdom and understanding is an indispensable way to participate in God’s work in the world, and a means of drawing closer to God. The ideals of the Catholic intellectual tradition are pitched high. Neither the Church nor its schools have always been able to live up to them. Yet, in life and in science, we often learn the most from experiments that really go south.

In insisting on the continuity of faith and reason, the Catholic intellectual tradition offers a powerful witness to the polarizing stances in the American academy: the aggressive secularizing position that says “universities are about reason, pure and simple”; and those who want universities to be extensions of

Lectio divina

In a loud, fast moving, high-tech world, we need to encourage the development of contemplative habits of reading and studying, such as lectio divina. Our students need to be challenged to sit with a text, to feel the words, to taste them, to see how they connect to each other: whether the text is The Brothers Karamazov, the Book of Genesis, or Shakespeare; whether it is the maple sugar bush, or a rough section of an inner city. In a world so often distracted, multipurposed to death, our students need to be aware of mindfulness.

Alan Reed, O.S.B.

Saint Benedict, wooden sculpture by Cornelius Wittmann, O.S.B. (1828−1921)

a church’s belief system. Our Catholic, Benedictine colleges and universities stand in the long line of those who believe in the integration of thinking and believing, of faith seeking understanding. The Benedictine milieu shapes and nuances the way in which our Catholic identity is experienced and expressed.

To ruminate means “to think deeply about something.” Great ideas are ruminated, both fed to us and brought up to us for continuous reflection. In the twelfth century, Guigo the Carthusian wrote: “For what is the use of spending one’s time in continuous reading of books unless we can draw out nourishment from them by chewing and digesting this food, so that its strength can pass into our inmost heart?” What a question for us who consume so many documents, but do not allow them to nourish us deeply. We are both overfed and undernourished. We gulp down ideas without reflection, just as we down fast food.

How do we do lectio divina? By reading and re-reading a text, by outlining an argument, by making sure we understand. And insisting that students take time to ponder material only makes

sense if faculty have disciplined themselves in how much reading to assign! If we cram too much material into a course, we create the conditions for non-reflection and shallow learning. When we are contemplatively engaged and centered, we feel the foundation under our feet. We can see confusion, ambiguity, uncertainty— and still be secure enough to find a pathway forward.

Hospitality

In the biblical tradition, hospitality often has a prophetic edge.

For educators, the practice of hospitality means making room for people who are different: who have a different skin color, culture, dialect, or smell than we do. To be hospitable is to create a welcoming space, to listen deeply, to value those whose experience is very different from our own.

Hospitality means being open to ideas that are foreign, and to take time to understand them.

Sister Joan Chittister, O.S.B., observes: “There are few things in life more threatening to the person whose religion is parochialism than the alien, and few things more revelatory to the contemplative than the stranger.

It is the stranger who disarms all our preconceptions about life and penetrates all our stereotypes about the world. It is the stranger who makes the supernatural natural. It is the stranger who tests all our good intentions.”

Benedictine Spirituality

Benedictine spirituality is biblical and liturgical. We are immersed in the Bible, praying and singing the psalms, listening to Scripture in a seasonal manner. The liturgy further shapes the meaning of these texts by providing the frame of Eucharist across feasts and seasons. The Catholic, Benedictine context provides a platform for engaging broadly and deeply with the burning questions of our time: questions about the meaning of human living and community; our desire for peace in the face of overwhelming violence; questions about God, and the truth that is in the persona and work of Jesus Christ.

The Rule of Benedict is a wisdom statement about life. Saint Benedict urges less talk and more action! What we learn, what we know, matters for our living and believing. Benedictine education can be transformative.

Catholic, Benedictine colleges and universities stand in the long line of those who believe in the integration of thinking and believing, of faith seeking understanding.

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Abbey Title ofVolunteer Article Program

Roman Paur, O.S.B.

The City of God

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n Sunday, 16 July, the monastic community hosted an appreciation day for our Saint John’s Abbey Volunteers. Fifty-four wonderful women and men were among the participants in the community Mass, followed by a festive reception in the quadrangle courtyard [right], and brunch in the monastery dining room. The beauty of the day was exceeded only by the goodness of these special people who generously give their time and talent to the abbey.

As our volunteer program has expanded, we have found more and more volunteer opportunities: serving in the abbey retirement center, driving confreres to medical or dental appointments, preparing bulk mailings, collecting maple sap or cutting wood for firing the syrup evaporators, computer tutoring, overseeing the abbey gift shop, vegetable and flower gardening, donating flowering plants, woodworking, assisting the oblate program, guesthouse receptionist, lawn mowing, typing, general handyman and even handier-woman, baking and cooking, abbey archiving, schola singing and liturgy assistance, leading yoga and tai chi, barbering, tailoring, quilting, candle making, cleaning, photographing, entertaining, accounting, instructing in English as a second language, Twitter account managing, and coordinating

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ule of Benedict

Eric Hollas, O.S.B.

G Kelly Beniek

prison subscriptions to Liturgical Press publications. Between July 2016 and June 2017 some eighty lay volunteers contributed more than 7,500 hours of getting things done with their hands, heads, hearts, and voices. This is in addition to lay supervisors and support people, and as many as forty monks!

Many of the volunteers are our neighbors, including retired faculty and support staff. Others come from as far away as the Twin Cities and beyond. More than a dozen students share their time and talent with our elderly monks in Saint Raphael Hall, the abbey’s senior healthcare and retirement center—and, in turn, are enriched and entertained by the monks’ stories.

The volunteer program meets a number of significant needs.

Beyond getting lots of things done, the program provides a link for maintaining relationships between the abbey and

the participants. This bond of mutual relational support is thereby enhanced in a shared common goal of strengthening monastic apostolates and spiritual well-being. Volunteerism is ultimately about hospitality and makes us all better in who we are and what we do through our common ministries, expanding our generosity and expressing our gratitude.

Interested in being a volunteer?

Phone Father Roman Paur at 320.363.3304; or email: AbbeyVolunteers@csbsju.edu.

Father Roman Paur, O.S.B., is the coordinator of the Saint John’s Abbey Volunteers.

Volunteerism is about hospitality and makes us better in who we are and what we do.

uests are never lacking in a monastery, as Saint Benedict noted in his Rule (RB 53.16). Therefore we might assume there would be a streamlined procedure for receiving them, but efficiency was not in Benedict’s lexicon. In fact, the welcome accorded to guests included prayer and the greeting of peace, a bow or prostration to show respect, sacred reading, the offer of food, the washing of hands and, later, the washing of feet. It was labor-intensive, and it explains why later generations of monks and nuns dispensed with key elements, such as the hand and foot washing.

Still, I find the practice of hand and foot washing curious. They were symbols of hospitality. But did they hint at spiritual cleansing as well? Did Benedict want to purify guests for their transition into the sacred precincts of the monastery?

Guests could scarcely fail to note that they were about to enter a world far different from that of their rustic villages. The monastery was a sacred space, populated by God-seeking people who followed a regimen built around a sacred calendar. That was the theory, at least, but could it have a broader application? Medieval monastic practice suggests that many thought so, and it explains why monks and nuns sought to

Wikimedia commons

Combat of Roland and the giant, Ferragut. Illuminated miniature from Grandes Chroniques de France, c.1375

expand the sense of the sacred and apply it to all of society.

Many abbeys in the Middle Ages joined in transforming society through movements like the Peace of God (Pax Dei) and the Truce of God, and these efforts chipped away at pervasive violence, with limits that were both practical and measurable.

The principles were simple enough. If violence were sinful, then it was doubly so when done on Church land. Violence on Sundays and during seasons like Lent was equally abhorrent to God. Worse still was violence done to the clergy or to the defenseless or the poor. In time, these notions took root, and this helps to explain the universal shock that greeted the news of Thomas Becket’s murder. He was an archbishop killed inside

a cathedral during the Christmas season. Could there have been a more serious crime?

For centuries the Church encouraged these limits on violence, and gradually European society evolved from the age of warlords to a culture in which all were considered sacred. Gradually, too, spread the notion that all time and spaces are sacred, because they belong to God. All this was far in the future when Benedict wrote his Rule, but the vision for a peaceful society was there. For him the monastery was the blueprint for the city of God. Why restrict that vision to the cloister?

Father Eric Hollas, O.S.B., is deputy to the president for advancement at Saint John’s University.

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Meet Title of a Monk: Article Richard Oliver quickly adds. His parents, Anne Josephine Gormley and John Herbert Oliver, were blessed with four children: John Herbert Jr., Richard Thomas, Thomas Francis, and Michael Dennis.

Richard’s older brother became a LaSallian Christian Brother and eventually a superior in his order; while his younger brother Thomas married Ida Begay, and they have two daughters. His youngest brother Michael served in the U.S. Navy and died recently.

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Timothy Backous, O.S.B.

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f someone were to claim there is a European-born prince living incognito as a monk of Saint John’s Abbey, the first person to suspect would be Brother Richard Oliver, O.S.B. He has that air of worldliness, academic sophistication, and charisma that suggest a regal bloodline. But unlike a stuffy prince, his many gifts come wrapped in a friendly, approachable, and fun-loving persona.

While he may move and act like royalty, he really is one of us, having been born in Philadelphia, “the cradle of liberty and City of Brotherly Love,” as he

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Brother Richard is most certainly a product of Catholic education.

In 1959 he graduated from Most Blessed Sacrament School (MBS), which is documented as the largest grade school in Christendom with 3,000 pupils. He adds that “my all-male 16-year private school education that began at MBS was a remarkable feature of what I refer to as ‘Industrial Catholicism.’” For high school, Richard found himself at the West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys, staffed by the De La Salle Christian Brothers.

In addition to pursuing the college prep curriculum, Richard served as the editor of the school paper and studied dramatics, German, Latin, and French.

Staying with the Christian Brothers, he received his bachelor’s degree from La Salle University in 1968. His first foray into the world of nonCatholic education came about at the University of Iowa where he received a master’s degree in 1974.

While his resume is filled with impressive details, one that ranks near the top was his internship at the Bodleian Library at Oxford University in 1979−80, where Richard helped with the exhibition of rare books celebrating the 1500th anniversary of the birth of Saint Benedict of Nursia.

Incidentally, while in Iowa he lived with Father Robert Koopmann, O.S.B., and then in Oxford, with Brother Dietrich Reinhart, O.S.B., both of whom became presidents of Saint John’s University. Coincidence? “I think not,” says Brother Richard.

So how did this dyed-in-the-wool Catholic Philadelphian end up in Collegeville, Minnesota? He explains: “When I was a De La Salle novice for nine months, 1963−64, we switched from the Brothers’ Manual of Prayers to A Short Breviary (Liturgical Press, Collegeville). As future catechists, we were urged to read The Bible Today (Collegeville). Since as religious we would be going to Mass daily, the novice master highly recommended Worship magazine (Collegeville). In high school I had considered Saint Vincent Archabbey, but a major fire that destroyed the novitiate suggested I abandon that unknown for the Christian Brothers that I knew well from the classroom and my older brother, Brother Benedict. In college I resumed contact with the Benedictines, this time at Collegeville, familiar from Liturgical Press imprints. Several years of correspondence, and continued

use of A Short Breviary, led to a meeting in Philadelphia’s cavernous 30th Street Amtrak Station with Father Arnold Weber, O.S.B., vocation director, when he was between trains.

He invited me to visit for Holy Week, and I did. I was much taken by the architecture of the abbey and university church and by the young, interesting, and creative monks I encountered.”

Since professing his solemn vows as a Benedictine monk on 11 July 1973, Richard has served the abbey and university in several positions, including field director for the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML), of which he writes: “I am very

Oliver archives

grateful for the history-making five years, 1987−1992, I spent in Europe as field director for HMML. I was able to visit all regions of West Germany. With some U.S. servicemen I had met in Mainz and Frankfurt am Main, I joined thousands of others hammering on the Berlin Wall. I watched on TV the dissolution of the USSR, the reunification of Germany, the liberation of the Baltic states, and the conclusion of the First Gulf War. There’s only so much one Brother can do for a continent.”

But the locals of Collegeville remember Richard most for his work in Alcuin Library and the rare books collection as well as his stint in Washington, D.C., from 2009 to 2016 as the coordinator for information and records for the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. Richard’s computer skills and research acumen have brought him international attention as well. The Benedictine Abbot Primate has asked him to serve on a commission with two abbot presidents of monastic congregations who will begin the long overdue renovation of the Order of Saint Benedict website that Brother Richard first created in 1995.

Back in Collegeville, Richard is helping with church tours, a growing enterprise in the last few years. He also assists the guesthouse staff with its reservation database to aid in the

Oliver archives

Brother Richard and friends celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dawning of a new year in Europe.

increasing stream of visitors and overnight guests. When he finds downtime, Richard loves to read, take photographs, create photo essays, and promote the monologues of Ruth Draper.

While living in Washington with our confrere Father Dan Ward, he learned a lot about cooking and hopes to practice that skill in the future.

After Brother Richard’s years of service in our nation’s capital, the monastic community is delighted to find him once again in our midst. He is one of those rare treasures of a good storyteller and a bottomless well of information. Princely, yes—but in demeanor, not birth.

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Lives Title of of Article the Benedictine Saints Saint Bede the Venerable Aidan Putnam, O.S.B.

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hat does it mean to be a Christian today? What does it mean to be a member of a monastic community in the midst of a tumultuous world?

For one answer, we could look to Saint Bede the Venerable, who lived in what is now northern England during the last quarter of the seventh and well into the eighth century, when Christianity itself held a relatively tenuous hold in public life at this far reach of the former Roman Empire.

Bede lived in one monastery from the age of seven until his death in his early 60s, possibly never traveling more than ninety miles from the monastery grounds. His life’s work, however, spanned the distant extent of the Byzantine Empire to the east and continued to exercise a profound influence on the history of religious and political thought for centuries, both in his native land and on the continent that became Europe.

How did he do this? And why is he called “Venerable”?

In his learning, in his candor, and in his art, Bede is without rival in the Middle Ages.

David Knowles

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While we know Bede primarily for his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, he regarded himself as a Scripture scholar.

His unfinished translation of the Gospel of John into Old English was to provide needed material to evangelize his home island. His commentaries on over a dozen of the biblical books were required reading for the monasteries founded by Saint Boniface in the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire.

In addition, his homilies and grammatical works were highly praised by Alcuin of York, the monastic scholar at the center of Charlemagne’s court, when that emperor spurred a revival of Benedictine life in the eighth and ninth centuries. (Readers may recognize Alcuin’s name from our own Alcuin Library at Saint John’s.) Because of the attention given to Bede by these two crucial figures in European evangelization, monasticism, and eventual civilization, Bede’s approach to history, work, and theology profoundly shapes our understanding of Christianity today.

But what is that approach? For Bede, the world is not a place to fear, even though many fearful things fill it. Indeed, world history is a privileged site of God’s self-revelation. Just as we learn who God is through Scripture, we learn who God is through the events of our lives together. Bede held the Old Testament in high regard for exactly this reason.

In the stories of the dramatic

deeds of the figures in recent history.

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Mural by Clement Frischauf, O.S.B., 1932

history of the Hebrew and Israelite people, in their poetry and chronicles, laws and lamentations, we see the unfolding understanding of a people starting to recognize the face and character of the God who is always with us, yet beyond us.

Based on his appreciation for this vast and complex document we call the Old Testament, Bede would naturally turn to the dramatic history of his own people to see how God has moved through the lives and

Because he was a man of his times, he saw that presence of God frequently in terms of miracles. His accounts of kings, tribes, battles, and bishops are peppered throughout with stories of healings, divine protection, and storms being stilled by prayer. “Although his works have a profound serenity about them,” wrote Sister Jeremy Hall of Saint Benedict’s Monastery, “they were written in exceedingly troubled times.” Perhaps the greatest miracle in Bede’s life, then, is that he was able to write at all. What with warring Scots and Picts, Angles and Saxons surrounding him—not to mention the Viking raids lurking at the turn of the next century— Bede still managed to correspond with church leaders of his time, to take on the controversies of his age, and to propound a view of Christian faith that inextricably tied it with the issues of day-to-day life. His detailed sketches of invasions, regal conversions, and saintly deeds among the impoverished people of the war-torn island attest to his belief that faith claims necessarily reflect in concrete action.

No mere moralist concerned only with ideal purity, nor doctrinalist solely devoted to dogma, Bede managed to bring both ethics and theology into conversation with faith and reason. In addition to his attention to miraculous events, he detailed

I was born on the lands of this monastery, and on reaching seven years of age, I was entrusted by my family first to the most reverend Abbot Benedict Biscop and later to Abbot Ceolfrid for my education. I have spent all the remainder of my life in this monastery and devoted myself entirely to the study of the Scriptures. And while I have observed the regular discipline and sung the choir offices daily in church, my chief delight has always been in study, teaching, and writing.

what may seem to us an arcane subject: the manner of calculating the proper date to celebrate Easter. While we may hold little or no import to the issue, consider that for his time and place this technical procedure was as controversial and consequential as our concerns for the best way to translate the Bible or Missal, the language used to refer to God, or the place of religion in public life. Celebrating Easter, in Bede’s view, was akin to the Jewish practice of Sabbath: a time to gather in community and establish a common identity in the midst of a world not necessarily receptive to religious claims.

All the same, Bede wasn’t an apologist attempting to defend the faith, nor a polemicist attacking others’ claims. While we can detect his clear position on controversial matters, this is overridden by a generous tone and consistent voice reflecting a spirit continually converted by prayer and disciplined work. “In his learning, in his candor, and in his art, Bede is without rival in the Middle Ages,” writes historian

Bede the Venerable

David Knowles. “There is no brilliance in Bede, but much steady clarity; no overtones and undertones, no subtle intuition, no twilight mystery, no lightning flash of genius. He lives and writes in noonday sunshine.”

For us today, who may struggle with questions of what it means to be a Christian in a democracy, or how to live a contemplative life in a frantic society filled with factions, evasiveness, and violent divisions, Bede’s voice can speak clearly through the centuries.

May the Spirit that moved his writing continue to give us guidance, and the light that illuminated his pages show us a path to venerate the Christ who comes to us both in community and stranger, in the elderly and vulnerable, and in our daily work “that in all things God may be glorified” (Rule 57.9; 1 Peter 4:11).

Brother Aidan Putnam, O.S.B., assists at the abbey guesthouse and teaches theater at Saint John’s Preparatory School.

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Title of Article Mark Thamert

Dying Grace Mark Thamert, O.S.B. Shortly after beginning hospice care in January 2017, Father Mark offered this reflection on his anticipated death.

Editor

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n chapter 4 of Saint Benedict’s Rule for monasteries, our patron followed the spirit of the ancient monastics and did not try to suppress thoughts of death and last things. Saint Benedict says simply, “Remember to keep death daily before one’s eyes” (RB 4.47). Early monks regarded such meditation on death as a way to live daily life more fully and in a detached manner.

Many ancient stories tell of an open and uncomplicated attitude toward death. One such story comes from the Desert Fathers before the time of Benedict: “News spread that an elder father lay dying in the desert of Skete. The brothers came, stood around his deathbed, clothed him and began to cry. But he opened his eyes and laughed.

And he laughed again, and then again. The surprised brothers asked: ‘Tell us, Abba, why do you laugh while we cry?’ He spoke: ‘I laughed at first because you fear death. Then I laughed because you are not ready. A third time I laughed because I am going from hard work to enter my rest—and you are crying about that!’ He then closed his eyes and died.” While acknowledging natural fear and

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anxiety in the face of death, these ancient stories also make room for a surprisingly joyous and positive experience in the process of death and dying.

Since January I have been in the care of a wonderful team of palliative caregivers. In helping me envisage the final chapter of my life, one caregiver said, “Tell those close to you that you love them. Make amends with folks as appropriate. Plan meaningful events and projects each week that give you something to look forward to.” That has been lifegiving advice. Another physician asked, “What are your goals?” I thought for a moment and then said, “I would like two things: I want to be comfortable. And I want to be graceful in these last weeks.” Members of the team said, “We can help you with that.” And they have.

In all of this, I am also grateful.

I believe that Benedict and the monks who lived in the centuries before him knew that keeping

death in mind daily would, paradoxically, help all people live richer lives now. Looking at this process in a simple, head-on way can release the hidden anxieties and help us to surrender to the mystery that Christ has promised us. It is a time to feel deep gratitude for the life we have been given, for the friends and family we love and who extend their love so freely. I am especially grateful for the community of monks and colleagues who surround me, for the wonderful teaching career and prayer life that have given my life so much meaning through the years. If I occasionally have tears like the younger monks in the opening story, it is because I do feel a profound sadness in letting go of a life that has so much meaning here and now. I am sad about saying an early good-bye to you, monks of our community, and to my family and friends. But this sadness comes with a belief that there is certainly more life, much more life to come.

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ather Mark Lee Thamert, O.S.B., and his twin sister, Mary, were born in Owatonna, Minnesota, on 6 February 1951 to Melvin and Marie (Deml) Thamert. Mark attended Saint John’s Preparatory School.

Following graduation in 1969, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota, planning to study architecture. However, after taking a German language application test, he spent his sophomore year studying in Cologne, Berlin, and Hamburg. The study abroad program was life-changing for Mark. His love for the German language and culture, and especially the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, would give direction to his work and creativity for the rest of his life.

After his studies in Germany, Mark transferred to Saint John’s University, earning a bachelor’s degree in German. While an

University archives

undergraduate, he taught German at the prep school. He would later return to Europe as director of the prep school’s study abroad program at Melk Abbey in Austria. Feeling an attraction to Benedictine life, he entered the novitiate at Saint John’s Abbey and professed his first vows on 11 July 1975.

Priesthood studies at Saint John’s preceded his ordination in 1979.

He then enrolled at Princeton University, pursuing graduate studies in Germanic languages and literatures. After receiving his doctorate, Mark began a long career of teaching at Saint John’s University.

Ever ambitious—“in the best sense of that word,” he said— Mark also served as director of the university’s honors program, taught the Great Books and Ideas seminar, was instrumental in obtaining major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and developed the senior honors research program.

Commenting on Father Mark’s teaching, a student wrote: “He has a love and dedication for teaching, and this comes through in the time and effort he puts into researching and preparing curricula, which look to reach out to both the best and the most casual of students.” In 1999 Mark received the “Declaration of Honor in Silver for Service to the Republic of Austria,” in recognition of his contributions to the Austrian people. In 2016 his translation from the German of The Rule of Benedict: An

Invitation to the Christian Life

by Georg Holzherr, O.S.B., was published by Liturgical Press.

Beginning in 1994 Mark served as headmaster of the prep school for four years. He inaugurated the middle school program and oversaw the building of the Weber Center. Throughout his life, Mark also enjoyed cooking for his friends or grilling for the Fourth of July or Thanksgiving meals in the monastery. His room was less a monastic cell than a well-stocked pantry.

Music was another of Mark’s creative outlets. He was a member of the abbey schola and a founding member of the Collegeville Consort vocal ensemble.

In January 2013 Mark became the director of the Benedictine Institute at Saint John’s, but his service was cut short: in the spring of 2014 he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He underwent extensive medical procedures for the duration of his illness, but cancer claimed his life on 29 April 2017. Following the Mass of Christian Burial on 6 May, Father Mark was interred in the abbey cemetery.

Practice moving from your great life now to one that’s better. Practice recreating a new image of yourselves.

Practice this dying. It will give you new life.

Mark Thamert, O.S.B.

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Benedictine Volunteer Corps at 15

Title of Article

Paul Richards, O.S.B.

was one of their own. They quelled all my concerns within the first days and weeks, and gave me the opportunity to focus on integrating, learning, and growing as an individual—a time to reflect and transform uniquely and wholly. During the months in Tanzania, my personal growth was palpable. I felt comfortable in my faith for the first time in my life. I became semi-fluent in Swahili. I became independent and confident enough to seek out new work and new people to talk with weekly. I made lifelong friends with a diverse group of people with different life stories.

I saw beauty, both at the convent and around Africa as a whole. I gained a deeper understanding about what it means to live in community. I even discovered a truer picture of what life in America looks like by viewing it from an outsider’s perspective.

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uring the past several weeks, the members of the fifteenth cohort of the Saint John’s Abbey Benedictine Volunteer Corps (BVC) have begun their year of service in the U.S. and around the world.

Including this year’s nineteen members, 176 college graduates, nearly all from Saint John’s University, have now served twentysix monastic communities in eighteen countries during these fifteen years.

Since 2003 the tagline of the Benedictine Volunteer Corps has promised: “Prayer, service, and community living worldwide, to transform lives.” Initially, the spirit animating this claim was focused on the support and transformation of the people we served. We have learned, however, that the transformation has been most evident in the lives of the men who have served in the BVC, Saint John’s itself, and the Church. Three former Benedictine Volunteers are now solemnly professed monks of Saint John’s Abbey, and three more BVC alumni are discerning a monastic vocation. Saint John’s University has attracted forty-two students from Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey. This past year university professor Bob Bell completed a sabbatical, visiting BVC sites in Kenya, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, India, Italy, and the Holy Land. More than fifteen alumni have returned

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Benedictine Volunteer Corps, 2017–2018

from BVC service to staff positions at the university, Saint John’s School of Theology, or Saint John’s Preparatory School —in residential life, institutional advancement, or admission.

Several have pursued master’s degrees in education for programs in the University Consortium for Catholic Education, including the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at the University of Notre Dame. The transformed BVC alumni are transforming lives.

Mr. Adam Kolb, a member of the 2016–2017 BVC cohort, confirms that it was his own life, even more than the lives of his hosts, that underwent the most profound transformation. He was one-half of the first duo of Benedictine Volunteers to serve at Saint Gertrude Convent Imiliwaha, Tanzania. “The build-up

BVC

archives

to my time abroad was a continually stressful reflection regarding the unknown,” he recalls.

“What work would I do? How would I communicate? Who would help me in times of struggle? What was the culture of the community like, and when would I feel a part of it? I just wanted to know and plan for what was going to happen over the course of the next year of my life. Now that I am home again and can look back and ponder the year that was, my questions seem so silly. The tonic for all my worries—as well as my desire to grow as an individual—could have been found in the knowledge that I was being sent to a Benedictine convent. I should have known I would be in good hands!

“From the moment I arrived, the community welcomed me like I

“All in all, through my year of prayer, service, and community living at Saint Gertrude Convent Imiliwaha in Njombe, Tanzania, I grew into a more confident, knowledgeable, personable, adventurous, and faithful person.

I was, and continue to be,” reflects Adam, “transformed by the opportunities presented to me through the Benedictine Volunteer Corps.”

Mr. Ben DeMarais, a BVC alumnus of Hanga Abbey, Tanzania, 2008–2009, is equally enthusiastic about the transformative nature of the Benedictine Volunteer Corps: “What better time to

do this kind of experience than right after graduation, when many of us had no idea what else was next. But we knew we liked Saint John’s; we had some interest in this Catholic community Benedictine thing; and it would certainly be cool to go to Africa!

“Those who have not done well over the years have been those who had more of a ‘helper, savior, I-know-best attitude,’” observes Ben. “A major revelation for me was recognizing that I was not there to save or fix something. Rather, I was there to live and experience, to do some work and prayer along the way, and leave with new friends and a new vision of what the world is. I learned how diverse our world is, and at the same time, how similar we all are—especially Catholic communities.”

Mr. Joseph Kerber, who served in Zambia and Tanzania in 2015– 2016, echoes the reflections of Adam and Ben. “I will forever

love and cherish my time with the Benedictine Volunteer Corps.

Working in the health clinics, teaching forty students the basics of English and biology, and making friends with the many monks will always be a bright spot in my life. I set out on my journey with the intention to give back, only to return with so much more: a heart filled with love and compassion, and a mind that was open and full of new knowledge.”

Building on the enormous success and long-lasting lessons of our first years, and with the strong support of our donors, BVC alumni, and the Saint John’s monastic community, the Benedictine Volunteer Corps has been able to send university grads across the country and around the world as volunteers in service of the Church, the Order of Saint Benedict, and local communities.

Brother Paul Richards, O.S.B., is the founder and director of the Saint John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps.

Benedictine Volunteer Corps, 2017–2018 William Harren (Wasilla AK) and Ramond Mitchell (Nassau, The Bahamas): Sant’Anselmo, Rome; Ryan Buron (Saint Paul) and Rashid Locario (Brooklyn): Montserrat, Spain; Jared McComber (Andover MN) and Connor Magee (Omaha): Saint Benedict’s Prep, Newark; Brett Watercott (Becker MN) and Alexander Melchor (Newark): Bogotá, Colombia; Thomas Widmer (New Prague MN) and Sam Burns (Le Sueur MN): Tabgha, Israel; Lucas Giese (Eau Claire WI) and Leng Xiong (Saint Paul): India/Sri Lanka; Shamus Olson (Victoria MN) and Joseph Koll (Winona MN): Katibunga, Zambia; Jacob Bellendir (Broomfield CO) and Travis Spillum (Little Falls MN): Imiliwaha, Tanzania; Dylan Lehrer (Prior Lake MN), Thomas Nilles-Melchert (Willmar MN), and Abdifatah Musse (Saint Cloud MN): Hanga, Tanzania

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I am now excited to build deeper relationships with those I meet. I appreciate the world more—the mystery and beauty of God’s creation—because I adopted a new philosophy on life during my year in the Benedictine Volunteer Corps.

Nicholas Zurn, Newark Abbey, New Jersey, 2016-2017

Michael Doyle (left) and Robbie Floren, BVC 2012, Murroe, Ireland Jeremy Graney, BVC 2010, Santiago, Chile Matthew Ott (center) and Patrick Deering, BVC 2009, Cobán, Guatemala

This year of service taught me to appreciate every day for all it is worth. I loved every day of it.

Gabriel Amon, Sant’Anselmo, Rome, 2015–2016

There is no better way to recognize your true self than volunteering your talents and efforts to a community in need.

Matthew Davis, San Bendetto, Subiaco, Italy, 2010–2011

The Benedictine Volunteer Corps was one of the hardest and most important things I’ve done with my life, and I am eternally grateful to be a member of the brotherhood!

Alec Torigian, Saint Maurus Abbey, Hanga, Tanzania, 2010–2011

Joseph Gair, BVC 2012, Hanga, Tanzania Patrick Deering, BVC 2009, Cobán, Guatemala

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Mark Steingraeber, BVC 2014, Hanga, Tanzania Photos: BVC archives

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Donor Title ofHonor ArticleRoll Some people say, “Give till it hurts.” But God recommends that we give until it feels good. God loves a cheerful giver!

Mike Scherer

2017 recipient of the Father Walter Reger, O.S.B.,

Distinguished Alumnus Award, Saint John’s University

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ach year at this time Saint John’s Abbey recognizes and gives thanks to those who so generously assist the abbey through their contributions, planned giving, and volunteering. We express our gratitude publicly in Abbey Banner by listing the names of our donors and volunteers. We also demonstrate how your gifts have been put to use; how they help us operate, implement, and sustain the programs and the ministry we are called to do.

We read in Scripture, “Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and passed it to them, and they all drank from it” (Mark 14:23). Jesus, the perfect steward, gave thanks and passed the cup on just before he gave himself to us completely for our salvation. He offers us the chance to drink from his cup. We know what drinking from his cup means for each of us. Often it means our own sacrifice—giving up some of what we have in order to do the Lord’s work on earth—recognizing that we are not only responsible for our own lives but also for the lives of those around us. Looking out for our brothers and sisters is an important Benedictine value.

The monks at Saint John’s Abbey thank all our donors and volunteers for making their own special sacrifice to assist the abbey in its work.

Our heartfelt hope is that you will continue to partner with us in our service and outreach. It is through your generosity that we are able to continue our essential ministries, our focus on education and teaching, and to offer the unique abbey programs that bring the presence of Christ to our students, parishioners, guests, oblates, and friends. Your generosity also makes possible service through our Saint John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps, through prison ministry, and social justice work. Your help is essential in sustaining and strengthening all the work of Saint John’s Abbey—where your gift makes a vital difference.

Thank you for the role you have played in making Saint John’s what it is today.

May God Bless You! Father Geoffrey Fecht, O.S.B. Abbey Development Director

Alan Reed, O.S.B.

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Abbey Banner Fall 2017

The following are those who have given directly to Saint John’s Abbey.

Saint John’s University and Saint John’s Preparatory School each has its own fundraising offices and programs.

Abbey Legacy Circle

Recognizing those benefactors who have made a planned gift for the abbey through wills, trusts, annuities, and life insurance policies. People who asked that their gifts remain confidential are listed as Anonymous. (Deceased +) Anonymous (2) Harriet Acheson+ Dr. Peter J. Albert and Charlotte Mahoney Bernard J.+ and Joan+ Andert Daniel N. Arzac Jr.+ Lydia Avery+ Bernard J. Axtman+ Richard+ and Irene+ Barry S. C. Bauclair+ L. Darleen Baumberger+ Rev. Eugene G. Belair+ Paul J. and Edna Berres Leigh F. Birkeland+ Joseph J. Bischof+ Anna B. Blissenbach+ Beatrice M. Bloms+ George F. and Geri Bodmer Henry G. Borgerding+ Mr. and Mrs. Peter Botz+ John Braegelmann+ Jackie Breher+ Thomas F.+ and Lorraine+ Bresnehen Rev. Francis A. Britz+ Margaret D. Broderick+ Mary E. Brown+ Margaret A. Bucher+ Harry E. Burns+ James F. Burns+ Marion+ and Charlotte+ Butcher Addie L. Butler+ Therese Carbonneau+ William P. Cashman+ Vera M. Chapado+ COL Benjamin+ and Opal+ Chapla Dr. Robert and Nancy Christensen Margaret Collins+ Rev. Louis G. Cook+ Claire Crandall+ Francis G.+ and Norma+ Culhane Rev. Martin T. Cullen Edward Cunningham+ Hermit Angela G. Del Greco, Obl.S.B. Carol Deutsch+ Stephen S. Deutsch+ Rev. Patrick T. Devine+ Ruth K. Dindorf+ John and Anna Dreis+ Frances Drinkwine+ Rev. Charles J. Duerr+

Joleen and Dean+ Durken Marie+ and Henry+ Ehmke Deacon Elmer+ and Georgina+ Eichers Wilfred F. Engel+ Mary Eynck+ Margers Feders+ John Finken+ Mary Fischer+ Rita G. Fisher+ Lucille A. Fitzsimmons+ Edward P.+ and Loretta H.+ Flynn Harriet R. Fraser+ Angeline Freund+ Rev. Joseph J. Fridgen+ Nellie Gaida+ Paul and Mavis Gannon Margaret L. Gilboe+ Dr. Theodore and Bernadine+

Gimenez Lawrence J. Gleason Sr.+ Edward R. Goossens Louise and Emmett+ Gorman Rev. Peter W. Grady+ Richard J. Grant+ Robert A. Gresbrink Charles and Mary Griffith Elizabeth Grote+ Rudolph J. Guerra+ George H. Haack+ Msgr. James D. Habiger+ Lois J. Hall Marybelle+ and Willard+ Hanna Dr. Harris D.+ and Mary Hanson John E. and Geraldine Happe Eugene R. Hawkins+ Rev. Lawrence A. Hemp+ Florentina Herding+ Abraham and Sharon Hernandez Dr. Noreen L. Herzfeld Arthur G. Hessburg+ Elmer Hoeschen+ Msgr. Michael J. Hogan+ Lenora and Jane Hollas Rev. Jerome J. Holtzman Fred J.+ and Valeria+ Hughes Joseph B. Hunn Catherine A. Huschle+ Mary G. Huschle+ Rev. Wilfred Illies+ John+ and Claire+ Jacobowitz Richard T. and Patricia M. Jessen Lois Job Mark E. Johnson+ Francis+ and Helen S.+ Jordan Marjorie Kalinowski+ Rose J. Kaluza+ Rev. Neal E. Kapaun+ Rev. Lawrence E. Keller+

Ann+ and Herbert L.+ Kelly Jack Kelly+ Dorothy B. Kennedy+ Marie P. Kiess+ Severyn+ and Margaret+ Kipka Beatrice Kirchner+ Martin+ and Gertrude+ Kirschner Catherine Klassen+ Rev. Kenneth F. Knoke+ Robert J. Kohorst+ Bernice Kowalik+ Theodore Kraker+ Mathilda Kramer+ Hedwig L. Kratz+ Anna C. Kremer+ Lucille E. Kreutzian+ Vivian E. Krogh+ Rev. Philip J. Krogman Kenneth P. Kroska+ Catherine Kruchten+ Dr. John J. Kulus Josie Kwatera+ Alvina Laubach+ Helen C. Lauer+ Susan and Edward W. Lehmann Jr. Bernadine A. Leicht+ Lester F. LeMay+ Eugene+ and Ursula+ Lenard Iver M. Linnemann+ Bernice Locci+ Robert H. Mace Jr., Th.M. Brenda Maiers+ Richard+ and Dolores T.+

Manthey Terrence J. Martin+ John+ and Marian+ Maurin Mary F. Meinberg+ William M.+ and Leona R.+

Meinz Rev. Michael G. Mertens+ Florence Meyer+ Magdalen Michels+ Michael Molloy and Thomas Hilgers Rev. John E. Moore+ Florence G. Moritz+ Helen Moritz+ Henry A. Morof+ David J. Morreim Mary M. Muckley+ Louise Muggli+ Martinella+ and Stephen J. Muggli Sr.+ William Paul Muldoon Doris H. Murphy+ Arthur G. Nelles+ Steven T. and Dr. Kristen Nelson Gertrude Niehoff+ Milton J. Nietfeld+ Joseph Niggemann+

Msgr. Allan F. Nilles E. Thomas O’Brien+ Walter Otto+ Rev. Harold J. Pavelis Alma Pavia+ Steven Pederson and John Burns+ Gregory J. and Ellen Pelletier Jerry and Ruth+ Peltier Melvin Pervais Mary Pfau+ William Phelps and Sayre

Weaver-Phelps John J. Pieper+ Emily Platnik+ Elizabeth Portz+ Joseph+ and Caroline+ Portz Rev. Gerald L. Potter+ Harriet Pregont+ Joseph Prostrollo Adella L. Rademacher+ Msgr. James W. Rasby+ Erma T. Rausch+ Lydia Reichert+ Mathias J. Reichert+ Anthony+ and Mary+ Rhomberg Rev. Donald W. Rieder+ Evelyn Roche+ Evelyn Roelike+ Marcella Rotty+ Laurel Rudolph-Kniech and

James Kniech Eddie Rueth+ Rev. Kenneth Russell+ Rev. Thomas J. Ryan+ Steven and Cynthia Saboe Josephine T. Sauer+ Barbara and Willard Schafer Margaret Schissel+ John J.+ and Marie+ Schmitt Rev. Bernard P. Schreiner+ Roland J. Schreiner+ Ottilia Schubert+ Rev. Raymond A. Schulzetenberg+ Rev. Paul A. Schumacher+ Lidwina Schwinghamer+ Rev. Alex L. Schwinn+ Donald+ and Joan Seifert David and Patricia Serreyn John A. Siebenand Mildred M. Sieve+ Wilfred J. Simon+ Elizabeth Sjoving+ Stephen and Barbara Slaggie Mary Jean Smith+ J. T. Starzecki Gen Stein+ Julia Stein+ Rev. Louis C. Stovik+ Virgil M. Stovik+

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Marjorie C. Studer+ Joseph Suk+ Alice G. Sullivan+ Miriam H. Sullivan, Obl.S.B.+ William P. Sullivan Jr.+ Rev. David K. Taylor Bill and Jean Tehan James L. and Donna+ Tembrock Joseph and Judy Tembrock Alfred A.+ and Elisabeth+ Terhaar Ethelyn Theisen+ Louise Theisen+ Robert J. Thielman+ Frances+ and Ted+ Thimmesh Henri V. Tran Sharon H. Tupa Sherri L. Vallee Helen C. VanAcker+ Nestor and Evelyn Vorderbruggen Alfred C.+ and Dorothy+ Wagman Arthur L.+ and Romana+ Wahl Florenz Walz+ Dr. Stephen and Mary Ellen Weber John C.+ and Eileen+ Weihs Patricia A. Weishaar Thomas S.+ and Margaret+ Welch David A. and Karin+ Wendt Theresa M. Wendt+ Dr. Waldemar H. Wenner

Edward L. “Chuck” Wenzel+ Harriet Wicklace+ George W. Widman+ Orville Woeste+ Gregor+ and Marie+ Wollmering

Abbey Founders’ Circle

(Lifetime Giving) Recognizing those who have made cumulative gifts of $50,000 or more to the abbey over the course of their lifetime (gifts and pledges, outright and deferred).

People who asked that their gifts remain confidential are listed as Anonymous. (Deceased +) Anonymous (11) Harriet Acheson+ Dr. M. George and Gloria Allen Ayco Charitable Foundation Richard+ and Irene+ Barry Florian L+ and Kathleen+ Baumgartner Rev. Eugene G. Belair+ Paul J. and Edna Berres Leigh F. Birkeland+ Beatrice M. Bloms+ Jackie Breher+ Joseph T. Brudney+ Margaret A. Bucher+ Marion+ and Charlotte+ Butcher Phyllis “Kelly” Carmien

Theresa Reichert

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Central Indiana Community Foundation Dr. Robert and Nancy Christensen Margaret Collins+ Claire Crandall+ Brian P. and Joy L. Crevoiserat Francis G.+ and Norma+ Culhane Rev. Martin T. Cullen Hermit Angela G. Del Greco, Obl.S.B. Ginger and Roger Delles Ruth K. Dindorf+ Driscoll Foundation Joleen and Dean+ Durken East Bay Community Foundation Marie+ and Henry+ Ehmke Wilfred F. Engel+ Rita G. Fisher+ Edward P.+ and Loretta H.+ Flynn William and Patricia+ Friedman Paul and Mavis Gannon Dr. Theodore and Bernadine+

Gimenez Rev. Peter W. Grady+ Gary K. Grooters Judith Grooters Msgr. James D. Habiger+ Marybelle+ and Willard+ Hanna Dr. Harris D.+ and Mary Hanson Rev. Robert Hazel James A. and Maxine Hecimovich Abraham and Sharon Hernandez Dr. Noreen L. Herzfeld Elmer Hoeschen+ Mark E. Johnson+ Marjorie Kalinowski+ Ann+ and Herbert L.+ Kelly Severyn+ and Margaret+ Kipka Beatrice Kirchner+ Martin+ and Gertrude+ Kirschner F. Alexandra and Robert Klas Rev. Kenneth F. Knoke+ Hedwig L. Kratz+ Julia and Frank+ Ladner Rev. Peter Lambert Susan and Edward W. Lehmann Jr. Diane Liemandt-Reimann and Ronald Reimann Bernice Locci+ Joseph R. and Sylvia Luetmer Michael R. and Nancy McCarthy McGough Construction Company, Inc. McGough Foundation Lawrence and Andrea+ McGough Tom and Linda McGraw William M.+ and Leona R.+ Meinz Theodore E. and M. Irene Micke Minnesota Community Foundation Michael Molloy and Thomas Hilgers Morgan Stanley Florence G. Moritz+ Henry A. Morof+ Mary M. Muckley+

William Paul Muldoon Steven T. and Dr. Kristen Nelson Walter+ and Caroline+ Niebauer Milton J. Nietfeld+ Omaha Community Foundation Onchuck Law Office, S.C. Steven Pederson and John Burns+ Jerry and Ruth+ Peltier Melvin Pervais William Phelps and Sayre Weaver-Phelps Joseph+ and Caroline+ Portz Joseph Prostrollo Adella L. Rademacher+ Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc. Rev. Donald W. Rieder+ John E. and Lois Rogers Marcella Rotty+ Mary Ellen Rudden Rev. Kenneth Russell+ Steven and Cynthia Saboe Saint Paul Foundation Ralph Schad+ Will and Barbara Schafer Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. Michael and Susanne Scherer John J.+ and Marie+ Schmitt Ottilia Schubert+ Carole Schwietz Lawrence+ and Marilyn+ Schwietz William and Joyce Sexton Amb. Robert and Ellen Shafer Russell and Tina Sherlock Stephen and Barbara Slaggie J. T. Starzecki Virgil M. Stovik+ Alfred A.+ and Elisabeth+

Terhaar Louise Theisen+ Lyle and Marilyn Theisen Raymond and Mary Turcotte Kae+ and Maurice+ Vandeputte Alfred C.+ and Dorothy+ Wagman Arthur L.+ and Romana+ Wahl Dr. Stephen and Mary Ellen

Weber John C.+ and Eileen+ Weihs Patricia A. Weishaar Thomas S.+ and Margaret+ Welch Robert+ and Jeanette+ Welle Dr. Waldemar H. Wenner Edward L. “Chuck” Wenzel+ Daniel A. and Katharine Whalen Harriet Wicklace+ William and Joyce Sexton Family Foundation Willis of Minnesota, Inc.

Abbot’s Circle (Lifetime Giving) Recognizing those who have made cumulative gifts of $25,000 to $49,999 to the abbey over the course of their lifetime (gifts and pledges, outright and deferred).

People who asked that their gifts remain confidential are listed as Anonymous. (Deceased +) Anonymous (2) Dr. Peter J. Albert and Charlotte Mahoney Bernard J.+ and Joan+ Andert Gordon J. and JoAnne Bailey John and Bonita Benschoter Rev. Francis A. Britz+ Mary E. Brown+ RoxAnne and Jack F. Daly Jr.+ Laurence G.+ and Redelle+ DeZurik John L. and Jeune Dieterle Rev. Charles J. Duerr+ El-Jay Plumbing & Heating, Inc. Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Andy and Jodi Fritz Nellie Gaida+ Edward R. Goossens The Greater Cincinnati Foundation Group for Affordable Housing Joan M. Gurian George H. Haack+ Matthew and Jacqueline Haughey Rev. Lloyd G. Haupt+ Rev. Wilfred Illies+ John+ and Claire+ Jacobowitz Francis+ and Helen S.+ Jordan K. C. Marrin Co. Thomas and Joan+ Kasbohm John J. and Marilyn Kennedy Vincent R. and Jean Kinney Klas Family Foundation Koch Foundation, Inc. Rev. Philip J. Krogman Catherine Kruchten+ Mary and Bud+ Lambert Helen C. Lauer+ Edward J. LeMay Mark and Joyce Ludowese KC and Anne Marrin Joseph S.+ and Sharon+ McGraw Mary F. Meinberg+ Magdalen Michels+ The Minneapolis Foundation Louise Muggli+ Gertrude Niehoff+ Robert J. and Rita Rengel J. Patrick Rooney+ Eunice and John+ Ruff Rev. Thomas J. Ryan+ Rev. Raymond A. Schulzetenberg+

Rev. Alex L. Schwinn+ Rev. Louis C. Stovik+ Target Corporation U. S. Charitable Gift Trust Michael Urbanos and Rosann Fischer Florenz Walz+ David A. and Karin+ Wendt Regina and Stephen Wolfe Gregor+ and Marie+ Wollmering

Prior’s Circle

(Annual Giving) Recognizing those benefactors who have made annual gifts of $1,000 or more to the abbey between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017.

People who asked that their gifts remain confidential are listed as Anonymous. (Deceased +) Anonymous (12) John and Catherine Agee Dr. Peter J. Albert and Charlotte Mahoney Dr. M. George and Gloria Allen John and Elizabeth Anderla Steven F. Arnold Ayco Charitable Foundation Benedictins De Montserrat Raymond and Joan Benson Phillip J. Bifulk+ Dr. Nicholas S. Briese and Nicole Huebner Briese Ken and Carol Brown Stephen W. and Rita Buckley Phyllis “Kelly” Carmien Nicky B. Carpenter Catholic Community Foundation Dennis and Marilyn Cavanaugh Central Indiana Community Foundation Central Minnesota Community Foundation Robert M. Christensen Earl and Jeanne Christianson Albert J. and Susan Colianni Community Foundation for National Capital Region Don and Sheila Coy J. Michael and Kim M. Dady RoxAnne Daly George and Carol Daum Hermit Angela G. Del Greco, Obl.S.B. John L. and Jeune Dieterle Thomas and Jane Downs Donald B. and Marilynn Drever Bernadette S. and Ed Dunn Duval Companies Rev. Leonard A. Eckroth Marie+ and Henry+ Ehmke Albert A. Eisele El-Jay Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

Patrick J. and Kris Ellingsworth Patrick D. and Gail Evans Hazel Fecht Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Cynthia M. Foster Maria-Teresa Fowell Fr. George and Sister Ivan Memorial Assistance Fund Joanne and Tom Frankenfield COL Bill and Helen Franta Andy and Jodi Fritz John F. and Joan Grobe Lawrence P. and Mary Haeg James S. and Michelle Hanley Marcia and Harlan Hanson Mary Hanson Rev. Robert Hazel James A. and Maxine Hecimovich Ryan A. and Michelle Heining Rev. Lawrence A. Hemp+ Joseph E. and Martha Henry Abraham and Sharon Hernandez Dr. Noreen L. Herzfeld Philip and Shirley Hodapp John H. and Colleen Hooley Dr. Terrence and Toni Hughes Willem T. Ibes Richard T. and Patricia M. Jessen Mark Emery Johnson+ Lawrence and Renee Jordan The K Foundation Marjorie Kalinowski+ Lyle C. Kasprick Lois C. Kauffman Rev. Lawrence E. Keller+ Richard D. and Janice Kellogg Vincent R. and Jean Kinney Beatrice Kirchner+ Christopher Kitrick F. Alexandra and Robert Klas Mathilda Kramer+ Rev. Philip J. Krogman Dr. Lawrence and Mariann Kukla Peggy Ladner and Clifton Brittain Mary J. Lambert Rev. Peter Lambert Edward J. LeMay H. Daniel and Wendy Levene Delbert R. and Sharron Lewis Rev. Vincent P. Lieser Jeanne M. Lowe Joseph R. and Sylvia Luetmer Robert L. and Anne Mahowald Scott and Mary Kay May Ruth G. Mayer McDowall Company Lawrence McGough Tom and Linda McGraw Thomas and Mary McKeown Mary B. McMillan+ Theodore E. and M. Irene Micke Andrew J. and Sue Miller Minnesota Community Foundation

Paul Moran William Paul Muldoon Garrett E. Mulrooney Michael E. and Jane Murphy Cary and Regina Musech Edwin M. and Mary Anne Nakasone Dr. Brian J. Neil Robert and Joanne Neis Dr. Robert A. and Barbara Nelson Matthew and Margaret Nolan Susan and Stuart Nordquist William and Jeanie O’Connell James P. O’Meara John and Gigi Ossanna Gianfranco and Susan Pagnucci Gregory R. and Peg Palen Steven C. Pederson Robert L. Peffer Jose A. Peris and Diana L. Gulden Vincent C. and Marcia Pletcher Stephen and Laura Pluemer Pohlad Family Foundation George H. L. Porter and Carol Arnold Porter Joseph+ and Caroline+ Portz David and Karen Quinby James S. and Lori A. Rausch Bonnie H. Reim Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc. Robert J. and Rita Rengel Kenneth and Betsy Roering John E. and Lois Rogers Thomas and Mary Rohr Richard Rose Mary Ellen Rudden Rev. Thomas J. Ryan+ Steven and Cynthia Saboe Saint Paul Foundation Michael P. and Patricia Salm Thomas and Linda Sanders Stephen and Chacke Scallen Stephen M. and Vicki+ Schaefer Will and Barbara Schafer Michael and Susanne Scherer Schwab Charitable Fund Dolores Seashore David and Patricia Serreyn James F. and Paula Sexton Russell and Tina Sherlock Elizabeth P. Shipton Dorothy S. Simonet Stephen and Barbara Slaggie Dennis and Mary Kay Smid Dr. J. Weston Smith J. T. Starzecki Dr. Vernon and Phyllis Steffens Robert H. Sueper Rudy and Sheryl Tekippe William J. Temmler Mary Ann Tham Dr. Anthony P. Thein Louise E. Theisen+

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Lyle and Marilyn Theisen Rev. Kenneth E. Thielman Christopher J. and Sarah Thompson Wallace and Mary Ann Tintes Raymond and Mary Turcotte Patricia Tyson U. S. Charitable Gift Trust Michael Urbanos and Rosann Fischer Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program Miriam R. Vetter Phyllis L. Volk Mary Jo Warnke Mark A. and Lisa Wegleitner Patricia A. Weishaar David Wendt and Renee Harberts Lloyd and Elaine Wenning Bernard Wenninger Raymond Wesnofske and Lynda Moecker Frederick S. and Cynthia West George W. Widman+ Matthew J. Wilch Dr. Gene and Joanne Wilhelm William and Joyce Sexton Family Foundation Thomas B. Williams Regina and Stephen Wolfe Tom+ and Mary+ Woychick Stephen R. Yurek

Confrere’s Circle

(Annual Giving) Recognizing those benefactors who have made annual gifts of $1 to $999 to the abbey between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. People who asked that their gifts remain confidential are listed as Anonymous. (Deceased +) Anonymous (12) Rev. James Aalgaard Mark and Maryann Aaron Barbara Abbate Marcus Abbott and Loreen Herwaldt-Abbott Deacon Courtney and Bernadine Abel Wendy Abrahamson Lawrence and Marcella Ackerman Ralph and Sharon Ackerman Rosemary Adam-Terem Brian J. and Cassandra Adamek Dennis and Anna Adams Mary Adams Mary Adolf Gretchen Agee

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Mary Ager Donald Ahlbach Hon. Richard and Karen Ahles Pastor Valerian Ahles Barbara Ahlstrom Richard and Ellen Albares James M. Albrecht Mary and John Alden David M. Allen Thomas C. and Sally Allen William and Linda Allen Donald and Sharon Althaus David P. Altman Eugene and Marion Altmann Randall O. Altmann Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Alwood Jeffrey and Theresa Ambord Maga N. Amekudji Anthony and Sherry Amelse Tony Andersen and Ann Pryor Andersen LTC Craig E. and Judith Anderson Rev. E. Byron Anderson Gerald E. Anderson John M. Anderson Rolf T. Anderson Russell and Anna Mae Anderson Timothy Anderson S. Anita Andreatta, C.S.C. Beth Andrews Mary Anglin Michael Antolik Clem and Alice Anton Lucille J. Antonik Michelle R. Appel Gregg Bill Aquino Dennis and Lorie Archambault John W. and Sally Arden Chelsey Armstrong Florine K. Armstrong Kathryn L. Arndt John and Margaret Arnold Judith Aronow Randall Asplund and Tylyn Harper Richard and Carol Atkins Mary K. Aubart Bernadine Auchstetter James A. Audette Dolores and Joe Auge Karen Auman Virginia L. Axell Dr. William R. and Rhonda

Bachand John J. and Beverly Bachman Will and Bernie Backes Chad M. and Bridget Bahneman Gordon J. and JoAnne Bailey Patrick and Laura Bailey Joseph and Kathryn Bainbridge Barbara Bakeberg Patricia D. Balassone James and Sharon Balcom Catherine and Gary Ballman

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Rev. Timothy H. Baltes Thomas J. and Patricia Baltz Thomas G. and Katherine Bambenek Douglas J. and Gretchen A. Bancks Michael P. Bancks Nicholas A. and Jodi Bancks Eleanor T. Barba William and Martha Barnes Diane P. Barrett Mr. and Mrs. Patrick J. Barrett Robert and Theresa Barrett Rosanne M. Barrett James J. and Martha Barry Nancy K. Barry Jennifer Bartch Rose Bartley William H. and Therese Bartlett Kevin D. and Roberta Basol James W. and Mary L. Bassett James and Marlene Basso John and Lisa Anne Bauch Dorothy Bauer Frank and Mary Ann Bauer Jeffrey P. Bauer Merle and Claire Bauer Michael W. and Margaret Bauer Norman J. and Shirlee Bauer Thomas J. and Kristin Bauer Richard L. and Helga Bauerly Robert F. Bauleke Barbara A. and Nicholas Bauler Michael B. and Barbara A. Baumann Paula Baumberger Linda L. and Carl Baumert William and Barbara Baumgarten Timothy K. and Linda Baumgartner Msgr. Thomas F. Baxter Gina C. Beach Alan A. and Susan Beal Allan Beatty Jack F. Beatty William D. and Lora Beaupre Cletus and Monica Bechtold Rev. Mitchell Bechtold Chase M. Becker Daniel J. and Kim Becker Margaret and Mark Becker Rev. Paul Becker Joseph W. and Joyce Beckermann Vern and Sue Beckermann Mark Beckman LTCs James and Lisa Beckmann Mary K. Beckmann Aimee Beckmann-Collier and David Collier Dr. Timothy D. and Doreen Beddow Mary and Keith Bednarowski Thomas J. Beer

Thomas M. Behr K. Ruppert and Danise Beirne Ruth Beiswenger Roger and Sue Ann Beiting John M. Bell Steven and Julie Bell Robert E. and Karen Bellmont The Benevity Community Impact Fund Geno Beniek Michael P. Bennett Virginia C. Bennett Virgil Benoit John and Bonita Benschoter Darrell and Joann Bentz M. Joseph and Theresa Berg Robert J. and Audrey Bergen Mark E. Bergstrand Elizabeth Bernhart Christopher and Debra Bernish Lois K. Berns Francis J. and Jean Berres William Bertolas Robert W. Besch Alois and Margie Beste Tom and Julie Beste James W. and Judith K. Bethel Joseph R. and Helen Bettendorf Michael C. and Karren A. Beutz Mary G. Beverage Robert and Julie Beyer LTC John A. and Patty Bierden Thomas E. Bigaouette Rev. John Adam “Martin” Biggs, Obl.S.B. Sharon Bigot Jane R. Binion Msgr. Colin F. Bircumshaw Lonnie and Beverly Birhanzel Lorraine Birskovich and Dennis Mays Carol Bishop Beryl L. Bissell and William Christ Cletus M. Bitzan LeRoy Bitzan Jennifer Black Rev. Dr. Katharine Black James E. and Agnes Blaney Walter E. and Rosemary Blankley Margaret Blohm Theresa J. Blommer James Bloms and Gwen Martin Clarence and Annella Blonigen John and Mary Bluemle Christine Bochen Terry and Mary Kay Bodeen George F. and Geri Bodmer Faye and Robert Boehler Robert A. and Jean Boehler Phillip Boelter Thom Boerigter J. R. Boisclair

Aidan Putnam, O.S.B.

William H. Boisvert Susan S. Bojar Mary Catherine Bolster Arlene Bonacci Jeffrey Bonneville Bruce Bonnicksen Gregory and Linda Bookey L. Howland and Annie Booth Tom and Marie-Louise Borak Thomas and Mary Borgen Monica Bossenmaier Joseph T. and Kelly M.M. Bower Terry A. and Patricia Bowes Daniel Boyle and Ann MacKay John P. and Kathleen Boyle Dennis M. and Colleen Bracco Kathleen A. Brady-Murfin Margaret J. Brahm Thomas and Marilyn Brandel Donald L. and Patricia Brandl Dr. Rochelle J. Brandl John E. and Terrie Brandt Jeanne M. Brann Charles N. Bransom Jr. Gerald H. Brantner Zora B. Bratsch Donna S. Brauch

Joanne Braun William Bravener Michael and Debbie Bray Ellen Brennan Patrick T. Brennan Robert and Marlen Brennan Terrence F. and Carolyn Brennan Bob and Bev Bresnahan Eric B. Brever and Heather Hamernick Susan Brewster Robert and Judith Brezinski Rev. Bill Bried Rod and Doreen Bries Robert and Mary Rae Briggle Rev. Horace L. Brignac Kenneth Brimmer and Jaye M. Snyder John L. and Jesse Brine Pat Brink Clark M. Brittain Del Brobst Mildred Bromenshenkel Martha Brophy Roland and Cyrilene Brouillard Sarah and Jacob Brouillard Curtis and Rachel Brown Florence M. Brown

Jessica Brown Sheryl A. Brown David L. Bruch Joel Bruels Mark J. and Lisa Brueske Josephine A. Brummer Wallace W. Bubar Daniel Buckley Robert Buckvold Ervin and Bertha+ Bueckers Ruth Bueckers David and Kathleen Buettner John and Leontine Bujanovich Edward and Mary Buksa Richard Buller Cecelia Burgwald Maureen Burke Kathy Burmeister Betty Burns Dr. Daniel P. Burns and Mary Gresser-Burns Robert and Susan Burns Joseph A. Busch Jr. Jacquelyn Bush Patrick R. Butler Joe Butorac Raymond J. Buttschau Timothy J. and Julianne Buttweiler Frank A. and Marian Byron Lorraine Cagley Kathleen Cahalan and Don Ottenhoff Daniel Calhoun Walter R. Calhoun Madeleine Callahan Beatrice M. Callery Mary K. and James Camber Rev. Joseph Cameron Russell and Mary Ann Campbell Rev. Theodore Campbell Alice Capp Vincent Carco Elizabeth M. Carey Benjamin T. Carlson Donald D. Carlson Jay M. Carlson John and Colleen Carlson Michael P. and Lisa Carlson Rev. Molly Carlson Pamela C. and Ken Carlson Most Rev. Dominic Carmon, S.V.D.

Gary and Catherine Carruthers Mary Fran Carter Diane and Michael Casanova Jonathan D. Casper Marcia Casper Cecelia and Arun Caspram Deborah E. Castellanos Mary K. Caswell Kevin L. Caulfield Joseph Cazin

Susan M. Cencer Mary Chamberlain William R. and Maria Charlesworth Dale J. and Regina Charpentier Anne Chatelaine Tatiana Chernenko Dorothy Chizek Mary Ann Chladek James and Nancy Chouanard Donald and Linda Christen Alan J. Christensen Michael Christenson Nicholas M. and Melanie Christianson John W. and Nora Chromy Church of Seven Dolors, Millerville, MN Elaine P. Churchill Dr. Valerian Chyle and Mary Walker-Chyle Janice Cink Meaghan Healy Cisneros Gerald and Mary Claeys Delores A. Clair Thomas and Linda Clancy Robert J. Clark Ruth Claseman Peter and Mary Jo Clasen Dr. Robert and Nancy Clements Bonita J. Cler David Clouter Cecelia Coenen Charles Coghlan David and Julie Collins Rev. Richard F. Collman Angie Colosky Sharon Colston Clement J. and Molly Commers Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes John W. and Nancy Conlin J. Keith and M. Corinne Connelly Gerry Connolly Carol J. Connor John F. and Carolyn Connors John J. and Joan Connors Steve and Paulette Conroy Nancy L. Constantine John A. Corbo Lucy L. Cords and Alvin Gerads Margaret Cords Patrick Corkran Paul E. Cormier Kenneth J. and Carol Coskran Eileen Costello Musser and Bret Musser Iwona Costigan Laverne Edith Cottet James F. and Benita Coughlin Joan Courchane Francis M. and Marilyn Court Patrick M. Couteaux

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Matthew Couture Steven J. and Evelyn Couture Rev. Robert P. Coval Rev. John Cowan James C. and Michele Cox Dr. Douglas J. and Janet Coy Robert Coyle Jim Crabb Francis R. Crain Renate C. Craine-Sutterlin Richard and Sara Crawford Rev. Michael Creagan Ruthann Cresswell Valeria Cristiani Michael and Ellen Cronin William J. Cronon Eugene J. and Louise Crook Robert V. and Florence Crow Walter M. and Mary Crowell Daniel and Sandra Crowley Anne Crowningshield Donald and Jeanette Culhane Rev. Martin T. Cullen Dr. Michael and Virginia Cummings Steven B. and Laurie Cummings Carol Cunningham Margaret Cunningham William and Judy Cunningham Edward D. and Eileen K. Curley Robert P. and Rose Cyert Mary Ruth Cyr Julia Dady William F. and Nanette Dagnon Adele W. Dahlberg Rev. Steven Daigle Rev. Gerald E. Dalseth Thomas M. and Patricia Daly Jamie Damon and Patrick Hermanson Naomi J. Damschen Mary P. Danaher Anne L. Daneen Dr. John M. and Judy Daugherty Catherine A. Davidson Jim Davies and Gary Peterson Nancy Davis Sarah Davis James K. Day Joan de Leon Allen L. Debes Rev. James R. Debruycker Carmelene Decker David and Nancy Deda Rev. John Dee Rev. James Deegan, O.M.I. Richard DeFeyter Nelda Dehn Ludovicus J. and Susan DeHoog Martin J. Deignan Thomas J. Dellenbach Dr. Robert L. Delorme

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Benjamin T. and Sarah DeMarais Thomas and Annmarie DeMarais Christine M. DeMars Paul J. and Pam DeMorett Teresa Derfus James A. Deutmeyer Alfred S. Deutsch Benedict and Sharon Deutsch John R. Devereux John Devney Dale and Constance DeZeller Randy and Jane Dick Walter and Joanne Dick Sandra Dickinson Drake and Madeline Dierkhising Mary Dietz John B. and Kathryn Diffley Msgr. James E. Dillenburg Rev. Richard J. Dillon Elizabeth Dingmann Robert J. and Paula Dinndorf Maria R. Dino Cynthia M. and David Dirkes Barbara A. Dispanet Divine Word College Jack and Marcella Dockendorf James F. and Jeanette Doerr William and Leah Doherty Margaret A. Dolan Florine Doll Judy Doll Charlie and Tracy Dombrovski Gregg and Cathy Donner Joyce Donovan David J. and Catherine Dooley Gregory P. and Barbara A. Dooley Sheila B. Doran Steven and Ann Dorsey Karen M. Dosemagen Rocco Doti Mary M. and Thomas Dougherty Steven and Brenda Douvier Charles E. and Carmelle Dowdle Gregory D. and Mary Jo Downs Thomas and Jane Downs Gregory J. and Cheryl Doyle Marilyn J. and Robert Doyle Mary H. Doyle Paul F. and Beverly Barten Doyle Preston J. and Judy Doyle Ross B. and Sara Drever S. Monica Drogon James C. Drozanowski Elizabeth M. Drucker Edward A. Duane Kris and Gina Dudziak Harold J. and Mary Duffy John P. Dullea Robert and Evelyn Dumonceaux Dr. Laura Dunham Suzanne M. and Richard Dunn Joel E. and Teresa Dunning Ann Dupré

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Carla Durand Mark and Barbara Durenberger Joleen Durken Janice Dworschak John S. Dwyer Thomas P. Dwyer Laurie Eaton Bill Eaves Dr. Timothy and Nancy Ebel Robert H. Ebner Jerome and Sheila Eckrich Victoria Eckrich and Tom Reid Anthony and Joanne Eckroth Ruth Edberg David and Rose Marie Ederer Jason Edwards Kevin and Betsy Egan Thomas P. Egan Jr. Celeste and Jim Egger Theo A. Eggermont Brian Eggersdorfer Robert and Phyllis Eibensteiner Dick Eich Lavina Eich Marlin G. and Betty Eich Brice Eichlersmith David A. and Joyce Eickhoff Joseph S. and Laura Eiden Alan and Lollie Eidsness John Eisenmenger Eugene and Dottie Eisenschenk Gregory and Jeanne Eisinger Robert T. and Carol Ekhaml Marilou and Donald Eldred Mary Jean Elioff S. Marilyn Ellickson, C.S.A. Martin and Elizabeth Ellman Marie K. Elsen Nicholas J. and Nancy Eltgroth J. David Enestvedt James J. and Virginia Engel Dr. John W. and Barbara Engel Steve and Terry Engels Jeffrey R. Engholm Jerome J. Engleson Russel and Beverly Engleson Clarence and Jean Enneking Bruce Ensrud Grace M. Erato William and Ann Erbes John J. and Debra Erhart Joyce Q. Erickson William P. and Bernadette Erickson Cyril and Darlene Erkens Paul and Laura Ernst Bruce and Bernice Ervin Dr. Donna and George Eschenauer Marie R. Esplan Michele Esposito Bernadette and Robert Ethen Joseph and Kathleen Etten Dr. Mary Jean Etten

Peter J. Etzel Leo and Terry Euteneuer Mel and Julie Euteneuer Phyllis and Morris Evans Richard M. and Patricia Evans Rita Evans Elizabeth Everitt George J. and Gail Fabiano Stuart and Rosemary Fagrelius Michael A. Fahey Lucy Fallon Martin S. and Margaret Fallon Joseph and Mary Conover Faltesek Frederick F. Fandel+ Peter C. Fandel Drs. Terese Fandel and John Pennings Michial and Victoria Farmer Thomas and Laurianne Farrell Robert A. and Deborah Fasnacht Ellen M. Fay Daniel C. and Lynn Fazendin David G. Feldhege Judy Scott Feldman Joseph F. Felker Rev. Thomas Feltman Jeffrey and Caren Fenske Richard and Margaret Ferber Emily Fernholz Robert P. Ferrari Rev. Michael M. Ferraro Jeanne L. Ferrian and Robert H. Byers Michael P. Fiala Melvin Fiedler Virginia A. Field Rev. Brian J. Fier George and Lynette Finger Dan and Karen Finn Donna and John J. Finnegan Jr. Dr. Henry and Kathleen Fischer Jack and Nancy Fischer John and Donna Fischer Richard and Patricia Fischer Robert and Madeline Fischer Ronald and June Fischer Bob and Marilyn Fisher Francis and Cathy Fitzgerald Michelle Flamer John D. Flanagan Rev. Robert B. Flannery Dr. Ryan A. and Diana Flannery Timothy M. and Ann Fleming Margaret Fling Denis and Mary Flint Jeanne Flood Mary Joe Florian Rev. J. Patrick Foley Rev. William E. Foley Jr. Daniel and Carol Forby John and Bernadette Ford David Forster and Sandy Pfefferle Forster

Nancy Foster Yvonne Foster Judy Fournier Blaine and Colleen Fowler Chuck and Carolyn Fox Claire Fox Patrick and Michelle Fox Boyd and Lori Francisco Bruce and Christine Frank Julia A. Franken Amy Frankfurt Aaron Franta and Jennifer Lahmann Peter J. and Cheryl Franta John and Jeanne Fraune Paul and Julia Frawley Christopher Frechette Kenneth C. and Denise Freed Noreen French George Frey James and Mary Frey William Frey Peter and Nancy Fribley Richard and Marilyn Frie Joseph and Nadine Friederichs Bill and Betty Frieler Gregory M. Friesen Howard and Amelia Frisinger Kurt P. and Amy Fritsch Rebecca R. Theisen Fritzges Deacon Bob and Gretchen Froehle Sharon Toogood Froehle and Marsha Woolcott E. Michael and Joan Frohrip Dr. Ann I. Fromell-Theis Ursula Fuchs Theodore Furshung Mary Gabelman Gerald Gach James J. Gaebel Dr. John R. and Patricia Gaertner Mary Jane Gaffney Norbert J. Gaier Dennis and Karen Gajeski Richard J. Galena Anne C. Gall Mary Gallagher James S. and Mary Gallahue Sylvia A. Gallo James and Mary Grace Galvin Thomas and Janet Gambrino Ellen Gans Rudolph A. Gapko Edward J. and Anna Garaczkowski John and Sheila Garot John T. and Sarah Garrett Daniel and Mary Garry Mary Anne Garry Dr. Patrick E. Garry Edward and Joan Gartner Mary L. Gautier Sara Gavit

Margaret A. and Clifford Gawne-Mark Jill Gehl Jerome and Beth Geis John D. and Christina Geissler Lois Gelbmann Nancy Gellerman Raymond and Janice Gellerman Elizabeth B. Gemmill Craig and Shirley George Clair and Susan R. Gerads Dr. Dale and Mary Gerding John T. Gerlach Philip J. Gerlach Robert A. Germany Julius and Katherine Gernes Robert and Angela Gerst Tanya Gertz Jennifer Gerwing Joseph Gibbons and Kathryn Riedel Jane Gilbert-Howard and Kenneth Howard Dorothy J. Gillen Drs. Shawn P. Gillen and Barbara Higgins Nancy Gilliland Rev. Edward M. Girres Dirk Giseburt and Marilyn Stahl S. Betty Gits Mark J. and Kelly Giura Sharon and James Givens Charles E. Glatz Michael F. Goggin Rev. Eugene Golas and Carol Ertl David and Mary Goldhirsch John and Marleen Gomes Sebastian N. Gomes Msgr. Leo L. Gomez Andrea Goodrich Goodwill Industries, Inc. Deborah L. Goodwin Edward R. Goossens Paul J. and Joan Goossens Robert A. Goossens Rev. Kevin M. Gordon Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. Gorman Jr. Richard D. Gorman Stephen T. Gorman Jr. and Kathryn Keiser Timothy M. and Susan Gossman Louis M. and Eileen Gottwalt Thomas and Maria Gottwalt Mark and Karen Gould Raymond and Joan Gove Joshua A. Graber Carol Graff Kathryn Grafsgaard John and Margaret Graham Leon and Patricia Grahn Jerome and Kathleen Graney Gary J. and Mary Graper Tim and Carol Graupman Edward and Alice Grayson

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

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Carl A. and Maria Vivian M. Greci James and Kathleen Green James and Susan Greene Thomas and Mary Greenstein Benjamin M. and Janet Gregorio John and Barb Grek Edwin and Judy Grelson Robert A. Gresbrink Br. Charles Gresh, F.S.C. Sandra S. Griffin Charles and Mary Griffith John J. and Joayne B. Griggs Drs. John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker Mary Grimesey Grant R. Grissom Gerald W. and Corrine Grochowski Dr. Timothy and Susan Grode Alvina Groebner Thomas and Nancy Gruber Trevor and Bridget Gruby Jerome and Elvira Grundmayer Nancy J. Guertin Linus L. and Dorothy Guggenberger Gil and Lisa Gullickson Dolores Gulotta Linda Gunawan Kenneth and Jeanette Gutzwiller Eugene and Terese Haak Barbara Haase Marlene Haberer Jennifer J. Hackbarth Raymond L. Hackert James Haemmerle Rosemary Hagerott Michael J. Hagstrom Michael Hagstrom Sangyong Hahn Paul Haik Matthew J. Haines and Jennifer Marshall John G. and Barbara Halbmaier Valdemar Halgas John and Delores Hall Jon Hall Lois Hall Thomas R. Hall and Julie Kunkel Darnell and Mary Halverson Joshua M. and Mara Halverson Dr. Paul R. and Mary Hamann Glenda C. Hamilton Clay Hamlin Ted Hamm Kathryn M. Haney Mona M. Hanford Sheila Hannon Alan and Cathy Hansen Mary Ann Hansen Mary E. Hansen Nicholas A. Hansen

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Richard and Kathryn Hansen Bruce S. Hanson Steven and Diane Hanson Bill and Kitty Hanz Thomas and Gretchen Harder Richard C. Hardes Dale and Theresa Hardy Elsa Harmon Katharine Harmon Dick Harren and Suzanne Chapelle Peter F. and Kristan Harrington Alan and Margaret Harris Joan A. Harris Louise Harris-Cole Cynthia M. Hart David Hart Betty M. Harthman Terrance J. and Renee Hartman Marvin A. and Pamola E. Hartung Marylou Hasecuster Elizabeth R. Hasselman Louis and Kathleen Hastert John M. and Sally Hattenhauer Martin A. Haugen Michael and Mary Ellen Haupert Robert C. and Denise Hauser Gerald and Diane Hausser John and Felicia Havenaar Carol Hawkins Eugene R. Hawkins Mark J. Hawkins Joan Hawks Karen Hayes Elizabeth K. Healy Michael T. and Gerrie Healy Dr. Michael D. and LaRae Heaney Stephen and MaryEllen Hecimovich Dale L. and Kay Heimermann John and Lorna Heinen Marladene M. Heinen Thomas Heinen and Tamra Phillippi Marjorie Heinz Jeffrey B. and Alice Heinzen Dale and Joan Heitz Thomas and Barbara Heitzmann Patrick L. Held Michael and Karel Helgeson Michael Hemesath and Elizabeth Galbraith Dr. Norbert and Suzanne Hemesath Fredrick Hemke Michael Hemmelgarn David M. Hendricks Robert H. and Kathleen M. Hendrickson John Heng Charles J. Henkel Joseph Hennen

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Richard P. and Nancy Hennig Patrick Henry Darryl L. Hensel David Hermerding and Kathleen Maloney Hermerding S. Yliana Hernandez Dr. Roger and Marlene Herold William J. Herrmann Frank and Mary Beth Hess Dr. Philip and Elizabeth Hessburg Marguerite Hessian-Gatz and Bob Gatz Marlys Hetland Andy Heuer and Pairin Hongsoongnern Robert and Karen Heying André L. Heywood Daphne Heywood James P. and Lynne Hicks Patrick J. and Tania Hicks Barbara Higgins Bryant and Margery High Horse Sharon Hill Ann C. Hills

Richard and Rose Hinkemeyer Dr. Kathleen Hobday Thomas Hoben Edward P. and Sandy Hodapp William and Laura Hodapp John J. and Debra L. Hoefs LaVern J. and Helen Hoelscher Dennis and Rita Hoemberg Dr. Hector F. and Mary Hoenig Arnold and Regina Hoeschen Linda and Jack Hoeschler Thomas A. Hoff Mark D. and Jenn Hoffman Dr. James R. Hofmann Donald G. and Louise Holden Richard and Anna Marie Holdvogt Kenneth and Suzan Hollerich Bradley and Linda Holt Steven and Susan Holupchinski Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Detroit Lakes, MN Carolyn Honl James G. Hoofnagle Eugenia C. Hopfer

Michael Crouser

Joan Hopke Irene E. Horak Edward F. Horski Joseph D. and Patrice Horwath Alvin L. and Mary Lou Houle Douglas Hourin Richard and Barbara Houston Thomas and Antoinette Hovel Matthew G. Howard Jerome J. Holzbauer Paul J. and Dolores Huber Mary Jane E. Huberty Michael and Mary Huberty Robert J. and Patricia Huberty James J. Hubner Marilyn M. Hudak Mary Durocher Hudson Chuck Huff Peter A. Huff Michael and Mary Ann Huffman Bonnie M. and Gary Hugeback Bernadette J. Hughes Kathleen Hughes Kevin J. and Joanne Hughes Margy Hughes Dr. Mark B. and Mary Hughes Timothy and Rosemary Hughes Sun Huh Gabriel W. and Becky Hulsey Timothy and Marie B. Humbert Joseph B. Hunn Dr. Kai K. and Myrna Hunt Anne B. Hunter Jane Hunter Marian Huntley-Lickteig Claire Hur Robert Hurley and Chantal Tanguay Harold and Jan Hurwitz Francesca and John J. Huss Jr. Siri Hustad Jeffrey P. Hutson Thomas and Frances Hutson Roger C. and Thelma Huyink Paulina Hwang Quinn Jude Hynes-Marquette Keith Imm and Susan Imm-Ttees Patrick J. Irlbeck Craig Irvine Gertrude C. and John Ivory Eric W. and Katie Jaax Boniface Jacobs Gregory T. Jacobs Jeff and Julie Jacobs John P. and Josephine Jacobs Molly Jacobs Sean M. Jacobson Randy and Jeanne Jaeger Jan and Kim Jahnke Warren D. and Dianne Janzen Diane Jarnot

James Jarocki and Kris Blakeslee Joseph Jastrzembski Peter Jeffery and Margot Fassler Linda R. and Glenn Jeffrey Gerard and Leona Jenniges Randal and Judith Jenniges Patrick J. and Patricia Jennrich Cecelia A. Jensen Michael D. and Kathleen Jensen Deborah J. and Thomas Jerome Marcella Jerome Bob and Katie Jeske Joseph and Andrea Jimenez Yi Jin Jeffrey G. and Brenda Jirik Marge Johannes Ken and Mary Johansen Rev. Paul S. Johansson Craig Johnsen Gregory C. and Delanie Johnsen Bobbie L. Sarff Johnson Bryce and Jody Johnson David Johnson and Kathy Casanova-Johnson Janet Johnson Janice M. B. Johnson Jerry and Theresa Johnson Joan C. Johnson Katherine M. Johnson Lawrence A. Johnson and Gwen Perun Nanette Johnson Patrick and Victoria Johnson Paul J. Johnson Rita Johnson Steven Johnson and Susan Iverson Suzanna W. and Benjamin+ Johnson Thomas and Diane Johnson Tim and Susan Johnson Barbara A. Johnston and Sally Strle David J. and Lori Johnston Ronald E. Joki Lynne Jonell Gerry Jones and Berhane Tadesse Lucy R. Jones and Jim Johnson Patricia Herbison Jones Raymond Jones Dawn Jordan Susan Jorgensen Mark P. Joseph Robert and Mary Jost Walter R. Jost and Ellie Brenny Janet Joy Daniel and Janet Joyce Mary R. Joyce Mary S. Joyce Tina Joyce Frederick and Mary Lou Juettner Cleopatra Julio Mark Jumper Gregory and Kristine Kaake

Marina Kaasovic Ted and Karen Kaden Rev. Bernard W. Kahlhamer Eugene and Mary Kahnke Patrick G. and Mary Jo Kaiser Jerry and Carol Kalinowski Donald A. and Rosemary Kalkman Jon R. Kallman Richard and Susan Kallok David C. and Anne Kaluza Thomas A. and Roswitha Kamla Kathryn Kaproth Dr. Adrian L. and Jacqueline Kapsner Brent and Shauna Kapsner Matthew A. and Hope Kapsner Mary Fran and William Karanikolas Christina Karnowski Thomas and Joan+ Kasbohm Dwain J. and Mary Kasel Harriet S. Kasprick Lloyd and Adelaide Kasprick Steve and Christina Kath Greg Katz and Margaret Holmes DeAnn Kautzmann Joanne K. Kavanagh Masaru Kawasaki Frank S. Kedzielawa Dennis R. and Carole Keefe James and Patricia Keegan S. Carol Keehan Dennis and Elizabeth King Keenan Dwight and Renee Keene Julie Keesling Robert F. Kelleher James A. Keller Matthew A. Keller Frances S. Kelly Jerome W. and Sharon Kelly Hon. Richard and Mary Kelly Richard J. Kelly William E. and Patricia Kelly Susan Kempf Daniel and Betsy Kennedy Frank A. Kennedy Mary Helen Kennedy Mary Ellen Kenney Richard W. Kent Ronald P. Keogh Evangeline Kerber Donald L. and Patricia Kercher Mary Ellen Kerres Robert W. Kessler Jerome C. and Bonnie Kettleson Anne Ketz Dr. Thomas J. and Pamela Keul Catherine M. Key Jeanne Kieffer Mark and Liz Kieffer Rev. Robert J. Kieffer Micah D. and Eleanor Kiel

Bernice and Ernest Kiene Melvin E. Kilner Carolyn Kimmes James G. Kimmitz Thomas J. and Regina Kinasz Peggy A. King Drs. Bernard C. and Virginia Kinnick Joyce Kirchner John D. Kirwin Kevin D. Kirwin Gerald U. and Patricia Klasen Richard and Janice Klaverkamp Thomas and Mary Jo Klaverkamp Susanna Klavora Ellen Kleckner Mary R. Klehr Janice Klein John H. and Alexandra Klein Michael J. Klein Robert and Phyllis Kleinschmidt Anne M. Klejment Colleen Klessig William and Marlene Klett Robert J. and Carolyn Kluk Barbara Ann Kluka Michael Kluzak Nadine and George Kluzak Donna and Francis Knapek Perry J. and Elizabeth Knapp Theresa Knier Hon. Franklin J. and Margot Knoll Galen C. and Donna Knutson Kevin J. Knutson Rev. David Kohner Daniel L. and M. Colleen Koll Laurence and Susan Koll Marie Koll Br. James J. Konchalski, O.S.B. Dr. Steven E. and Debbie Koop Chad and Christina Koppes Gary A. and Noreen Kordosky Mary Korman+ Walter J. Kosel Kathleen Koszarek Mary Jo Koszarek Andrew and Kathleen Kovacs Kathy Kovell Glenn and Patricia Kowal James and Joan Kracher Linda A. Kraemer Roy A. Kraemer Chuck Kraker Elizabeth Kranz Michael J. Kraus Michael P. and Joan Kraus Rev. Msgr. Donald H. Krebs Br. Anthony Kreinus, S.V.D. Rev. Thomas Krenik Robert W. Kressin William E. Kretschmar Rev. Thomas Krieg

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Irene Kroening Thomas and Diane Kroll Frances Kron Charles Kroncke Dr. James and Mary Krook Charles and Laura Kropke Karen A. Kroska Marilyn Krueger Paul J. Krump and Anne M. Schmidt-Krump Joseph and Sheila Kryjeski Daniel R. Kubinski Maureen Kucera-Walsh and Michael Walsh Richard G. Kuchera Jim and Polly Kuelbs Joseph and Lenore Kuelbs Brian W. and Michelle Kueppers Glenn and Mary Kuhnel Thomas and Nancy Kujawa Patricia Kuklock Allan J. Kula Paul T. and Kathryn Kulas Stephen M. and Susan Kulikowski Dr. John J. Kulus Richard and Debbie Kummet Katherine Kunkel Kilian and Khadim Kuntz Jerome J. Kunzer Ed Kurhajetz Ronald R. Kurpiers Roseanne M. Kury John T. Kustermann Susie and David Kuszmar Janet Kuznia Lawrence and Margaret Kwacala La Grenouille Rev. Frederick C. LaBrecque Betty LaBrosse Rev. Steve LaCanne Christopher A. and Michele Lacy Timothy and Claudia Lacy Adam LaFave Kevin O. and Beth Lafeber

The Benedictine monks of Saint John’s Abbey welcome guests of all faiths to experience the abiding presence of God with a praying community.

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Kip and Mary Lager Marlene S. Lahr Drs. Joy and James Laine Thomas D. Lais James J. L’Allier Dr. John B. LaLonde Huong T. Lam John D. and Margaret LaMarche Dennis and Karen Lamecker Ronald and Janenne LaMere Rev. Robert Lampert Helen Landkammer C. Bruce and Stephanie Landsem Jane Lang Charles E. and Carla Lange John E. and Rita+ Lange Gregory Lange and Mary Stoy Lange Bernard A. and Zerrin Langer Doris Langston Philip and Debra LaPorte Steve and Peggy Laraway S. G. LaRosa Kathleen Larsen Alfred G. Larson Betty Larson L. Wayne and Sharon Larson Peter W. and Lynn Larson Vincent and Kathy Laubach John J. and Kathleen Lauber Keith Laudenbach Robert and Shirley Laudenbach Shelly Laudenbach Deacon Vincent I. and Carol Laurato Martin and Coby LaVenture Joyce Lawrence John E. and Evelyn Lawyer Mary and Robert Lazarus William D. and Dawn Leach John and Michelle LeBlanc Kyle C. Lechtenberg John Leddy Gerald and Deanna Lederer John E. LeDoux Sr. Marilyn J. and John Lee Gerald and Cynthia LeGarde Frank and Amy Leidenfrost Jean Leighton Katherine M. Leighton Thomas R. Leimer Mary L. Leisen James Leitner Bill and Deb LeMay Lorrayne S. Lenarz Nancy A. Lenczewski Mahri Leonard-Fleckman Stuart and Susan Leslie Janet and Bob Lesniewski, Obl.S.B. Joseph and Rosemary LeTendre Mary L. Levin Andrew Lewis Richard and Emma Lewis Rich and Deborah Leyh

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Patricia Libra Norma J. Licht Jerry and Barb Liddell Patricia A. Lieb Robert A. and Jeanette Lieser Robert and Margaret Lietzke LeRoy+ and Colleen Lilly Thomas and Barbara Lilly LeAnn V. Lind and Steve Foster Kathy Lindbloom Albert and Myrna Lane Lindeman Thomas and Loraine Lindner Robert and Yvonne Lindquist Thomas and Kathryn Lindquist Hon. John and Mary Lindstrom Lois Liners Daniel Linwick Paul Lippert Jean Ljungkull William and Kathleen Lockwood Jason C. Lofgren Jill Lohmann Paul and Joan Lombardi Stephen and Barbara London Erin Lonergan Amy Long Andrew M. Long Kaitlin Long Richard Long Merle Longwood Monica Lorentzen John and Melanie Lovejoy Gene and Pat Loxtercamp Rev. James Lucas Karla Luce Mike and Kirsten Lucken Joan R. Ludick Mark J. and Karen Ludick Deacon Matt and Denise Ludick Larry and Jo Ann Luetmer Loren and Diane Lukes Anthony and Gail Lusvardi Donald and Annette Luther Carie Lynch Julie and Patrick Lynch Martin and Catherine Lynch Darrell and Anne Lynn Leon J. and Anne Lysher Charles C. and Geraldine Maas John and Catherine Maas Robert H. Mace Jr., Th.M. Mollie MacEachern Robert J. and Maria MacFarlane Jesse Macias and Mary Schulien James E. Mackay Susan H. Mackert Joyce D. Macnamara James E. Madigan Rev. John W. Madsen Katherine Mahle Gerry and Marj Mahon Thomas J. and Deirdre Mahoney Norie T. Mahowald+ Joseph J. and Christine Majeski

Robert J. and Helen Malby Rev. Donald A. Malins, Obl.S.B. Richard and Jodene Malmsten Catherine Mamer Kateri Mancini and Michael Gallagher Francis M. Mancl Scott L. and Debra Mans Rev. Neil J. Manternach Thomas R. and Janet Manthey Katherine Maple Dr. Michael and Laurie Marchetti John G. and Geraldine D. Marek Stephen and Jerri Mariash Nancy Marich Lee Markell Michael and Mary Jo Marolt Daniel and Deanna Marotz KC and Anne Marrin William D. and Margaret Marrin Marguerita Marschall Mary Ann Marschall and James Hibbs Dr. William J. A. Marshall Andrew C. Martin David and Mary Grace Martin George L. and Anne Martin COL James and Rhona Martin Theresa J. Martin George L. and Rita Marx Robert Marzik and Alice Caldwell Charles M. Mason Philippe Masson Jolenta and Gene Masterson Lucy A. Mastri Nabil Matar Thomas F. and Michelle Matchie Jennifer A. Mateer Judith A. Mathiowetz Kathrine and David Matthew Phyllis Mattill Werner and Mary Ann Maus Dr. William R. and Sharon Maus Paul and Susan Maxbauer Dr. David P. Mayer Gary Mayer James and Peggy McAllister Dr. Bill and Jane McBride Kevin and Laureen McCalib Michael McCann Mark and Katie McCartan Richard A. and Regina McCarthy Rev. Michael McClellan Maureen A. McConnell Dennis and Kathleen McConville John P. and Kyran McCormack Caroline McCoy-Hansen and Norman Hansen Richard and Doris McDermott Myles T. McDonald Edward McDonnell

Damian McElrath Michael R. McElwee Jr. Frank R. and Leslie McEvoy Joyce and Richard McFarland Rosemarie McGiffin Colin P. and Claire McGinnis Dr. Brian P. and Pamela McGlinch Virginia and Francis+ McGoldrick Margaret McGonigle William S. McGrath Chrisanne M. McGraw Patrick J. and Tracey McGuinn Berylann McGuire Michael and Eileen McGurran Charles and Mary McHugh Connor P. McIntee Timothy S. and Jeanne McIntee David C. McKenzie John H. McKnight Steven McLachlan Kevin McLane Christopher and Sarah McLaughlin Margaret M. McLaughlin Richard McLay and Pam Larkin John T. McMahon Robert C. McMahon Edward and Linda McManis Lorraine McManmon Christian and Mary McNamara Marian F. McNamara William and Stephanie McNamara Harry G. McNeely Dr. Janet M. McNew Bernadette McQuaig Cyndy McRae Robert G. McTaggart James and Catherine McTiernan David and Kathleen Mead Medtronic Foundation Sue Meers Gerald L. and Evelyn Mehrkens Irene M. and James Meier Michael Meirick Victoria Meixner Bruce Melchert and Cathrine Nilles Anthony Menke Joan Menke Alice Menning Hazel Meoska Thomas Meoska Pamela Mercier Carol A. Mercil Eugenio Meschini and Teresa Thein Meschini Patricia Messbarger Edith Messerich Christine A. Methe Cyril N. and Darlene Meyer Les and Joan Meyer

Aidan Putnam, O.S.B.

Mark and Michele Meyer Deacon Steven J. and Michelle Meyer Rev. Nathaniel Meyers Michael Rinaldi & Co. LLP Joseph T. Michalak Jr. Microsoft Foundation Gordy Midas Charles H. Middendorf Dr. Jeffrey M. and Mary Milbert Drs. Tim G. and Mary Zitur Miley Dr. Beverly Miller Donald V. Miller James L. Miller Brian J. and Aleta Millette David and Janice Millford Mark and Diane Millis Jon L. and Lisa Mills Patrick H. and Gertrude Mingo Vincent W. Miranda Sr. Dennis L. Mishuk Carol Mlodzik Linda and Bill Mock Aggie and Leo+ Mockenhaupt Timothy and Marianne Moe Robert J. and Sharon Moeller Paul G. Mohrbacher Armando C. Mojica Brenda Molinard Kevin and Delia Molinaro- Nolan Jerry and Linda Molitor Bart and Barbara Mollet Donald and M. Jeanne Molloy Michael Molloy and Thomas Hilgers Jeffrey L. Monaghan Rev. Raymond G. Monsour

Duane Moore Patrick Moore Mary and Mark Moraczewski Ana Moreno and James Solem Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Foundation William and Gail Morgan Michael and Patricia Moriarity Donald L. Morovits David J. Morreim John and Doris Morris Kevin Otto and Elizabeth Morris Otto Janice L. Morton Mark Mortrude Henrietta H. and Maury+ Moseley Calvin Mosley and Claudia Ryan-Mosley Kenneth and Mary Moss Drs. Greg Motl and Laurel Brooks Peter and Anne Moynihan Len and Kay Mrachek Paula E. Muggli Dr. William and Imelda Muggli Gerry and Marian Mulligan Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Mullin Edwin and Jane Mullin Phil Mulvaney Timothy Munshower and Kathleen Horner Steve Munstenteiger and Mary Bakken Katherine Murphy Katherine B. Murphy Mary Jean Murphy Paul and Roberta Murphy Richard and Marilyn Murphy

Joan and Robert A. Murray Jr. Joseph H. Murray Maureen Murray Michael and Dorothy Murray Deacon Thomas J. Murray Gary J. and Eileen M. Nalevanko Duane and Dalila Nawrocki Alain Ndagijimana Derek Neal Brad Neary and Suzette Sutherland Robert and Joyce Neary Timothy Neid Gregory T. Nelson Katie Nelson Margaret L. Nelson Marilyn Nelson and Geoffrey Tabakin Richard and Shirley Nelson Scott M. and Barbara Nelson Sheila Nelson Dr. George and Ann Nemanich John B. and Kathleen Nett Mr. and Mrs. Albert A. Nettles Jr. Network for Good Mary Lee Neu Joseph F. Neussendorfer John S. and Margrette Newhouse Gary and JoAnne Newman Elaine M. and Thomas Newton Thomas and Elizabeth Nicol Waldo Niebauer Matthew Nielsen Jean Nierengarten Louise Nieters Richard D. and Andrea Niggemann Richard J. Nigon Patricia A. Nilius Ted and Vicki Nilius Msgr. Allan F. Nilles Harold F. Nilles Toshitaka Nishidate Susan Noakes Larry and Rosemary Noble Joseph P. Noelke Jr. Bruce R. Nolan Br. Francis Nolan, F.M.S. Peter J. and Cathy Nolan Rev. Tim Nolan Mark Nordell Tony Nordick Kathleen Norris Kenneth and Susan Norris Brian J. Norsman Dr. Maurice and Eileen+ Northup Peter C. Nosek William J. Noth S. Irene Novak, O.S.F. Kevin and Marie Novak John and Lois Novotny Kathy Nuckolls Angela Nugent

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Darrell and Sharon Nystrom Janell Wenzel O’Barski Robert and Marilyn Obermiller Elaine M. O’Brien Rev. John F. O’Brien Timothy J. and Kimberly O’Brien Jerome D. O’Connell and Katherine Bloom O’Connell Julianne R. O’Connell Michael J. O’Connell Thomas O’Connell and Rebecca Heist Michael W. and Anita+ O’Connor Robert and Donna O’Donnell Charles D. Officer Jr. Marge O’Hara Robert D. O’Hara Michael O’Hare Lisa Ohm and Stuart Goldschen John and Charlene Ohmann Rev. Robert Oldersahw Peggy O’Leary, C.S.J. Catherine O’Link-Meyers Joseph and Carol Olivieri Bill and Becky Olson Bryan J. C. and Jodi Olson David and Jan Olson Karen E. Olson Lloyd H. Olson Rev. Thomas Olson Todd and Andrea Olson Eugene and Rita Olsson Francis V. and Maria O’Malley Kathy O’Malley Kevin T. O’Malley Joseph and Elaine Omann Daniel C. O’Meara Richard O’Meara David W. and Sharon Onions Dennis and Betty Orbeck Susan M. O’Reilly Thomas and Carole Orth Linda and David Orzechowski Bob Osborne William Osei-Bonsu and Maria Insaidoo Phil and Gail Osendorf Mary Osterhus Steven and Karen Ostovich Malcolm and Mary O’Sullivan James C. Otremba and Maureen Houlihan Otremba Mark and Katherine Ott Matthew and Ashley Ott Deacon Sherman Otto Raymond Owens James M. and Kathleen Pach S. Laurie Packard Ronald Paczkowski and Judith Talbott Henry and Mary Ann Padgett Bob and Ginny Padzieski Karen Pagel

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Dr. Tom C. Pagonis and Amy Acampora Joseph and Stephanie Palen David and Jean Palkert Bruce C. and Mary Palmborg Mary Pluth Palmquist Scott E. and Jacqueline Palmquist Susan Pankratz Rev. Harry and Kerry Pappas James Paradis Grace Parker Marion E. Parker Jeffrey R. Parks June Parnell Chris Partland Cynthia Paskauskas Rev. Richard W. Patt Wallace F. and Marge Pattock Dennis and Beverly Paul Sharon Paul Cecilia Paulus Ed and Dolores Pavek Anne Peagler Robert C. and Renee Pearson Michael and Gina Peck Patricia Peck David and Mary Jo Pedersen Bruce and Mary Kay Pederson Bernard and Judith Pekarek R. Ted and Lorraine Peller Julie A. Pelowitz Jerry C. Peltier Shane A. and Dana Pemrick Alice Pena Joan C. Pendy Sharon Pennock Michael L. Peroz Rev. Faith C. Perrizo Kevin W. and June Perrizo

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Lorelet G. Peters Ryan Petersen Danial and Susan Peterson Donna Peterson Joel Peterson Laurel Peterson Wendy and Daniel Peterson Kathleen and Bela+ Petheo Roger Petrich Joseph J. Petroski David Petry Robert and Ann Petrzelka Joyce and Thomas Pettinger Timothy and Jane Pettinger Chet and Janice Pettite Dr. David J. and Sara Petullo Loretta Pfannenstein Ronald D. and Marie Pfannenstein Rev. Bernard A. Pfau David Pfeffer COL John F. and Barbara Phelps Bradley J. Phillis David and Mary Phipps Thomas L. Piazza Emy E. and Marie Picard Thomas Piekarczyk and Carol Graczyk Dennis and Joan Pieper Diane and Mike Pierce Rita M. Pierskalla Douglas Pierzina James and Nancy Piggush Yvette R. Piggush Edwin J. Pinheiro Stephen and Laura Plantenberg Kenneth J. Plein Michelle A. Plombon James W. Ploof

Dr. Kenneth and Beryl Plotnik Patricia E. Podesta Robert and Karen Pogatschnik Charles and Janice Pohlman Gavin J. and Becca Poindexter Louis Polasky Robert Polasky James and Verle Polglase Maryanne Poliseno Edward F. and Susan Poniewaz Richard J. and Sandra Pope Robert H. and Joanne Porter Meg Portwood Betty Porwoll B. Neal Poteet Douglas and Patricia Potter Jack E. Povlock John and Frances Povolny Rebecca Powell Michael and Margery Powers Charles W. and Jana Preble Margaret Preiss David C. Prem Presentation Sisters of Fargo Rev. James Presta David M. Pretty Cynthia A. Prindle Kathleen A. Prokopec Frederick and Patricia Prom James F. and Mary Prosser Paul and Marvel Pryor Arthur and Anne Przybilla Duane M. Pufpaff Roger J. Purdy and Janet Hey Rita Pusch Dennis and Diane Putnam Ralph and Kay Quaas David and Marian Quale Jack and Alice Quesnell

Aidan Putnam, O.S.B.

Thomas and Catherine Quigley Jeffrey T. Rabatin Hon. Frank L. and Margaret Racek Dean A. and Ellen Rademacher Lee Radermacher+ Rev. Raymond M. Rafferty Brian C. and Anne Ragatz Steven J. and Laura Raich Joel D. Rainville and Kyle Olson Marvin C. and Phyllis Rakotz Mark A. and Kathleen J. Ramion M. Cristina Perez Ramos Teresa Ramos Hon. Jim and Monica Randall Magdaline A. Randolph Michael and Carol Rangitsch Rose M. Rarick David Rask Deanna Rasmussen Joan Rasmussen Mary Ann Rasmussen Rita Rassier Donald H. and Martha Rasure Ann Rath Jerome and Jean Rath Dennis Raverty Keenan and Denise Raverty Terry and Wanda Rawson Razoo Foundation Terry and Michael Reasoner David and Nancy Rectenwald Robert H. Reddick Yvonne Reding and Robert Lieser Rev. Poulson Reed Jane Reed Sarych and Mike Sarych Carol Rees Donald B. and Jean Regan Jeffrey and Natalie Regan Timothy W. and Jennifer Regan Pierre N. and Judith Regnier Joseph and Sharon Reid John P. and Pamela Reilly Robert Reilly and Judith Heinz Marilyn Reinhart Mary Reischl Jon L. Reissner and Ann Ferreira Reissner Bernice Reitmeier Rita Reker Andrew J. Remick Jane T. and Thomas Render Laura Renker Joe Rennie Tom Rennie J. M. Resberg Brian G. Resch Rev. Michael A. Resop Leanna G. Rexford Gerard F. Delos Reyes Richard J. and Diane Reynolds

Joane Rhoda Dick Rice and Rosemarie Whitehead Isabella M. Rice Dan J. Richards Jerome and Beth LaFriniere Richards Kevin and Jane Richmond Alan E. and June Ricke Charles H. and Lucy Rieland Margie Riley Michael and Susan Riley Michael W. and Susan Riley Joseph and Gail Rinderknecht Todd and Agnes Ring Lloyd Ringrose Karen M. Ristau Richard R. Rivard Rev. Dr. Teresa Roberts and Jim Secord Kenneth H. and Valery Robinson Morgan and Shirley Robinson Jan Robitscher David Rocchio and Michele Houston Barbara Roche Lin Rockwell Cargo Mary A. Rode Drs. Richard and Jane Rodeheffer Geraldine Roebuck Joan V. Roeder Dolores Roehl Francis and Rosemary Roehl Henry A. and Diane Roehrich Thomas and Gloria Roelike Charles E. Roemer J. Barbara Rogan Carl and Inga Rogers John and Sue Rogers John R. and Sara Rogers Rev. Robert J. Rokusek Patrick and Kelle Rolfes Dr. Brian E. and Nancy Rooney Daniel L. and Kay Rorabeck Dr. Christopher G. Rose Glenn F. Rose Michael and Julia Roskos David A. and Jeanne Rosow Richard Rosow and Vicki Underland-Rosow Kristine Rossman Gregory W. and Audrey Roth Robert B. and Lorraine F. Roth Thomas C. and Rosalie Roth Jerry and Lois Rothstein Peter J. Rothstein Dr. Bernie V. and Mary Kay Rottach Joanne M. Routzahn David J. and Beth-Anne M. Rowe Dr. David and Betsy Rowekamp Benjamin P. and Maureen Roy Ford Royer Jean A. Royer

Delores Rubald Donald W. and Lorraine Rubertus Michael and Nancy Rubino Christian Ruch Allan J. and Mary Rudolph Genevieve Rudolph Laurel Rudolph-Kniech and James Kniech Jerome and Nancy Rudy Ted Rueff Richard and Marlene Ruegemer Eunice Ruff Constance A. Ruhr Cheryl Running Jackie Ruppert Rev. Donald P. Rusch Rev. James D. Russell Daniel and Susan Ryan James H. Ryan John P. and Susan Ryan Judith A. Ryan Rev. Stephen Ryan, O.P. Terrence Ryan and Elizabeth Whalen Terrence W. Ryan Thomas R. Ryan Kenneth C. and Barbara Rydell Sacred Heart Church, East Grand Forks, MN Paul L. and Angela Saffert Ronald J. and Barbara Saffert Saint Edward Catholic Church, Henning, MN Saint Michael’s Catholic

Church, Mahnomen, MN Jerry and Melissa Sais Barbara Sajna Sam and Cecilia Salas Bob and Martha Salzer Arlene C. Sanborn Gerald and Lorraine Sande John W. Sanders Joseph F. and Takako Sandkamp Virgil and Joan Sandkamp Sandy Ann, Inc. Mary Ann and Jerome+ Sauerer Robert and Sue Saumur Richard and Sharon Savageau Carolyn R. and Delbert Sawyer Charles E. Sawyer Patrica Sayre Jeffrey and Nichole Schaefer Michelle K. Schaffer John and Mary Schaffner Mary E. Schaffner and Robert Lee Richard R. and Sharon Schemmel Michael P. and Laura K. Schenk Alice A. Scherer Gary M. and Carolyn Scherer Mark and Heather Scherer Roger and Irma Scherer

Coming to know the monks of Saint John’s Abbey has brought me numerous gifts, among them: deep friendships, an appreciation of the Benedictine way of life, profound gratitude for the creation of The Saint John’s Bible, a new awareness and love of Scripture.

Mary Rudden San Francisco

Robert A. Scheurer Jim and Karen Schiffman Yvonne Schilplin Mary Schiltgen Richard Schiltz Belita Schindler Walter and Chris Schirber Dr. Gerald and Joetta Schlabach Ruth Schlangen Alex and Susan Schleper Leona Schleper Richard and Elaine Schleper Otilla M. Schley Michael A. Schlosser Bill Schmelzer and Jeanne Gleason Schmelzer Dale Schmidt David H. and Ruth Schmidt John A. and Margaret Schmidt James W. Schmitt Fritz and Carol Schmitz Leo Schmitz Othmar and Marilyn Schmitz Thomas A. and Caroline Schmitz Deacon Vernon J. and Diane Schmitz Barbara G. Schneider Claude and Mary Schneider Dennis and Elisa Schneider James and Carol Schneider Peter and Janice Schneider Dr. Norbert and Margaret Schneider William P. and Donna Schneider Dana and Ellen Schnobrich Mary Lou Schoenberg Christine R. Scholl Terry and Lynn Schones School Sisters of St. Francis Daniel J. and Shirley L. Schoonover Ronald and Marcia Schorn

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Jackie and Wendell Schott Sharon Schrantz Anthony and Cynthia Schreiner Sylvester Schreiner Helen Schroeder Mark and Robin Schroeder Laurence and Helen D. Schroepfer John W. and Lynn Schubert S. Dolores Schuh, C.H.M. William J. Schull Diane Schulte Gary L. Schulte Wilfred and Donna Schulte Beth S. Schultheis Lawrence M. Schultz Eugenia Schulzetenberg Don and Kitty Schumacher Mary Jane and Robert Schutzius Geraldine Schwab Shirley Schwalbe Henry and Alma Schwalbenberg Donald F. and Catherine Schwarz Bernice Schwegel Todd and Colleen Schweiger Eileen Schwieters Mike and Christine Scillo Jean Scoon and Peter Losacano Thomas and Maryellen Scott Jim and Jan Scribner Thomas and Barbara Seeger Pete Seifert Patricia Seitz John P. and Mary Sellner James and Leslie Senden Frederick and Heidi Senn Jo Senta John J. and Frances F. Serpe Joseph and Sandra Sery Caroline Severin Michael and Mary Ann Sexton Rev. Michael F. Sexton David G. and Julie Seykora Amb. Robert and Ellen Shafer Clarence J. Shallbetter Daniel K. Shannon Margaret L. Shannon Terese M. Shearer James P. Sheehy Maria Sheremeta Jared R. and Olivia Sherlock Rev. Edward J. Sherman Rev. William C. Sherman Ted and Corrine Shide Emily Brown Shields Victoria and Craig Shields Keith W. and Sandra Shikany Mike and Pat Shivers Rose M. Shober Dr. Charles R. Shrader Fred and Shiela Shusterich Greg J. Sicheneder P. Michael and Vera Sidders David and Bernie Sieben

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James and Deborah Sieben Rev. Martin J. Siebenaler Colman T. and Erica Silbernagel John and Catherine Silver Joseph Simms Jane and Robert Simon Patricia Simon Sheila K. Simon S. Rene M. Simonelic, O.S.F. Robert Simpson Lois Sinner John D. Sipe Andrea and Arthur Sitterle Joseph and Michelle Skemp Jana and John Skradski Paul R. Skrbec David and Cathy Skrypek Mark and Angela Slattery Marypaul K. Slettehaugh Patrick M. Smalley Brian J. Smith Daniel and Kristine Smith Germaine R. Smith Dr. Mark and Mrs. Bonnie Smith Mary L. Smith Michael Smith Michael P. Smith Michael P. and Katie Smith Paul L. Smith Penny and Dan Smith Timothy Owen Smith Virginia Smith Violet Smithwick David R. Smoker David and Judith Smucker Diane M. Solarz and Michael Reget Bruce and Gloria Soma Delores J. Soroe Robert J. Soukup James and Yolanda Soyer Anthony L. Spalla Michael and Kathy Spanier Jacqueline and James Sparks John A. and Sharon Spies Jerod S. Spilman Robert and Patti Spinner Catherine Sponholz Matt Spooner Anthony and Denise Stachnik Leon G. and Beverly Stadtherr John and Alice Stalboerger Emily K. Stamp Clark Stanton Eleanor A. Stanton Vicki Stary James M. Stastny Janice Stauske Therese A. Stawowy John H. Stearns Donald Stebbins Michael and Mary Kay Stebbins Robert Steed Jean M. Steenberge

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The monks of Saint John’s guided, nurtured, and transformed seven generations of humanity in Minnesota and around the world.

They were there for us when we needed them.

Dan Whalen Oakland, California

Philip J. Steger and Elizabeth Amman Roger W. Stegura Richard and LaVonn Steiner Dr. Paul and Jane Steingraeber Family Ramona M. Steinke Barbara Stender Dr. Charles and Louise Stevens Sharon K. Stevens Elizabeth Stewart Virginia and Thomas Stillwell John S. St. Jules John and Carole Stofko Margaret Stoick Peggy Stokman Colette Stone Rick and Judi Stone Douglas J. and Theresa St. Onge William Storrar Jean M. and Jeff Stottlemyer William L. Straub Jeannette Streefland Jesse M. and Sarah Stremcha Dr. James and Esther Strom Dr. Richard Stuart James E. and Margaret+ Sturm Stanley and Connie Suchta James J. Suel Sung W. and Sun Suh Thanongsak Sukwiwat and Suteera Sermsakul Anna Sullivan E. Monica Sullivan Jacqueline Sullivan Dr. Joseph Sullivan Margaret M. Sullivan Mary Sullivan Mary Kay Sullivan William Sullivan Patricia M. Surdyk Annetta M. Sutton G. R. and Patricia Svendsen Wayne and Mary Swanger James Swanson Nathan Swanson

Mark and Deb Swedberg Patrick and Joyce Sweeney Thomas G. and Allison Sweetman Janet Swenson Dr. Richard N. Sykes Darrell W. Syler Nancy Szankowski John and Karen Tackaberry Ivar and Leslie Tait Stanley and Gloria Takahashi Mike and Julie Tangredi Ronald J. and Mary Ann Tarro Carol Tauer Dr. Kenneth Tauer Ronald J. Tavis Rev. Youannes F. Tawfik Antoine V. Taylor Sr. Jeanette Saddler Taylor John D. Taylor and Leigh W. Dillard Elizabeth Teefy Joe and Phyllis Tegels James L. Tembrock Joseph R. and Judith Tembrock William J. and Kathleen Tembrock Burnham and Joan Terrell Marjean Terrell Mary Ann Terres Doug Texter Gerald R. and Jennifer Thamert Richard and Mary Thamert Robert and Barbara Thamert Jay and Anne Theder Peggy Thein Ethelyn Theisen+ Kathleen M. Theisen Carl J. Thelen Oswald L. Thelen Thomas and Eleanor Thelen George and Kaye Thibault Thomas and Priscilla Thibodeau Steven L. and Amanda T. Thielen Colleen and Howard Thielman Ronald V. and Susan+ Thimmesh Robert and Shannon Thissen Agatha C. Thoennes Charles and Patricia Thomas Craig A. Thomas Geneva Thomas Barry M. Thompson Corey C. Thompson Donna J. Thompson Douglas E. Thompson Rev. Mickie D. Thompson Jr. Deborah A. Thompson-Wise and Kenneth Wise Mary C. Thornton Donald A. Thull Janine M. Thull and Jefferey M. Richter

Kathleen Tibbets George and Lorraine Tiemann Carol Tillman Kathryn A. Tillmann TimesSquare Capital Management, LLC Paul Timko Mark F. Tinguely Dr. Stephen J. and Mae Tinguely Patrick W. Tinucci Virginia Tise William M. Toenies Marilyn R. and Victor Toepfer Debra Anne Tom John Tomasetti Patrick and Dee Tomczik Ronald and Sandra Tomczik Mary Alice Tomporowski Sandra Tonnsen C. Joseph and Cindy Tonsing Joanne Torborg Joseph and Lisa Torborg Michael E. Torchia Alec A. Torigian Richard and Lynn Torney Samuel Torvend Mark R. Towsley Trashy Moped Recording, Ltd. Co. Jane Trasowech Leo and Patricia Traurig Lorrayne Traut Pamela Traylor Herb and Linda Trenz Theodore and Debra Trenzeluk Dennis and Sandy Trettel Rose C. Trigg James D. Tripp Dr. Felix E. and Bibiana Tristani James D. and Victoria Trites Tom Trykowski Eileen Tschida Dr. Victor and Kathleen Tschida Sharon H. Tupa Thomas and Madeline Turner Joseph and Diana Twidwell Chris and Darla Twomey Mark and Judy Twomey Renee M. Twomey John F. Tyler Rusty Tym and Sharon Novak- Tym Richard J. Udouj Jack E. and Susan Uhas Glen and Cynthia Uhlenkott Lorrie Ulfers Robert and Renee Ullo Janice M. and Robert Urban John and Patricia Urbanski Anna Vacha Rev. Robert L. Valit Valley Art Group, LLC Valley Medical Services Valparaiso University

Beverly and Gregory Vander Vorste Patrick J. and Susan Vandrovec Rudy Van Puymbroeck Dr. James E. and Perha Varley Carlos Vasquez Steven Vatch Jr. Marty Vebelun Michele Vecchia Joseph W. and Ashley Veeder Rafael Vega Mary Kay Venne Dr. Jerome and Judy Vergamini David and Janis Versluis Hilary Vickman Casey A. and Mary Ann Vilandre David P. and Di Ann Vinck Steven and Susan McManus Vnoucek Geraldine M. Voelkel Mil Voelker Elaine Vogel Dr. Edward Vogt John J. Vondrell Michael and Susan Vos Kurt P. and Cynthia Wachtler Kathlyn and Derek Wade Alice Wagner Maggie Wagner Mark and Yvonne Wagner Michael J. and Aimee Wagner Michael L. and Karen Wagner Rose M. Wagner Douglas J. Walch Brenda K. and Michael Walden Steven and Suzenne Waldusky Christine and William Walker Eileen and Norman Wallace Katherine Wallace Jennifer M. Wallin Bryan Walsh Jim and JoAnn Walsh William Walsh and Jo Roebuck-Pearson Steven P. Walter Elmer and Barb Walz Leo J. Walz Helen Wang Virginia Wanous Robert C. Wanzong Johanna Warloski LTC Thomas and JoAnn Warner Anne Warwick Jill Watson Dixie Webb Genevieve Weber Jerome Weber+ Joann Weber COL Marvin and Marjorie Weber Michael W. and Carol Weber Nancy Weber and Ray Files Paul and Julie Weber

Aidan Putnam, O.S.B.

Robert M. and Carol Weber Dr. Stephen and Mary Ellen Weber Edward and Mary Wegerson LTC Thomas C. and Maria Wegleitner Frank and Eileen Weglicki Stephen and Amy Wehr Leslie D. and Mary S. Weigelt Richard Weil Drew Weis Phillip Weiss Neil J. Welch Sr. Douglas and Mary Beth Weldon Andy and Nicole Welle Paul N. and Jacqueline Welle Robert Welters Paul G. Welvang Brian D. and Kate Wenger Christopher and Jennifer Wenner Dr. Joseph H. and Mary Wenner Dr. Waldemar H. Wenner William J. Wenninger Caleb R. and Brooke Wenzel Rev. Timothy W. Wenzel Kurt T. and Mary Fran Werner S. Peter J. Werner Robert J. Werner Kenneth and Kathleen Wernimont Lisa Wersal and Louis Asher Bernadine Wesenberg Clarice Wesley

Kimberly and Dave West Jack and Felisha Westbrock Jerry Westra Clifford and Gloria Wexler Greg and Ellen Weyandt Daniel A. and Katharine Whalen John and Donna Wheeler Rachel J. and Winston Wheeler James and L.Y. Floria Whitcomb Jane and Rienold Whiteford Gerald and Lynette Widen William S. and Mary Widman Michael Wiktorek Jerome and Martha Wilczyk Douglas A. and Eugenia Wilhelmi Raymond R. Will Kenneth and Winifred Willcox Bede D. and Vonnie Willenbring Pierre V. and Sheila Willette Rev. Joseph Williams Charles Williamson Gordon and Elizabeth Wilson Agnes A. Wind Bernetta Windschitl Joyce Windsperger-Rubio and Luis Rubio-Losada Timothy and Karla Winkelman Bob and Debra Winkels Judy and Art Winter Karl and Lucy Winter

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Abbey Chronicle

The Benedictine Volunteer Corps of Saint John’s Abbey exists to provide a year of volunteer service for graduates of Saint John’s University at a monastery of the worldwide Benedictine confederation and to support the work, prayer, and life of Benedictine monasteries around the world.

Joyce M. and Delmar+ Wittenhagen David Witham Robert Witte Patricia A. Witzmann Ronald and Jane Woellhof Jerome and Ellen Woit Kenneth Wojack Richard Wojciechowski Sandra J. Wolcott Christopher Wold Leo H. and Betty Sue Wolf Raymond J. Wolf Richard J. and Diane Wolf Aaron J. and Marian Wolff David and Mary Woodward Eileen Woolard Paul and Julie Woolfrey Jason T. Woolwine Paul Woychick Charles Wright and Jean Keller Scott and Betty Wright Dr. Paul and Nina Gresser Writz Robert Wrubel John S. Wtulich Jerome and Mary Wuller John Yager Thomas J. and Patricia Yencho Dale A. Yerger Thomas Yogan Christine H. Yoon Alan and Marilyn Youel Jerilynn K. Young Kathleen Yung Rosemary Yurczyk Edward M. and Mary Zabinski Frank and Dian Zeck Lewis P. Zeidner Robert and Dolores Zeni Paul Zenner and Lorri Steffen Virgil Zenner Karen Zewe Jian and Songlei Zhou Hon. Kenneth G. and Maxine Ziebarth Frank R. and Kathleen Ziegler Rita Zilka Fred and Joanell Zimmerman Steven D. and Susan Zimmerman

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Betty Zollner Jenny Zoucha

Abbey Volunteer Circle

The following volunteered their services for the monastery between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017: gardening, sewing, filing, assisting at the Abbey Gift Shop, Abbey Guesthouse, and Abbey Cemetery, and helping in the monastery’s retirement center. In the past twelve months, volunteers have donated 7,500 hours to the abbey.

Joyce Abeln David Allen Jessie Bazan Michael Becker Jordan Berns John Brinkman Mitzi Brinkman Emeline Brudwick Emily Chaphalkar Mary Davis Sharron Diedrichsen Denny Douma Bernadette Dunn Edward Dunn Rose Dwyer Bill Elfering Merry Ellestad Paul Elwell Rachel Gabelman Anne Gall Ryan Gall Chuck Griffith Amy Grinsteiner John Grobe Eileen Haeg Richard Haeg Anne Hanson Ron Joki Patricia Jones Michael Keable Cheryl Knox Dane Kuhr

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Warunee Lampher Peter Langseth Rodney Langseth Rungthip “Nune” Langseth Lauren Lynch Barb Lyndgaard Anne Marrin David F. Mendez Janet Merdan Maranda Miller Burdette Miller-Lehn Maho Morishita David Morreim Luke Morrey Bill Muldoon Steven Pederson Karl Petters Karleen Petters Anne Przybilla Art Przybilla Allie Pybas Matthew Rengo Dorothy Roske Hal Roske Michael Ross Sharon Schmitt Kay Sheils Tom Sibley Jane Simon Robert Simon Martin Stachnik Emily Stamp

O

Ben Trnka Arabella Volkers Rosemary Walsberg Bailey Ziegler Ellen Zipp

Benedictine Volunteer Corps Circle

The following Benedictine Volunteers served between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017.

Nathan Anderson Matthew Devery Philip Evans Joseph Evavold Thomas Friebe Brayan Garibay Steven Gitzen Gabriel Hanson Alex Ingulsrud Nathan Johnson Adam Kolb Jonathon Litchy Patrick Martin Robert Otting-Crandall Tanner Rayman Frantz Soiro Marcus Vievering Michael Wendlandt Nicholas Zurn

n the weekend of 15 April, the monks’ Easter Alleluias were accompanied by thunder and a half-inch of rain on Holy Saturday. April showers continued with nearly two inches of rain falling during Easter week. Below freezing temperatures at the end of the month resulted in droopy daffodils and tippy tulips, and a couple inches of slushy snow outlined the Collegeville landscape on May Day. Bright sun and 80-degree temps greeted Mother’s Day and released the glorious fragrance of lilac across the campus. The first days of summer were pleasant but unseasonably cool. But not to worry! The dew point on the Fourth of July was a tropical 74 degrees. No one complained that most of August felt more like October. Clouds and a gentle rain in Collegeville limited the viewing of the coast-to-coast solar eclipse on 21 August. Now the showy maples and migrating flocks confirm that summer is passing.

John-Bede Pauley, O.S.B.

14,000 gallons.” In a good year, about forty gallons of sap produce one gallon of syrup— meaning about 350 gallons of syrup should have been harvested. “But we ‘only’ made 272 gallons. The difference? Mostly the weather and a lack of good freeze-thaw conditions,” says Sarah. Whatever the stats, the syrup is still sweet!

April 2017 • A respectable 272 gallons of maple syrup were produced during the 2017 season. According to Ms. Sarah Gainey, assistant director of environmental education of Saint John’s Outdoor University, some 1400 taps were put out this spring. Typically “we would get ten gallons of sap per tap, which should equal

the staff broadcast throughout the day from Brother Willie’s Pub. Abbot John Klassen explained to Morning Edition host Ms. Kathy Wurzer that Brother Willie was the night abbot (watchman) who “couldn’t run, couldn’t see, and couldn’t hear too well . . . but he was a great night watchman!” Professor Annette Atkins offered a lesson on the German/Catholic history of the first European settlers in central Minnesota, including the rocky relations between the sisters of Saint Benedict’s Monastery and Abbot Boniface Wimmer. After declaring today to be MPR Day in Collegeville, President Michael Hemesath reflected on Father Colman Barry’s interest in beginning a radio station as part of Saint John’s liberal arts educational mission. And yes, the story of the loaf that became a legend was shared, along with some freshly baked Johnnie Bread.

• In January 1967 radio station KSJR 90.1 FM began broadcasting from the third floor of Wimmer Hall on the Saint John’s University campus. Over the past fifty years that station has grown into today’s Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) network of fortyfive stations. As part of MPR’s year-long celebration of its golden anniversary, on 25 April

May 2017 • On 21 May, in recognition of their service leading to the legal restructuring of the Order of Saint Benedict and creation of a new civil corporation for Saint John’s University in 2012, Dr. Michael Hemesath presented the Saint John’s University President’s Medal to Abbot John Klassen, Fathers Gordon Tavis and Dan Ward, and Brothers Dennis Beach, Benedict Leuthner, and Robin Pierzina. “Your patient,

Alan Reed, O.S.B.

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The community welcomed Novice Jacob (Jordan) Berns in July as he began his discernment of a monastic vocation. Novice Jacob, 25, grew up in Perham, Minnesota, where he was a member of the Church of Saint Henry. He completed a bachelor’s degree in music and theology at Saint John’s University in 2014, followed by service as a tutor at Washington Technology Magnet School, Saint Paul. Beginning in the fall of 2015, Jacob spent a year at Sant’Anselmo, Rome, as a Benedictine Volunteer. His interests include playing the organ and viola, and cooking and baking.

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

thoughtful, and respectful deliberation brought to fruition years of work resulting in an agreement which now strengthens and sustains us,” stated the president.

June 2017 • Abbot John led a delegation of monks to a Mass of blessing on 3 June for Sister Susan Rudolph, newly elected prioress of Saint Benedict’s Monastery in nearby Saint Joseph.

• The Catholic Press Association honored Liturgical Press with twenty-three awards for material published in 2016. Including five awards for the daily prayer periodical Give Us This Day, Liturgical Press received the most awards, and the most first-place awards (six in total), of any publisher in the annual award competition. “We have the great privilege of working with so many extraordinary authors,” said Mr. Peter Dwyer, director of

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the Press. “It is gratifying to see their work and ours in service of the Gospel recognized with these awards.”

July 2017 • Some 350 Lutheran musicians, who were attending a conference in the Twin Cities, traveled to Saint John’s for a half-day visit on 12 July. When the monastic community joined the group for a special sung Evening Prayer service, no amplification was needed. Lutherans sing with gusto!

• Members of the local chapter of the Oblates of Saint Benedict gathered for their annual retreat at Saint John’s on the weekend of 15 July. Oblate director Father Michael Peterson was pleased to announce that seven oblates recently made their final oblation. Mr. Dennis Adams (Greenville NC) hopes to deepen his connection with the Benedictine way of life and share it with

those to whom he ministers. Mr. Jason Engel (Streamwood IL) holds the Rule of Saint Benedict in high esteem: “the Rule offers so much to learn and incorporate into my life. I see so much potential for growth.” Mr. Andrew Hiipakka (Lisbon OH) wants to live the Rule of Saint Benedict in the secular world. Mr. John McKnight (Greenville NC) is focused upon understanding the Rule and applying it to his everyday life, “especially community, Psalter, and lectio divina.” Mr. Harlan Strong (Plymouth MN) welcomes the opportunity to listen, learn, share, and be in communion with other oblates. Mr. Nicholas Tangen (Minneapolis) is grateful that the oblate community can offer him “a grounded and practical way to seek God in my daily life.” Ms. Doris Tauscher (Wisconsin Rapids WI) is seeking guidance for private prayer structure and community hospitality.

• During commencement exercises on 28 July, the eight participants of the abbey’s English as a Second Language (ESL) Institute expressed their gratitude and warm wishes in pretty good English. For six weeks, the participants, most of whom were Benedictine monks, worked on their speaking skills in one of two tracks: basic vocabulary and grammar acquisition; or accent reduction for individuals who are already fairly fluent in English.

The participants met daily with a monk conversation partner, engaged in casual conversation at

meals in the monastic refectory, and had additional training from Ms. Sarah Pruett, university ESL coordinator. Institute founder Brother Paul Richards

presented diplomas and gifts to each graduate to conclude the ceremony.

• At least fifty Canada geese [left] hatched or summered in Collegeville on and around the Gemini Lakes near the entry road to Saint John’s. Alas, they are not practitioners of Benedictine hospitality. The adults refused to recognize the right of way of any passersby, boldly standing their ground and hissing at both motorists and pedestrians. As for the goslings: watch your step! Fifty looseygoosies make a big messy-wessy.

Fowl play is suspected.

August 2017

Branta canadensis

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

• The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) awarded

the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML) an outright grant of $323,958 plus $42,430 in matching funds for development of vHMML (Virtual HMML) 3.0, a platform for manuscript studies. The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library holds the world’s largest collection of online resources for the study of manuscript cultures, both East and West. vHMML was developed to open this archive to students, scholars, library professionals, and anyone interested in manuscript studies.

Launched in 2015, the platform provides resources for learning about manuscripts, discovering new texts, comparing versions of known texts in several languages, and tracing the circulation and use of manuscripts across time and cultures.

On 25 July the monastic community was invited to inspect the latest addition to the Saint John’s Fire Department (SJFD): a shiny, fire-engine red Pierce pumper recently delivered from the Florida manufacturer. The new Engine 3 [right] has no bells and whistles but does have a screaming siren and lots of flashing lights. It features a 330-horsepower International engine, Husky 3 foam system, 750-gallon water tank, 1250 gpm pump, and 6kW Harrison hydraulic generator. The new truck replaces a 1972 Ward LaFrance [lower right] that has been part of SJFD for forty years.

Looking for a firetruck to lead your community’s Fourth of July parade? Need something special to impress your friends for casual cruising on summer nights? This little beauty, used only for small fires and always parked away from the smoke and cinders, is for you. Ladders included! Call the Saint John’s Fire Department before midnight tonight, and you could be the lucky owner!

Pierce archives

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

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Fifty Title Years of Article Ago

Monks in the Kitchen 30 October 1967

Excerpted from The Record, student newspaper of Saint John’s University:

• A joint program of cooperative study between the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University is now a reality. A grant of $40,200 by the Louis W. and Maud Hill Family Foundation has been awarded to the two schools. The grant will be paid to the College of Saint Benedict, which has agreed to act as the fiscal agent.

26 May 1967

• The Monastic Manuscript Microfilm Project, one of the most ambitious undertakings ever attempted by the Saint John’s community, has completed its second year of operation and is continuing its work of microfilming manuscripts housed in European monasteries.

The two-year report of 13 April 1967 indicates that the codices of 19 monasteries, including 1,603,379 black-and-white exposures and 17,919 frames in color, are presently on file in the Monastic Manuscript Microfilm Library [Hill Museum & Manuscript Library] in the lower level of the university library. These exposures contain 7034 codices on 2042 microfilm reels.

The project has already been extended beyond its first phase, which included the photographing of manuscripts in Italian monastic libraries. The photographic team, headed by Father Oliver Kapsner of Saint John’s, has proceeded to the monastic libraries of Austria and will continue work in Germany and Switzerland. The project also aims to microfilm the Orthodox monastic manuscript collections of the Mediterranean and Near Eastern areas.

Image: Decorated initial O: Saint Benedict and Monks.

Cod. Mellicensis 109 (1056) fol. 106v Used with permission: Melk Abbey, Austria

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13 September 1967

• Last winter it was announced that an Institute for Ecumenical Research was to be established at Saint John’s and situated on the north bank of Lake Watab.

This summer, plans for the Institute progressed, and the buildings began to rise across the lake. Father Kilian McDonnell, director of the Institute, stated that the structures are due for completion in November, with the beginning of activities scheduled for February.

Ten scholars and their families will live at the Institute and carry on dialogues and research into the traditions and thought of the various religions. One aid to this research will be the Monastic Microfilm Library at Saint John’s. Scholars will be Protestant, Orthodox, and Jewish, as well as Catholic.

Both institutions envision a three-phase plan that will bring them together either as coordinate colleges or, in due time, as a single institution. Steps that are pertinent to Phase I, started in 1962 and now in effect, are an exchange in faculty and students, library facilities available to students from both campuses, food services likewise available, and an all-day shuttle bus service. It is the success of these initial steps that enabled the two schools to apply for and receive the grant needed for Phases II and III. Phase II is to be accomplished in the 1967-68 academic year.

A combined curriculum and a single calendar outline the 4-1-4 plan that started off the year.

The Bulletins of the two colleges have been combined and are printed as one. They outline the courses offered, requirements of the two institutions which now are very similar, and the total educational policy of the colleges. Some progress has been made for a joint admissions counseling policy.

Let’s Do Brunch! Ælred Senna, O.S.B.

I

have always enjoyed preparing breakfast foods. Though I’m not fond of eggs by themselves, they are a great vehicle for all sorts of other foods and flavors. One in particular that I’ve come to love is a good breakfast casserole (or “hot dish” for Minnesotans!). When I make an “egg bake,” the pan is so loaded with many other tasty ingredients— including plenty of cheese—that there is barely room for the eggs to hold the whole thing together!

My favorite egg bake features a base of English muffins, topped with onions, red and green bell peppers, ham, and—did I say?—lots of cheese. The egg mixture consists of a heaping spoon of Dijon mustard whisked into the eggs along with plenty of salt and pepper, and about as much milk as I have eggs. So easy, so delicious! When done right, what’s not to like!

Over the last few years, I have prepared meals for many people who need a gluten-free option. Alas, those English muffins just don’t cut it for these folks.

But corn tortillas do! I hope you will enjoy making this Green-Chili Egg Bake.

You can look for it as a “signature dish” if you ever visit the new Estates Bed & Breakfast (www.facebook.com/ EstatesBB/) opening this fall in Saint Joseph, Minnesota. I’m gonna be famous, y’all!

Gluten-Free Green Chili Egg Bake (Serves 8-10)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil • 1 c. chopped onion • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 12 corn tortillas cut into 1” pieces • 2 c. shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese • 8 oz. canned, diced green chilies • 6-8 eggs • 2 c. buttermilk • ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground cumin, depending on taste • Salt and pepper Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9”x13” baking pan with butter or non-stick spray.

Heat oil in a medium skillet. Sauté onion and garlic until fragrant and translucent. Set aside.

Spread half the tortillas in the bottom of the baking pan.

Top with half the cheese and peppers. Sprinkle with half the onion mixture.

Repeat these layers.

Whisk together remaining ingredients, including salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the tortillas.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set and edges are golden brown.

Allow casserole to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with mounds of thick-cut bacon!

Brother Ælred Senna, O.S.B., is associate editor of Give Us This Day and a faculty resident at Saint John’s University.

Abbey Banner Fall 2017

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In Memoriam

Come to Me

Please join the monastic community in prayerful remembrance of our deceased family members and friends:

Timothy Backous, O.S.B.

Keith Parker Bartlett Margo Bischof, O.S.B. Mary Adella Blonigen, O.S.F. Josephine Benz “Nicky” Carpenter Ellen Cotone, O.S.B. Daniel Lloyd Cotter Mary Louise Donahue Michael Downey, O.P. Matthew Renard Dubin LaVerne M. Dylla Frances E. Fitzpatrick Mary Louise Friedl William Geis Regina Hansmann, O.S.B. Thusnelda B. “Teddi” Herzfeld Mary Rae Higgins, O.S.B. Richard “Rich” Houston Gregory S. “Greg” Howard Dolores Ann “Dee” Jarocki Morton Jasmer Christopher Johnson, O.P. Mary Ellenbecker Johnson Kathleen Kalinowski, O.S.B. Mette Maj Norddahl Kirsch

Take my yoke upon you, . . . for my yoke is easy, and my burden light.

Alan F. Kreider Anne Kroeger Most Rev. Daniel W. Kucera, O.S.B. Margaret James Laughlin, O.S.B. Maxine Launderville Irene M. Linn Ian Benjamin Lo Frances R. Ludwig Archabbot Paul Maher, O.S.B. Theresa Manahan Elizabeth Martell, O.S.F. Mary Josephine “Jo” McDowell Marilyn J. McKenzie Barbara J. Micetich Mary George Ortmann, O.S.B. Clement H. Pangratz, O.S.B. Neil Paquette, O.C.S.O. Janice Paur Bela F. Petheo Verenice Ramler, O.S.B. Monica J. Randall Antonia “Tonie” Rausch, O.S.F. Margaret M. “Marge” Reber Marie Roeser

Gerald Rogers Maureen Z. Rubischko Anna Rudy Eugene A. “Gene” Ruprecht Rev. Kenneth Russell James Thomas “Jim” Ryan Gregorio Valentín Santiago, O.S.B. Jerome A. “Jerry” Sauerer Robert Schanhaar, Obl.S.B. Dalene Schindler, O.S.B. Miriam Schmitt, O.S.B. Patricia Lillian “Pat” Spanier Leon Tauscher Jody Ann Thamert Mark Thamert, O.S.B. Susan Thimmesh Abbot Brian Wangler, O.S.B. Jerome Weber John M. Wegner Francis Wehri, O.S.B. Mary Vianney Weier, O.S.F. Clara T. Wensman John H. Wolf Jr. Albert G. “Bert” Zimmer

Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.

Psalm 116:15

A Monk’s Chronicle Father Eric Hollas, O.S.B., offers spiritual insights and glimpses into the life of the Benedictine community at Saint John’s Abbey in a weekly blog, A Monk’s Chronicle. Visit his blog at: monkschronicle.wordpress.com.

Father Don’s Daily Reflection Father Don Talafous, O.S.B., prepares daily reflections on Scripture and living the life of a Christian that are available on the abbey’s website at: saintjohnsabbey.org/reflection/.

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Matthew 11:29-30

J

esus’ words sound promising. But how can they be reconciled with the apparent contradictions throughout Scripture: stories that give the opposite impression of an easy yoke. Consider Abraham. He is asked to leave family and homeland with no clear directions other than just go and you’ll figure it out. Or Moses: lead this stiff-necked people through a desert for years, toward a land that you personally will never inhabit. Or Paul: keep preaching until you’re jailed, put on trial, and finally die. Or Peter: leave everything—family, career, home—and follow me to an agonizing death. And, of course, God says to Jesus: your existence was once pure divinity, but now you will live a human life leading to shame and a brutal death. How is this a light burden? How is it easy?

Yet, this is what we are faced with each time Jesus extends his invitation. Maybe the answer lies in the places we normally look to find relief from life’s burdens. Where do we go when money is tight?

Or relationships flounder? Or sickness invades our bodies? Where do we go when someone we love spins out of control? Typically, the relief we seek is superficial and tenuous. We seek solutions that give immediate relief because we’ve come to expect and demand it. Ironically, the answers we accept can, in the long run, add to the burden.

They can actually make the yoke heavier to bear.

Choose peace and patience and trust in God’s will.

To those who value comfort, security, popularity, or power, the yoke of Christ appears burdensome. But for those rooted in humility, patience, trust, and simplicity, those who look toward the powerless and helpless of humanity, the burden is not overwhelming. Abraham, Moses, Peter, Paul, Mary Magdalene, Joan of Arc, Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa—and more—were able to forgo the easy solutions to life’s problems. They accepted confusion, agony, hunger, contradiction, and even the apparent silence of God. Such virtue is not applauded or rewarded in our society. We respect a saint, but we don’t want to pay the price of becoming one! For most of us, choosing peace and patience and trust in God’s will is too great a stretch.

The good news is that Jesus never stops extending the invitation to take his yoke on our shoulders. He never stops hoping that we give up the search for easy answers and lighter loads. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Our challenge is to recognize that the promise doesn’t mean that the “rest” will be immediate or even in the near future.

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Abbey Banner

Fall 2017 Volume 17, Number 2

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

16 Abbey Volunteer Program Roman Paur, O.S.B.

5 A Grand Day for Singing Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

17 Rule of Benedict: The City of God Eric Hollas, O.S.B.

6 Monastic Jubilees 8 Ordination 9 Benedictine Values Eleanna Maria Melcher 10 Pax Christi Award Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.

18 Meet a Monk: Richard Oliver Timothy Backous, O.S.B. 20 Lives of the Benedictine Saints: Bede the Venerable Aidan Putnam, O.S.B. 22 Dying Grace Mark Thamert, O.S.B.

12 Good Stewards(hip) Ryan Kutter 14 Benedictine Education Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

23 Obituary: Mark Thamert

24 Benedictine Volunteer Corps at 15 Paul Richards, O.S.B. 28 Donor Honor Roll Geoffrey Fecht, O.S.B. 45 Abbey Chronicle Robin Pierzina, O.S.B. 48 Fifty Years Ago 49 Monks in the Kitchen: Let’s Do Brunch! Ælred Senna, O.S.B. 50 In Memoriam 51 Come to Me Timothy Backous, O.S.B.

Abbey Day of Reflection 9-10 November 2017 To what does God call us? Presented by Kathleen Cahalan The day of reflection begins at 4:00 P.M. on Thursday and concludes at 3:00 P.M. on Friday.

Cost: Single room, $95; double room, $170; seminar conferences and meals included.

Abbey Advent Retreat Abbey Year-End Retreat

8-10 December 2017 Presented by Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B. 29-31 December 2017 Presented by Father Joseph Feders, O.S.B.

The Advent and Year-End retreats begin with supper at 5:30 P.M. on Friday and conclude Sunday after lunch.

Cost: Single room, $195; double room, $340 ($170 per person); meals included.

Register online at abbeyguesthouse.org; call the Spiritual Life Office: 320.363.3929; or email us at spirlife@osb.org.