Abbey Banner - Spring 2004

 The Chalices of Collegeville, page 4  “Bridgefolk”—A Meeting of Mennonites and Catholics, page 7  From Muckenthaler to Eibensteiner: Workers with Wood at Saint John’s Abbey, page 8  The Butlers and Benedictines: Partners in Ecumenism, page 10  Meet a Monk: Don Talafous, OSB, page 12  The Benedictine Oblate Story, page 14  The Parish of St. Joseph, St. Joseph, Minnesota, page 16

I will raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.

(Psalm 116:13)

Contents Pages 4-6

Cover Story

The Chalices of Collegeville

by Matthew Luft, OSB

—Their function is to bear the sacred.

Cover photo by Placid Stuckenschneider, OSB

Features 7 “Bridgefolk”—A Meeting of Mennonites and Catholics

by William Skudlarek, OSB

10 The Butlers and Benedictines: Partners in Ecumenism

by Wilfred Theisen, OSB

14 The Benedictine Oblate Story

by Allen Tarlton, OSB, and Michael Kwatera, OSB

8 From Muckenthaler to Eibensteiner: Workers with Wood at Saint Johnʼs Abbey

by Dietrich Reinhart, OSB, and David Klingeman, OSB

12 A Measure of Ministry: Don Talafous, OSB

by Eric Hollas, OSB

16 The Parish of St. Joseph, St. Joseph, Minnesota

by Daniel Durken, OSB

Departments

Photos by: Abbey Archives, St. Joseph Parish Archives, Monica Bokinskie, Daniel Durken, OSB, Stephanie Hart, Patrick Henry, David Manahan, OSB, Paul-Vincent Niebauer, OSB, Alan Reed, OSB, Dolores Schuh, CHM, Josie Stang, Placid Stuckenschneider, OSB

3 From Editor and Abbot

21 Strengthening Foundations

26 Banner Bits

18 The Abbey Chronicle

22 Abbey Missions: Bahamas and Japan

31 Spiritual Life

20 Vocation News

24 Obituaries

Back Cover A Coming Banner Event

Editor: Daniel Durken, OSB

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

Copy Editor and Proofreader: Dolores Schuh, CHM Designer: Pam Rolfes

The Abbey Banner Magazine of Saint John’s Abbey Volume 4, Issue 1 Spring 2004

Circulation: Ruth Athmann, Cathy Wieme, Mary Gouge

The Abbey Banner is online at www.sja.osb.org/AbbeyBanner

Printer: Palmer Printing, St. Cloud, Minnesota

Saint John’s Abbey, Box 2015, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321. 320-363-3875

Member Catholic Press Association

FROM EDITOR AND ABBOT

A Leap in Leap Year

by Daniel Durken, OSB

W

riting this column in mid-February makes me aware that this is the month that gives us the leap we need every fourth year to catch up with the earth’s rotation around the sun. But I have a complaint. Why was Leap Year’s extra day added to February, thereby giving winter one more day? Why wasn’t this extra day added to April, June, September or November in those kinder, gentler seasons of spring, summer or fall? Who lobbied for February?

Having registered my complaint, I have a Leap Year suggestion to make. During this Leap Year I encourage you to take a leap into the Gospel of St. Luke, the only evangelist to introduce leaping in his gospel.

Upon the pregnant Mary’s visit to her expecting relative Elizabeth, Luke tells us, “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant [John the Baptist] leaped in her womb” (1:41). Elizabeth confirms this phenomenon when she tells Mary, “At the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy” (1:43).

What a wonderful way to greet the Good News himself!

Later Luke’s Jesus makes leapers of us all. In the last of his beatitudes in the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus says, “Blessed are you when people hate you, exclude and insult you and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven” (6:22-23). If this is to be our reaction to bad days, think of the leaping we should be doing on good days!

Luke’s Gospel has been called “the most beautiful book ever written.” The late great Scripture scholar, Raymond Brown, wrote that “More than any other evangelist Luke has given the world a Jesus to love.” Dante called Luke “the scribe of the gentleness of Christ.”

Some years ago a TV commercial showed people leaping for the new Toyota automobile. I hope we can muster up enough energy and enthusiasm to leap a little for the Lord.

Start with a leap into Luke.

“Who will roll back the stone for us?”

by Abbot John Klassen, OSB

T

his is the $64,000 question. In the early morning light Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome are coming to the tomb. They want to anoint the body of Jesus. They ask, “Who will roll back the stone for us?”

These are determined women. They have been with Jesus all through Galilee. They stood at a distance from the cross. They were there when his body was taken down.

The women are not deterred. They will figure something out. It is a huge stone.

Does the stone matter at all to Jesus, to his resurrection?

Not at all. Jesus could have risen from the dead without the stone being moved. After all, the Risen Lord comes to his disciples in the room where all the doors are locked. The Risen Lord appears to and then disappears from the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He is no longer bound by the conventions of matter, time and space.

If the stone doesnʼt matter to Jesus, to whom does it matter? It matters to the women. It matters to the believing community. The believing community needs to get into the tomb, not because they need to anoint Jesus, but because they need to be buried with Christ and rise with him.

As St. Paul says so eloquently, “Are you not aware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Through baptism into his death we were buried with him so that just as Christ was raised from the dead . . . we too might live a new life” (Romans 6:3-4).

The miracle is that the stone is no longer in the way. God has removed this barrier to our new life. It is all grace— because of baptism we are Christians. “Our status as sons and daughters before God never depends on how we feel, on having the right experience, on being free of doubts, on what we accomplish, on our success or our position. Coming in water, God washed us and grafted us into Christ.

Baptized into his death, we are raised to live as the Body of Christ in the world today” (Max Johnson).

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FEATURE

The Chalices of Collegeville

by Matthew Luft, OSB

Many of the chalices of Saint John’s Abbey are gifts from the family and friends of ordained monks.

T

he chalice or cup used during the celebration of the Eucharist has caught the imagination of Christians throughout the centuries.

Icons of the crucifixion often depict angels holding the chalice under the crucified Christ as blood and water pour forth from his side.

St. Benedict is often portrayed holding a cracked chalice, a reference to a story in the Dialogues of Pope St. Gregory the Great in which a glass pitcher filled with poisoned wine is shattered when Benedict makes the Sign of the Cross over it. The chalice figures so prominently because its very function is to bear the sacred.

Quests for the Holy Grail, the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, have been fruitless, though they have inspired many legends. Scholars believe that Jesus used a simple glass cup common throughout the Roman

page 4 The Abbey Banner Spring 2004

Empire. Jews and early Christians, like most people of the Mediterranean region, would have drunk from a common cup during meals. St. Paul seems to suggest that a common cup was also used in early Christian Eucharists: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16).

By the third century most sacred vessels were fashioned from precious metals. Chalices were often quite large, including ones that had two handles to facilitate easier distribution to the congregation.

By the eleventh century smaller chalices were used as many lay people stopped receiving Holy Communion and there was no longer a need for the larger cup. In fact, over time the chalice was withdrawn completely, even for the laity who received the consecrated bread. During the Middle Ages

FEATURE and up to the modern period, chalices were small but quite ornate.

The liturgical movement of the twentieth century promoted the reintroduction of the chalice to the laity.

In footnote 46 of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council it is stated, “Communion under both kinds [consecrated bread and wine] is a fuller expression of the Eucharistic symbolism. Christ did order the apostles to both eat and drink.”

In the course of its147-year history, Saint Johnʼs Abbey has acquired a fine collection of chalices, many of them the gifts to the monastery from family and friends of ordained monks. The following chalices demonstrate our history through these sacred vessels.

The Engel chalices: The Engel family gave two chalices in honor of Abbot Peter Engel, fourth abbot of Saint Johnʼs (1894-1921). The first, a gift from Jacob and Margaret Engel in1907,was used when Abbot Peter presided at a Solemn High Mass.

Six medallions adorn the base of the chalice with eucharistic symbols: a

phoenix, slain lamb, mother pelican piercing her breast to feed her young, loaves and fish and the sacred monogram IHS, the first three Greek letters of the name of Jesus.

The stem of the chalice includes six angels to represent the Engel family. [Engel is the German word for “angel.”] The second chalice, given a year later by Francis and Eleanor Engel, is an early Beuronese-style chalice. The base includes angels with a simpler stem and cup.

The Carroll chalice: This is perhaps the most unique chalice in the abbey collection. Terrence Carroll, OSB, did seminary studies in China for two years. He returned to the abbey to finish his studies and asked Angelo Zankl, OSB, to design for him a Chinese-style chalice. Father Angelo completed the design in early 1935 and Father Terrence sent the designs to Sister FrancettaVetter, OSB, of Saint Benedictʼs Monastery, who was serving in China and oversaw the fabrication of the chalice.

The elegant chalice has six ribs that run the entire length of this cup. The base has knobs with tips of jade in the form of lotus bulbs. The node is made of cloisonné, a style of enamel formed in a copper wire base. Terrence wanted two inscriptions on the chalice in an old and elegant Chinese style. One on the cup of the chalice reads, “You who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). The base of the chalice reads, “For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God is to us?” (Deuteronomy 4:7).

The word “Peace” is inscribed on the base of the chalice. (continued on next page)

The Abbey Banner Spring 2004 page 5

FEATURE The present abbey chalice: During Abbot Jerome Theisenʼs first year as abbot, 1980, a person with several large garbage bags entered the lower level of the Abbey Church and stole nearly fifty chalices from the cupboards there. The only chalices not taken were those in the vault, those individual monks had in their possession and those used that day for Mass which were in the care of the sacristan. Following this theft, the community decided to adopt a standard chalice made of pewter. The abbey has since been using the chalices from the Woodbury Pewter Company.

The Zellner chalice: Aubrey Zellner, OSB, served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army from 1939-46. While stationed in India, Father Aubrey served the parish of San Thome in Mylapore (Peacock Town) in South India. When he left that community the parishioners presented him with this 18K gold chalice in gratitude for his service. The base is quite simple with a cross on one side and a peacock on the other.

The Hauser chalice: This chalice and paten were made of hand beaten fine silver with cloisonné enamel work in 1983 by San Diego artist, Coreen Kaufmann, teacher of Nathanael Hauser, OSB. There are two enamels in the base of the chalice representing Christ Pantocrator (Lord of All Creation) and the Lion Lying Down with the Lamb (Isaiah 11:6). A third enamel on the bottom of the chalice has the Phos/Zoe (Light/Life) symbol. The paten has five diamonds in the cross.

In her will Nathanaelʼs paternal grandmother gave him her engagement ring diamonds “to be put in his ordination chalice.” page 6 The Abbey Banner Spring 2004

Matthew Luft, OSB, is studying theology in preparation for ordination to the priesthood. Photographs by Alan Reed, OSB. Archival material from David Klingeman, OSB. Historical material from Edward Foley, OFM Cap, From Age to Age: How Christians Celebrated the Eucharist, Chicago: LTP, 1991

FEATURE The Bridgefolk steering committee: seated: Gerald Schlabach, Abbot John Klassen, OSB standing, l. to r.: Dick Giseburt, Marlene Kroopf, Ivan Kauffman, William Skudlarek, OSB, Weldon Nisly. Not present: Regina Wilson and Sheri Hostetler

“Bridgefolk”— A Meeting of Mennonites and Catholics

by William Skudlarek, OSB

We have much to learn from one another.

O

ver the past two summers Saint Johnʼs Abbey has been host to an annual gathering of “Bridgefolk,” a movement of sacramentally-minded Mennonites and peace-minded Roman Catholics who wish to celebrate each otherʼs traditions, explore each otherʼs practices, and honor each otherʼs contributions to the mission of Christʼs Church.

In March 2001, Bridgefolkʼs original steering committee and others met in Collegeville to renew their work together. The group met with Abbot John Klassen, OSB, who recognized the close affinities between Mennonites who were looking for ways to anchor their commitment to peace and justice in sacramental practice, and Catholics who were searching for ways to implement the vision of Virgil Michel, OSB, of a liturgical life that blossoms in works of justice and peace.

Realizing how much Catholics and Mennonites had to learn from one another, Abbot John invited Bridgefolk to partner with Saint Johnʼs Abbey in carrying out its ecumenical mission.

Bridgefolkʼs first conference was held in July, 2002. Some 75 participants came together to reflect on the theme “Creating Peacemaking Communities for the New Millennium: Mennonites and Catholics Bridging the Divide.”

Last yearʼs conference focused on the spiritual practices that sustain the Church in violent times. Abbot John spoke on the response of Saint Johnʼs Abbey to the violence of sexual abuse.

Weldon Nisly, pastor of Seattle Mennonite Church, and his wife Margaret described how the discernment process of his family and church community enabled him to represent them in opposing the violence of war. He entered Iraq as part of a peacekeeping team shortly after the war broke out.

The topic of this summerʼs conference, scheduled for July 29-August 1, is “Spirituality and Discipleship.”

Mennonite and Catholic modes of prayer are an integral part of the Bridgefolk conferences. Participants take part in the Abbeyʼs Liturgy of the Hours. A cappella Mennonite hymn singing is a prominent part of every gathering.

As Gerald Schlabach, an Oblate of Saint Johnʼs and Bridgefolkʼs co-

chair, has noted, “Benedictine values are ones my own Mennonite community has shared since its beginnings in the sixteenth-century Anabaptist movement: simplicity, hospitality, and peace.”

Some Mennonites even go so far as to call themselves lay monastics, noting that one of their earliest leaders was Michael Sattler, who had been a Benedictine monk and prior of St. Peterʼs Abbey in the Black Forest of southern Germany. He subsequently left the Order, became an early Anabaptist leader in 1526 until his arrest, trial and martyrdom by burning at the stake the following year.

Given the many bridges between Mennonite and monastic spirituality, the Bridgefolk conferences will be of special interest to Benedictine Oblates who look to the Rule of Saint Benedict to guide them in living out the gospel.

For more information about Bridgefolk, visit its web site www.bridgefolk.net. To register for this summerʼs conference, you may contact Abbot John Klassen at jklassen@csbsju.edu.

William Skudlarek is the administrative assistant to Abbot John Klassen.

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FEATURE Saint John’s woodworkers and carpenters, r. to l.: first row: Christopher Fair, OSB, David Hoen; second row: Larry Notch, Gregory Eibensteiner, OSB, Marlin Eich; third row: Gary Braun, Gerald Notch, Michael Roske

From Muckenthaler to Eibensteiner: Workers with Wood at Saint Johnʼs Abbey from “A History of St. Johnʼs Carpenter Shop”

by Dietrich Reinhart, OSB (1974) edited and updated by David Klingeman, OSB

Carpentry and woodworking are as old as the abbey itself.

N

o sooner had the pioneer monks of Saint Johnʼs Abbey arrived on the shore of the Mississippi at St. Cloud in 1856 than they began to work with wood. Carpenter Benno Muckenthaler, OSB, supervised the building of two log cabins in which the community lived. The area between the buildings was made into a primitive chapel with wooden rafters covered with hay and straw.

When the community moved to the “Indianbush” area west of St. Joseph in 1864, cabins of tamarack logs covered with brush and sod were built to homestead the almost 2,000 acres the monks claimed. The Old Stone House was built in 1866 “high above the Sagatagan,” the large, lovely lake on the shore of which the community finally settled. Placid Brixius, OSB, along with Peter Eich, a local craftsman, worked on this building of field boulders.

The following year an earlier-built frame house near the railroad tracks page 8 The Abbey Banner Spring 2004

was moved to the lakeside area. A room was reserved for the use of local carpenters and became the modest beginning of a carpenter shop. Brother Placid continued his leadership with the construction of the south wing (1868) and middle building (1870) of the quadrangle.

In 1868 a saw mill was erected along Lake Watab thus enabling the monks to use their own oak and maple trees for the extensive quadrangle.

When the saw mill was destroyed by fire in 1882, a new mill was opened in the northeast part of the woods.

In 1878 carpenters moved to a new building north of the present Simons

Hall, the original Science Hall. This two-story brick building also housed the blacksmith shop; a lumber shed was added to store the aged lumber.

The carpentersʼ crew was significantly enlarged when Leo Martin, OSB, and Andrew Unterburger, OSB, both experienced carpenters, joined the monastic community.

The next and greatest undertaking was the construction of the first abbey church. Gregory Steil, OSB, drew

The two story brick building in the forefront is the 1878 carpenter shop.

FEATURE carpenter shop now occupies the first floor while the physical plant offices are on the top floor.

Hubert Schneider, OSB, joined the shop in1929 and soon became its manager. Brother Hubert was the master woodworker and model monk until his retirement in 1974.

Andrew Unterberger, OSB, one of the abbey carpenters. Because of the early death (1859) of Benno Muckenthaler, OSB, no photo of him is available.

up the plans with the help of Brother Andrew. On October 9, 1880, Brother Leo lost his life when he slipped on a plank high upon the scaffolding and fell fifty feet.

Andrew was in charge of the carpenters when the whole western half of the quadrangle was built between 1883-86. Because of his expertise he was assigned by Alexius Edelbrock, Saint Johnʼs second abbot (1875-89), to build the Collegeville railroad station, the church and rectory at the White Earth Indian Mission, the priory at West Union and St. Clementʼs Church in Duluth.

In 1903 the present carpenter shop, a three-story brick structure, was built between the power house and the old gymnasium. The second floor was occupied by the Presentation Sisters, who cooked for the monks and students, until the following year when a suitable convent was built for them.

A major fire destroyed the roof and the upper story of the shop in January 1939. A new roof was added, making it a two-story brick building. The

When the university expanded with the influx of World War II veterans, outside help was used to supply furniture for new student residence halls and academic buildings. In 1956 the interior of the new monastery, designed by Marcel Breuer, was all done

by Collegeville carpenters and woodworkers.

Meinberg and Roman Paur and Oblate Frank Kacmarcik. In 1999 James Tingerthal, OSB, constructed, shipped and reassembled all the furniture for Holy Trinity Benedictine Monastery, Fujimi, Japan. Christopher Fair, OSB, is the latest addition to the skilled carpenters and creative woodworkers and has shown talent and creativity in the design and production of wooden toys.

Dietrich Reinhart, OSB, is president of Saint Johnʼs University. David Klingeman, OSB, is Saint Johnʼs Abbey and University archivist.

During the past forty years furniture production for campus buildings has been the focus of the carpenter shop.

Red oak lumber harvested from the Saint Johnʼs forest is used to produce functional furniture, hardy enough to withstand the use by energetic young adults.

Since 1975 Gregory Eibensteiner, OSB, has been the manager of the carpentry and woodworking operations.

Furniture design and production have been done by Brothers Gregory, David Manahan, Placid Stuckenschneider and Alan Reed, Fathers Cloud

Brother Hubert, master woodworker

The Abbey Banner Spring 2004 page 9

FEATURE Present for the dedication of the Ecumenical Institute on May 26, 1968, were, l. to r.: Abbot Baldwin Dworschak, OSB: Bishop (subsequently Cardinal) Jan Willebrands, Secretary of the Vatican Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity; Eugene Carson Blake, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches; Aimee Mott Butler; Patrick Butler; Peter M. Butler.

The Butlers and Benedictines: Partners in Ecumenism

by Wilfred Theisen, OSB

T

The Ecumenical Institute, a spiritual network literally reaching to the ends of the earth

Father Kilian, disciplinary Study of Christian Beliefs he Patrick and Aimee executive direcand Practices (1983).

Mott Butler family of tor 1967-74 and St. Paul and the Benepresident since Patrick Henry, executive director dictine family of Collegeville then, set the tone since1984, retires at the end of May began a venture in 1967: the and established and will be succeeded by Donald Institute for Ecumenical and procedures for Ottenhoff, former senior editor of Cultural Research. Respondthe Instituteʼs The Christian Century. Patrick was ing to a proposal from Kilian life of scholara resident scholar twice, on sabbatiMcDonnell, OSB, the Butlers ship and comcal from the department of religion at provided $350,000 to erect ten munity.

Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. apartments and the administraContinuing Bilheimerʼs insistence on tion building, and the monks of Robert Bila first-person expression of beliefs, he Saint Johnʼs offered five acres Kilian McDonnell, OSB, has overseen many discussions, most of land. Marcel Breuer, designer founder and president of heimer, executive notably “Ecumenism Among Us” of the Abbey Church, was chosen the Ecumenical Institute director 197484, credited by (1984), which brought together 208 as architect. This collaboration has Kilian as the “second proven to be a productive mix—Patfounder,” came with rick Butlerʼs enthusiasm for dialogue between churches and a centuries-long decades of experience in ecumenical work, tradition of Benedictine hospitality. first with the World Council of Churches in From its inception the Institute has Geneva, and then with been guided by a Board of Directors the National Council that would be the envy of any orgaof Churches. A major nization—political, business, acaachievement of the demic. In addition to providing and Bilheimer years was raising funds, the 36-member Board the publication of Faith has been closely involved with all of and Ferment: An Interthe Instituteʼs programs, successfully promoting dialogue across disciplinDolores Schuh, CHM, executive associate of the Institute ary and ecclesiastical lines. the past 32 years and Patrick Henry, executive director page 10 The Abbey Banner Spring 2004

since 1984

FEATURE persons, ranging in age from 17 to 87, from 41 Christian traditions.

Faithful to the root meaning of ecumenical—worldwide, universal, whole—Institute resident scholars have come from 46 states and 30 other countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Peopleʼs Republic of China, Peru, Poland, Scotland, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Total number of resident scholars (1968-2004) 411 Men 308 Women 103 Scholars from religious communities 51 Men 26 Women 25 Total number of communities represented 21 In its 86 summer consultations the Institute has welcomed a wide spectrum of groups—Eastern Orthodox pondering what it means for their tradition to be at home in North America, lay and religious women reflecting on the role of women in the churches, scientists and teachers wrestling with the use of imagination in science and theology—to name a few. The list of books and periodical articles resulting from research, reflection, time and inspiration that Collegeville affords is staggering.

The Institute has inspired numerous people to reach a fresh understanding of their own beliefs and traditions. A four-year project that brought together black biblical scholars resulted in a book, Stony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation (1991), which has had fifteen printings and sold 38,000 copies. One resident scholar, a retired Honeywell execu-

The lower level of the apartments and Butler Center of the Institute

tive, searched the Rule of Benedict for insights applicable to business management.

For many Protestants, coming to the Institute marks their first encounter with monastics. Friendship with the men and women of Saint Johnʼs Abbey and Saint Benedictʼs Monastery is a treasured experience for them.

The Rule says that monks and guests should first of all “pray together so as to seal their encounter in the peace of Christ.” Many of the resident scholars have regularly joined in community prayer with the monastics, and a number of them have become oblates of the individual communities.

Ecumenical People, Programs, Papers, a newsletter published twice a year for more than 1400 readers, keeps the Institute in touch with its constituency. By means of personal letters Dolores Schuh, CHM, executive associate, maintains Institute contact with the resident scholars, of whom there have been 411, with 375 still living. Many, even decades later, still consider Saint Johnʼs their second home.

Dolores, after 32 years at the Institute, also retires in May. The Institute has helped break down the walls of separation between Protestants and Catholics and Orthodox, but it has done more. It has created a spiritual network with a center at Collegeville that reaches, literally, to the ends of the earth. Peter Butler, son of Patrick and Aimee, a charter member and still active on the board, says with confidence that his parents would be pleased to find their initial hopes not just reached but exceeded.

Wilfred Theisen, OSB, is liaison officer of the Institute since 1975 and professor of physics at Saint Johnʼs University.

Father Wilfred and the Institute logo

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FEATURE Don Talafous, OSB, in his Alumni Chaplain’s office

A Measure of Ministry: Don Talafous, OSB

by Eric Hollas, OSB

Student and alumni chaplain, professor, author, faculty resident and letter writer

T

he foot-high stack of mail seems to stand in contradiction to the figure sitting quietly at his desk in Saint Luke Hall. Itʼs Saturday morning, and with other offices closed for the weekend, Father Don relishes the solitude that surrounds him. Soft-spoken and widely read, one might assume that Don is most at home in such a setting. But this couldnʼt be further from the truth.

and friends that has swelled to1,300 names. That explains the pile of mail.

The fact is, this Saturday morning is a cherished calm in an equally welcome rush of activity that fills most of Donʼs days. He has chaplained and taught, penned innumerable sermons and homily helps and produced three books. He has lived for thirty years in student residence halls and dined with countless numbers of students.

No one could have imagined this when Don was born in Duluth in 1926. The eldest of four children, with an Irish Catholic mother and an anti-Catholic father, Don describes his early training in the Catholic faith as “spotty and difficult.” Catholic schools were a no-no and priests were not welcomed by the father at the Talafous home. Although he took the family to the monastic profession and ordination of his son, the father chose not to attend the ceremony.

He did mellow with age.

Don is a familiar figure at campus sporting and cultural events. Just as significant, he writes a newsy quarterly letter to a roster of alumni

Donʼs interest in religion was kindled in high school. One week-

end during his senior year he spoke with his pastor about religious life.

By chance, Walter Reger, OSB, was assisting at Donʼs parish that weekend. Donʼs pastor introduced him to Father Walter who encouraged Don to come to Collegeville. That fall he enrolled at Saint Johnʼs and within a few weeks he knew he had found his new home.

Since his ordination in 1952, Don has served in a variety of abbey apos-

Father Don is congratulated by confreres at his golden jubilee of monastic profession, July 11, 1997.

page 12 The Abbey Banner Spring 2004

FEATURE tolates. For two years he taught at Saint Augustineʼs, the high school in the Bahamas conducted by Saint Johnʼs Don, with sun tan and monks. He dark hair in the Bahamas, then did 1953 pastoral work at Saint Anselmʼs Parish in New York for two years, followed by eight years as chaplain and teacher of theology at Saint Johnʼs University.

Sandwiched between these assignments and another term as chaplain and teacher, Don earned a doctorate at the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley, writing his dissertation on the spiritual anthropology of Herman Hesse. He also has enjoyed two sabbaticals during which he produced two books. In 1996 he assumed his current position as alumni chaplain of the university.

Though an accomplished academic, Don describes himself as pastorally inclined, and he credits Arno Gustin, OSB, and other confreres who recognized this potential long before he did.

Today Don counts many blessings in his life. He appreciates the monastic rhythm of prayer, work and meals, and he esteems the Psalms as an ideal form of prayer, “despite the objectionable ones.”

Don is an avid walker, an ardent fan of music and theater, and a voracious reader. He contends that all these add balance to the monastic life, even if the pull between reading and people may produce a certain amount of creative tension in him.

Ultimately, however, the monastery has shaped Don in a very distinctive way. “Giving up family life frees you for other things, and it allows you to be a lot of things to other people.” It is no surprise that the chaplainʼs hat has yielded the most satisfying work.

For Don a career spent as a chaplain in an academic setting is a privilege, even if it requires a particular brand of patience.

“Itʼs much like parenting,” he explains, “because you donʼt always see the tangible results in pastoral work for many years.” Yet, letters from alumni grateful for something he said or did twenty years earlier continue to amaze him. Clearly, if the accumulation of letters is any gauge,

Don relaxes with cold beer beside boiling waters.

Don has already begun to enjoy a tangible measure of his ministry.

Eric Hollas, OSB, is senior associate for arts and cultural affairs at Saint Johnʼs University.

Works by Don Talafous, OSB Camillus D. Talafous, OSB, ed., Readings in Science and Spirit, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1966.

Don Talafous, OSB, The Risk in Believing, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, 1982.

Don Talafous, OSB, A Word for the Day: Reflections, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, 1992.

Don Talafous, OSB, Daily Reflections at www.saintjohnsabbey.org/ reflection/

Don after the baptism of Steven Froehle, son of Stef and Jake, in the fall of 2000.

The Abbey Banner Spring 2004 page 13

FEATURE Oblates of the abbey assemble for a group picture during their summer retreat.

The Benedictine Oblate Story

by Allen Tarlton, OSB, and Michael Kwatera, OSB

Oblates are fellow travelers on the way to everlasting life.

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he past several years have witnessed a veritable explosion of interest in the Rule of Saint Benedict and Benedictine spirituality. Books recently published in these areas include The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages; The Rule of Benedict for Fathers; The Rule of Benedict for Beginners; Preferring Christ; and even Doing Business with Benedict: The Rule of Saint Benedict and Business Management.

One book arousing considerable interest in things Benedictine was Kathleen Norrisʼ The Cloister Walk which was ranked tenth on the New York Timesʼ list of best non-fiction.

According to Norris, addressing our Oblates at a retreat, her book replaced The Autobiography of a Hollywood Madame! Norris is an Oblate of Assumption Abbey, Richardton, North Dakota. This renewed interest in page 14 The Abbey Banner Spring 2004

Benedictine spirituality served to focus interest on the Benedictine Oblate program.

The Oblate movement can be traced to Saint Benedict in the sixth century.

During his lifetime adults living in the neighborhood of Monte Cassino put themselves under Benedictʼs direction and occasionally visited his monastery for spiritual direction.

The term oblate as applied to adults came into use in the eleventh century. According to an early report, “There are a great many of the faithful, both poor and rich, who request confraternity with us (monks). We give unto all of them participation in whatever good is done in our monastery, be it by prayer or almsgiving. Let us make special prayer for them, both while they live and after their death.”

This relationship still exists between Oblates and the monastery to which they belong.

Saint Johnʼs Abbey showed an early interest in the Oblate movement. In 1877 Alexius Edelbrock, OSB, our second abbot, published a seven-page, German and English pamphlet to

Oblate reading materials include The Oblate bimonthly newsletter, a book of Benedictine prayer based on the Liturgy of the Hours and The Benedictine Handbook of monastic topics.

FEATURE foster the institute of Oblates among students, parishioners and friends of the abbey.

In the 1920s Alcuin Deutsch, OSB, our fifth abbot, and Alfred Mayer, OSB, prior of the community, were zealous in promoting the growth of Oblates. Sixty laypeople were invested as Oblate candidates by Abbot Alcuin on the feast of Saint Benedict, March 21, 1925. The first Oblate newsletter was published January 22, 1927, and continues today. The Manual for Oblates of Saint Benedict was published in 1937.

Today over seven hundred Saint Johnʼs Oblates are scattered throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, Australia, India and East Malaysia. There is a fifty-member group in Saipan, a United Statesʼ possession in the mid-Pacific, whose origin is due to the interest of Ned Arriola, a 1981 alumnus of Saint Johnʼs University.

At their final oblation, Oblates receive this medal-pin.

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y reentry into the community of Saint Johnʼs Abbey after nearly ten years of pastoral ministry was immensely helped by my appointment as Oblate director soon after my return in 2002. Within a few days I was the facilitator for the annual Oblate retreat at the abbey.

This memorable experience began a fruitful time of renewal in the practices of monastic life.

I have observed how these men and women (Roman Catholics and people from other denominations, lay persons, ordained ministers and religious) have made the words and spirit of the Rule of Saint Benedict into a gospel way of life.

The importance of Benedictine Oblates is heralded by a significant meeting scheduled for 2005. Nokter Wolf, OSB, Abbot Primate of Benedictines, will convene the first international congress of Oblates Michael Kwatera, OSB, Director of who will gather from Oblates around the world at the International Benedictine The love of the Oblates for the esCollege of Santʼ Anselmo in Rome. sentials of Benedictine spirituality This assembly is being organized by Luigi Bertocchi, OSB, Oblate Director —daily prayer, lectio divina, service to others after the pattern of Jesusʼ of the Abbey of Santʼ Anselmo. life—makes them one with the monks A.T.

of Saint Johnʼs and with each other.

These bonds are strengthened as they gather for weekly or monthly regional meetings, for days of reflections at Saint Johnʼs and for the annual retreat each July.

The vitality of the Oblate program is seen most clearly in these times of communal prayer and spiritual growth. I am happy to participate in such Oblate meetings for I receive nourishment from these, my monastic sisters and brothers. I also enjoy communicating with Oblate candidates as they prepare for their Final Oblation and I appreciate their reflections on Benedictine values.

Saint Johnʼs Abbey is grateful to have so many faithful Oblates, including college students, who bring the spiritual wisdom of Saint Benedict to our campus and far beyond it.

For more information about the Oblates of Saint Benedict, call the Oblate Office at 320-363-2018.

M.K. Allen Tarlton, OSB, is a former Director of Oblates. Michael Kwatera, OSB, is the present Director.

The Abbey Banner Spring 2004 page 15

FEATURE The field-stone church and rectory of St. Joseph Parish

The Parish of St. Joseph, St. Joseph, Minnesota

by Daniel Durken, OSB

A community celebrating Christ through prayer and service

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he Catholics of the settlement of St. Joseph, then known as Clinton, did not give their first Benedictine pastor, Bruno Reiss, a warm welcome when he arrived in 1856. Fearful that the monks would lay claim to the best land of the area as happened in Europe, a few parishioners petitioned the bishop of St. Paul not to inflict the monks upon them.

This attitude quickly changed and Bruno soon spoke of the place as “a very active, entirely German and entirely Catholic settlement.

It is a little town which promises to be something.� The character of the town was due to the faith of such settlers as the famiThe Easter ALLELUIA lies of Peter banner greets parishioners Loso, Peter as they enter. page 16 The Abbey Banner Spring 2004

Kraemer and John Linnemann as well as the zeal of the veteran missionary, Father Francis Xavier Pierz. Pierz, who encouraged Germans in Europe to settle in the salubrious state of Minnesota, offered the first Mass in St. Joseph on October 22, 1854, and urged the people to build a church which was completed the following year.

Just how salubrious Minnesota was came into question the day that Bruno was installed as first resident pastor with mission churches in Jacobs Prairie and Richmond. It was August 15, 1856, the beginning of a devastating grasshopper plague that wiped out the harvest for that year. Six years later area settlers had to defend themselves from attacks by Sioux Indians.

Better times arrived as evidenced by the coming of Benedictine women in 1863 to establish their monastery and school which in time became the centerpiece of the town. In 1867 parishioners decided to build a more spacious church, a 66x150-foot edifice with the lower half composed of native field stones and the upper part of granite brick obtained from a nearby quarry.

The church was consecrated by Bishop Thomas Grace on June 29, 1871, thereby making it the first consecrated church in Minnesota.

The rectory of field stone was built in 1874. In 1888 a chapel for winter weekday Masses was constructed between rectory and church.

The education of the children of the community was assured as early as 1860 when a small log school was attached to the first church. The local school district later erected a more spacious building that was used as a public school until it was purchased by the parish and opened as a parochial school in 1914. This building proved inadequate and the present school building was completed in 1927.

When the College of Saint Benedict initiated a degree in elementary education in 1950, the St. Joseph school became a laboratory for the training of teachers. Under the direction of Mary David Olheiser, OSB, chair of the education department, hundreds of college students received their handson teaching experience at the school.

In 1970 the name of the school was

FEATURE Easter lilies and tulips decorate the cross, sign of our Easter victory.

A wood carving of St. Joseph the carpenter

changed to Saint Joseph Laboratory School.

Today the school numbers 200 youngsters from pre-school through sixth grade.

In 1971 during the pastorate of Simon Bischof, OSB, the renovation of the church was undertaken. The sanctuary was completely rearranged and a new pipe organ was built by K. C. Marrin of Cold Spring.

programʼs slogan is “St. Josephʼs field of dreams: building on a solid foundation!” The slogan was chosen “because it calls to mind the parish patron, St. Joseph, who learned of Godʼs plans for him in a dream. The founding families also had a dream of building a church from the stones of the surrounding fields. They built a church community on a strong faith in Jesus Christ—a foundation that continues to this day.”

This little town and its parish have surely fulfilled the promise to be something.

Any history of the St. Joseph Parish must mention the 4th of July parish festival. One of the oldest festivals in central Minnesota, the celebration features a parade that attracts as many as 20,000 spectators, an ecumenical prayer service, a water fight by local firefighters, a quilt auction, the famous “Joe Burgers,” a karaoke contest and a polka Mass. The parish also has a long history of providing training and experience for clerical and lay church ministers.

The present pastor, Greg Miller, OSB, has served the 1,100 families since 2000. A major focus of his pastorate is the strategic planGreg Miller, OSB, pastor ning for the future of the parish. The

First Citizens of St. Joseph

Peter Loso

John Linnemann

Peter Kraemer The Abbey Banner Spring 2004 page 17

THE ABBEY CHRONICLE Winter begins its plunge into Spring!

Whatʼs Up? The Abbey Chronicle

by Daniel Durken, OSB

A few late fall and winter happenings at Saint John’s November 2003

The relics of saints grace the sanctuary on All Saints Day.

page 18 The Abbey Banner Spring 2004

December 2003

 At a December 2 community meet While remembering saints and ing, Abbot John introduced the nine souls of the past on the first two members of the Saint Johnʼs Abdays of this month, the living bey External Review Board. The were also honored. Awards given purpose of the Board is to assess, Thomas Thole, OSB, and Burton review and advise on all aspects of Bloms, OSB, are described elsesexual abuse cases involving comwhere in this issue. Football coach munity members.

John Gagliardi, his wife Peggy, his coaching staff and their spouses  The 2003 Saint Johnʼs were guests at an abfootball season came to bey reception and dina perfect end on Decemner to honor Johnʼs 409 ber 20 when the Johnnies victories, making him defeated Mount Union of the winningest coach Ohio, 24-6, to become Diin football history. vision III national chamBut the season wasnʼt pions. During the regular over yet (see below)! season Saint Johnʼs won Vincent Tegeder, OSB, two non-conference and 93, was recognized for eight conference games. his record forty-eight Vincent (r.) visits at his In post-season play the years as a resident of reception with James Johnnies defeated three the second floor of the Phillips, OSB. teams before their final upBreuer monastic wing. set victory over Mount Union. The performance of wide receiver Blake  Lake Sagatagan froze November Elliott won for him the Gagliardi 25. Collegeville weather records Outstanding Player of Division III give the average freeze date as Notrophy. John was named Coach of vember 21 and the average ice-free the Year by several sports organizadate as April 9.

THE ABBEY CHRONICLE The playoff roster of the 2003 Division III national football champions. Coach John Gagliardi is at far right in front row.

Blake Elliott wears number 2.

tions. Throughout this unforgettable season the team was cheered and prayed for by a hard core of monastic fans.  The decorating of ten trees throughout the cloister signaled the end of Advent and the celebration of Christmas. Abbot John blessed the tree in the refectory on Christmas Eve. When the lights came on so The “Ahhhhhh!” did the traditional Christmas tree in the monastic refectory “Ahhhhhh!” of the community. The abbey church was filled with visitors for the Midnight Mass, introduced by a concert of carols sung by the Saint Johnʼs Boys Choir and the Abbey Schola.

January 2004  The New Year leaped off to a good start with the community workshop.

Al Reuter, professor of homiletics, offered practical points for giving and hearing homilies. John Miley, a St. Cloud licensed acupuncturist, spoke about Chinese exercise and medical practices. Jay Bohan, our fire chief, gave drivers a test on defensive driving. Jennifer Anderson, dietician, spoke on eating issues.

Dr. Basil LeBlanc, community physician, addressed health concerns of the aging. The workshop closed with a festive dinner honoring the staff of St. Raphaelʼs Hall and their spouses for their tender, loving care of the infirm and aged of the community.  Edward Vebelun, OSB, returned to Holy Trinity Benedictine Priory in Fujimi, Japan, on January 10 to be ordained a transitional deacon by Bishop Raphael Masuhiro Umemura of the Yokohama Diocese. Deacon Edward will be ordained to the priesthood on June 5.

February 2004  +George Speltz, retired bishop of the St. Cloud Diocese, died February 1. He is remembered as friend of the abbey and agricultural advocate. His presence at the funeral of abbey members was especially appreciated.

Most Rev. George Speltz, retired Bishop of the St. Cloud Diocese. May he rest in peace!

 Fresh jonquils appeared on the sunny window sill of the Car Key room. This promise of spring was no deterrent to snow showers that marked ten of the first eleven days of February.

Deacon Vebelun, OSB, at his ordination.

 Prospects for a wimpy winter were upset by ten inches of snow on January 16 followed by a quartet of frigid days, 28-31, that felt the temperature drop to –16, –21, –27 and –20.

 The monastics of the Monastery of Saint Benedict were hostesses to a busload of monks on February 15 to celebrate with prayer and dinner the feast of Saint Scholastica. The guests toured a renovated section of the monastery.

The Abbey Banner Spring 2004 page 19

VOCATION NEWS January vocation guests, l. to r., Patrick Gonsalves, [David Paul Lange, OSB], Ryan Flannery, Bryan Lisnak, Mark Patterson, Jakob Rinderkanecht and David Saunders

What Kind of Person Knocks on Our Door?

by Paul-Vincent Niebauer, OSB

The geographical, professional and personal diversity of six vocation guests

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t is always amazing to realize where our members come from, geographically as well as professionally. For example, in my novitiate class my three classmates and I came to Saint Johnʼs from Ohio, Texas, Wisconsin and India. Our professional backgrounds were equally diverse including law studies, peace studies, theatre and theology.

Though the following six men do not represent such a diverse background they nonetheless do present an interesting spectrum of talents and interests. These gentlemen spent the weekend of January 16th through 18th as vocation guests of the abbey.

David Saunders David hails from Ypsilanti, Michigan, where he is the Coordinator of Liturgical Ministries at Saint Kenneth Catholic Church in Plymouth, Michigan. He has a masterʼs degree in music from the University of Michigan and has recently begun doctoral studies in music. David is 39.

page 20 The Abbey Banner Spring 2004

Mark Patterson Mark is from LaCrosse, Wisconsin, where he practices internal medicine at Gunderson-Lutheran Clinic. Mark completed all of his formal medical studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School. Mark is 39.

Jakob Rinderkanecht Jakob is a member of the Saint Johnʼs fire department and a student in our Graduate School of Theology. He completed his undergraduate studies in liturgy at Valpariso University in Indiana. Jakob is 24 years old.

Bryan Lisnak Bryan is from Tracy, Minnesota, and has a degree in theology from Saint Johnʼs University. He was the director of religious education at Saint Maryʼs Church in Tracy for four years and is working part time now in order to spend time visiting various monastic communities as he discerns a possible religious vocation. Bryan is 30 years old.

Patrick Gonsalves Patrick is working on his doctorate in music in trumpet performance at the University of Minnesota. He grew up in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area and attended Catholic

schools. Patrick is a member of the Army Reserve. He is 29 years old.

Ryan Flannery Ryan is from Wayzata, Minnesota. He has a bachelorʼs degree in economics from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, and is presently employed by Country Inn and Suites of Bloomington, Minnesota. He is 34 years old.

Even more diverse than each brief introduction above were our visitorʼs personal characteristics. Some were very animated and outgoing while others were quiet and rather introverted. All of course have the common bond of seeking God and discerning whether God is calling them to live a vowed religious life—a serious question to ponder and speak openly with others considering the same calling.

The vocation program at Saint Johnʼs Abbey sponsors a number of three day live-ins during the year as well as extended programs. Please visit the vocation page at our abbey web site www.saintjohnsabbey.com for future dates and to contact me to set up a visit.

Paul-Vincent Niebauer, OSB, is the vocation director of Saint Johnʼs Abbey and director of dramatics at Saint Johnʼs Preparatory School.

STRENGTHENING FOUNDATIONS

Abbot Appoints Two as “Ambassadors of Stewardship”

by Lee Hanley

There is no substitute for person-to-person communication.

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bbot John Klassen, OSB, has named Alberic Culhane, OSB, and Don LeMay, OSB, ambassadors of stewardship for the abbey. Abbot John said the appointments resulted from his determination to do a better job communicating the abbey’s important ongoing work to the extended Saint John’s family.

“We can keep our friends posted with magazine articles and press releases,” he noted, “but there is no substitute for person-to-person communication. Often our friends have questions about our projects that have not been answered in printed reports.

I can’t think of any two persons in the house who are more skilled, comfortable and welcomed in person-toperson communication than Fathers Alberic and Don. “I sense a growing excitement in the abbey for the ongoing work of this monastic community,” the abbot continued. “Our excitement has been spurred by generous financial contributions by several friends and alumni as well as by broad acclaim for such ongoing projects as the Saint John’s Bible.” (The Abbey Banner has reported gifts totaling nearly $6 million for the proposed Abbey Guest House.)

Alberic, a popular professor of theology in the university for 44 years until his retirement as professor emeritus in 2001, also served as acting-president of the university for one

Alberic Culhane, OSB

year (1980-81). He continues to serve as a faculty resident in Saint Benet Hall and has been a staff member of the university’s Men’s Spirituality program since 1995.

Don served the abbey and university for more than 30 years as he kept friends and alumni informed of the wide range of opportunities to provide support through deferred and estate gifts. Both served terms as vice president for Institutional Advancement in the university. Recalling their many years of service at Saint John’s, Alberic said, “Don and I were in the novitiate together and we celebrated our 50th anniversary of vows last summer.”

Abbot John said he is anxious for opportunities to keep friends of the abbey abreast of significant projects he anticipates will be launched or completed in the next half-decade.

Included on the abbot’s list are construction of a new Guest House, completion of the Saint John’s Bible and a variety of events being planned for a year-long celebration of the Abbey-University Sesquicentennial in 2006-2007.

“Certainly it will be no less important to communicate the progress I know Saint John’s Abbey will continue to make in education, research, publishing, pastoral work and other activities that have contributed to the

Don LeMay, OSB

Benedictine commitment to excellence in Central Minnesota.

“As I reflect on the splendid things that have been accomplished here,” Abbot John continued, “I am reminded of the responsibility we who have benefited now have to be attentive to the health and retirement needs of the senior members of our community who gave us their good work for a lifetime.”

Abbot John said Alberic and Don will attend a variety of abbey and university functions “to convey the good word about what we are doing here.”

They will also spend as much time as possible traveling to meet with friends and alumni in their homes and offices.

In addition, they will welcome invitations from individuals or groups to tell the Saint John’s story.

“This is a ‘retirement job’ for me,” Don said. “We welcomed Abbot John’s invitation to serve as ‘ambassadors of stewardship,’ although,” he joked, “my arthritis sometimes makes me a limping ambassador. I am delighted to be able to remain as active as a senior citizen can be in a service I’ve always enjoyed. It has been a life-long joy for me to keep the Saint John’s extended family aware of and involved in the abbey’s good work.”

Lee Hanley is a consultant for Saint John’s Abbey and University and chairs the Abbey Communication and Publication Committee.

The Abbey Banner Spring 2004 page 21

ABBEY MISSIONS Saints Francis Xavier and Benedict share a stained glass window in the old cathedral of Nassau, Bahamas.

Pioneer Benedictine Missionaries in the Bahamas

by Daniel Durken, OSB

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f the journalist’s principle, “One picture is worth a thousand words,” is correct, then this 500word article has already been twice written by the one picture (above) of the stained glass window gracing a wall of the old Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier in Nassau, Bahamas.

Side by side, united in their common task of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ are the sixteenth-century Spanish Jesuit, St. Francis Xavier, patron of missions, and the sixth-century monk and author of the Rule for Monasteries, St. Benedict, patron of Benedictine men and women. Pictured next to St. Francis is the first Catholic church in the Bahamas, built in 1886, which became the cathedral of the Nassau Diocese. Beside St. Benedict is the banner of the abbey church of Collegeville.

Chrysostom Schreiner, OSB, of Saint John’s Abbey arrived in Nassau in

early February, 1891, and observed that “St. Francis Xavier church . . . is a neat little stone church . . . The congregation is quite small, numbering only 65 to 70 practical Catholics, but the prospects for growth are exceedingly favorable.”

Truer words were never spoken!

Father Chrysostom’s decision to devote his life working in the Bahamas brought pastoral stability to the Catholic community, a quality lacking in the previous efforts of the Diocese of Charleston and the Archdiocese of New York to supply a permanent pastor for Nassau. Chrysostom had the inestimable help of the Sisters of Charity of Mt. St. Vincent on the Hudson, New York, who arrived two years earlier and opened a free school for poor children.

In 1894 Chrysostom welcomed the newly ordained Melchior Bahner, OSB, and Gabriel Roerig, OSB. He assigned Father Melchior to Sacred Heart Church, the second parish church in the city. Father Gabriel was sent to Andros Island where he served unstintingly for the next fiftysix years.

Thus began the steady influx of Benedictine priests and brothers. As their numbers increased the more the Catholic Church

page 22 The Abbey Banner Spring 2004

Pioneer Benedictines in the Bahamas gather for retreat, July 1948.

extended service and influence not only in Nassau but in the numerous so-called Family Islands. The history of Saint John’s Abbey and University, Worship and Work, by Colman Barry, OSB (The Liturgical Press, 1993) lists the ten islands where fifty-two parishes, missions and mission stations have been established and served by the Benedictines of Collegeville.

In his invaluable history of the Catholic Church in the Bahamas, entitled Upon These Rocks (St. John’s Abbey Press, 1973), Father Colman pays tribute to these Benedictine missionaries: “Those first Benedictine missionaries in the Bahamas were unquestionably willing to work. They were totally committed to the German work-ethic and their own traditional Benedictine motto of Ora et Labora. The humble labor they and the Sisters of Charity continued to perform, the pennies they saved, and their total dedication to the people of God stand forth as an ongoing theme in establishing Catholicism in the Bahamas.”

ABBEY MISSIONS Neal Lawrence, OSB, hosts SJU students, Aaron and Brett.

We Were Welcomed at the Japanese Monastery

by Brett Hendrickson and Aaron Monson

“When we arrived at the Fujimi monastery we said, ‘We’re home!’ Everything felt very Saint John’s.”

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aron Monson and I were two of the eighteen students from Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict studying at Bunkyo Gakuin University in Tokyo during the fall 2003 semester. It took only a two-and-a-half-hour train ride for us to feel that we had arrived “home” when we spent a weekend at Yatsugatake Holy Trinity Benedictine Monastery in Fujimi.

We arrived at the Fujimi station late on a Friday evening and received a warm welcome from Paul Tada, OSB, guest master. After only a five-minute drive to the monastery, we were shown to our rooms in the guest wing, given a brief tour and treated to a home cooked meal. As Aaron and I enjoyed our meal we took in the surroundings: the architecture, furniture, hospitality and the quiet. Almost simultaneously we said, “We’re home!”

Everything felt very Saint John’s.

We attended Morning Prayer and daily Mass with the community. Although everything is read and spoken in Japanese, we were able to follow along. Thomas Wahl, OSB, prior, and Kieran Nolan, OSB, made available to us copies of the readings in Romanji or Japanese words written, using the English alphabet. I studied elementary and Aaron studied intermediate Japanese, so we could better understand the language. However, a visiting

priest summed it up during his homily when he said in Japanese something we both understood: “Although they may not understand everything I am saying, they hear with their hearts and the heart understands.”

We accompanied Father Kieran on errands around the town, visiting local shops and meeting people to whom the monks minister. Kieran also showed us some of the sights in the area and was a most gracious host.

The mountain vistas are beautiful around Fujimi with the town dominated by Mount Fuji, Japan’s most famous height.

On an earlier visit to this area, Aaron and I had climbed to the summit of Mount Fuji, reaching it at 4:35 a.m. on September 7, 2003, after a twelve-hour hike through the night.

It was so beautiful to watch the sunrise from this highest peak in Japan.

However, as awesome as it was, we would be the first to agree with the Japanese adage: “Everyone should climb Fuji-san once, but only a fool would climb it twice!”

I especially enjoyed visiting with 96-year old Neal Lawrence, OSB, and talking about my previous travels in Okinawa, Taiwan and Korea, places Father Neal knows very well from his own visits. Both Aaron and I enjoyed eating with the monks and the good conversations we had. B.H.

A

Saint John’s study abroad program is so much more than an academic experience.

It is a life experience that allows its participants to explore the world around them and discover more about themselves. For me it was a chance to explore my ancestry and the traditions surrounding it. I am a yonsei, a fourth generation Japanese American, so being able to go on this trip abroad was an eye-opening experience.

Fujimi is an amazing town although the rain insisted on falling while Brett and I visited the monastery, a place of peace and harmony. The tranquility of the site lets the mind wander and think about matters that often become lost in the clutter of an ever changing world.

Differences between Fujimi and Tokyo were endless but they were welcome changes. The Fujimi and Collegeville monasteries are strikingly similar to one another with the emphasis on Benedictine hospitality. It was great to have a home cooked meal instead of canned soup and cafeteria food and to sleep on actual mattresses instead of tatami mats. We are both extremely thankful for the chance to experience the monastic life in Fujimi and we will return if we are ever in Japan again.

A.M.

The Abbey Banner Spring 2004 page 23

OBITUARIES John’s and spent the next dozen years preaching parish renewals and retreats throughout the country.

Virgil Thomas O’Neill, OSB May 11, 1919 – December 30, 2003

M

ost of Father Virgil’s monastic life was dedicated to pastoral ministry and he was a natural for it.

His Myers-Brigg’s personality profile gave him an off-the-scale label of “extrovert.” He was the quintessential Irishman in a sea of Germans, a talker to anyone about anything, always ready to give a kind word or a good story.

As University chaplain from 195156 Virgil knew all the students. He dared to bring ashes into the student cafeteria and smear the cross on any student who did not have one on Ash Wednesday. After spending a frustrating year as dean of students and spiritual director at the International Benedictine College of Sant’ Anselmo in Rome, Virgil returned to Saint

For two years he served as pastor of the challenging inner city parish of St. Anselm’s in the Bronx. Subsequent assignments included the Newman Center chaplaincy at two state universities and the pastorate of St. Boniface Church in Minneapolis.

Virgil belonged to a generation of Benedictine pastors who were determined to make the Church more sensitive to the daily dilemmas that humans face in a graced world. He was comfortable living with the ambiguity of the human condition and was thoroughly engaged in the task of implementing the mandates of the Second Vatican Council. May he rest in peace!

Alto Butkowki, OSB, 92, died February 28. His obituary will appear in the next issue.

On Candlemas, February 2, 1957, Virgil, kneeling at right, represented the International Benedictine College of Sant’ Anselmo in presenting a large candle to Pope Pius XII.

page 24 The Abbey Banner Spring 2004

Cosmas Raymond Dahlheimer, OSB November 20, 1908 – February 21, 2004

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or several years after his ordination in 1936 Father Cosmas taught at Saint Peter’s Abbey, Muenster, Saskatchewan, Canada. He returned to Saint John’s, taught Latin and Greek in the college and was a prefect of students. When the United States entered World War II, Cosmas became one of the sixteen priests of the abbey to volunteer as a military chaplain.

He served in the India-Burma theatre where torrid conditions made life difficult. Applying his experience of community life, Cosmas remarked, “No matter how terrific the hardship, you can stand them when you have company. It doesn’t seem so bad

Cosmos (r.) and the 1959-60 class of clerical novices

OBITUARIES when you know everyone else is going through the same thing.” He was promoted to the rank of major before his separation from the military in 1946.

Cosmas’ sixteen-year term (19471963) as Master of Clerical Novices was the second longest in the history of the abbey. He taught novices numbering in double digits “all the hard and rugged ways by which the journey to God is made” (Rule, chapter 58) but emphasized the balance of worship and work. Over 250 novices and 35% of the current membership of the abbey learned from his words and example.

From 1963-1988 Cosmas was chaplain to the monastics and students of Saint Benedict’s Monastery and College, associate pastor of parishes in St. Cloud, St. Paul and St. Joseph, and chaplain of Saint Scholastica Monastery.

Cosmas’ desire to spend his retirement in the peace-filled routine of monastic life was not realized. His suffering was complicated by the advance of Alzheimer’s disease. He knew more grief than the grace provided by the final Instrument of Good Works in Saint Benedict’s Rule: “Never to despair of God’s mercy.” May he rest in peace!

Frank examines a rare book in his Arca Artium collection.

way of telling you that Saint John’s Abbey Church would not be as it is except for you.”

Frank Kacmarcik, OblSB March 15, 1920 – February 22, 2004

B

rother Frank, a native of St. Paul, entered the abbey in 1941 and worked with Clement Frischauf, OSB, liturgical artist trained in the Beuronese school of religious art as exemplified in the painting in the apse of the Great Hall. He left the abbey in 1944 and served overseas in the U.S. Army. Later he studied at art academies in Paris and assembled a collection of fine and rare books, manuscripts and religious art objects that evolved into his legacy—the Arca Artium—which includes 30,000 reference books and 5,000 rare books.

In 1950 Frank returned to Collegeville, taught art in the college and began more than a half-century of designing the cover of Worship magazine. In 1953 he collaborated with the famous Hungarian architect, Marcel Breuer, on the design and construction of the abbey church. The following year he moved to St. Paul into a house and studio designed for free by Breuer who told him, “This is my

From this base Frank worked as a consultant in church design, printing and the graphic arts. Well deserved honors—the 1981 Berakah Award of the North American Academy of Liturgy, sixty national and international awards in book design and six national American Institute of Architects awards—recognized his Godgiven gifts for identifying and creating beauty.

In 1988 Frank made his final oblation as a claustral oblate. He was a charter member of the corporation’s Design Committee and continued his work as a consultant on numerous architectural projects. He died in the abbey retirement center peacefully and unexpectedly in his sleep. May he rest in peace!

Remember our loved ones who have gone to their rest: Gabe Brousseau Harold Butkowski Leo Eidenschink Lorraine Klingeman Helen Lauer Marie Lenneman Frederick Lickteig Florence Litchy Edna Marthaler Verona Meyer Margaret Moehrle James Murphy Marie Nienaber Adrian Poitras Louis Senta Rev. Richard Sinner +George Speltz Elizabeth Terhaar John Ventura Charlotte Walczynski Alois Wenninger Bring them and all the departed into the light of your presence, O Lord.

The Abbey Banner Spring 2004 page 25

BANNER BITS Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Signs of Hope between Israel and Palestine

by William Skudlarek, OSB

A recent firsthand view of some of these signs

the dilemmas faced by peacemakers in the Middle East.

igns of hope for a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine are not lacking, but they are not widely reported in the popular press or on television. I had the good fortune to witness some of these signs firsthand this past January when I spent a week in Israel listening to people talk about the terrible conflict that has scarred their land and what they are doing to work for peace.

A discussion with Rabbi Michael Melchior, member of the Knesset and chairman of Meimad, a modernOrthodox party, highlighted for us the religious basis of the struggle. If the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis were primarily about territory, he said, it would have been settled long ago. Most politicians think that if they ignore religion, it will go away. However, it does not go away; it becomes fanatical.

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Because of my involvement in interreligious dialogue—I am finishing my term as president and chair of the board of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue—I was invited to join a group organized by Dr. Carol Rittner, a Sister of Mercy who teaches holocaust studies at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. She organized contacts with people from the left, right and center in Israel—Israelis and Palestinians (from both the West Bank and Israel), Muslims, Christians and Druze.

It was an exhausting but enlightening week in the sense that we all came away with a much better awareness of page 26 The Abbey Banner Spring 2004

Rabbi Melchior’s perception of the situation was shockingly verified the week after I returned home. A young Palestinian mother of two blew herself up, killing four Israeli security personnel and wounding seven people. The bomber, Reem al-Reyashi, 22, said in a video released after her attack, “It was always my wish to turn my body into deadly shrapnel against the Zionists and to knock on the doors of heaven with the skulls of Zionists.”

Working for reconciliation and understanding in a country where people are daily traumatized by terrorism and relentless retaliation seems almost

impossible. But it is happening. I remember especially our meeting with Mr. Yitzhak Frankenthal and Dr. Adel Misk, co-chairmen of the steering committee of the Israeli Palestinian Bereaved Families Forum. Mr. Frankenthal’s 19-year old son was kidnapped and murdered by Palestinians; Dr. Misk’s father was shot to death by a Jewish settler.

At one point in our conversation Mr. Frankenthal said, “We do not forgive the people who have done these terrible things to us. In our Jewish or Muslim traditions I can only forgive if my son is restored to me; my friend Misk can only forgive if his father is restored to him. But even if we cannot forgive, we can and must be reconciled with one another and work together for peace so that no other parents have to suffer what we have suffered.”

William Skudlarek, OSB, is the administrative assistant to Abbot John.

BANNER BITS Nathanael Hauser, OSB

A New Doctor in the House

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athanael Hauser, OSB, successfully completed his doctoral program in Ancient and Medieval Art and Archeology in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies at the University of Minnesota. Most of his work was in classical (Greek and Roman) and medieval sculpture with a minor in seventeenth-century Roman Baroque art. He also took courses in classical Latin poetry and received the master’s degree equivalent in that language.

Father Nathanael’s doctoral thesis studies French sculpture of the fourteenth century and is divided into two parts. The opening section consists of the first catalog of the standing Madonna statues in the Paris region.

These are the most important statues in the period and hundreds remain but have not been fully catalogued.

A fourteenth century Madonna in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art

tions of the concept of separation of church and state.

The Madonna statues carry symbolic meanings that would have been accessible to the majority of the viewers. These symbols include the role of the Blessed Virgin as Queen with the duty and power to protect the poor of the kingdom, the identification of the orthodox teachings of the Church with the protection of heaven, and the importance of the Eucharist in obtaining this protection.

Nathanael made his monastic profession for the Prince of Peace Abbey, Oceanside, California, in 1977, was ordained in 1983 and transferred to Saint John’s Abbey in 1990. He is associate professor of art history at Saint John’s University.

The second part examines the religious, political and cultural meanings of the statues to help understand the situation in France in the 1300s.

This important period sees the rise of nation states and the first implementa-

The Abbey Banner Spring 2004 page 27

BANNER BITS Father Burton and the Lumen Gentium Award

Burton Bloms, OSB, Honored

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ailed as alumnus, monk/priest, educator par excellence in multiple cultures, pastor, chaplain and orphanage founder, Father Burton received the Lumen Gentium (“Light of the Nations”) Award of Saint John’s Preparatory School on November 13, 2003.

This award is bestowed on a person who reaches across cultures to significantly impact the spreading of the

light (Lumen) of knowledge, harmony and hope to which all peoples (Gentium) will be gathered.

Ordained in 1945, Burton served as headmaster of Benedictine schools in Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and Minnesota; pastor of St. Anselm’s Church in the Bronx, New York, St. Bernard’s Church, St. Paul and St. Francis Xavier Church, Lake Park; chaplain of St. Therese Home, New

Hope; and founder of an orphanage in Mexico City.

A woodcut of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Collegeville artist Joseph O’Connell was given to Burton as a symbol of his years of enlightened leadership and love.

Helping Fight Breast Cancer

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isa Hennek, shipping clerk at Liturgical Press, boxed and mailed 5,742 pink lids of Yoplait Yogurt cups collected on the Saint John’s and Saint Benedict’s campuses between September and December 2003.

In an effort to raise $2,000,000 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Yoplait Yogurt pledged a guaranteed donation of $830,000 plus ten cents for each pink lid collected up to another $1,200,000. This year’s SJU/CSB collection amounts to a $574.20 contribution.

The 2001 collection totaled 2,479 pink lids; the 2002 collection, 4,746.

With the 2003 total of 5,742 lids the three-year total is 12,967 pink lids for a contribution of $1,296.70.

Lisa Hennek prepares to ship Yoplait Yogurt pink lids.

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BANNER BITS Father Tom receives Presidential Citation from Dietrich Reinhart, OSB (r.) and Rob Culligan, Vice President of Institutional Advancement

Thomas Thole, OSB, Honored

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n recognition of his creative and sustained commitment to the international student program of Saint John’s University, Father Thomas received a Presidential Citation from Dietrich Reinhart, OSB, at a November gathering in Hong Kong of alumni/ae of Saint John’s and the College of Saint Benedict.

Responding to the special needs of students from faraway lands, Thomas was the first International Student Advisor at Saint John’s and established an international community on the ground floor of St. Benet Hall. In addition to traveling abroad, especially to Hong Kong, to recruit international students, Thomas initiated two courses: a practical orientation course for such students and one on Intercultural Communications which also benefited American students preparing for study abroad programs.

He promoted such popular projects as an annual formal international dinner, a May picnic, a college-wide Vienna Waltz celebration hosted by German students and an active International Student Club.

In his citation Brother Dietrich said of Thomas, “He was treasured friend, family, counselor, advisor and role model to hundreds of students from around the globe.

Many graduates attribute their success after graduation to Fr. Tom’s support and influence during their college years. Over forty years ago he responded to Saint Benedict’s call to ‘receive each guest as Christ,’ in a very special way. This has immeasurably enriched all of us ever since.”

Benedictine Day of Prayer Schedule April 23, 2004 – “Now the green blade rises: Christ’s Spring” — The long winter is over. Jesus Christ, the seed buried in the earth, is the first new life to emerge.

What is it that awaits us?

May 21, 2004 – “Why are you standing there, looking up?” — Where and what is heaven? It must be wonderful if Jesus left his work here incomplete to return to his Father. Why is my desire for heaven sometimes so minimal?

June 13, 2004 – “The love of Christ” – We use the heart to symbolize love. But what is in the heart of Jesus? The ancients considered the heart to be the seat of passion, feeling, wisdom and compassion. Even as we say, “The heart has its reasons.”

July 2004 – There will be no Benedictine Day of Prayer this month.

August 6, 2004 – “The spirit wars against the flesh?” – For many people the body seems to interfere with the spiritual life and the desire for God. Putting the pieces together.

To register for these programs call 320-363-3929 or register online at www.saintjohnsabbey.org/slp and link to Benedictine Day of Prayer.

The Abbey Banner Spring 2004 page 29

BANNER BITS

Columba Stewart, OSB, Appointed HMML Director

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ietrich Reinhart, OSB, president of Saint John’s University, announced in late November that Father Columba is appointed the Executive Director of the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library (HMML).

Columba Stewart, OSB

Previous to this appointment Columba served as professor of theology at Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict, Curator of Research Collections, Senior Research Fellow in Eastern Christianity for HMML, and the Director of Forma-

tion for the novices and junior monks of Saint John’s Abbey.

Columba brings to this position an academic background that includes education at Harvard, Yale and Oxford and distinguished credentials in theology, liturgy and Sacred Scripture. He is recognized as the leading authority in the English speaking world on early Christian monastic theology.

David Paul Lange, OSB, Exhibits New Sculptural Works

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ntrigued by the biblical idea of a refiner’s fire as a purifying force, Brother David Paul wondered what would be reflected on the faces of people who had gone through the fire of God’s judgment. What truths would their faces reveal in the end moments of their lives? What impurities might remain?

David Paul’s answer to these questions was the focus of his “Facing the Fire” exhibit in the Alice R. Rogers and Target Galleries from

The faces of people who had “gone through the fire” from David Paul’s “Facing the Fire” exhibit

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January 12–February 27. He created plaster molds for 180 faces and used Collegeville clay as his sculpture medium. These ceramic sculptures were then fired in the Johanna kiln at the Saint John’s Pottery and arranged in a row on the walls of the gallery. The faces are meant to be the death mask of each person and therefore bear the marks and expressions of life, both strength and struggle.

A large and appreciative crowd was present for a reception at the gallery on February 8. David Paul spoke about the exhibit which proved to be a fascinating and unique presentation.

SPIRITUAL LIFE L. to r., Father Don, Donna Jones (mother), the baby Juliet Rose, godparents Missy and Rich Bechtel, Tim Jones (father). Foster Jones is partially hidden by Don’s sleeve.

The Holy Spirit Lives Inside Us

by Don Tauscher, OSB

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The author’s grand niece, like all of us, is God’s temple with the Spirit living inside.

hurch tradition has designated the Easter Vigil as the ideal time for baptisms. Current practice with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults honors this tradition.

The candidate is baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, exquisitely celebrated on the Vigil of Easter. With infant baptism, however, it is not always advisable to wait until the next Easter Vigil.

That is why I baptized my grandniece, Juliet Rose Jones, on All Saints Day. Now she, like all of us, is God’s temple with the Holy Spirit living inside. She is only a few months old with a lot of growing to do. Some times will be wonderful and exciting, others dull and painful. Still she is God’s building, God’s temple with the Holy Spirit living inside.

What is it like when the Holy Spirit gets a chance to direct a life from the inside? The prophet Ezekiel, speaking from a desert, sees the work of God as directing a huge flow of lifeClip art by Clemens Schmidt

giving, fresh water spreading far and wide. In John 2:15 Jesus sees God’s work as a spirit of worship—reverence, praise and thanksgiving in a life according to God’s hopes and dreams.

When Jesus found reverence missing, he cleansed the Temple. Luke’s Gospel and Acts of Apostles are “filled with the Holy Spirit,” as are many of the persons Luke mentions: Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Stephen and Jesus, of course, among others. St. Paul sees the Spirit creating life that is holy. “The temple of God, which you are, is holy” (1 Corinthians 3:17).

We could become careless if we underestimated how much God can provide for others through our personal lives—just the way we live and talk and do things. Notice how youngsters imitate older people. Juliet Rose has a four-year-old “big brother,” Foster. At the family baptism one guest said, “Look! Foster walks like his Dad. Amazing how they pick things up.” Amazing, indeed.

The news media have been busy reporting how wealthy corporate executives have stolen billions of dollars that should have gone to protect jobs, health care and retirement funds for thousands of decent, hard-working people. Greedy people don’t know what it means to live as if they knew—and appreciated—themselves to be temples of God with the Holy Spirit living inside. Or maybe they just lock the Spirit in the attic and throw the key away.

There is no room for gloating by anyone. It’s better to reflect on how we all need to decide, usually daily, what we are going to do with the temple, our body, that God has entrusted to us. We can build our own little kingdom or we can be good stewards and promote the greater glory of God. In everyone’s life there are dozens of ways to build, to refresh, to give life, especially when we recognize the holiness we possess. God makes us holy in baptism, in every gift of the Eucharist and in every invitation to remember our inestimable good fortune to be God’s child with the Holy Spirit living inside.

Don Tauscher, OSB, is the director of the Spiritual Life Program of Saint John’s Abbey.

The Abbey Banner Spring 2004 page 31

A Coming Banner Event

Donald Jackson begins work on Psalms volume.

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A preliminary sketch of the opening page of the Psalms volume

Illuminating the Word: The Saint Johnʼs Bible

ou are invited to visit a display of Psalms, the third volume to be completed of The Saint John’s Bible. The display is located in the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library (HMML) from mid-April to midOctober, Monday through Friday, 8:30-4:30, and Sunday, 11:30-4:30.

Discover Psalms anew as you see how the scribe Donald Jackson uses

color, suggestions of sacred songs and computer generated interpretations of Saint John’s Abbey monks chanting. This special script represents the prayerful and poetic nature of the Psalms.

If you are interested in a group presentation on The Saint John’s Bible, the Hill Monastic Library or other special collections at Saint

John’s, please contact Susan Brix at sbrix@csbsju.edu or 320-363-2771.

“The Saint John’s Bible draws attention to our Christian and Jewish heritage and the core inspiration of Benedictine monasticism, its relationship to the Word of God.” — Dietrich Reinhart, OSB, President of Saint John’s University

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