Abbey Banner - Fall 2016

Abbey Banner Fall 2016

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How many, O LORD my God, are the wonders and designs that you have worked for us!

Psalm 40:6

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

This Issue

Listening and Respect Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

Let them practice their craft with all humility . . . . “that in all things God may be glorified [1 Peter 4:11].”

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Rule of Benedict 57.1, 9

e live in a challenging time! A time of exacerbated sensibility. A time of incredible, senseless loss, and destruction. A time when the rules for normal human behavior seem to be suspended.

Abbey Banner Magazine of Saint John’s Abbey Published three times annually (spring, fall, winter) by the monks of Saint John’s Abbey.

Editor: Robin Pierzina, O.S.B. Editorial assistants: Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.; Dolores Schuh, C.H.M. Abbey archivist: David Klingeman, O.S.B. University archivists: Peggy Roske, Elizabeth Knuth Design: Alan Reed, O.S.B. Circulation: Ruth Athmann, Jan Jahnke, Ashley Koshiol, Mary Sendy, Cathy Wieme Printed by Palmer Printing Copyright © 2016 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

Cover: Profession Day 2016 Photo: Alan Reed, O.S.B.

This issue of Abbey Banner highlights two of the crafts practiced at Saint John’s since its founding. Saint Benedict expected his monks to attend to the needs of the monastery through the labor of their hands, and to exercise their crafts humbly, for the honor and glory of God. The pioneer monks of Saint John’s harvested rocks from the local area to create the firm foundation on which our earliest buildings were constructed. Brother Aaron Raverty outlines the history of rock building in Collegeville. The oak and pine forest that surrounds Saint John’s has also been a significant factor in our community’s craft and building. We learn about the most recent addition to the landscape: a wooden bridge on the Stella Maris Chapel Trail.

The feast of Saint Benedict, 11 July, is the traditional date on which monks profess or renew their vows as Benedictines and give thanks to God for the blessings and grace showered on this community. This year’s showers were actually a pouring rain but did not dampen the spirit of that festive day. We meet our newly professed Brother Cassian Hunter and jubilarians celebrating twenty-five, fifty, sixty, and even seventy years of monastic life and ministry.

We also hear Brother Efraín Rosado reflect on his service as a deacon.

Our community’s ministry and service would not be possible without the generosity of our friends and benefactors. Father Geoffrey Fecht leads our community in offering thanks for the support of so many donors and volunteers. Mr. Francesc Gomis Domènech, a Benedictine Volunteer from Catalonia, outlines his service in Collegeville and his impressions of monastic life and ministry.

Since settling in central Minnesota one hundred sixty years ago, the monks of Saint John’s Abbey have attempted to be good stewards of the land and lakes.

In 1997 this commitment to stewardship led the community to designate the abbey lands a natural arboretum. The prairie, woods, and wetlands of the Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum are home to a great diversity of wildlife, including songbirds, water and shore birds, and birds of prey. Dr. Philip Chu introduces us to two of the smallest summer residents: Cerulean and Bluewinged warblers.

Abbot John Klassen opens this issue suggesting that listening and respect are critical elements of our personal and corporate response to the horrendous violence and instability of our changing world. Father Timothy Backous closes with a reflection on the power of love, in sickness and in health. We also learn about the autumn Triduum, about the life of a Benedictine pope and saint, about a life-changing event at a cookie jar, and more.

The editorial staff of Abbey Banner joins Abbot John and the monks of Saint John’s Abbey in extending prayerful best wishes to our readers and gratitude for your support.

Brother Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

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Currently there are sixty-five million refugees on our fragile planet. That is more refugees then at any time in recent history. There have always been refugees: those who were forced to leave their homes or countries because of conflict, horrifying violence, or environmental catastrophe. But now the crisis is not merely local; it is a global phenomenon, stretching from Honduras to Nigeria to Myanmar, Somalia, Libya, Syria, and the list goes on.

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During the past summer we witnessed an eruption of violent killings: the Istanbul Atatürk Airport suicide bombing that claimed 42 lives and injured hundreds more; the truck run in Nice, France, on Bastille Day that claimed 84 victims; the shooting in Orlando, Florida, that left 49 dead and another 53 wounded; the 5 dead police officers and 9 others wounded in Dallas; and the 3 dead and 3 wounded police officers in Baton Rouge. Any one of these incidents should give us pause. This listing taxes even those who routinely encounter violence.

What should we do? The first way to reduce the potential for violence is through careful listening that leads to understanding. Violence is often, though not always, an act of desperation. As individuals and communities, we need to understand the complexities in our own local communities, and the grinding struggle to make a living that so many people experience every day. Black people in this country, for example, lost one-half of their wealth in the 2007–2009 financial crisis, and it has not been replaced.

Many communities have significant populations of immigrants. How do we respond to this situation? Consistent with the gospel directive to love one another, Saint Benedict insists that we respect all people (Rule 72).

When we encounter people of non-majority cultures at the bank, in the grocery store, or at the dentist’s office, greeting them and acknowledging them will help to lower their level of stress and anxiety. As a monastic community, we need to do more, to work with the local diocese to reduce misconceptions about the Islamic faith, especially in our strongly Catholic environment in central Minnesota. A commitment to respect takes us beyond stereotyping: it honors the individuality of human beings, each made in the image and likeness of God. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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Monastic Profession

Monastic Jubilees

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uring the Eucharist on 11 July, the feast of Saint Benedict, Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B., and the monks of Saint John’s Abbey rejoiced as Novice Cassian Will Hunter professed simple (temporary) vows as a Benedictine monk.

Brother Cassian, 29, brings a flavoring of the South to Collegeville. Born in Indianapolis, he grew up just outside of Atlanta and was educated in Nashville, first at Belmont University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in religion and the arts, and then at Vanderbilt Divinity School, where he completed a master of theological studies degree. He learned of Saint John’s Abbey while serving as a live-in volunteer at Loaves and Fishes Catholic Worker in Duluth, Minnesota.

“I got the idea that I wanted to be a monk after a visit to the Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky,” Brother Cassian explains. “I had heard that monks were to ‘receive all guests as Christ,’ but I could not have guessed the impact such reception would have on me. A Trappist monk’s simple, authentic happiness and heartfelt reception, anything but contrived, cut deeply within me and exposed the seed of my monastic vocation.” Beginning in July 2015, that seed was nurtured in the novitiate of Saint John’s Abbey, where Cassian discerned his call to Benedictine monasticism. “To me,” observes Cassian, “Benedictine life is about quieting oneself down in order to listen for God’s Word and find

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Christ in all things: in guests, in the community gathered at the liturgy, in our daily work, in study, and in the natural world.

I came to Saint John’s in particular because I found the intellectual life of the community to be a good fit for me.”

Following profession, Brother Cassian is working in the Saint John’s University Campus Ministry office.

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Simon-Hòa Phan, O.S.B.

Ordination In the presence of family, friends, and confreres, Brother Efraín Rosado, O.S.B., was ordained to the transitional diaconate by Saint Cloud Bishop Donald Kettler on 9 July 2016. As a deacon Brother Efraín assists with the administration of the sacraments of marriage and baptism for the faith community at the Church of Saint Boniface in Cold Spring, Minnesota. He

Simon-Hòa Phan, O.S.B.

continues to teach Christian formation classes and Bible study lessons at Saint Boniface and organizes the liturgy for the Spanish Sunday Mass. During the academic year, he also assists with the monthly Spanish Mass at the College of Saint Benedict.

Following his ordination, Brother Efraín reflected: “For me, to be an ordained minister is a heavenly blessing and a great responsibility. A blessing because it is a vocation that comes from Jesus the Lord; and a great responsibility because it requires me to become a messenger of the Gospel of peace, mercy, and redemption for all those I serve.

I also realize that ordination to the diaconate and priesthood enriches and ratifies my monastic vows, vows that call me to embrace unreservedly a life of faithfulness to Christ and of diligent service to my brothers and sisters.”

uring a festive Eucharist on a soggy feast of Saint Benedict, 11 July, Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B., and the monks of Saint John’s Abbey honored seven of our confreres on the occasion of milestone anniversaries of monastic profession. “Benedict believes in the human capacity to live into grace, especially in the give-and-take of community living,” said Abbot John. “Today we celebrate the grace that has been present to us in our jubilarians. Twenty-five, fifty, sixty, and seventy years ago our jubilarians made profession in the presence of the Saint John’s community.”

Platinum (70) Jubilarian For seventy years Father Kilian McDonnell, O.S.B., of Great Falls, Montana, has thrived in the monastic manner of life. A noted scholar, author, and teacher, he is the founder of the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research. His life reflects an expansive approach to the Benedictine vow of stability: traveling widely, but never leaving this planet, on behalf of Church dialogue commissions. From 1972 until 1992 Father Kilian served as the Catholic co-chair of the international dialogue between Classical Pentecostals and Roman Catholics. For fifteen years he served as consultant to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the Vatican ecumenical office. He was also a member of the international dialogues with Disciples of Christ, the World Alliance of

Father Kilian McDonnell

Simon-Hòa Phan, O.S.B.

Reformed Churches, and the national dialogues with Lutherans and Presbyterians. When he did land in Collegeville, Father Kilian served on the faculty of Saint John’s University School of Theology. In 1983 he received the Papal Award for Ecumenism, Pro Pontifice et Ecclesia.

“For distinguished contributions to theology and the Church,” the Catholic Theological Society of America awarded him the John Courtney Murray Award in 1993. At age 75, Kilian embarked on a new career: publishing poetry. Six books of verse later, he continues his literary excursions.

Diamond (60) Jubilarians Three members of the monastic class of 1956, Fathers Rene McGraw, O.S.B., and Simeon Thole, O.S.B., and Brother Otto Thole, O.S.B., were present for

the celebration of their sixtieth anniversary of monastic profession. Generations of college students of Father Rene McGraw have benefited from his rigorous and insightful teaching of philosophy, learning how to read a difficult text closely. Equally blessed are thousands of students, including the current president of Saint John’s University, who as freshmen were nurtured and mentored by this longtime university faculty resident. Born in Litchfield and raised in Little Falls, Minnesota, Rene began a lifetime of learning at Saint John’s in our prep school. He served the monastic community as formation director for six challenging years. His prodding and personal commitment to nonviolence and Benedictine Pax helped guide university faculty and administrators to introduce a peace studies major. Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky are regularly quoted in his homilies, and despite an occasional foreboding cloud over his prophetic comments, he has the faith and confidence of Julian of Norwich: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” Alas, that faith and confidence are being sorely tested: Rene is also an avid Minnesota Twins fan.

The community is constant in opening itself to the mystery of God’s love. None of us knows what will be asked of us. We do know that Christ will always be with us.

Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

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ments for the retired and infirm monks, often exercising the ministry of presence as they seek medical attention. Otto’s palindromic appellation (spelled forward or backward, he’s still Otto) led confreres to experiment with the only other spelling option: “toot” is “otto” spelled inside out! For sixty years Brother Toot has shared his good humor and generous service, forward, backward, and inside out.

Simon-Hòa Phan, O.S.B.

(L to r): Fathers Rene McGraw and Simeon Thole, and Brother Otto Thole

Father Simeon Thole, inferred Abbot John, “graded enough papers to reduce any time in purgatory” during his ten years of teaching English at Saint John’s Preparatory School, in addition to service as a dorm prefect. Years of careful reading of theology and monastic topics in general, and Scripture in particular, have produced thoughtful and well-crafted homilies, assisting him to be an effective pastor for several local parishes and beloved chaplain for the sisters at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery, Crookston, Minnesota. All his pastoral and educational training was tested by his appointment as administrator for Saint Leo’s Abbey in Florida, when that community faced a leadership crisis. In Collegeville, Father Simeon has shared his pastoral insights with participants of Benedictine Days of Prayer sponsored by the community’s Spiritual Life Program. As recording secretary for the Senior Council, his minutes faithfully

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summarize the discussions, with only occasional need for editorial revisions. Daily Simeon presides at the community solitaire card table—a master especially of those games that only an idiot could lose.

The youngest of three blood brothers—all immigrants from Moorhead, Minnesota—to profess vows as monks of Saint John’s Abbey, Brother Otto Thole has been a jack of all trades throughout his monastic life. During his early years in Collegeville he served in the former print shop, on the volunteer fire department, and with the plumbing crew. In Humacao, Puerto Rico, he ministered as a missionary brother at Abadía de San Antonio Abad from 1967 until 1980. Returning to Saint John’s, Otto worked with the boarding students of Saint John’s Preparatory School as a prefect.

For twenty years he was a physical therapist for the community.

Since 2011 Brother Otto has coordinated medical appoint-

Golden (50) Jubilarians Fifty years ago, Brother Walter Kieffer, O.S.B., and Father Cyprian Weaver, O.S.B., made their first profession of vows as Benedictines. Introduced to Saint John’s through our preparatory school, Brother Walter Kieffer was a youngster of twenty when he began his monastic life. For a quarter century, with his mentors Brothers Eddie Zwak and Victor McMahon, Walter learned what keeps Saint John’s running through its plumbing infrastructure. He unstuck a lot of stuff. For decades he also worked in the wastewater treatment plant, assisting in the separation of the storm and sanitary sewer systems, and in the introduction of an ozone treatment system. For thirty-five years Walter served on the fire department, thirteen years as chief.

During his tenure, there were no major fires at Saint John’s, “because,” he explains with Lake Wobegon logic, “we put them out when they were still small!”

Throughout his monastic life he

Simon-Hòa Phan, O.S.B.

Brother Walter Kieffer (left) and Father Cyprian Weaver

has been acquainted with the sweet side of Saint John’s: as coordinator, tree tapper, and cooker in the maple syrup operation. In his golden years Brother Walter ministers as an ordained deacon and a faculty resident for college freshmen.

From plumbing to waste-water management to the woods, he knows a lot of stuff.

After beginning monastic life at Saint Gregory’s Abbey in Oklahoma, Father Cyprian Weaver now calls Collegeville his home, though stability of place has evaded him. With a remarkably inquisitive and creative mind, a host of master’s degrees, and doctoral degrees in human biology and neuroendocrinology/ pancreatic pathology, Cyprian is a brilliant educator. He has taught our prep school and college students, and graduate students around the globe. While the director of our university research laboratory, he designed a state-of-the-art lab and conducted diabetes research while

mentoring numerous undergraduate “lab rats.” His love of learning led him to master the Chinese language while a visiting professor at several universities in the People’s Republic of China. For eleven years he was a faculty member or director of the Medical College, Fu Jen University, Republic of China. More recently Cyprian has served as associate professor of medicine and principal investigator in the University of Minnesota’s department of medicine, along with numerous other multisyllabic positions. A survivor of a 7.6 earthquake in Taiwan (1999) and of gastric cancer (2003), Father Cyprian continues his quest to serve God and humankind through medical science with a monastic heart.

Silver (25) Jubilarian A native of Trinidad who first became acquainted with monastic life through our former priory, Saint Augustine’s Monastery in The Bahamas, Brother Neal Laloo, O.S.B., celebrated twenty-five years of monastic commitment in Collegeville.

Neal’s primary talents and interests include an unlikely pairing of mechanical abilities and culinary skills. As coordinator for the maintenance of abbey cars, he is well acquainted with the theoretical—what might go wrong with an automobile; and with reality—what will go wrong, depending on the driving skills of the particular monk. He also attends to the upkeep of two cabins that belong to the

Brother Neal Laloo

Simon-Hòa Phan, O.S.B.

monastery, repairing, cleaning, or replacing as needed. As refectorian for the community’s special meals (feast days, major events), Neal brings to the table lively flavors, aroma, and presentation that are not typical of rural Minnesota. Caribbeanspiced fare is a specialty. Nor does he underestimate the quantity of food needed. The monastic community can safely predict what the noon meal on Monday and Tuesday will include, following Sunday’s special celebration.

From mufflers to mangos, from pontoons to papaya, Brother Neal serves and services the community with zeal and zest.

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Benedictine Volunteer Corps live with the monks and pray with them each day.

Francesc Gomis Domènech

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ver since I completed my university studies in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain), the idea of serving abroad as a volunteer has been in my thoughts. I longed for new experiences, far away from my country, and learning about another culture. However, I started a job in a maritime company in Barcelona. After six months, when my employment contract ended, I saw clearly it was time to start my volunteer adventure. At that moment, I didn’t know where or when, but my intention was clear. I even turned down some job offers in Barcelona.

Because I was acquainted with the monks of Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey in Catalonia, I spoke about my volunteer hopes with Father Sergi d’Assís Gelpí, the coordinator of the Benedictine Volunteers serving at Montserrat. Father Sergi is the headmaster of the Escolania de Montserrat—one of the oldest and most famous European boys’ choir, in which I sang for four years. My goal was to volunteer in a country where English is the main language, because I wanted to improve my English skills. The option of volunteering at Saint John’s Abbey came up early in our conversation. Saint John’s in central Minnesota is a big, rural abbey, like Montserrat, with extra rooms, food, and a lot of work to do. Father Sergi contacted

I taught Spanish for three months, until May. Since my mother tongue is Catalan, rather than Spanish, I can say I’m bilingual! My help was welcomed by Brother Lucián López and Ms. Martina Talic, the Spanish teachers at the prep school. I think the three of us were a good team in the Spanish department. I was in charge of conversation exercises, usually with small groups of three or four, although sometimes with just one student. I was surprised by the really good Spanish skills of some students.

BVC

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Brother Paul Richards, the director of the Benedictine Volunteer Corps (BVC), and explained my situation and my intentions. All this happened during the last days of January 2016. One month later I landed at the Minneapolis–Saint Paul airport to start my service.

Before I came to Minnesota, I knew what my job as a volunteer would be: help with the Spanish lessons in Saint John’s Preparatory School and work in the abbey woodworking shop. I had no experience teaching Spanish nor working with wood, but fortunately that was not a big problem! I was also aware that I would have the opportunity to

My other primary job as a Benedictine Volunteer is in the abbey woodworking shop. The woodworking team is nice: Mr. John Grobe, Mr. Michael Roske, Father Lew Grobe, Mr. Rob Lillard, Mr. David Lorenz, and Mr. Will Johnson. I don’t consider myself a woodworker, but they make me feel like one of them. Usually I work with the small projects, such as crosses, stands, funerary urns, and other products.

is easy to think that a monastery is a kind of prison in our society! In Spain, for example, the majority of young people think of a monastery as a really isolated place, and they think the monks live away from reality. In contrast, at Saint John’s Abbey nothing could be further from the truth. One of the things that I really like about this monastery is that it is open. Everybody is welcome, and that is really nice.

Saint John’s Abbey operates an amazing educational enterprise: Saint John’s Preparatory School, Saint John’s University, and the School of Theology. This means many monks have connections with numerous students, usually young people; and as everybody knows, youth is the driver of our society! For this reason, I think

the BVC is a great opportunity not only for young men to learn about Benedictine life around the world but also for Benedictine abbeys around the world to open their doors to young people.

During my six months at Saint John’s I enjoyed two of the big holidays in America: Memorial Day and Independence Day. The way the monks celebrate both was similar: cookout in the backyard; eating hot dogs, corn on the cob, hamburgers, and ice cream; drinking beer, and playing volleyball. I also had the opportunity to travel and visit some big cities in the U.S., such as Philadelphia, Miami, New York City, Chicago, Boston, and, of course, the Twin Cities.

And I sampled a little bit of the

During my time at Saint John’s I have learned how the monks live day by day: their jobs, their prayers, their feasts, etc. I knew a little about monastic life before I came to Collegeville, because I studied in the Benedictine school in Montserrat, but every abbey has its own way of living and praying. Nowadays I believe it

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American college life: I lived on campus, watched college sports and musical performances, and enjoyed parties with Johnnies and Bennies. I even witnessed the “great feast” of college graduation.

I would like to thank the monks of Saint John’s Abbey—and especially Brother Paul Richards, the BVC director, and his assistant, Mr. Nick Crowley—for giving me this opportunity. I also thank Father Sergi d’Assís Gelpí, who recommended Saint John’s as a good place to serve as a volunteer. And I thank my family and friends for supporting me in my decisions, and the new friends I met in America for allowing me to thoroughly enjoy my time as a Benedictine Volunteer in the United States of America.

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One of the things that I really like about this monastery is that it is open. Everybody is welcome, and that is really nice.

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Mr. Francesc Gomis Domènech received a bachelor’s degree in nautical and maritime transportation studies from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and served as director of Collegeville Port Authority during this summer’s shipping season.

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Autumn’s Sacred Triduum to embrace and live the reign of God as did the saints.

Michael Kwatera, O.S.B.

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ur yearly observance of the paschal Triduum— Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, the heart of the liturgical year—is a celebration of the paschal mystery: God’s plan for our salvation in the dying and rising of Jesus, in which we share through baptism. But there is another sacred triduum in the Church’s year: Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls’ Day. These three days, too, form a holy time for celebrating the paschal mystery and the communion of saints that springs from it. The solemnity of All Saints is the theological heart of the Church’s autumn triduum, but its chronological beginning is the eve of all hallows, or Halloween.

Halloween Halloween shows how the Church transformed a pagan festival of death into a celebration of everlasting life in Christ, the life that flourished in all the saints. Among the ancient people of the British Isles, 31 October was the day of death, the beginning of winter. During this night, souls of the dead were thought to flee their cold forest abodes to seek shelter and food from their kinsfolk. Glowing jack-o’-lanterns, first carved out of turnips and later out of pump-

This article is excerpted from “Autumn’s Sacred Triduum” in the August 2015 issue of Ministry & Liturgy (Volume 42, Number 6).

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All Saints The solemnity of All Saints is the liturgy’s fullest expression of our belief in the communion of saints. While many individual saints have a feast day on the liturgical calendar, this solemnity celebrates God’s holy ones from all times and places. On All Saints we gaze through the eyes of John the Seer: “I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue (Revelation 7:9). This great assembly proclaims why they are there: “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb” (7:10). The death and resurrection of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is the source of their salvation and ours.

Timothy Backous, O.S.B.

kins, served to scare away any undesirable visitors from the spirit world.

The Church tried to supplant such practices with liturgical veneration of the saints, our Christian ancestors, on 1 November. Scary costumes affirm the Christian victory over evil: if children can assume the guise of monsters and ghouls, then Christ’s triumph over the powers of darkness has broken evil’s ultimate hold on human lives. Christ lives to save us from all that would do us physical or spiritual harm. Better than any

jack-o’-lantern could, Christ our light puts evil to flight.

Halloween, the eve of all hallows, is a public proclamation that Jesus, the conqueror of death, hell, and the devil, has hallowed all human life. All Saints is the public celebration of those who knew, spoke, and lived this truth as Christ’s disciples. These holy days summon us to push back the power of evil in our world. The scariest thing about Halloween may not be spooky costumes or haunted houses but our failure

The Gospel of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12), proclaimed on All Saints, shows us the way to God’s kingdom. These words of consolation show us the happiness of the saints at journey’s end, but they also challenge us to walk that difficult road. The

The scariest thing about Halloween may not be spooky costumes or haunted houses but our failure to embrace and live the reign of God as did the saints.

saints are people who made the Beatitudes their trusted roadmap to the throne of God; they are people whom God made expert guides for those still on the way.

Our desire to be blessed, to be saints in God’s future, should determine what we are doing in our present: living the Beatitudes and letting them shape us into God’s holy ones.

All Saints is our grateful recognition of God’s holy ones for who they were, what they did, and what they continue to do for us in the communion of saints. This day is the greatest celebration of the Christian family in its final triumph over sin and death.

All Souls The Church celebrates All Saints at the very time the northern world’s vegetation is dying. November confronts us with death, with closing up, and sealing in. Even the trees know this. But we know that though the trees look dead, they are resting up for next year’s growing.

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed takes tangible form among our Hispanic sisters and brothers who celebrate El Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. They remember and honor their deceased loved ones by setting up decorated altars called ofrendas. The spirits are remembered with offerings of food and other things that they enjoyed in life. This is one way

that Christians, in the midst of November’s dying, fling a challenge into the face of death. In this time of natural bleakness and gloom, we say to death: “You have no permanent grip on us.” Instead we celebrate all who have died. They, like the seed, rest in the earth, but they also live with God. For God’s life in all the living is stronger than death. The shared life of all the faithful in the one body of Christ is not broken by death.

To believers in Christ, death means not decay but harvest.

Death is not the end; it is the fruition, the fulfillment of the seed of eternal life that became ours at baptism. Those who have died are part of the rich harvest of eternal life, the harvest that the Lord Jesus will gather into his kingdom on the last day.

On All Souls’ Day we pray that the departed will rejoice to be at home with God, sharing in God’s eternal day.

As the liturgical year draws to a close, the celebrations of Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls return us to the paschal images of dying and rising that form the heart of Lent, the paschal Triduum, and Eastertime. The three-day harvest festival also points us forward to the final ingathering of God’s holy ones at the end of time.

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Father Michael Kwatera, O.S.B., liturgy director of Saint John’s Abbey, is a faculty resident at Saint John’s University.

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Bridge Builders In July, eight monks, including Abbot John Klassen, and several lay volunteers enrolled in a timber-framing class at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota. Their task: construct a wooden, covered footbridge for the Stella Maris Chapel Trail, to replace the deteriorating concrete-block bridge. Their medium: milled wood from the abbey arboretum—white oak, and white “heritage” pine that had been harvested after the disastrous 2011 storm. Their tools: whirring circular saws, scraping scrub planers, gouging drill bits, roaring routers, and one thundering chain mortiser. Their guides: instructors Mr. Peter Henrikson and Mr. Tom Healy, and the tradition of sustainable timber-framing at Saint John’s, dating to the 1880s.

The outcome: hundreds of segments of wood were measured, cut, trimmed, and fit into place—every mortise-and-tenon joint, a work of art!—and reassembled in August on the shores of Lake Sagatagan.

Photos by participants

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Southerners in the Arboretum Philip Chu

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hen one thinks of birds in the Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum, the first phrase that comes to mind is not “southern warblers,” but in fact two warblers with mainly southern distributions approach the northwest extremes of their breeding ranges here. These are the Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) and the Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera).

and/or basswood dominated forests, usually in tracts with numerous wooded potholes or wet meadow openings.” This is an excellent description of forested tracts in the abbey arboretum. Moreover, the Cerulean has a preference for nesting in, singing from, and feeding in white oaks (Buehler et al. 2013), and according to abbey land manager Tom Kroll, white oaks make up five to ten percent of the oaks in the arboretum woods.

Cerulean Warblers In the 1930s the Cerulean Cerulean Warblers are birds of Warbler was thought to be a the treetops. They tend to rare summer resident in southeastern Minnesota (Roberts 1932); however, the species is now known to be more widespread. The Minnesota Biological Survey, which began in 1987 and is ongoing, found the Cerulean in summer to be scattered Flickr / Petroglyph throughout the Setophaga cerulea Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province as far northfeed in the forest canopy, with west as Otter Tail and Becker MacNeil (2010) finding average counties. foraging heights of about fiftyfive feet for females and sixtyThe Eastern Broadleaf Forest five feet for males. The species Province is a belt of hardwoods also nests high—Rogers (2006) that crosses the state from southfound mean nest height to east to northwest—and, within exceed sixty feet. this belt in central Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Breeding Bird Survey data from Natural Resources (2016) states the U. S. Geological Survey sugthat the Cerulean Warbler is gest that Cerulean Warbler popufound in “upland oak, maple, lations have been declining at a

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rate of approximately three percent per year. This decline has been attributed to loss of mature forest, to fragmentation of the forest that remains, to loss of important tree species like white oak, and, in tracts harvested for timber, to timber rotation periods that are too short to allow for the production of mature trees (Buehler et al.

2013). Though the decline has been insufficient to prompt the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the Cerulean as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, that decline, as well as further declines projected for Minnesota, did lead the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to list the warbler as a Special Concern Species in 1996.

Blue-winged Warblers Like the Cerulean Warbler, the Blue-winged Warbler was considered to be a rare summer resident in southeastern Minnesota in the 1930s (Roberts 1932)— and, like the Cerulean, it is now known to be more widely distributed. The Minnesota Biological Survey found it in summer to be scattered throughout the Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province as far northwest as Wright County, and it is now found here in Stearns County as well.

Whereas the Cerulean Warbler breeds in mature forests, the Blue-winged Warbler breeds in sites with thick shrub cover and dense patches of herbaceous vegetation near the forest edge or in forest clearings (Gill et al.

Vermivora cyanoptera

2001). Such sites have become more abundant as eastern forests were cleared, and as some of the cleared areas were allowed to regrow, with the result, according to Gill et al., that Blue-wingeds have been expanding northward since at least the late 1800s.

As befits a bird favoring shrubby areas near woodland edges, the Blue-winged’s activities tend to occur at modest heights. Though the Blue-winged forages primarily in the top half of woody vegetation, that vegetation is typically less than twenty feet tall, consisting of shrubs and small trees (Ficken and Ficken 1968). Nests are located on or near the ground, among, for example, goldenrod or raspberry stems (Gill et al. 2001).

A relative of the Blue-winged Warbler is the Golden-winged Warbler. Studies summarized by Gill et al. (2001) indicate that, as the range of the more southerly Blue-winged expanded north-

Wikimedia / Wwcsig

ward into the range of the more northerly Golden-winged, the former tended to increase while the latter tended to decrease. In any one area, the usual result has been that Blue-wingeds almost completely replace Goldenwingeds as breeders.

Both Cerulean and Blue-winged warblers—though predomi-

nantly southern in distribution, relative to most other members of the warbler group—can now be found as far northwest as central Minnesota, their fates tied to the hardwoods of the Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province. Because more Minnesotans live in this region than in any other, just twelve percent of the province was still forested in 2007, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The loss of forest has been detrimental to the Cerulean, but it has also paved the way for expansion of the Bluewinged. The Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum, because of its diverse habitats, is able to host both of them.

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Dr. Philip Chu is a professor in the biology department at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University.

For Further Reading “Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea)” by David A. Buehler, Paul B. Hamel, and Than Boves. No. 511 (2013) in The Birds of North America Online.

“Ecology of Blue-winged Warblers, Golden-winged Warblers, and Some Other Vermivora” by Millicent S. Ficken and Robert W. Ficken. The American Midland Naturalist 79 (April 1969) 311–319.

“Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera)” by Frank B. Gill, Ronald A. Canterbury, and John L. Confer. No. 584 (2001) in The Birds of North America Online.

“Does Timber Harvesting Affect Cerulean Warbler Foraging Ecology?” by Margaret M. MacNeil (unpublished master’s thesis). Muncie, Indiana: Ball State University, 2010.

Setophaga cerulea (Wilson, 1810): Cerulean Warbler by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 2016.

The Birds of Minnesota, Volume II by Thomas S. Roberts. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1932.

“Nesting Success and Breeding Biology of Cerulean Warblers in Michigan”

by Christopher M. Rogers. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 118 (June 2006) 145–151.

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R

Hospitality William Cahoy

B

enedictines are well known for their hospitality: a ready welcome, hearty food and plenty of it, a listening ear, even a warm bed if needed. In a world of strangers and superficial intimacy, this hospitality is a true gift.

Benedictine hospitality­­—or any authentic hospitality—suggests a different way to think about the interplay of identity and openness. All too readily we assume that identity and openness to the other operate in a zero-sum relation such that the stronger our identity, the less open we will be.

Conversely, the more open we are to others, the weaker our identity or commitment to our own beliefs and principles.

This competitive relation misunderstands our particular identity as Christians. We are called to be open to the other not in spite of being Christian, but precisely because we are Christian. The challenge is to be fully, genuinely open and welcoming of the other—hospitable—while being no less fully committed to

Let all guests be received like Christ.

Rule of Benedict 53.1

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our particular identity, to the beliefs and practices that make us who we are.

The Prior

Ours is a world of increasing fragmentation, suspicion, and polarization, a world ever more hostile to the other, where identity becomes an impetus for seeing the other as an infection or cancer to be excised in the name of ethnic, ideological, or religious purity. In such a world hospitality is a profound witness to the Gospel, to the love of God for all God’s children. Hospitality, openness, and love of the other do not weaken our identity as Christians. They are what that identity looks like.

That prior shall perform respectfully the duties enjoined on him by his abbot and do nothing against the abbot’s will or direction.

Ultimately, this rhythm of identity and openness is rooted in nothing less than the very nature of God as Trinity. The amazing affirmation that the underlying, creative reality of the universe, God, is such that real identity— unity—is not diminished by real difference—three Persons. This eternal dance of identity and difference in love is the life of God, a life we are called to live, imitate, and make present in the world. Benedictine hospitality is a witness to this reality of God. It is a witness the world and the Church desperately need. It is about far more than simply being nice. It requires care for the well-being of others, regardless of whether they think, believe, or behave like I do. It takes practice, formation, and commitment to persist in this hospitality.

Eric Hollas, O.S.B.

Rule of Benedict 65.16

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y current standards Saint Benedict’s job description for the prior is spare. He makes clear that the work of the prior—who oversees the daily activities of the monastery and leads the community in the absence of the abbot—derives entirely from the abbot. He does the abbot’s bidding, and in practical terms he does all those things for which the abbot has neither the time nor inclination to do.

Aidan Putnam, O.S.B.

While Benedictines may be distinctly formed in the practice of hospitality, they teach us that welcome of the other is part of our identity as Christians. We can best show our gratitude for the hospitality we have received by making it a practice not limited to the monastery.

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Dr. William Cahoy was dean of Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary, 1999–2015.

What stirred Benedict’s passions about this? As is the case elsewhere in his Rule, experience was one of his teachers. There were stories about priors who set themselves up as rivals to the abbot. Some lorded it over the brothers. A few saw this as the chance to eradicate the boatload of faults that previous superiors had tolerated in the community.

Still others favored friends. All this left a bad taste, and Benedict summed it up succinctly. “There are some who become inflated with the evil spirit of pride and consider themselves second abbots.

By usurping power they foster scandals and cause dissensions in the community” (RB 65.2).

Since Benedict’s time nearly every community has ignored his warning and had a prior anyway. What makes it work now? For one thing, monastic tradition and Church

law clearly define the role of the prior. Nor is anyone confused about the source of the prior’s power—least of all the prior. It has also helped to assign to the prior all sorts of responsibilities that no ambitious monk would want to tackle.

Perhaps most important has been a renewed appreciation of the kind of service that Benedict expected of anyone in authority.

“Let him know that his duty is rather to profit his brethren than to preside over them” (RB 64.8).

Addressed to the abbot, this admonition applies equally well to the prior, the cellarer, the novice, and everyone in between.

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

What is startling are the qualities that are absent from the list.

Imagination isn’t there. Nor did Benedict suggest that the abbot find a self-starter for the job. As prized as these qualities may be today, they weren’t what Benedict had in mind when he considered the ideal prior.

There is an important context for this, and Benedict’s chapter on the prior actually opens with a discourse on why monasteries should not have priors in the first place! They can be the source of much trouble, he points out. But if the community is large and an abbot needs help, then the abbot can appoint one.

Aidan Putnam, O.S.B.

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Lives of the Benedictine Saints Gregory the Great Aidan Putnam, O.S.B.

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aint Gregory the Great has been called the Doctor of Desire because he, as much as anyone, contributed to the Benedictine spirituality of preparing for the joys of Easter with a holy longing (Rule of Benedict 49). His pastoral and theological insights reveal a passionate and complicated man shaped by competing pulls toward worldly life and contemplative prayer. In his Life of Saint Benedict, we can see Gregory illustrating a lifelong journey, not without struggles, toward a balanced life in community, marked by moderation and deep awareness of God. His ideas and examples have strongly shaped both the tradition of monastic vows and the pilgrimage of Christian life outside the cloister, demonstrating the virtues of temperance and compunction in a life committed equally to responsibility toward others and connection with the divine.

Gregory lived in a tumultuous time much like our own. He was born in 540 to a wealthy Roman family, and pursued a secular career until his 30s, when he became a monk. He had held much civic responsibility, providing for judicial and legal roles as well as the basic food, water, and sanitation facilities for a capital city under almost continual attack and with a recent history of instability. He

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hoped to retire into solitude and silence, but he was assigned to various public offices, eventually being sent to Constantinople as ambassador to the Eastern Empire, and finally named pope.

His search for peace and contemplation continued, however, and his drive to balance the demands of duty with the divine call to constant prayer marks an ongoing theme in his many writings. These include over eight hundred letters, a multivolume commentary on the Book of Job, the immensely influential Book on Pastoral Care—a kind of handbook for medieval priests —and the famous Dialogues that contain the vivid and moving portrait of a monk named Benedict.

Gregory emphasizes that the divine will is eternal life for us, and that eternal life comes about through long, sometimes arduous, conversion. To illustrate the “conversion to the monastic way of life” promised in monastic vows, Gregory’s Dialogues contrast spectacular miracles with invisible miracles.

To Gregory, the raising of Lazarus from the dead was less of a miracle than Paul’s conversion.

Lazarus’ return to physical life would be temporary, but Paul’s entrance to spiritual life would be eternal. “Conversion,” says another commentator, “is the greater miracle, even though it may be evoked by nothing more than a prayer or a word of consolation.”

Whether Gregory himself was ever a member of any monastery that followed the Rule of Benedict is inconsequential, because his depiction of Benedict’s life has given shape to centuries of interpretation and application of that Rule. While Benedict talks theoretically and practically about obedience, stability, and the ways of monastic life, Gregory’s Dialogues describe— in sometimes picturesque, often touching, occasionally humorous episodes—what living as a monk means on a day-to-day basis, complete with foibles, zeal, frustration, and ambition—not to mention humility and abundant grace. For instance, Gregory’s description of Benedict’s search for self-knowledge leading to knowledge of God puts flesh on

Saint Gregory’s rich and varied life, from monk to ambassador to pope, could be considered the opposite of a life of stability, the third Benedictine vow. But his Dialogues show stability as faithfully striving for holiness together with the Church, rather than identifying stability as mere reluctance to step off a “particular plot of earth.” In his biography, Gregory shows Benedict as starting monastic life in isolation, living in a cave, and only reluctantly joining community— and even this with various missteps and conflicts! Gradually, as the episodes and years progress, Benedict becomes more of a beloved figure, finally dying in the supportive arms of his brothers.

Hugh Witzmann, O.S.B.

Mural by Brother Clement Frischauf, 1932

the idea of obedience in a way that rules and statutes cannot.

One commentator on the Dialogues notes: “Living with yourself is the root of living with others; it is the password to all communal life. In this interior solitude the monk can begin to recognize and learn continuously how to live with the Other.”

Listening for the voice of this divine Other—through silence, prayer, and community—can lead, in Gregory’s terms, to the desire to live out the divine will.

Gregory believed that the Christian life is not something that we can pursue on our own.

We need community, both to live out the humbling lessons of compunction and to practice the hard-won virtue of temperance.

Moreover, not neglecting the needs of others was at the very crux of Gregory’s works, both as writer and pontiff. Resolutely balancing awareness of God with wise actions on behalf of others would be a constant refrain in his thoughts. “When we are trying to cultivate uprightness and justice,” he says in his commentary on Job, “we usually forsake humility; when we wish to practice humility, we leave justice and uprightness behind.”

Perhaps the most challenging aspects of Gregory’s thought for our modern sensibilities is his seeming pessimism in regard to human nature and his apparent appreciation for sorrow and

repentance. However, if we keep his messages on justice and temperance in mind when we consider his theme of compunction, or being “pierced to the heart” by awareness of God, we find that Gregory espouses a more redeeming than condemning view of guilt. “Whoever wishes to be an adherent of the true wisdom,” he says, “must steer a steady course between two extremes: the heart that can feel no pain has no solid virtue; on the other hand, the one who feels pain to be greater than it is, is a stranger to the guidance of virtue.” May Saint Gregory the Great, servant of the servants of God, intercede for us that we may be shaped by such wisdom and led by such virtue!

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

Love itself is knowledge: the more one loves, the more one knows.

Saint Gregory the Great

Monks and Dragons A certain monk there was so inconstant and fickle of mind, that he desired to leave the abbey and continually begged that he might be discharged. He was no sooner out of the abbey gate, when he found a dragon waiting for him with open mouth. About to be devoured, he cried out, “Help, help! For this dragon will eat me up.” At the noise the monks ran out, but they saw no dragon, only the reluctant monk, shaking and trembling. They brought him back, and he promised that he would nevermore forsake the monastery. By the prayers of the holy man Benedict, he saw the dragon coming against him, whom before, when he did not see him, he had willingly followed.​ Life of Saint Benedict, chapter 25

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Meet a Monk: David Paul Lange Brother David Paul was born in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, one of four children of John and Rita Lange. His family was no stranger to Saint John’s as his father, now retired, taught mathematics at Saint John’s University for forty years and served as its dean from 1969–1972. His mother worked as a special education teacher in the Saint Cloud school district for over thirty-five years.

Besides his father’s faculty connections, the family would often visit the campus to enjoy the lakes and woods.

Abbey archives

Timothy Backous, O.S.B.

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n cartoon land, when someone wants to make a fast exit for whatever reason, it is usually depicted as a puff of smoke replacing the person who was once standing there. When dealing with Brother David Paul Lange, O.S.B., one can almost imagine that puffy remnant as he leaves the scene, because that is simply the nature of his life right now: busy, kinetic, and purposeful. His hasty departure also confirms that he is so completely absorbed in the moment that he has lost track of time and needs to relocate for his next appointment. That might be a classroom of students, a group of monks under his guidance, a committee that he chairs, or a rehearsal of the abbey schola—where his soaring voice is in high demand.

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After graduating from Apollo High School, David Paul attended Saint Olaf College where he was awarded a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1985. It was during his junior year, however, that the first of three crucial conversations in his life took place.

While he was home for the holidays, Father Daniel Durken, O.S.B. (1929–2014), who was a frequent guest of his family, casually asked him a question that would change the course of his life: Would he be interested in staying at the monastery to see what it was like to be a monk? It was a question that no one had ever asked him, but he was more than excited to accept the offer. It wasn’t until his senior year abroad, however, that what he had experienced during his visit to the abbey began to blossom in his mind.

Away from home and country, he had more time to think, and he began to ask the bigger questions.

What was life really all about?

How did he want to spend his

time? The world was in the midst of a Cold War, and David Paul reflected on the real possibilities of war, destruction, and societal decline. His ruminations led him to decide quietly that he would give monastic life a try.

The first person he told was his father who gave him immediate and generous support, something which David Paul says helped affirm his choice. “It seemed like the right path forward,” he recalls.

A second crucial conversation took place in 1992, during the summer he professed his solemn (lifetime) vows as a Benedictine monk. And it happened at a cookie jar! As David Paul was reaching for an afternoon treat, Father Hugh Witzmann, O.S.B. (1928–2012), a veteran art teacher at Saint John’s University, suddenly and unexpectedly said to him: “David Paul, I think you should take my sculpture class this fall. I think you’d really

Johnnie basketball fans

Lange archives

he is an extension of the abbot, who can’t be at every meeting and available at all times. David Paul serves as an extra set of eyes and ears for the abbot and sits on key committees that oversee liturgy, refection (dining), and long-range planning. He is currently a co-chair of the committee that is planning the renovation of the monastery living quarters, set to begin in 2017.

He also serves as a member of the discernment facilitation committee that aims to guide the abbey into the future.

Working on a sculpture

enjoy it.” It should be noted that as a college student, David Paul had taken a drawing class that he remembers as “a disaster.”

So much so that he avoided the art building from that semester forward! But something deep inside him responded positively to Father Hugh’s invitation, and from that moment on, art became his passion, his career, his purpose. David Paul adds: “I guess the moral of that story is: eat more cookies!”

He went on to get a degree in art at Saint John’s and soon set off to study further at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design from 1996–1998, where a third crucial conversation would cement his future as an artist and teacher. Mr. Robert Archambeau, a noted ceramic artist and potter, was passing through the Twin Cities and stopped to visit with David Paul’s sculpture

Lange archives

teacher. When David Paul poked his head into the office, he was introduced to and instructed to give this visitor a quick tour including his own studio. When David Paul mentioned that he was in the process of visiting graduate schools and shared his list of possibilities, Professor Archambeau encouraged him to visit Southern Illinois University Edwardsville which he claimed had a great sculpture program.

It turned out that this was indeed the perfect place for the young monk artist, and it was there that he earned a master of fine arts degree in 2001 under the mentorship of Professor Tom Gipe.

Brother David Paul is the subprior—a major superior—of our monastery. He is a mentor to all those who have taken solemn vows until their twenty-fifth year.

And like every monastic superior,

When asked what monastic life has to offer our world, Brother David Paul notes that, more than anything else, our way of life offers constant prayer that helps keep an individual focused on the bigger picture and the most important issues of any life: the search for God, the support of others, and the beauty of simplicity. “The Holy Spirit has ways of touching our lives, if we are open to trying something that might stretch us a bit,” he asserts. His life was changed by three serendipitous conversations that led to three amazing invitations. He’s mighty thankful for accepting all three.

actual size The Holy Spirit has ways of touching our lives, if we are open to trying something that might stretch us.

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Upon These Rocks mation is available about the stone bridge on the prep point of Lake Sagatagan. We know that it was constructed sometime in the early twentieth century and was replaced this summer with a wooden structure. The story of the lonely but stately stone arch on the side of the old road east of the prep school is also something of a mystery. It once marked the entrance to Saint John’s and today welcomes many hikers and runners into the Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum.

Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.

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he urge to elaborate seems to be a deep-seated mark of humanity. In her book What Is Art For? anthropologist Ms. Ellen Dissanayake emphasizes this creative impulse as a basic and universal feature of the human spirit. The mantra from the movie Steel Magnolias, “accessorize, accessorize, accessorize,” would seem a ringing endorsement of this fundamental itch. Perhaps this inclination may help explain the surge of decorative stone walls and other stone buildings that appeared at Saint John’s beginning in the 1920s. May we surmise, as some have, that Abbot Alcuin Deutsch, O.S.B. —abbot of Saint John’s from 1921 until 1950—was fascinated by such decorative stone-building efforts following his European travels?

But let’s go back to our rocky beginnings. We know that farmers in central Minnesota hauled their families into the fields every spring to help pile fieldstones on a stoneboat—a plank of wood for dragging large stones overland—and then dumped the rocks into a heap. Thus boulders for building, including the ready supply underfoot at Saint John’s, were never lacking. In fact, the farmers, eager to rid themselves of such stony impediments to their agricultural endeavors, looked forward to early summer visits by young Saint John’s monks in search of fieldstone for campus construction.

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The Old Stone House: one of the earliest photographs by Father Peter Engel, 1880, subsequently hand-colored

The earliest permanent building —and the first habitation of the monks—in Collegeville was the Old Stone House. This summer marked its 150th anniversary: the cornerstone was laid on 19 July 1866 by Bishop Thomas L. Grace of Saint Paul. Its original designer is unknown, but both monks and lay workers were involved in its construction under the watchful supervision of then Prior Benedict Haindl, O.S.B. Originally erected only a few hundred feet from the shore of Lake Sagatagan, the Old Stone House was positioned near the quadrangle’s south wing. A simple edifice architecturally, it was modeled on Pennsylvania’s Colonial Dutch gable structures and accommodated to the rural Minnesota landscape of its time.

Resident students lodged in the attic dormitory, and monks lived on the second floor. The first

floor yielded student study hall and classroom space; kitchen and dining facilities were housed in the basement. The Old Stone House was ravaged by fire in 1877, and the resulting damage led to razing its remains in 1893.

Prior to the proliferation of decorative stonework aboveground, boulders embedded in wet clay cement provided the bedrock (“How Firm a Foundation”!) for such campus buildings as the old church, the quadrangle, and the cow barn. A monastic bath/beach house—still standing—was erected by a crew of young monks out of rubble stone beginning in 1922 and completed the following year. In 1930 a stone wall was begun around the monastery’s backyard, an area that was once an orchard, and completed the following summer. Little infor-

In addition to Abbot Alcuin’s startup and the muscle power provided by young monks, two notable local laymen were involved in stone work in the early days of decorative construction. Mr. Max Schmoeller (1869–1959) was the “mud mixer” who oversaw the manufacture of the clay concoction into which stones were inserted for building purposes. Mr. John Pueringer (1875–1946) was the “master mason” who directed all the stone cutting and the stonebuilding placements and other operations. Brother Edward Zwak, O.S.B. (1903–1991), Mr. Pueringer’s apprentice, took over where he left off, eventually becoming a master mason himself.

Together they supervised the construction of the stone walls under the aegis of Abbot Alcuin, in particular the sturdy structure paralleling the old roadway along the monastic gardens.

In 1934 a stone wall arose around the sisters’ convent

(Frank House), supplanting some of the original hedgerows with fieldstone boundaries. Brother Eddie assembled the apple cellar immediately south of the Liturgical Press building about 1938.

In 1939 the largest and most magnificent of the stone structures came to dominate the entrance to the football stadium, eventually succumbing to the construction of Alcuin Library in the early 1960s. Also in 1939 the student newspaper, The Record, reported the erection of a stone wall around the gymnasium and adjoining areas. Notable stone structures still grace the backyard gardens south of the monastery: the stone arch, the fountain in the shape of a bishop’s miter, and the four pillars supporting the grapevine arbor.

Though many of the handsome stone walls were razed over the years to accommodate the development of the university campus, the art of stone building has not been lost. In the 1990s sculptor Mr. Tadd Jensen reintroduced the art form. In 1992 after Joe Hall was inched across campus to its present location, artist-in-residence Mr. Richard Bresnahan worked closely with physical plant to create the pottery studio in the building’s basement. In setting its new foundation and façade, fieldstone collected from the nearby Pflueger family farm encouraged Mr. Jensen to imitate the campus stone architecture. He also

created new stone walls over the Watab/Stumpf Lake causeway and at the main intersection (four-way stop) near the Warner Palaestra.

Constructed during the summer of 2015, the Stella Maris trailhead marker on the north shore of Lake Sagatagan is the most recent stone structure at Saint John’s, though the stones themselves are not local. According to Mr. Mickey Saatzer, who completed the masonry work, the stones are from the Bagley, Minnesota, area where they were cut in half to assure stronger adherence before being affixed to the support columns.

We can treasure the historical elaboration of stone structures at Saint John’s as a fundamental reflection of their firm foundation, the rock who is Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:24-25).

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

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Abbey archives

Michael Crouser

The firm foundation on which Saint John’s had been constructed was given an additional architectural flavoring by Abbot Alcuin Deutsch. With an abundant supply of young monks and an even more abundant supply of boulders, he engaged master stone-mason Mr. John Pueringer and several monks to direct the

creation of huge stone walls, stairs, arches, and even a fountain on the grounds. Many of these handsome structures were removed in later years as the inner campus was developed. Mr. Tadd Jensen reintroduced the art form in 1992 with the foundation of Joe Hall (below, center).

University archives

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

University archives

Donor Honor Roll Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.

E

Henri Frédéric Amiel (1821–1881), philosopher and poet

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 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 also an important Benedictine value.

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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. We have said it before, and we say it again: “Saint John’s would not be what it is today without the great generosity of its friends and supporters.” Such has been the case throughout our history. 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 offering 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 through 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.

Michael Crouser

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Abbey Development Director

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 this year or recently 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 John E. and Geraldine Happe 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+ Ann+ and Herbert L.+ Kelly Jack Kelly+ Dorothy B. Kennedy+ Marie P. Kiess+ Severyn+ and Margaret+ Kipka Br. Robert Kirkley, Obl.S.B. Martin+ and Gertrude+ Kirschner Catherine Klassen+ Rev. Kenneth F. Knoke+ Robert J. Kohorst Bernice Kowalik Theodore Kraker+ Hedwig L. Kratz+ Anna C. Kremer+ Lucille E. Kreutzian+ Vivian 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+ Ludwina Schwinghamer+ Rev. Alex L. Schwinn+ Joan and Donald+ Seifert David and Patricia Serreyn John A. Siebenand Mildred M. Sieve+ Wilfred J. Simon+ Elizabeth Sjoving+ Stephen and Barbara Slaggie Mary Jean Smith+

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J. T. Starzecki Gen Stein+ Julia Stein+ Rev. Louis C. Stovik+ Virgil M. Stovik+ 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 Alfred A.+ and Elisabeth+

Terhaar 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+ 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 this year or recently are listed as Anonymous. (Deceased +) Anonymous (10) 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+

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Beatrice M. Bloms+ Jackie Breher+ Joseph T. Brudney+ Margaret A. Bucher+ Marion+ and Charlotte+ Butcher Kelly Carmien 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 Andy and Jodi Fritz 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 Abraham and Sharon Hernandez Dr. Noreen L. Herzfeld Elmer Hoeschen+ Marjorie Kalinowski Ann+ and Herbert L.+ Kelly Severyn+ and Margaret+ Kipka Br. Robert Kirkley, Obl.S.B. 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 Minnesota Community Foundation Michael Molloy and Thomas Hilgers Florence G. Moritz+ Henry A. Morof+ Mary M. Muckley+

Abbey Banner Fall 2016

BVC

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+ Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. Michael and Susanne Scherer John J.+ and Marie+ Schmitt Ottilia Schubert+ Lawrence+ and Marilyn+ Schwietz William and Joyce Sexton Amb. Robert and Ellen Shafer Slaggie Family Foundation Stephen and Barbara Slaggie J. T. Starzecki Virgil M. Stovik+ Alfred A.+ and Elisabeth+ Terhaar Louise Theisen

BVC

archives

Benedictine Volunteer Corps Since 2003 Benedictine Volunteers have served around the world. The support of generous donors assures that the sun never sets on the Benedictine Volunteer Corps. Thank you!

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 this year or recently 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+ Joseph T. Brudney+ RoxAnne Daly and Jack F. Daly Jr.+ Laurence G.+ and Redelle+

DeZurik Rev. Charles J. Duerr+ El-Jay Plumbing & Heating, Inc. Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund 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. Robert Hazel 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+ Theodore E. and M. Irene Micke The Minneapolis Foundation Louise Muggli+ Gertrude Niehoff+

archives

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 during the fiscal year beginning 1 July 2015 and ending 30 June 2016. People who asked that their gifts remain confidential this year or recently are listed as Anonymous. (Deceased +) Anonymous (7) John and Catherine Agee Dr. Peter J. Albert and Charlotte Mahoney John and Elizabeth Anderla Steven F. Arnold Gordon J. and JoAnne Bailey Fred Bartlett Bob and Mary Becker Benedictins De Montserrat John and Bonita Benschoter Raymond and Joan Benson Eric B. Brever and Heather Hamernick Stephen W. and Rita Buckley

Phyllis “Kelly” Carmien Catholic Community Foundation Dennis and Marilyn Cavanaugh Central Minnesota Community Foundation Dr. Robert and Nancy Christensen Earl and Jeanne Christianson Albert J. and Susan Colianni Lucy L. Cords and Alvin Gerads Don and Sheila Coy RoxAnne Daly Hermit Angela G. Del Greco, Obl.S.B. Ginger and Roger Delles John L. and Jeune Dieterle Jean Drahmann James C. Drozanowski Bernadette S. and Ed Dunn Joleen Durken Duval Companies Dr. Jerome and Helen Eckrich Albert A. and Moira+ Eisele El-Jay Plumbing & Heating, Inc. Patrick J. and Kris Ellingsworth Margers Feders+ Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Andy and Jodi Fritz Dennis P. and Kathleen Galle Dr. Theodore Gimenez Robert A. Gresbrink Rudolph J. Guerra+ A. E. Hauwiller Rev. Robert Hazel James A. and Maxine Hecimovich Don P. Helgeson and Sue Shepard Abraham and Sharon Hernandez George W. and Audrey Hinger Rev. Jerome J. Holtzman Thomas and Antoinette Hovel Willem T. Ibes Richard T. and Patricia M. Jessen Diana Juettner The K Foundation Rev. Bernard W. Kahlhamer Marjorie Kalinowski Rose J. Kaluza+ Lyle C. and Kathleen Kasprick Lois C. and Ivan+ Kauffman Vincent R. and Jean Kinney Theresa and Clifford+ Knier Knights of Columbus Council 5136 Rev. Kenneth F. Knoke+ Mathilda Kramer Hedwig L. Kratz+ Peggy Ladner and Clifton Brittain Rev. Michael Larkin Edward J. LeMay H. Daniel and Wendy Levene Jeanne M. Lowe Mark and Joyce Ludowese Joseph R. and Sylvia Luetmer Robert L. and Anne Mahowald Scott and Mary Kay May Ruth G. Mayer Michael J. McCarty

McDowall Company Lawrence and Andrea+ McGough Tom and Linda McGraw Thomas and Mary McKeown Robert G. McTaggart Theodore E. and M. Irene Micke Andrew J. and Sue Miller The Minneapolis Foundation Paul and Nancy+ Moran William Paul Muldoon Garrett E. Mulrooney Michael E. and Jane Murphy Michael and Dorothy Murray Joan and Robert A. Murray Jr. Cary and Regina Musech Edwin M. and Mary Anne Nakasone Dr. Brian J. Neil Robert and Joanne Neis Dr. Robert A. and Barbara Nelson Joseph M. and Susan Ness Milton J. Nietfeld+ Elizabeth Nilles Augustine and Elizabeth Nolan Susan and Stuart Nordquist James P. O’Meara John and Gigi Ossanna Gregory R. and Peg Palen Steven Pederson and John Burns+ Robert L. Peffer Jerry C. Peltier Jose A. Peris and Diana L. Gulden Ardell Plantenberg Vincent C. and Marcia Pletcher Edward S. Popko George H. L. Porter and Carol Arnold Porter Joseph+ and Caroline+ Portz Rose M. Rarick James S. and Lori A. Rausch Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc. Robert J. and Rita Rengel Bruce A. Richard John E. and Lois Rogers Richard Rose Mary Ellen Rudden Saint Paul Foundation Thomas and Linda Sanders Stephen Schaefer and Vicki Lansky Michael and Susanne Scherer Schwab Charitable Fund David and Patricia Serreyn James F. and Paula Sexton Elizabeth P. Shipton Dorothy S. Simonet Stephen and Barbara Slaggie Dennis and Mary Kay Smid Ronald J. Tavis Rudy and Sheryl Tekippe Mary Ann Tham Dr. Anthony P. Thein Louise E. Theisen

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Lyle and Marilyn Theisen Chris and Sarah Thompson Bill and Eldean Tingerthal Wallace and Mary Ann Tintes Patricia Tyson U. S. Charitable Gift Trust Michael Urbanos and Rosann Fischer Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program Miriam R. Vetter Phyllis L. Volk Helen Wang Jerome Weber Patricia A. Weishaar Dr. Waldemar H. Wenner Lloyd and Elaine Wenning Raymond Wesnofske and Lynda Moecker William and Joyce Sexton Family Foundation S. Linn and Noriko Williams Thomas B. Williams Stephen and Regina 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 during the fiscal year beginning 1 July 2015 and ending 30 June 2016.

People who asked that their gifts remain confidential this year or recently are listed as Anonymous.

(Deceased +) Anonymous (11) Mark and Maryann Aaron Marcus Abbott and Loreen Herwaldt-Abbott

Jay and Julie Abdo Deacon Courtney and Bernadine Abel Matthew and Andrea Abeln Lucille Acker Brian J. and Cassandra Adamek Kathy M. Adams Mary Adams Steven R. Adams Andrew Aebly and Angela Tate Mary Ager Barry and Amy A’Hearn Donald Ahlbach Rev. Benjamin and Rev. Mara Ahles-Iverson Barbara Ahlstrom Pastor Thomas Aitken Char Alberti Rosemary Albrecht Brenda Albury Mary and John Alden Pamela Aleman David M. Allen Rosemarie Allen Thomas and Shannon Allen Thomas C. and Sally Allen William and Linda Allen Loreto and Mary Alonzi David P. Altman Eugene and Marion Altmann Randall O. Altmann Jose Alvarez and Mary Kramer Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Alwood Jeffrey and Theresa Ambord Mary Ann Amelse Caroline Amplatz Jack and Janie Amundson Msgr. Gaspar Ancona Mark and Terese Andersen Tony Andersen and Ann Pryor Andersen Adam S. Anderson and Courtney McIlhenny Ann Anderson

Michael Crouser

Abbey Guesthouse Saint John’s Abbey welcomes guests to a place of retreat, prayer, and reflection. Generous donors supported the construction of the guesthouse and its ongoing operations and programming. Thank you!

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Abbey Banner Fall 2016

Dick and Catherine Anderson John M. Anderson Michael Anderson Rolf T. Anderson S. Anita Andreatta, C.S.C. K. Soma Angelus Barbara and Paul Angermeier Michael Antolik Clem and Alice Anton Lucille J. Antonik John W. and Sally Arden Florine K. Armstrong Thomas S. Arndt Dana Arnold John and Margaret Arnold Esther R. Lauregui Arras Richard and Carol Atkins Mary K. Aubart Kevin Aubrey Bernadine Auchstetter James A. Audette Dolores and Joe Auge Dr. William R. and Rhonda Bachand Susan Bachelder Will and Bernie Backes Sang-Joon Bae and Hyun Kyung Kim Joseph and Kathryn Bainbridge Barbara Bakeberg Dianne M. Baker Kelly Baker James and Sharon Balcom S. Mary Luke Baldwin, S.S.N.D. Eleanor T. Barba Jean Baribeau-Thoennes Joseph G. Barmess Jr. Jacob J. Barnes Cameron Barr Mr. and Mrs. Patrick J. Barrett Thomas and Annette Barrett Thomas J. and Margaret Barrett Bob and Pat Barry James Barry Rev. Michael T. Barry Nancy K. Barry Jennifer Bartch Jeffrey J. and Paula Bata John and Lisa Anne Bauch Dorothy and Charles+ Bauer Jeffrey P. Bauer Joseph and Mary Bauer Michael W. and Margaret Bauer Thomas J. and Kristin Bauer Richard L. and Helga Bauerly L. Darleen Baumberger+ Paula Baumberger Tim and Pat Baumberger Timothy K. and Linda Baumgartner Msgr. Thomas F. Baxter S. Amelita V. Baybay Mary Louise Baylon David and Mary Beach

Dr. Edward and Kathleen Beal Barbara H. Beard Alan Beatty Regina Bechtle Rev. Mitchell Bechtold Guy W. and Ruth Ellen Beck John and Betty Becker John M. Becker Karla and Greg+ Becker Lisa and David Becker Joseph W. and Joyce Beckermann Vern and Sue Beckermann John R. Beckes Lt. Cols. James and Lisa Beckmann Aimee Beckmann-Collier and David Collier Mary and Keith Bednarowski Sara F. Beekie Suzanne Marie Begin Thomas M. Behr Ruth Beiswenger Roger and Sue Ann Beiting Kimberly H. Belcher Gary M. and Lorrie Bellair Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Belland Peter and Joanne Bellavance Chris M. Bellefeuille Wayne and Margaret Bellefeuille Robert E. and Karen Bellmont Darrin Snyder Belousek Marny L. Benedict Geno Beniek Virginia Bennett Darrell and Joann Bentz Walter Bera M. Joseph and Theresa Berg Dorothy Bergant Renate L. and Neil Bernstein S. Caroline Berres, O.S.C. Paul J. and Edna Berres Thomas Bersell Alois and Margie Beste Tom and Julie Beste Joseph R. and Helen Bettendorf Mary G. Beverage Judy A. Bierman Rev. John Adam “Martin” Biggs, Obl.S.B. Sharon Bigot John H. and Katy Billion Maureen Bird Rev. Timothy E. Biren Carol Bishop Mary Ann Bishop Cletus M. Bitzan LeRoy Bitzan Robert and Nancy Bjorklund Gerald F. and Beverly Blaschko Christopher Blattner Margaret A. Blenkush Michael and Rose Blessing Theresa J. Blommer Clarence and Annella Blonigen

Rev. Wilmer and Lee+ Bloy Bill and Marjorie Blubaugh John and Mary Bluemle Gary Bockstruck Terry and Mary Kay Bodeen George F. and Geri Bodmer Faye and Robert Boehler Robert A. and Jean Boehler Rose Marie Bolger Arlene Bonacci Edward J. and Peggy Bonach Carla M. Boner Dorothy A. and George+ Bonifas Jeffrey Bonneville Gregory and Linda Bookey L. Howland and Annie Booth Tom Borak and Marie-Louise Borak John T. and Katie Borgen Thomas and Mary Borgen George and Shirley Borgerding Edith Botelho Joseph and Mary Bouska John P. and Kathleen Boyle Stephanie S. Bradley John and Susan Brady Kathleen A. Brady-Murfin 2LT Tyler A. Brakner Gregory P. Brames Donald L. and Patricia Brandl Dr. Rochelle J. Brandl Gerald H. Brantner Donna S. Brauch Joanne and Wilfred+ Braun William Bravener Michael and Susan Bredeck Thomas Breitenbucher Rev. William Brenna Bridget Brennan and Jerome Shen Ellen Brennan John D. Brennan Robert and Marlen Brennan Terrence F. and Carolyn Brennan Bob and Bev Bresnahan Richard J. and Colette Bresnahan Bresnahan Studios Dr. Nicholas S. Briese and Nicole Huebner Briese Robert and Mary Rae Briggle Rev. Horace L. Brignac Kenneth Brimmer and Jaye M. Snyder Pat Brink Loretta Brissett Clark M. Brittain Beatrice and Larry Britz Linda M. Brocado Jennifer A. Broman Roland and Cyrilene Brouillard Sarah and Jacob Brouillard Curtis and Rachel Brown Florence M. Brown Ken and Carol Brown Sheryl A. Brown

Michael Crouser

S. Lorraine Brueggemann Joel Bruels Timothy Bruels Estelle Bruemmer Mark J. and Lisa Brueske Josephine A. Brummer Shirley E. Brusseau Anthony and Annie Bu Arthur J. Buchl Daniel and Mary Ann+ Buckley William D. Buckley Robert Buckvold Ruth Bueckers Richard Buller Marjorie M. Bulver Jennifer Burgess Heidi Burgiel Cecelia Burgwald James E. and Helen Burkart Matthew E. Burke Betty Burns Joe and Kayreen Burns Joseph A. Busch Jr. Jacquelyn Bush Christopher Butler Michael P. Butler Brenda and Lloyd Buttweiler Timothy J. and Julianne Buttweiler Frank A. and Marian Byron Aleksandra L. Bzdyra Lorraine Cagley Kathleen Cahalan and Don Ottenhoff Michael J. and Judy Cahill Charles G. Calhoun Walter R. Calhoun Jennifer A. Callaghan Dorothy Callahan Beatrice M. Callery Beverly Calvert Arlea and Mario+ Camarotto Mark Camp Alexander Campbell Cathy Campbell Robert E. and Katie Campbell Marlene T. and Patrick+ Cannon Mark B. and Mary Kay Capecchi Arlene Capistrant

Joseph and Linda Capistrant Joshua D. and Laura Capistrant Dominie Cappadonna Catherine A. Carey Elizabeth M. Carey Benjamin T. Carlson Donald D. Carlson John and Colleen Carlson Lucille Carlson Michelle and Guy Carlson Richard and Grace Carlson Tom and Shelly Carlson Herman L. Carmassi William and Deborah Carmody Most Rev. Dominic Carmon, S.V.D. Kevin J. and Joanne Carr Gary and Catherine Carruthers Julie M. and Craig Carter Linda Carvell Lu Cashatt Jonathan D. Casper Cecelia and Arun Caspram Mary K. Caswell Catholic Community Foundation Rev. Lawrence A. Cavell Laura Caviani Joseph Cazin Richard J. and Karen Chalmers Mary Chamberlain Thomas W. and Verona Chambers William R. and Maria Charlesworth Steven T. and Catherine Chavez Robert L. and Diane Cherry Dorothy Chizek Mary Ann Chladek James and Nancy Chouanard Christian Women of Richmond, VA Elaine P. Churchill Dr. Valerian Chyle and Mary Walker-Chyle Delores A. Clair Kevin Clancy and Kaishan Kong Thomas and Linda Clancy Edward and Elizabeth Clark Marion Clark Michael J. Clemens Elizabeth J. Clemmitt

Bonita J. Cler Larissa Clotildes Cecelia Coenen Mary Coenen William L. and Lorraine Cofell Charles Coghlan Charles and Kara Collins Giudetta S. Collins Alfonso Combong Clement J. and Molly Commers R. L. Condon Jane Conlin Dr. Daniel C. Conlon Gerry Connolly Carol J. Connor John J. and Joan Connors Donald Conroy Thomas Cook Susan and David Cooke Carla M. Cooper John A. Corbo Paul E. Cormier Dr. Iris Cornelius and David Washington Eileen Costello Musser and Bret Musser Laverne Edith Cottet Thomas Coughlan Francis M. and Marilyn Court Matthew Couture Rev. Robert P. Coval Rev. John Cowan James C. and Michele Cox Kathryn Lilla Cox and Patrick Cox Mary A. Coy Richard M. Coyan Robert Coyle Francis R. Crain Renate C. Craine-Sutterlin Cynthia L. and Richard Crawford Richard and Sara Crawford Mary H. Creighton Kathryn G. Cremers Kathleen M. Crispo Michael and Ellen Cronin William J. Cronon Robert V. and Florence Crow

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Daniel and Sandra Crowley Anne Crowningshield Donald and Jeanette Culhane Rev. Martin T. Cullen Gregory A. and Nancy+ Cummings Dr. Michael and Virginia Cummings Steven B. and Laurie Cummings Carol and Joseph+ Cunningham Margaret Cunningham William and Judy Cunningham Edward D. and Eileen K. Curley Stella Curran Donna Curry Lorraine Curto Paula Cutter-Mark John T. and Mary Ruth Cyr Leonard and Joann+ Czech J. Michael Dady and Kim M. Dady Julia Dady Adele W. Dahlberg David and Debra Dalbec Rev. Gerald E. Dalseth Robert E. and Carol Dalton Pam Daly Thomas M. and Patricia Daly Bernard W. and Jody Dan Chan Dang Timothy and Cheli Daniels Angela Davis Nancy Davis James K. Day Dr. Brian and Jamine Deal Jennifer and Bradley Deane Rev. John Dee Rev. James Deegan, O.M.I. Patrick M. and Bridget Deering Richard DeFeyter Nelda Dehn Ludovicus J. and Susan DeHoog Stephen and Marjorie Deimerly Mrs. Angela D. Del Greco Stephen Delamarter Renate and Dieter Dellmann Dr. Robert L. Delorme Eleni Demissi-Shibeshi Maurice E. and Madeleine DeMontigny Paul J. and Pam DeMorett James and Rose Denn Kevin C. and Gia Des Lauriers Gerald Deters James A. Deutmeyer Alfred S. Deutsch Ben and Shari Deutsch Timothy and Jennifer Deutz William DeWitt and Katie Conlin Dale and Constance DeZeller John V. DiBacco Jr. Carroll M. Dick Sandra Dickinson Ann Didier

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Drake and Madeline Dierkhising Julie and Gary Dietman Msgr. James E. Dillenburg Rev. Richard J. Dillon Elizabeth Dingmann Claudia Dinndorf Karen J. Dinndorf Cynthia M. and David Dirkes John M. and Julie Ditzler Dennis and Marlene Doetkott William and Leah Doherty Joseph and Karen Dolan Margaret A. Dolan Ervin and Marcy Dold Patricia Ann Dolejs Judy Doll Andrea L. Domaskin Doug Dombek Edward Donatelle William Donnelly and Jane Downey David J. and Catherine Dooley Gregory P. and Barbara A. Dooley Steven and Ann Dorsey Karen M. Dosemagen Dorrine M. Douglass JoAnne K. Dowdell Charles E. and Carmelle Dowdle Gregory D. and Mary Jo Downs Michael and Colleen Drees Donald B. and Marilynn Drever Ross B. Drever John B. and Laura Antolak Drew Judith A. Drinan S. Monica Drogon Elizabeth M. Drucker Charles C. Dudek Kris and Gina Dudziak James H. Duffy Bill and Pamela Duggin John P. Dullea Robert and Evelyn Dumonceaux Terry J. Dunbar Loren Dunham Suzanne M. and Richard Dunn Ann Dupré Gordon J. Durenberger Mark and Barbara Durenberger Luanne Durst Alex Duval and Kjerst Monson Janice A. Dworschak Thomas P. Dwyer Molly K. Dykstra Patrick F. Earl, S.J. Bill Eaves Robert H. Ebner Ruth Edberg Robert O. Eddy Jr. David and Rose Marie Ederer Rebecca Edmiston David C. Efteland Kevin and Betsy Egan Thomas P. Egan Jr. Dr. Monika Egerbacher

Abbey Banner Fall 2016

Michael Crouser

Abbey Healthcare Before all things, care must be taken of the sick. Healthcare for the community’s elderly, retired, and infirm is supported by generous donors. Thank you!

Celeste and Jim Egger Brian Eggersdorfer Marlin G. and Betty Eich David A. and Joyce Eickhoff Eugene and Dottie Eisenschenk Gregory and Jeanne Eisinger Deb Elgen Dale Elhardt Mary Jean Elioff Kimberly Ellias S. Marilyn Ellickson, C.S.A. James Ellison Marie K. Elsen Nicholas J. and Nancy Eltgroth Sharon Emde Robert Emery Dale and Carol Emmel Edward and Rita Emmenegger J. David Enestvedt Jason and Jennifer Engel R. A. Engle Jerome J. Engleson Russel and Beverly Engleson Ramon T. and Mary English Patti Epsky William and Ann Erbes John J. and Debra Erhart Alan J. and Mary Erickson William P. and Bernadette

Erickson

Bernadette and Robert Ethen Terry and Karlyn Etheridge Dr. Mary Jean Etten Peter J. Etzel Leo and Terry Euteneuer Mel and Julie Euteneuer Richard M. and Patricia Evans Rita Evans Stella Evans Rev. Dennis D. Evenson Ethan J. Evenson Elizabeth Everitt John W. and Margaret Faber Emily Fagnant Michael A. Fahey Dr. Scott and Ann Fairbairn Lucy Fallon Martin S. and Margaret Fallon Joseph and Mary Conover Faltesek Dorothy J. Fandel Deacon Robert C. and Penny Fargo Michial and Victoria Farmer James and Joanne Farver Robert A. and Deborah Fasnacht Louis J. Faust Ellen M. Fay Patrick and Joann Fay Daniel C. and Lynn Fazendin

William and Cynthia Featherston Modris M. Feders John M. Fee Robert Felde and Martha Steele David G. Feldhege Judy Scott Feldman and Neil Feldman+ Mark C. and Theresa Feldmann Joseph F. Felker Rev. Thomas Feltman Jeffrey and Caren Fenske Robert P. Ferrari Jeanne L. Ferrian and Robert H. Byers Ryan M. and Kristina Fey George H. and Barbara Fick George and Lynette Finger Br. Harry Finkbone, O.S.L. Dan and Karen Finn Donna and John J. Finnegan Jr. Richard and Lori Fiocchi Benedict L. Fischbach Jack and Nancy Fischer John and Donna Fischer S. Judith Fischer, O.S.B. Mark and Fidelina Fischer Richard and Patricia Fischer Theresa Fischer Megan Fish Rev. P. Tim Fitzgerald John D. Flanagan John and Jane Flannery Rev. Robert B. Flannery Jane Flannigan Susan M. Flannigan Kevin and Theresa Fletcher Charles A. Flinn Jr. and Elizabeth Hayden Denis and Mary Flint Jeanne Flood Connor and Pamela Flynn David and Anita Flynn Maxine Z. and Patrick Flynn Michael J. Flynn Mrs. Roxanne Flynn Timothy W. Flynn Jay Foley Daniel P. and Cindee Forby Gerry A. Ford Colleen Ford-Dunker Michael F. Fortier Cynthia M. Foster Nancy Foster Judy Fournier Maria-Teresa Fowell Maurine C. and Jeffrey+ Frank Dean Franke Joanne A. Frankenfield Aaron Franta and Jennifer Lahmann James and Cathy Franta Nicola M. Franta Peter J. and Cheryl Franta Earl F. Franz

Maria E. Franz Kirstin and Jason Franzen John and Jeanne Fraune Joseph W. and Elaine+ Fraune Paul and Julie Frawley Fred Weber, Inc. Charles E. Frederick Stanley and Florence Frederick Lori F. Fredlund Rex and Doneta Free Kenneth C. and Denise Freed Robert A. Freed Penny J. Freeman Lou Ella Freese M. Ann Freitas George Frey Peter and Nancy Fribley Richard and Marilyn Frie Diane D. Friebe Rev. Thomas A. Friedl Michael J. Friedrich Bill and Betty Frieler Gregory M. Friesen Roger J. Friesen Deacon Bob and Gretchen Froehle E. Michael and Joan Frohrip Denise Fronczek Theresa Fugardi Bruce E. and Roberta Fujan Debbie Schumer Fuller John C. and Debra Fuller Patrick Fulton Mary Gabelman James J. and Darlene+ Gaebel Kimberly R. Gaertner Norbert J. Gaier Joseph J. Gair Dennis and Karen Gajeski George M. Gales James S. and Mary Gallahue Sylvia Gallo James and Mary Grace Galvin Rev. William Gamber Thomas and Janet Gambrino John D. Gangl Rudolph A. Gapko Adelmo and Yadira Garcia Lawrence Garcia Tracy and Michael Gardner Steve A. Garibsingh Elaine Garner John and Sheila Garot Edward and Joan Gartner Terrence J. Garvey Bruce and Bonnie Gasperlin Dr. Peter Gathje Mary L. Gautier Margaret A. and Clifford Gawne-Mark Millie Gearman James Gefre Tom and Cindy Geiger Elizabeth B. Gemmill

Craig and Shirley George Carl Gerchman Dr. Dale and Mary Gerding Philip J. Gerlach Robert A. Germany Julius and Katherine Gernes Nancy Gianoli Frank C. Giardina Jr. S. Betty Gits Mark J. and Kelly Giura Sharon and James Givens Susan Gligros Jim and Rainy Glowack Dan and Jacki Goebel William R. and Virginia Goedde Rev. Eugene Golas and Carol Ertl Ray and Nancy Goldman Bernie and Bonnie Goler Sebastian N. Gomes Perry and Patti Good Patricia Goode Richard Goodier II Andrea Goodrich Edward R. Goossens Rev. Kevin M. Gordon Benedict F.+ and Dorothy Gorecki 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 Carol Graff Kathryn Grafsgaard John and Margaret Graham Leon and Patricia Grahn Dorothy Gram Veronica Grandpre Jerome and Kathleen Graney Richard and Maria Grant John and Lucille Gravelle Carl A. and Maria Vivian M. Greci Dennis Green

James and Kathleen Green Jim Greene Marianna and Thomas Greenlee Thomas and Mary Greenstein Hector and Christine Gregory John and Barb Grek Edwin and Judy Grelson Jody Grewe-Gasnick and Joseph Gasnick Sandra S. Griffin William and Maryellen Griffiths John J. and Joayne B. Griggs Drs. John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker Grant R. Grissom Alvina Groebner Logan and Trina Gross Kristin Grover Thomas and Nancy Gruber Robert and Gena Grund Jerome and Elvira Grundmayer Linus L. Guggenberger Kevin H. and Elizabeth Schmitz Gust Dolores A. Gutierrez Rev. Jose Gutierrez Kenneth and Jeanette Gutzwiller Marlene Haberer Andrew A. and Gloria Habiger Raymond L. Hackert Royce L. Hackl Lawrence P. and Mary Haeg Richard L. and Eileen Haeg Thomas and Mary Hager Denis M. and Cathy Haggerty Joanne Hagstrom Paul Haik Mary Ann Haines Valdemar Halgas Jon Hall Darnell and Mary Halverson Joshua M. and Mara Halverson Dr. Paul R. and Mary Hamann Kay Hamilton Marcia Hampton Eugene A. and Joyce Hanauska Lee Hanley Mary Hanlon Marguerite and James Hannigan Sheila Hannon Kathleen Hanowski Ginny Hansen Lawrence and Marie Hansen Madeline Hansen Mary E. Hansen Nicholas A. Hansen Charlotte L. Hanson Marcia and Harlan Hanson Peter Hanson Dr. William and Patricia Hanson Bill and Kitty Hanz Rev. Pius X. Harding, O.S.B. Kiel Harell Millie and James+ Harford

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Linda Harloe Lynn Harmet Katharine Harmon Robert Harper and Nancy Melloy Harper Lee C. and Juletta Harren Most Rev. Bernard J. Harrington Peter F. and Kristan Harrington Bryan Harris Joan A. Harris Rita S. Harris Louise Harris-Cole Shawn D. Hartfeldt Betty M. Harthman Terrance J. and Renee Hartman Thomas P. and Jeanne Hartmann Marvin A. and Pamola E. Hartung Marylou Hasecuster Louis and Kathleen Hastert Carol Hawkins Mark J. Hawkins D. Carlton Hawley Teresa A. Hayden Karen Hayes Judith K. Healey Gerard M. Healy Michael T. and Gerrie Healy Dr. Michael D. and LaRae Heaney Stephen and MaryEllen Hecimovich S. Mary Corita Heid, R.S.M. David Heike Frederick and Mary Jane Heinen John and Lorna Heinen Margaret Heinz Marjorie Heinz Jeffrey B. and Alice Heinzen J. Richard Heinzkill Dale and Joan Heitz Thomas and Barbara Heitzmann Patrick L. Held Michael Hemesath and Elizabeth Galbraith Dr. Norbert and Suzanne Hemesath Mildred Hemmelgarn Michael T. and Michelle Hemmesch Rev. Lawrence A. Hemp John Heng James L. and Joan V. Hennen Joseph Hennen Anne Hennessey Bernard A. Hennig Joseph E. and Martha Henry Patrick Henry Darryl L. Hensel Rev. Brad Herman Bob and Linda Herscher Dr. Noreen L. Herzfeld Frank and Mary Beth Hess Dr. Philip and Elizabeth Hessburg

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Marguerite Hessian-Gatz and Bob Gatz Sheila Hester Sally Heurung Robert and Karen Heying Daphne Heywood Eugene F. Hickman James P. and Lynne Hicks Patrick J. and Tania Hicks Jeffrey J. Higgins Terese A. Higgins Bryant and Margery High Horse Sharon Hill John Hinderlie Peder Hinderlie James P. and Patricia Hinton Patrick and Carol Hiptas Simone Hobson Douglas Hockert Phil and Shirley Hodapp William and Laura Hodapp John J. and Debra L. Hoefs Paul and Patricia Hoelscher James and Lois Hoersten Linda and Jack Hoeschler M. B. Hoffart Leigh and Gary Hoffert Mark D. and Jenn Hoffman Dr. James R. Hofmann Warren and Mary Hofmann Ed and Joan Hogan Donald G. and Louise Holden Andrew Holelek Scott and Susan Holl Brant P. and Becky Hollenkamp Patricia and Thomas Holloran Jack Holmes Drs. Aaron and Leah Holmgren Bradley and Linda Holt Edward L. Holt Steven and Susan Holupchinski Martha Otto Honer Carolyn Honl James G. Hoofnagle James J. Hoolihan Joan Hopke Herbert and Valerie Hoppe Mary and Jeff Hoppe J. Gregory and Patricia Horgan Robert and Gwen Horner Edward F. Horski Alvin L. and Mary Lou Houle Douglas Hourin Patricia L. Houston Richard and Barbara Houston Christine and Richard Howard Jerald L. and Juliann Howard Kent P. and Marylyn Howe Jerome J. Holzbauer Paul J. and Dolores Huber Kathleen A. Huberty Robert J. and Patricia Huberty James J. Hubner Gerald and Shirlee Huch

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Michael Crouser

Monastery Renovation The monastery’s aging infrastructure is in need of repair, replacement, or upgrading. Generous donors are supporting the renovation of the monastic living quarters. Thank you!

Marilyn M. Hudak Mary Durocher Hudson Marlys Huebsch Michael and Mary Ann Huffman Bernadette J. Hughes Kevin J. and Joanne Hughes Margy Hughes Robert S. Hughes Dr. Terrence and Toni Hughes Timothy and Rosemary Hughes Loretta Hultman Timothy and Marie B. Humbert Nancy Hunsley Rose M. Hunstiger Dr. Kai K. and Myrna Hunt Dr. Vincent R. and Mary Kay Hunt Marian Huntley-Lickteig Claire Hur Jeffrey P. Hutson Thomas and Frances Hutson Thomas P. and Jane Huvane Paulina Hwang Robert and Ann Hyler John P. and Jeanne Hynes Susan Ihnen John D. and Patricia Illies InFaith Community Foundation Cynthia A. Ingram Rev. Kenneth E. Irrgang Kenneth and Lucy Irvine Klaus D. Issler Eric W. and Katie Jaax Kenneth and Victoria Jablecki Boniface Jacobs Gregory T. Jacobs Joseph and Cindy Jacobs Molly Jacobs Sean M. Jacobson

Harvey and Gloria Jaeger Janet and Kim Jahnke Phylis Janey+ Warren D. and Dianne Janzen Walter S. Jarzemkoski David P. and Sharon Jasper Linda R. and Glenn Jeffrey Randal and Judith Jenniges Michael R. and Patricia Jennings Cecelia A. Jensen Michael D. and Kathleen Jensen Deborah J. and Thomas Jerome Joseph and Andrea Jimenez Marge Johannes Andrew F. and Meghan Johnson Arlyss A. Johnson Ben and Suzanna Johnson Betty A. Johnson Christopher R. and Sabrina Johnson Daniel R. Johnson Gregory J. and Victoria A. Johnson J. Ralph and Adrienne Johnson Janet Johnson Janice M. B. Johnson Jerry and Theresa Johnson Lawrence A. and Gwen Johnson Lucie Johnson Mark J. and Mary Johnson Patrick M. and Katie Johnson Paul J. Johnson Steven Johnson and Susan Iverson Thomas and Diane Johnson Col. Tommy L. and Susan Johnson Ronald E. Joki Gerry Jones and Berhane Tadesse Patricia Herbison Jones

Raymond H. Jones Heidi Joos Lawrence and Renee Jordan Walter R. Jost and Ellie Brenny Janet Joy Daniel and Janet Joyce Mary R. Joyce Mary S. Joyce Suzanne and William+ Joyce Thomas Joyce and Annette Atkins Tina Joyce Frederick and Mary Lou Juettner Beverly A. and David+ Junker Paul Kachelmeier Ted and Karen Kaden Patrick G. and Mary Jo Kaiser Gerald and Anne Kalayjian Donald A. and Rosemary Kalkman Jon R. Kallman Richard and Susan Kallok Linus M. and Jenny Kalthoff David C. and Anne Kaluza Thomas A. and Roswitha Kamla Stephen and Andrea Kaneb Hon. Sam and Sylvia Kaplan Mary Fran and William Karanikolas Karen and David Karges Thomas and Joan+ Kasbohm Marilyn Kaschmitter Harriet S. Kasprick Lloyd and Adelaide Kasprick William P. and Louise Kauffman William C. and Jeanne Kauffmann Andrew J. and Karen Kaus DeAnn Kautzmann Thomas E. and Susan Kavanaugh David and Jean Kearns Dennis R. and Carole Keefe Randall P. and Janice Keiffer Robert F. Kelleher Phil Kelley Ryan P. and Carrie Kelley Richard D. and Janice Kellogg Jerome W. and Sharon Kelly Timothy J. Kennealy Daniel and Betsy Kennedy John J. and Marilyn Kennedy Mary Helen Kennedy Richard W. Kent Ronald P. Keogh Evangeline Kerber Richard and Mary Lou Kerber Robert and Lynn Kerber John and Laura Kessler Robert W. Kessler Jerome C. and Bonnie Kettleson Dr. Thomas J. and Pamela Keul Catherine M. Key Patricia A. Kidd Judith Kieffer Rev. Robert J. Kieffer

Micah D. and Eleanor Kiel Mary E. Kielty Bernice and Ernest Kiene John O. Kirwin Richard S. Kilty Hokyeom Kim Kathleen Kimball-Baker James G. Kimmitz Peggy A. King Joseph L. Kinnan Virginia and Bernard Kinnick Sharon Kinoshita Patricia A. and Noel Kirk Jerome and Patricia Kirscht Christopher Kitrick Rev. Michael E. Klarer+ Gerald U. and Patricia Klasen Richard and Janice Klaverkamp Susanna Klavora Janice Klein John H. and Alexandra Klein Michael J. Klein Dale C. and Karen Kleinschmidt Colleen Klessig William and Marlene Klett Daniel Klinkhammer Patrick and Rita Klosterman Robert J. and Carolyn Kluk Katherine Klykyco Donna and Francis Knapek John A. and Maureen Knapp Perry J. and Elizabeth Knapp Linda V. Knight Jeanette Knippen Kevin and Cindy Knippen Michael Knippen and Jackie Rose Robert F. Knoop Betty Knutson William and Joan Koch Marge and Curt+ Kochlin Duane and Barbara Kocik Paul W. Kohanski Rev. William Kohler Marie and Anthony+ Koll Mary Schnettler Kolofsky Br. James J. Konchalski, O.S.B. Gary A. and Noreen Kordosky Rev. Joseph E. Korf Slawomir and Sylvia Korzan Walter J. Kosel Kathleen Koszarek Mary Jo Koszarek Andrew and Kathleen Kovacs Glenn and Patricia Kowal Linda A. Kraemer Jeanne Kramer Mark and Mary Kramp Elizabeth Kranz Wimp and Rose Kranz Michael J. Kraus Michael P. and Joan Krause Helen Krebsbach Kathleen K. Krehbiel Br. Anthony Kreinus, S.V.D.

Robert W. Kressin Patrick Kretsch William E. Kretschmar Rev. Thomas Krieg Vivian Kroeker Irene Kroening Clement C. and Winnie Kroll Tom and Mary Kroll Frances Kron Charles Kroncke Dr. James and Mary Krook Harvey M.+ and Helen+ Kruchten Harold Krueger+ Daniel Krumenaker Alvin and Ellen Krump Firmin and Magdalen Krupa Joseph J. and Barbara Kruse Kay S. Kruse Richard T. and Virginia Kruse Joseph and Sheila Kryjeski Daniel R. Kubinski Maureen Kucera-Walsh and Michael Walsh Jim and Polly Kuelbs Jean W. Kuhl Glenn and Mary Kuhnel Thomas and Nancy Kujawa Dr. John J. Kulus Sandra Kunert Katherine Kunkel Jerome J. Kunzer Ed Kurhajetz Roseanne M. Kury John T. Kustermann Susie and David Kuszmar Thomas G. Kutchera Louise Kuziomko Lawrence and Margaret Kwacala Julia Kyle Lee Yong Kyu Adam LaFave Roger A. and Jayne LaHaye

Marlene S. Lahr Drs. Joy and James Laine Margaret P. Laine Richard and Kathleen Laliberte Dr. John B. LaLonde Huong T. Lam Mary Rose Lamb Mary J. Lambert Rev. Peter Lambert Luisa Lambri Dennis and Karen Lamecker John and Frances Lamey Frances Lamm Magda R. Lamm Rev. Robert Lampert Barry Lang Doris Langston Philip and Debra LaPorte S. G. LaRosa Clifford and Marsha Larsen David and Janet Larsen Alfred G. Larson L. Wayne and Sharon Larson Matthew R. and Jennifer Larson John J. and Kathleen Lauber Deacon Vincent I. and Carol Laurato Marguerite Lawler Joel D. Lawrence Joyce Lawrence Mary and Robert Lazarus William D. and Dawn Leach John LeBlanc John E. LeDoux Sr. Susan and Edward W. Lehmann Jr. Al and Louise Lehner Frank and Amy Leidenfrost Katherine M. Leighton Thomas R. Leimer James Leitner James N. Leitschuh Anna M. Leitschuh-Hansen

Aidan Putnam, O.S.B.

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Bill and Deb LeMay Russell Lemker and Gena Bossert Susan M. Lemm Lorrayne S. Lenarz James and Susan Lenfestey Dion L. Lerman Gordon and Mary Lesch Marlea Lescynski Stuart and Susan Leslie Eugene and Irma Letson Richard I. and Susan Letvak Thomas P. and Jean Levandowski Delbert R. and Sharron Lewis Richard and Emma Lewis Patricia Libra Jerry and Barb Liddell Robert A. and Jeanette Lieser Rev. Vincent P. Lieser LeRoy and Colleen Lilly Thomas Lilly Tim Lindblad Kathy Lindbloom Robert and Sylvia Lindecker Hon. John and Mary Lindstrom Steve Lindvall Julian J. Lineham S. Anna M. Lionetti Dorothy Liszka-Vowles Jonathan Little Kathleen and Mark Lomauro Marett Lombardo Stephen and Barbara London Erin Lonergan Andrew M. Long Patricia Loonan Rosemary Lothspeich

Lorraine Louden Elmer Lovrien Bob Lowe and Mary Engelhard Marcia Lowe Jaime Lucas Joan R. Ludick Deacon Matt and Denise Ludick Larry and Jo Ann Luetmer Edward C. Lustgraaf+ Anthony and Gail Lusvardi Donald and Annette Luther Michael and Marilyn Lyden John and Katherine Lynch Julie and Patrick Lynch Charles C. and Geraldine Maas John and Catherine Maas Michelle MacDonald Robert H. Mace Jr., Th.M. Robert J. and Maria MacFarlane Bryan Maciewski James E. Mackay Susan H. Mackert Sally MacNichol Donna E. Madej Barbara M. and Kenneth Mader James E. Madigan Rev. John W. Madsen Brian and Catherine Magee Magi Travel, Inc. Margaret A. Magnan Rev. Paul A. Magnano Rev. Dr. Cheryl and Peter A. Magrini Rosemary C. Maher Katherine Mahle Thomas and Celia Mahoney

Jeannie Kenevan

Monastic Witness Encouraging and increasing monastic vocations are vital to the future of Saint John’s Abbey and its ministries. Outreach programs and the formation and education of monks are sustained by generous donors. Thank you!

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Thomas J. and Deirdre Mahoney Judy and Patrick+ Maiers Margaret Todd Maitland Catherine Mamer Martin and Laurie Manahan Francis M. Mancl Michael F. Mannion Rev. Neil J. Manternach Sharon A. and Chris Manternach Thomas R. and Janet Manthey Katherine Maple John G. and Geraldine D. Marek Frank J. and Rosemary Marre Marguerita Marschall Mary Ann Marschall and James Hibbs Andrew C. Martin David and Mary Grace Martin George L. and Anne Martin J. Brian and Evelyn Martin Col. James and Rhona Martin Roger J. Martin Robert Marzik and Alice Caldwell Larry and Melanie Mastellar Jolenta and Gene Masterson Lucy Mastri Thomas F. and Michelle Matchie Jennifer A. Mateer Mary F. Matejcek Victoria L. Mathes Judith Mathiowetz Judith A. Mathiowetz Phyllis Mattill Tom and Mary Maus Werner and Mary Ann Maus Dr. William R. and Sharon Maus Paul and Susan Maxbauer Rev. Anthony C. May Mike May Joseph and Imogene Mazur Bruce McBeath Dr. Bill and Jane McBride Kevin and Laureen McCalib Diana and Michael McCarney William J. McCarron and Ann Thompson Mark and Katie McCartan Daniel G. and Jeanne McCarthy Gail McCollum Richard and Doris McDermott S. Marion McDonald Myles T. McDonald Frank R. and Leslie McEvoy Karen J. McGahn Patrick McGartland Rosemarie McGiffin Francis and Virginia McGoldrick Joseph S.+ and Sharon+ McGraw Berylann McGuire Michael and Eileen McGurran Eleanor McHale Kenneth and Patricia McKenna David C. McKenzie

Paula McKenzie Thomas M. McKenzie Edward McKeown Fergus and Ann McKiernan Steven McLachlan Carl A. McLaughlin Josh and Kate McMath Dorman Mary B. McMillan Sharon McMillan, S.N.D. Christian and Mary McNamara Marian F. McNamara Dr. Janet M. McNew Bernadette McQuaig Paula K. McRee Medtronic Foundation Dr. Todd A. Meeker and Connie J. Meyers-Meeker Gerald L. and Evelyn Mehrkens Irene M. and James Meier Peter B. Meier Michael Meirick Colin M. Merrigan Patricia Messbarger Edith Messerich Petronilla Metzger Margaret Meuhlberg Joe Meyer Les and Joan Meyer Madeline E. and Jeffrey D. Meyer Mark and Michele Meyer Deacon Steven J. Meyer Thomas and Rose Mary Meyer Judy Ranniger Meza Michael Rinaldi & Co. LLP Richard and Rita Michaletz Gordy Midas Dennis and Madalyn Mielke Drs. Tim G. and Mary Zitur Miley Dr. Beverly Miller James L. Miller David and Janice Millford Mark and Diane Millis Jon L. and Lisa Mills Patrick H. and Gertrude Mingo Vincent W. Miranda Sr. Herbert F. and Betty Mischke Dennis L. Mishuk Richard L. and Barb Mitchell Linda and Bill Mock Leo and Aggie Mockenhaupt Arnold and Beth Moede Gary and Barbara Moeller Robert J. and Sharon Moeller Jimmy P. Mohler Paul G. Mohrbacher Fred Moleck Jerry and Linda Molitor Bart and Barbara Mollet Donald and M. Jeanne Molloy Michael Molloy and Thomas Hilgers Margaret Molus Jeffrey L. Monaghan

Matthew J. Monsour Edward C. Montgomery Christina L. Moore Mary Moore Maxwell R. Moreland Ana Moreno Mitch and Christin Morey Mona Morgan Donald L. Morovits David J. Morreim Michael A. and Lisa Morrey Gerald and Ruth Morrow Craig and Rebecca Mortell Mark Mortrude Trent and Henrietta Moseley Drs. Greg Motl and Laurel Brooks Peter and Anne Moynihan S. Audrey Mozejewski Joseph and Kathleen Mucha Trisha Mueller Paula E. Muggli Dr. William and Imelda Muggli Emmett and Dianne Mulcare Jennifer S. Muller Robert D. Mulligan Edwin and Jane Mullin James A. and Franchelle Mullin Peter P. and Rebecca Mullin Kenneth R. and Paula Mullins Thomas Mullooly Daniel R. Mulrennan Michael T. Mulroe Thomas Mulrooney Phil Mulvaney David J. and Catherine Mumma Katherine and Kingsley+ Murphy Paul and Roberta Murphy Richard and Marilyn Murphy Timothy and Sheila Murphy Rev. William J. Murphy Joseph H. Murray Maureen Murray Monica J. Murray Piper S. Murray Rita J. Murray William E. Murray Robert and Dorothy Mushel Roy and Gillian Myers Leon and Diane Nadeau Gary J. and Eileen M. Nalevanko Marilu Narem William and Nancy Naughton Brad Neary and Suzette Sutherland Robert and Joyce Neary Barbara Nelson Bradley C. Nelson Janna Nelson Margaret L. Nelson Richard and Shirley Nelson Sheila Nelson Susan J. Nelson Robert Nelson-Shoemake

Madonna Nentl John B. and Kathleen Nett Network for Good Mary Lee Neu Joseph Neussendorfer John S. and Margrette Newhouse Roger V. Newinski Michael Sing Newland Gary and JoAnne Newman Elaine M. and Thomas Newton John and Mary Newton Mary Newton and Charles Dunham Chinh-Paul Nguyen Kien Nguyen Mark and Mary Beth Nicklaus Thomas and Elizabeth Nicol Jane and Joseph+ Niebauer Mary and John Niedenfuer Robert Niehaus and Debra Mies-Niehaus Jeremy L. Nienow Dolores Nierengarten Jean Nierengarten Mary Beth Nierengarten John and Lori Nies Royce and Bonnie Nies Raymond A. Nighan Jr. Edmund J. Nightingale Richard J. and Mary+ Nigon Patricia A. Nilius Ted and Vicki Nilius Msgr. Allan F. Nilles Toshitaka Nishidate Susan Noakes Larry and Rosemary Noble Kathy and Ross Noecker Ronald J. Noecker Bruce R. Nolan Br. Francis Nolan, F.M.S. LTC Dr. John and Vicky Nolan Donald Noltimier Tony Nordick Kathleen Norris Dr. Maurice and Eileen Northup James and Debra Norton William J. Noth Denis A. and Mary Novak S. Irene Novak, O.S.F. Joseph D. Novak Edward J. and Sara Nowak Kathy Nuckolls Angela Nugent Kathleen M. Nugent Darrell and Sharon Nystrom Timothy J. and Mary Oakland Janell Wenzel O’Barski Richard E. Oberg Thomas Obiadazie James P. and Margaret O’Brien Jerry and Beth O’Brien Rev. John F. O’Brien Lorre A. Ochs Jerome D. O’Connell

Joan O’Connell William and Jeanie O’Connell Beth O’Connor Donna O’Connor Michael and Anita O’Connor Robert and Donna O’Donnell John Desmond O’Duffy Onize Ohikere Drs. Glenn and Marla Okner Leonard O’Koren Rev. Robert Oldersahw Dr. John and Lois Olinger Catherine O’Link-Meyers Joseph and Carol Olivieri Debbie Olness Andrea Olson Bill and Becky Olson David and Jan Olson Jo Olson

Thomas and Carole Orth Jack and Dorothy Orts Phil and Gail Osendorf Grayson and Lynne Osteraas Jane M. Osterfeld Mary Osterhus Steven and Karen Ostovich Malcolm and Mary O’Sullivan Kathryn Otting James M. Pach John N. Pach Ronald Paczkowski and Judith Talbott Henry and Mary Ann Padgett Bob and Ginny Padzieski Rev. Gregory C. Paffel Karen Pagel Gianfranco and Susan Pagnucci Gerald and Alice Pahl

Karen E. Olson Lawrence and Ruby Olson Dr. Neal and Marianne Olson Mr. and Mrs. Ray R. Olson Stella Olson Rev. Thomas Olson Eugene and Rita Olsson Kathy O’Malley Joseph and Elaine Omann Daniel C. O’Meara Richard O’Meara David W. and Sharon Onions Mary Cheryl Opatz Ralph R. Opatz Betty Orbeck Edward O’Reilly Angela Ortega Donald C. and Ann Orth

Joseph and Stephanie Palen Bruce C. and Mary Palmborg Mary Pluth Palmquist Scott E. and Jacqueline Palmquist Deborah L. Paone June Parnell Cynthia Paskauskas Bill and Karen Patefield Most Rev. Richard E. Pates MacKenzie Paul Cecilia Paulus Paul A. Pearson Thomas Peden David and Mary Jo Pedersen Bruce and Mary Kay Pederson David M. Peik Bernard and Judith Pekarek R. Ted and Lorraine Peller

Josie Stang

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Shane A. and Dana Pemrick Alice Pena Sharon Pennock Socorro Perez Louise Perrion Kevin W. and June Perrizo Michael L. Perrizo Mark J. Perrone Geraldine and Ed Perry Patrick M. and Gina Peschel Dorothy Peschken Dennis Peterson Dick and Kathy Peterson Edward Joseph Peterson Laurel Peterson Bela and Kathleen Petheo Roger Petrich David Petry Joyce and Thomas Pettinger Timothy and Jane Pettinger Chet and Janice Pettite Mary Kay Thelen Pfannenstein Ronald D. and Marie Pfannenstein Steven M. and Sandra A. Pfannenstein Virginia Pfannenstein Matthew D. Pfarr Rev. Bernard A. Pfau David Pfeffer Margaret R. Pfeil William Phelps and Sayre Weaver-Phelps James Phillips Elaine Piccolomini Ernest J. and Joanne+ Piche Edwin E. Pickens Hal W. Picquet and Diane Pietrzak Thomas Piekarczyk and Carol Graczyk Diane and Mike Pierce James A. and Joan Pierret Rita M. Pierskalla David R. and Marjorie Pierzina Douglas Pierzina Vera M. Pilgeram Edwin J. Pinheiro James and Ellen Pinkowski Tomi Pirrotta Virginia M. Pitra Joseph Placious Marie Plansky Stephen and Laura Plantenberg James C. and Barbara Platten Kenneth J. Plein Michelle A. Plombon Richard and Patricia Plotkin Charles and Janice Pohlman Melissa G. Pohlman Michael and Helen Pohlman Paul B. Pohlman+ Gavin J. and Becca Poindexter James and Verle Polglase

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Ruth M. Polta John C. and Elizabeth Pommier Edward F. and Susan Poniewaz Janice K. Popa Frank Popplewell Carol Johnson Porter Robert H. and Joanne Porter Bertha Porwoll Molly and Brian Posch John and Frances Povolny John Powell Len and Mary Powell George L. Powers, M.S.N., M.S.Ed., R.N.

Laura Powers Michael and Margery Powers Stephen and Tonya Praus Charles W. and Jana Preble Dr. Kenneth and Gretchen Preimesberger David C. Prem Presentation Sisters of Fargo David M. Pretty James F. and Mary Prosser Lynn Prouty Paul and Marvel Pryor Kaitlyn Ptacek Kathleen Pusch David and Marian Quale Rev. Joel M. Quie and Sarah Linner Quie John and Nancy Quinlan Mary and Daniel Quinlin Abraham Quintanar Joanne L. and Leonard Rabatin Carl Rabbe Hon. Frank L. and Margaret Racek Brian J. Racette Dean A. and Ellen Rademacher Paul R. and Rose Radkowski Mary and Albert H. Radmann Jr. Rev. Raymond M. Rafferty Robert A. Ramaekers Mark A. and Kathleen J. Ramion M. Cristina Perez Ramos Magdaline A. Randolph Michael and Carol Rangitsch Eugene J. and Kristine Ranieri David Rask Arnold R. and Deanna Rasmussen Mary Ann Rasmussen Donald H. and Martha Rasure Jeanne S. Rathsack Dennis Raverty Razoo Foundation Terry and Michael Reasoner Lori M. Recker Patrick Michael Redmond, M.A., Obl.S.B. Jane Reed and Mike Sarych Richard M. and Margaret Reesor Donald B. and Jean Regan

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Aidan Putnam, O.S.B.

Land Stewardship For the care of the land and lakes, the abbey is committed to environmental stewardship. Generous donors support Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum and the abbey’s sustainability practices. Thank you!

Timothy W. and Jennifer Regan Rev. Richard Rehfeldt Joseph and Sharon Reid Michael and Kim Reiff John P. and Pamela Reilly Mary Reischl Rita Reker Laura Renker Kathryn Rennie Rev. Michael A. Resop Bret D. and Nicole Reuter Elizabeth Reuter Leanna G. Rexford Gerard F. Delos Reyes Rickey J. Reynolds Dick Rice and Rosemarie Whitehead Isabella M. Rice Patricia Richards Rev. Peter M. Richards David and Suzanne Richardson Alan E. and June Ricke

Dennis and Karen Ricker Daniel F. Riley and Kristi Koelfgen Margie Riley Michael W. and Susan Riley Joseph and Gail Rinderknecht John R. and Audrey Ringdal Lloyd Ringrose Matthew and Angie Rissler Russell J. Ritter Kathleen A. Roach Kenneth H. and Valery Robinson Shirley Robinson Jan Robitscher David Rocchio and Michele Houston Barbara Roche Jeri Rockett Mary A. Rode Drs. Richard and Jane Rodeheffer Charlotte A. Roeber Geraldine Roebuck

Michael E. and Ava Roeder Dolores Roehl Francis and Rosemary Roehl Charles E. Roemer J. Barbara Rogan Thomas and Mary Rohr Mrs. Lee Romanelli Carol Rone Andrew Ronnevik Dr. Svend J. Ronning Kara Root Daniel L. and Kay Rorabeck Michael J. and Peggy Roske Michael and Julia Roskos Kristine Rossman Gregory W. and Audrey Roth Thomas C. and Rosalie Roth Sissy Rothwell Al and Vivian Rowe David J. and Beth-Anne M. Rowe Dr. David and Betsy Rowekamp Jean A. Royer Gaynell Rozas Linda A. Rozumalski Laurel Rudolph-Kniech and James Kniech Eunice Ruff Constance A. Ruhr Dianne L. Runnels Cheryl Running Joann Ruotolo Delphine K. Ruprecht Rev. James D. Russell Ruth Russell Carolyn Rinker Russick Gerrie Rutledge Rev. Erich Rutten Bridget A. Ryan Catherine R. Ryan Dorothy and Michael J. Ryan Jr. John P. and Susan Ryan Judith A. Ryan Michael J. and Janice Ryan Rev. Stephen Ryan, O.P. Steve Ryan Terrence W. Ryan Rev. Thomas J. Ryan Kenneth C. and Barbara Rydell Pamela Ryerse Sacred Heart Church, East Grand Forks, MN Mary M. Sadek Paul L. and Angela Saffert Ronald J. and Barbara Saffert Saint Anthony’s Catholic Congregation, Loyal, WI Saint Edward Catholic Church, Henning, MN Saint Michael’s Catholic Church, Mahnomen, MN Saint Monica’s Catholic Church, Santa Monica, CA Barbara Sajna Mark and Mary Saladin

Sam and Cecilia Salas Christine Salem John V. Salvati and Dale E. Morse Bob and Martha Salzer Mary N. Sample Ronald and Marlene Sanasack Arlene C. Sanborn Mark and Brenda Sand Gerald and Lorraine Sande Chris Sanders Steven T. and Juli Sanders Cindy and Greg Sandkamp Dennis K. and Cynthia Sapletal Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Sauerer Richard and Sharon Savageau Michael Savard Carolyn R. and Delbert Sawyer Kathy A. Sayer Stephen and Chacke Scallen Gene and Marilyn Scapanski James and Marilyn Schaefer Michael and Patricia Schaefer Dr. Richard Schaefer Barbara and Willard Schafer James and Patricia Schafter Lori Scheel James Scheibel and Mary Pat Lee Larry and Donna Scheitler Michael P. and Laura K. Schenk Alice A. Scherer Mark and Heather Scherer Roger and Irma Scherer Byron and Dorothy Schieck Rev. Tim Schillcox Donald and Myra Schimmels Walter and Chris Schirber Dr. Gerald and Joetta Schlabach Alex J. and Susan Schleper Richard Schleper David M. Schlosser Michael A. Schlosser Robert H. and Jeanette Schmall William C. and Evelyn Schmalz Peter T. and Mary Schmelzer R. Conrad and Georgia Schmid John A. and Margaret Schmidt Michael Schmit and Pamela Ament-Schmit James W. Schmitt Kenneth and Sharon Schmitt Robert and Mary Schmitt Fritz and Carol Schmitz Joseph G. and Jean Schmitz Othmar and Marilyn Schmitz Roman J. and Dorothy Schmitz Barbara G. Schneider Bill and Cathy Schneider Claude and Mary Schneider James and Carol Schneider Dr. Norbert and Margaret Schneider Paul and Connie Schnepf Dana and Ellen Schnobrich Mary Lou Schoenberg

Roger and Ruth Schoenecker Patricia Schoenfelder Louis and Dorothy Schon Terry and Lynn Schones Ronald and Marcia Schorn Jackie and Wendell Schott Anthony and Cynthia Schreiner Sylvester Schreiner Norma T. Schroeder Laurence and Helen D. Schroepfer James and Cheryl Schubert John W. and Lynn Schubert S. Dolores Schuh, C.H.M. Gary L. Schulte Edward J. Schultingkemper David and Mary Schultz Frederic W. and Gerry Schultz Joan Schultz Lawrence M. Schultz Mary and Steven Schultz Eugenia Schulzetenberg Don and Kitty Schumacher Leo Schumacher Michael J. and Gina Schupanitz Thomas and Julie Schuster Mary Jane and Robert Schutzius Geri Schwab Henry and Alma Schwalbenberg Lorraine Schwarzrock Joan Schwelling Lawrence E. Schwietz+ Eileen Schwingle Mike and Christine Scillo Michael T. Scoffic Jean Scoon and Peter Losacano Thomas and Maryellen Scott Dolores and Charles+ Seashore, Obl.S.B. Dorothy Sebastian Pete Seifert John P. and Mary Sellner Kevin Sequin Margit Serenyi Caroline Severin Michelle A. Severson Rev. Michael F. Sexton Richard P. Sexton and Joan Carroll David G. and Julie Seykora Amb. Robert and Ellen Shafer Ruth Shafer Clarence J. Shallbetter Judy and Ron Shank Margaret L. Shannon Margaret Sharkey Thomas K. Shaw Terese M. Shearer James P. Sheehy Donna L. Sheets Steve and Sue Sherburne Jared R. Sherlock Rev. Edward J. Sherman Rev. William C. Sherman

Ted and Corrine Shide Donald G. and Bernice Shipley Mike and Pat Shivers Dr. Charles R. Shrader Bill and Betsy Shultz Fred and Shiela Shusterich David and Bernie Sieben James and Deborah Sieben Dr. Russell R. and Mary Sieben Alex M. Siebenaler and Melissa McNamara Rev. Martin J. Siebenaler Marty Sieve and Colleen Shannon Colman T. and Erica Silbernagel Anthony M. Silva and Katthia Ramirez John and Catherine Silver Thaddeus Sim William and Diane Simmons Jane and Robert Simon Sheila K. Simon S. Rene M. Simonelic, O.S.F. Maurice A. and Helen Sinclair Lauraine Palm Singh and Earl Singh Lois Sinner John D. Sipe Rev. Robert J. Sipe Sisters of Saint Benedict, Saint Joseph, MN Timothy and Margaret Sitzer Clare Siu Dr. Joseph and Lisa Skemp Roberta E. Skibness Eric Skjeveland Jana and John Skradski Terence and Lori Slattery Brian J. Smith Daniel and Kristine Smith Germaine R. Smith Dr. J. Weston and Marilyn+ Smith Mary L. Smith Michael Smith Paul L. Smith Timothy Owen Smith Wilma R. Smith Julia P. Smucker Bernadine Sobieck Anna and Richard Solheid John C. Solheid Bruce and Gloria Soma Delores J. and Louis+ Soroe Robert J. and Rosemary+ Soukup Andrew F. and Danielle Spaanem Flip and Pat Spanier Michael and Kathy Spanier Jacqueline and James Sparks Eric Sparrman Valerie Sparrow James W. Speckhard Morgan Speegle Don and Marlys Spieker John A. and Sharon Spies Robert and Karen Spies

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Robert and Patti Spinner Gerry Spinosa and Lia Pinchini-Spinosa Daniel and Susan Spoden Matt Spooner Rosamond K. Spring Leon G. and Beverly Stadtherr Scott K. and Renotta Stainbrook Emily K. Stamp Josie and Ronald Stang Clark and Noel+ Stanton Sharon K. Stanton James M. Stastny Janice Stauske Therese A. Stawowy John H. Stearns Donald Stebbins John and Laura Stedman Rev. Francis J. Steffen Gladys Steffensmeier Roger W. Stegura Richard and Lavonn Steiner Dr. Paul and Jane Steingraeber Family Ramona M. Steinke Josephine A. Stelzig Barbara Stender Sharon Stevens Thomas J. Stevison Thomas and Lorraine Stock Margaret Stoick Paul and Lisa Stokman Peggy Stokman Robert P. and Kimberly Stolz Alan J. Stone Colette Stone Douglas J. and Theresa St. Onge Diane Stothard Jean M. and Jeff Stottlemyer Joel and Diane Strangis Jeannette Streefland John R. Streeter Jesse M. and Sarah Stremcha Janice A. Strobach Rev. Mark A. Strobel, Obl.S.B. Conrad and Teresa Stroebe Dr. Richard Stuart Mark and Nancy Studer Stanley and Connie Suchta Sung W. and Sun Suh Thanongsak Sukwiwat and Suteera Sermsakul Anna Sullivan J. Greg and Rita Sullivan Dr. Joseph Sullivan Mary J. and William Sullivan Mary Kay Sullivan Thomas and Katherine Super Annetta M. Sutton G. R. and Patricia Svendsen Neal K. Swanger David F. Swanson Joan Swanson+ Patricia L. Swanson

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Scott T. Swedeen Patrick and Joyce Sweeney Dr. Gregory and Jeanette Swenson Dr. Richard N. Sykes Darrell W. Syler James Sylvester Jeffrey and Amy Symstad Fayne Szabo Joan M. Tait Nicholas Tangen Mike and Julie Tangredi Ronald and Dina Tarro Ronald J. and Mary Ann Tarro Dr. Kenneth Tauer Ernest and Sandra Taus Dianne Tauscher Gail A. Taylor Jeanette Saddler Taylor John D. Taylor and Leigh W. Dillard Julia R. and Randall Taylor Elizabeth Teefy Thomas and Mary Teegarden Rev. Michael V. Tegeder+ Joe and Phyllis Tegels James L. Tembrock William J. and Kathleen Tembrock Burnham and Joan Terrell Marjean Terrell Mary Ann Terres Timothy J. and Kimberly Teske Robert Testa Robert and Barbara Thamert Ethelyn Theisen Judith Theisen Philip M. and Maria Theisen Marilyn A. and Robert C. Thelen Oswald L. Thelen Thomas and Eleanor Thelen Thomas and Jill Thelen Bev and Joe Then George and Kaye Thibault Tim and Nancy Thiele Steven L. and Amanda T. Thielen Colleen and Howard Thielman Rev. Kenneth E. Thielman Ronald V. and Susan Thimmesh Robert and Shannon Thissen Christina and Brent Thoe Elliott and Angelia Thomas Allan and Judy Thomes Ramon E. and Barbara Thomes Corey C. Thompson Douglas E. Thompson Erik G. Thompson Rev. Mickie D. Thompson Jr. Donn and Patricia Thurk TimesSquare Capital Management, LLC Dr. Stephen J. and Mae Tinguely Nicholas S. Tinucci Hannan E. Tjoflat

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William M. Toenies Marilyn R. and Victor Toepfer Audrey and Yuki Toguchi James and Elaine Tohal Terese M. Tomanek and Steven Davis Robert and Bridget Tomczak Ronald and Sandra Tomczik Thomas S. Toner C. Joseph and Cindy Tonsing Joanne Torborg Patricia A. Torchia Vern Torgeson Alec A. Torigian Dave and Mary Torigian Angie Torness Richard and Lynn Torney Joe Toth Robert A. Towner Jane Trasowech Leo and Patricia Traurig John and Lucie Traxler Herb and Linda Trenz Rose C. Trigg Bundy Trinz Dr. Felix E. and Bibiana Tristani Kathleen and James Trueman Angelina L. Trujillo, M.D. Tom Trykowski August F. Turak Daniel J. and Dorothy Turnbloom

Thomas and Madeline Turner Les Twiford Chris Twomey Mark and Judy Twomey Renee M. Twomey John F. Tyler Br. Reginald J. Udouj, O.S.B. Jack E. and Susan Uhas Elizabeth Mary Uhlig Lorrie and William+ Ulfers Robert and Renee Ullo Mary J. Underwood James R. Unger+ John and Patricia Urbanski Gregory A. and Loretta Utecht Cornelius Vahle and Nancy Scotton Eugene G. Valek Clara Valentin Anthony G. and Maggie Valentini Mary and James Vanderkam Gerald and Barbara Vander Loop Daniel P. Vandersteen Beverly and Gregory Vander Vorste John VanDeuren Patrick J. and Susan Vandrovec Carol Van Horn Eileen E. Van Sloun Vantage Financial Donald R. and Janice Vap

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

Sacred Space Our church requires ongoing maintenance to accommodate a worshipping community. Upgrading the Holtkamp organ, along with ongoing maintenance and upkeep, are supported by generous donors. Thank you!

Dr. James E. and Perha Varley Steven Vatch Jr. Marty Vebelun Charles D. Vecchi Jeffrey and Cindy Velline Lidvina Vener Theresa J. Ventura Timothy and Debra Verhoff Mary Ellen Verschuren Dr. Ronald R. and Judith Vessey Mary Vetsch Thomas W. and Carol Vetter Nadine Villella Richard A. and Linda Virden Gloria and Gerry Visel Michael A. Vitter Mil Voelker Elaine Vogel Bonnie Vondra John J. Vondrell Roger A. and Roxanne Wacek Dr. Jim and Lynn Wachlarowicz Mark and Yvonne Wagner Michael J. and Aimee Wagner Dr. Richard J. and Mary Wagner Rose M. Wagner Mark and Rosemary Wahl W. Nelson and Leslie Wainwright Christine and William Walker Alan and Suzanne Walkley Eileen and Norman Wallace Katherine Wallace Jim and Gen Waller Bryan Walsh Jim and JoAnn Walsh Robert P. and Laura Walsh William Walsh and Jo Roebuck-Pearson Steven P. Walter Georgene R. Walters Elmer and Barb Walz Leo J. Walz Robert C. Wanzong James and Joanne Ward Ward Law Office Steven L. and Jean M. Ward Johanna Warloski Florence Warnert Mary Jo Warnke Beverly E. Warren Phabe and Rita Wartman James P. and Ann Weaver Fredric M. and Barbara Weber Joann Weber Paul and Julie Weber Dr. Stephen and Mary Ellen Weber Mary K. Weck LTC Thomas C. and Maria Wegleitner Frank and Eileen Weglicki Dale T. and Patrice Weiler Drew Weis Rev. Joseph E. Weiss, S.J.

Wesley W. Weisser Michelle M. Welch Neil J. Welch Andy and Nicole Welle Paul N. and Jacqueline Welle Paul Welvang Christopher and Jennifer Wenner Bernard Wenninger Rev. Timothy W. Wenzel S. Peter Julian Werner Kenneth and Kathleen Wernimont Frederick S. and Cynthia West Jack and Felisha Westbrock Clifford and Gloria Wexler Greg and Ellen Weyandt Rachel J. and Winston Wheeler Thomas A. Wheeler Caroline White David W. Whiting Michele D. Whitty Robert L. Wicker Gerald and Lynette Widen William S. and Mary Widman Ron G. and Katia Wieber Mark and Beverly Wiechman Al Wiechmann Charles and Catherine Wiechmann Larry D. Wiener+ Jo Wilch Matthew J. Wilch Jerome and Martha Wilczyk Peter and Anne Wildenborg Dr. Gene and Joanne Wilhelm Douglas A. and Eugenia Wilhelmi Bede D. and Vonnie Willenbring DePaul Willette and Judith Willis Clara Williams James F. and Jane Williams John Williams Rev. Joseph Williams B. Tyler Wilson William A. Wimmer Robert A. and Dolores Wind Bernetta Windschitl Michael and Rose Windschitl Joyce Windsperger-Rubio and Luis Rubio-Losada James F. Wineski David R. Winter Robert Witte Kenneth Wojack and Valerie Snider-Wojack Leo H. and Betty Sue Wolf Raymond J. Wolf Richard J. and Diane Wolf Aaron J. and Marian Wolff Diane L. Wolff John Wolkerstorfer Eric A. Wolking Albert A. and Kathleen Woodward Jason T. Woolwine John and Mary Worley

Barbara M. Worn Heather M. Worthington Paul Woychick Scott and Betty Wright Rev. Anthony Wroblewski Robert Wrubel John S. Wtulich Katherine Wyers John Yager Eileen N. Yeates Thomas Yogan Christine H. Yoon Alan and Marilyn Youel Roger C. Young and Joy Beaulieu Young Weikang Yuan Kathleen Yung Edward M. and Mary Zabinski Juanita Zamor Jacqueline A. Zbaracki S. Andrea Zbiegien, S.F.C.C., DMin.

Don and Mary Ann Zebolsky Frank and Dian Zeck Lewis P. Zeidner Rosalind Zengerle and Harold Udseth Robert and Dolores Zeni Paul Zenner and Lorri Steffen Karen Zewe Jian and Songlei Zhou Frank R. and Kathleen Ziegler Benedict and Lorraine+ Zilka Rita Zilka Rev. Nicholas M. Zimmer Steven D. and Susan Zimmerman Betty Zollner

Merry Ellestad Paul Elwell John Grobe Richard Haeg Sam Hager Anne Hanson Patricia Jones Michael Keable Warunee Lampher Peter Langseth Rungthip Langseth Barb Lyndgaard Al Meier Janet Merdan Burdette Miller-Lehn Bill Mock Maho Morishita Luke Morrey William Muldoon Anne Przybilla Art Przybilla Jakob Rinderknecht Dorothy Roske Hal Roske Michael Ross Bill Ruhr James Saintey Sharon Schmitt Kay Sheils Jane Simon Robert Simon Lauraine Palm Singh Martin Stachnik Emily Stamp Ben Trnka Rosemary Paur Walsberg Bailey Walter Dan Weber Harold Zipp

Abbey Volunteer Circle The following volunteered their services for the monastery during the fiscal year beginning 1 July 2015 and ending 30 June 2016: 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 4,640.5 hours to the abbey.

Joyce Abeln Jessica Bazan Bill Bliss John Brinkman Emily Chaphalkar Mary Davis Denny Douma Bernadette Dunn Ed Dunn Bill Elfering

Benedictine Volunteer Corps Circle The following Benedictine Volunteers served during the fiscal year beginning 1 July 2015 and ending 30 June 2016.

Gabriel Amon Cameron Axberg Ochirbat Bayanjargal Jordan Berns Devon Fleck Craig Gemmill Christopher Heitzig Joseph Kerber Zachary Minea Joel Roske Haydn Ryan Jeremy Welters

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Paul Fitt

Abbey Chronicle coordinator of data processing for the admission office, where he developed the initial automated student recruiting system from the outdated manual system; and assistant or acting director of financial aid. In 1975 he enrolled at Oregon State University where he received a master’s degree in higher education administration with a minor in computer science.

Simon-Hòa Phan, O.S.B.

B

rother Paul David Fitt, O.S.B., the second son of Joseph and Marie (Weglarz) Fitt Ehmke, was born in Chicago on 8 December 1945. He attended grade school at his Polish parish school, Saint Turibius, and then enrolled at Brother Rice High School, from which he graduated in 1963. In 1967 he completed a bachelor’s degree, majoring in chemistry, at Saint John’s University.

For two years after his graduation Paul was a science instructor at the Melrose Junior High School, Melrose, Minnesota. In August 1969 he returned to Collegeville, serving as a university admission counselor. Responding to a call to religious life, he applied for the novitiate at Saint John’s Abbey and professed vows as a Benedictine monk on 11 July 1972.

Following his profession Brother Paul served in several administrative positions in the college:

Returning to Saint John’s in 1977, Brother Paul began thirty years of service in administrative computing. When punch cards were the norm, and computers were the size of a dining-room table, he oversaw revolutionary changes in computer technology. As assistant director of the Saint John’s Computing Center, he performed analysis of user needs and programmed various administrative systems during a conversion period from second generation to third generation computing equipment. As director of the administrative computing center, he managed the overall computing resources of the institution. He would go on to become senior systems analyst and senior project leader for information technology services. In 1991 Brother Paul received an award from Student Information System Users for presenting one of the five best software presentations and rapid report writing against a large collegiate admission’s database. Throughout most of these years Paul also served as a faculty resident in the university, especially with the freshman class in Tommy Hall.

Brother Paul will be remembered for his love of cooking and classical music, for his simple Polish lifestyle, and most especially for his wry and ironic humor and storytelling. In Boca Raton, Florida, he encountered a husband-hunting blue-haired lady who inquired, “Are you married?” To which he retorted, “Are you rich?” He was able, and most willing, to assess the foibles of his fellow monks.

“After serving for a week as prayer leader, some confreres think they need a sabbatical!”

In response to cantankerous confreres, he articulated Fitt’s Law: “When one #$@&%*! dies, he is immediately replaced by another #$@&%*!.”

After quadruple bypass surgery in 2012, followed by years of declining health, Brother Paul died on 2 June 2016. After the funeral liturgy and burial in the abbey cemetery on 9 June, he now accompanies the angelic choirs on his accordion at the eternal Polish poprawiny.

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ush, green, and tropical.

That’s how Saint John’s looked and felt following an abundance of rain this summer.

Several days with dew points in the 70s (81 degrees on 20 July) added some discomfort, as did the hordes of newly hatched mosquitoes. In contrast, spring was more fickle. Following Easter Alleluias, warm weather and April showers were slow to arrive. Snow flurries were observed on 12 April. Cinco di Mayo felt more like the Fourth of July when the temp topped out at 90. The campus was filled with the delightful and delicate fragrance of apple from the flowering crabs on Mother’s Day weekend and university commencement, but frost greeted the opening day of the Minnesota fishing season—cold enough to go ice fishing! Steady rain on 11 July, the feast of Saint Benedict, forced the community to offer the sign of peace to the newly professed and jubilarians inside

the church—the three-day total of rain was about 5.5 inches. It was a wet but good summer.

April 2016 • The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation announced that Father Columba Stewart, director of the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, has been awarded a 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship (humanities/religion), one of 175 awardees chosen from nearly three thousand applicants.

Guggenheim Fellows are appointed on the basis of scholarly productivity, achievement, and exceptional promise for future accomplishment. Father Columba is spending this academic year in residence as a member of the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. The fellowship will support his completion of a forthcoming book, “Between Earth and Heaven: Interpreting

actual size We are going to plant Paul in the rich earth, in a cemetery among the great cloud of witnesses. As beautiful as all that chemistry stuff is, Paul’s transformation will not depend on biochemistry but on the saving work of the risen Christ.

the First Thousand Years of Christian Monasticism.”

Since its establishment in 1925, the Guggenheim Foundation has granted more than $334 million in fellowships to more than eighteen thousand individuals, among them three other Saint John’s colleagues: author Mr. J. F. Powers (1948), musician Father Henry Bryan Beaumont Hays (1952 and 1953), and author Mr. Jon Hassler (1980).

• Brother Walter Kieffer announced sweet news: 382 gallons of maple syrup were produced in Saint John’s Sugar Bush this spring.

May 2016 • Brother Aidan Putnam and Novice Cassian Hunter received Honorable Mention for their respective essays: Anger and Conversatio Morum and Does Monasticism Have a Future? in the Junior Essay Competition sponsored by the American Benedictine Academy. The biannual competition encourages scholarly research among those in monastic formation.

• Fifty years after its dedication, Alcuin Library is undergoing major renovation and expansion.

Mr. Gregory Friesen of CSNA Architects heads the design team that aims to improve the library’s functionality, update technological and mechanical systems, and create a gallery for The Saint John’s Bible. The wall

Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

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Title of Article

Alcuin Library June 1964: Construction begins May 1966: Dedication May 2016: Renovation begins Columba Stewart, O.S.B.

separating the upper level and the lobby has been removed, affording spectacular views: inward, of the Marcel Breuer designed trees of knowledge (above) that support the structure; and outward, of Mr. Breuer’s masterpiece, the abbey and university church.

• Father William Skudlarek, secretary general of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, gave the opening address, “The Dignity of Being Human: A Christian/ Benedictine Approach to Human Rights,” at the fourth meeting of Catholic monastic men and women with Shi’a Muslims held in Qom, Iran. Following the dialogue presentations, participants visited Mashhad, Iran’s second largest city and site of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza, the largest mosque in the world by dimension.

• Father Robert Koopmann spent most of May in Japan, offering seven recitals to very appreciative audiences in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Yokohama, and at Trinity Benedictine Monastery in Fujimi.

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June 2016 • Along with many friends and administrators of Saint John’s, Abbot John Klassen traveled to London to witness the induction of Mr. Donald Jackson, M.V.O., artistic director and scribe for The Saint John’s Bible, into the Order of Saint Gregory the Great, a papal knighthood granted for outstanding service to the Catholic Church. Cardinal Vincent Nicholas, archbishop of Westminster, presided at the investiture ceremony in Westminster Cathedral. In his nomination letter, Saint Cloud Bishop Donald Kettler noted: “The Saint John’s Bible has touched the lives of Catholics within our diocese as well as millions around the world. . . . Mr. Jackson and the Benedictine monks of Saint John’s Abbey have once again pointed to the central role of the Bible to the vitality of the Catholic Church.” In accepting the honor, Mr. Jackson (right), a member of the Anglican communion, thanked Pope Francis for the award and went on to say, “I am delighted to accept it

as both a symbol of his recognition of what has been achieved and of his encouragement for Saint John’s mission ‘to ignite the spiritual imagination of all peoples.’”

• At the annual meeting of the Catholic Press Association in Saint Louis, Liturgical Press authors, publications, and staff received a combined twentythree awards, the most of any book publisher in the annual competition. For the second consecutive year Give Us This Day was honored with first place for general excellence, prayer and spirituality magazine. The judges recognized the periodical as a “unique combination of daily Catholic prayer and readings from the Mass thoughtfully augmented with stimulating reflections.” Give Us This Day was also honored with three other awards, including first place for best essay by editor Ms. Mary Stommes.

Diocese of Westminster

not going to intervene with a downpour, the quartet serenaded the sisters right out the door with “Goodnight, sweetheart/ Well, it’s time to go.”

July 2016 • On 14 July an otherwise lovely summer day took an ominous turn when Abbot John announced that the community’s 35-pound kettlebell has gone missing.

• During Evening Prayer on 16 July four oblates of Saint John’s Abbey made their final oblation in the presence of Abbot John, Father Michael Peterson, director of oblates, and the community. Reflecting on this special occasion, Mr. Alex Duval, an architect from Minneapolis, expressed the hope that he would “develop a closer relationship with God and those practicing Benedictine spirituality.” Mr. Richard Jessen, a retired judge, stated: “An important part of being an oblate is the opportunity to visit the abbey occasionally. That’s the part I miss now that we live in Surprise, Arizona.” Mr. Jerry Liddell, a member of the counseling and school psychology department at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, identified several of his expectations: “a deeper spiritual life, help in living my faith in the world, help in discerning God’s will for me, and a closer relationship with the monastic community of Saint John’s Abbey.” Ms. Sally Haik of Minneapolis and Naples, Florida, became an oblate because “I wish to learn to be faithful, day by day, to prayer and the practice of serving my neighbor.”

Eric Pohlman, O.S.B.

• Brother Joe Schneeweis (above), and Mr. David Wuolu led a van load of monks to Saint Cloud Apollo High School on 28 July to participate in the Central Minnesota Communities Coalition “Better Together: Feeding our Communities” meal packaging event. The group joined dozens of other volunteers in packaging thousands of meals of beans and rice or macaroni and cheese for distribution to various local charities and food shelves.

August 2016 • The monks hosted a busload of sisters from Saint Benedict’s Monastery on 7 August for Evening Prayer, a social, and a festive meal in the Great Hall.

Following dessert, Fathers Bob Koopmann (piano), Lew Grobe, and Nick Kleespie, and Brother Richard Crawford led the assembly in singing several lively show tunes. When it became clear that Saint Scholastica was

• Abbot John traveled to Trinity Benedictine Monastery in August to assist in the bittersweet farewell celebration of Saint John’s ministry in Japan. For sixtyeight years numerous confreres served at Saint Anselm’s Priory and Parish in Meguro (Tokyo) and at the Fujimi priory. Following the liturgies and leave-taking, Brother Liting John Chrysostom Long and Fathers Thomas Wahl and William Skudlarek accompanied Abbot John in the return trip to Collegeville. Prior Roman Paur is overseeing the details of the closure of the monastery: on 26 July the corporate board of the Fujimi Hospital approved the purchase of the monastery building and land.

• More than a hundred friends and alumni of Saint John’s joined a score of monks at The Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis for the artists’ reception for “Benedictine Creativity Inspired by the Spirit.” The artwork of more than a dozen confreres was on display until 5 September.

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Sylvilagus floridanus, monastery guest

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Fifty Years Ago

Monks in (Other People’s) Kitchens

Excerpted from Confrere, newsletter of Saint John’s Abbey:

Ælred Senna, O.S.B.

T

May 1966 • Excavation for one unit of the new dormitory complex [Saint Bernard, Saint Patrick, and Saint Boniface halls] was begun on 17 May. The first unit is located northwest of Saint Thomas Hall.

The second unit, which is to be composed of two buildings joined by a connecting walkway, will be placed just north of the first. The buildings will be four stories high and house a total of 372 students.

Both units should be completed by 1 September 1967.

• The campus center committee has been attempting to come to some conclusions on which facilities a new center should provide.

A former plan to combine certain physical recreational facilities such as the swimming pool and handball courts with the dining room and other facilities of the campus center has been abandoned. Instead a suggestion has been made to consider construction of two entirely separate facilities, each to be planned in stages. The first stage would include dining facilities and a rathskeller with provision for social recreation, particularly dancing and billiards. The second would be a gymnasium which would include the swimming pool and handball courts.

• Work on the new science hall [Peter Engel Science Center] is progressing toward the official completion date, 15 August. The

University archives

Peter Engel Science Center, 1965

ground floor will house physics and geology departments, the second floor the chemistry and math departments, and the third the biology and astronomy departments. A large lecture hall (300 seats) is nearly completed, and the foundations for the greenhouse have been laid. Perhaps the most attractive feature of the new building is the space now available for student research. Students from the College of Saint Benedict will most likely take their classes on this campus.

• Father Godfrey Diekmann has been given the Cardinal Spellman Award for the year 1965. The American Catholic Theological Society awards the medal to one outstanding man each year. Past recipients included John Courtney Murray and Barnabas Ahern.

June 1966 • 21–23 June. American Benedictine novice, cleric, and brother masters meet here for three days of lectures, discussion, and informal talk. Forty-three masters from twenty-six abbeys attend the meeting which is the first of its kind on a national scale. Lectures

were given on the psalms, obedience, spiritual reading, and other topics relevant to monastic life.

Father Daniel Durken, who organized the meeting, says that they will definitely be continued in the future.

July 1966 • Clerics, brothers, and members of the science departments continue to pack and carry equipment from the old science hall [Simons Hall] to the new one.

The ROTC staff will move from its present location in the basement of Benet Hall to the basement of the old science hall; the art department will take over the first floor, and the English department the second floor.

• Work continues on the third floor of the old library [Wimmer Hall], the location of the new FM broadcasting center. A fourhundred foot tower will be built near the prep field for the new station.

• Brother Hubert Schneider finds himself pressed for space as he and his helpers construct 480 new desks for the new residence halls.

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here is something that draws me inexorably toward a kitchen. At a party, I almost always find myself in the kitchen —whether it’s helping as a souschef to the host, or expediting presentation and service of whatever is on the menu. I just can’t help it, because I am never happier than when I am in a kitchen, any kitchen! (I’m told that a former university president also commandeered the kitchen of those he was visiting. Maybe this is a monastic tradition!)

For the last few years I have offered a catered dinner as an auction fund-raiser item for Saint John’s Preparatory School and, more recently, for other organizations. These dinners typically are held at the home of the winning bidder. The opportunity to prepare a multicourse meal in a stranger’s kitchen is thrilling! As Forrest Gump would say, “You never know what you’re gonna get!” It is always a fun opportunity to make new friends and experience the joy of a shared meal.

This summer I prepared a fivecourse Italian meal for eight. To accompany the dessert, I served my own homemade limoncello, a delicious Italian after-dinner liqueur. It was a hit, winning in a taste test over the purchased variety. I hope you give it a try.

It is perfect for sharing with friends, and it makes a great gift for any dinner party!

Limoncello (Yields 1 liter)

• • • • • •

750 ml vodka (80 or 100 proof) Zest of 10 lemons Clean quart jar with a lid Clean 2-quart jar Syrup made from 1 c. sugar and 1 c. water Coffee filter and a funnel

Wash the lemons and use a vegetable peeler or a coarse zester to remove the zest (just the yellow part) from the lemons, being careful to avoid the pith (the white part).

Put the zest in the quart jar and pour in the vodka. Cap the jar and let it sit for a week, swirling it occasionally.

Filter the infused vodka into the 2-quart jar through a funnel lined with a coffee filter.

Heat the sugar and water, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cool, then add enough of the syrup (250 ml or about 1 c.) to bring the volume of the limoncello to one liter (a bit more than a quart).

Bottle as desired—pour it back into the vodka bottle, though it will not all fit, or into other decorative bottles. Chill in the freezer and serve cold. Limoncello can be kept in the freezer for up to a year.

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

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Abbey Banner Fall 2016

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In Memoriam

Love: In sickness and in health

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

Timothy Backous, O.S.B.

Brad Aippersach Joseph Balko Robert “Bob” Barry Edith Bedard, O.S.B. Viola M. Bromen Gabriel Bullock, O.S.B. Jane Casey, O.S.B. William A. Cohn Genevieve Fuchs Deery John Degiovanni Shirley Anne Dominik Terence Leonard “Terry” Dosh Ida Eichten S. Keith Eickhoff, O.S.B. Moira Conway Eisele Thomas “Dick” Evans Joseph Francis Fasching Paul Fitt, O.S.B. Sylvia Flicker, O.S.B. Stephen I. “Steve” Frank Bradley David “Brad” Gamble Robert Charles Gerlach Gordon Joseph “Gordy” Girtz Cornelia Gust, O.S.B. Bonnie Marie Jones Hardee

John W. “Jack” Hooley Mary Helene Juettner, O.S.B. Leonard L. Kliber Anthony John “Tony” Koll Ronald E. “Ron” Lane Guadalupe Atilanode de López Jean Maher, O.S.B. Margaret Mary Maiers Rev. Daniel J. Majerus Jerome Manahan Thomas P. Manahan Catherine Manning, O.S.B. Andrea K. McGough Joseph S. “Joe” McGraw Johnita Meyer, O.S.B. Cletus Miller, O.S.B. Paul Miura Brian Dennis Morawczynski Glen D. Nelson Margaret Nolan Gordon Paul Nyce Mark Payne, O.S.B. Paul J. Philibert, O.P. Michael Prostrollo Ruthel Prostrollo

Martin Rath, O.S.B. Abigail Ruprecht Mary Teresa Schiebe Lawrence E. “Larry” Schwietz Charles “Chuck” Seashore, Obl.S.B. MaryKay Skjolsvik Joseph Edwin Slicer Cecilia Smith, O.S.B. Marilyn Colby Smith Bernadette A. Stangl Sylvia M. Stonner Constance Suedbeck, O.S.B. Mary Rose Tauscher Norbert “Norbie” Tauscher Dean K. Taylor Rev. Michael “Mike” Tegeder, Obl.S.B. Roy Tegeder Ruth Tegeder John A. “Jack” Tegels Margaret “Marge” Ternes Ethelyn F. Theisen Boniface Treanor, O.S.B. Joseph Venonsky, O.S.B. Barbara Ann Vierzba, O.S.B. Sarah M. Voss, O.S.B. Bill Yates

Precious in the eyes of the L ORD is the death of his faithful ones.

As we were settling in, I noticed the chair next to me was empty. Somehow the gentleman had become separated from his wife and craned his head as high as possible to find her. Moments later, a rather mournful sob could be heard from another area of the circular church. Some who were familiar with the couple gently led the distraught woman back to her place. Her husband took her in his arms, wrapping them around her like a layer of protection. He locked her in that embrace until she stopped shaking and stayed that way even after the rest of us sat down and the Mass continued.

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/.

It was a manifestation of God’s love.

It was a singular act, full of purpose, honesty, dedication and, of course, love. It is the moment, I’m convinced, that is portended when married couples vow to love each other in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad. And I’m sure for many of us who were blessed to have witnessed this scene, it was a manifestation of God’s love for his Son who, in turn, commanded that we all love each other in the same way.

That powerful moment for all of us who saw it, spoke of the profound respect, patience, and tireless effort that marriage demands if it is lucky enough to reach old age. That elderly couple could not have known how their deep love for each other greatly enhanced the congregation’s offering of its “gifts” as they were brought to the altar. Little did they know that their gift was added to the bread and wine that day.

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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.

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T

here are times when one can only feel lucky, indeed privileged, to have been a witness to some event, large or small. One such moment for me occurred during an otherwise “ordinary” Sunday Eucharist when I happened to be seated next to an elderly couple who were obviously struggling with memory loss issues. This became apparent when, during the penitential rite, all in the congregation were asked to make our way to the baptismal font and bless ourselves with the water. The choir sang over the controlled chaos as the large assembly swirled to the water and then back to our places.

The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.

Helen Keller

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.

Charles Schulz

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Saint John’s Abbey Abbey Banner Magazine Saint John’s Abbey P.O. Box 2015 do not reduce in size (size or place between and greater) Collegeville, MN100%56321-2015 U.S.A. use alternative logo for smaller size www.saintjohnsabbey.org

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Abbey Banner

Fall 2016 Volume 16, Number 2

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

18 Hospitality William Cahoy

5 Listening and Respect Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

19 Rule of Benedict: The Prior Eric Hollas, O.S.B.

6 Monastic Profession 7 Monastic Jubilees 10 Benedictine Volunteer Corps Francesc Gomis Domènech 12 Autumn’s Sacred Triduum Michael Kwatera, O.S.B. 14 Bridge Builders 16 Southerners in the Arboretum Philip Chu

44 Obituary: Paul Fitt 45 Abbey Chronicle Robin Pierzina, O.S.B. 48 Fifty Years Ago

20 Lives of the Benedictine Saints: Gregory the Great Aidan Putnam, O.S.B.

49 Monks in (Other People’s) Kitchens: Limoncello Ælred Senna, O.S.B.

22 Meet a Monk: David Paul Lange Timothy Backous, O.S.B.

50 In Memoriam

24 Upon These Rocks Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.

51 Love: In sickness and in health Timothy Backous, O.S.B.

28 Donor Honor Roll Geoffrey Fecht, O.S.B.

Benedictine Days of Prayer with Father Simeon Thole, O.S.B. During this political season…

Friday, 16 September 2016: Praying the Kingdom of God: The World and Me Friday, 21 October 2016: Praying the Kingdom of God: Spirit of God in the World? In me?

Friday, 18 November 2016: Praying the Kingdom of God: To Come Where? When?

The day begins at 7:00 A.M. with Morning Prayer and concludes about 3:30 P.M. Cost: $50, which includes retreat materials, breakfast, and lunch.

Rooms are available in the abbey guesthouse for the preceding overnight.

Advent Retreat

2–4 December 2016 Aptate vestras lampades: Vigilance in Christian Spirituality with Brother Lucián López, O.S.B.

The retreat begins with supper at 5:30 P.M. on Friday and concludes after lunch on Sunday.

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

Register online at abbeyguesthouse.org; or call the Spiritual Life Office: 320.363.3929.