Abbey Banner - Winter 2020 by Saint John's Abbey

Abbey Banner Winter 2020-21

May the glory of the LORD last forever! May the LORD rejoice in these works

Psalm 104:31

John Geissler

This Issue Abbey Banner Magazine of Saint John’s Abbey Winter 2020-21

Volume 20, number 3

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

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

If a baker’s dozen is 13, is a Benedictine dozen 11? Whatever, eleven members of a Richmond, Minnesota, family became Benedictines! Was this an example of sibling rivalry gone berserk? Only the Spirit knows! Brother Aaron Raverty introduces us to the Margaret and Luke Gertken offspring and their penchant for making music.

Questions: abbeybanner@csbsju.edu

Father Lew Grobe, director of the abbey woodworking shop, observed that woodworkers are able to fix their own mistakes; a master woodworker is able to repair the mistakes that others make! Mr. KC Marrin offers a farewell to another master of abbey woodworking, Mr. Michael Roske, and honors their common mentor and master of masters, Brother Hubert Schneider.

ISSN: 2330-6181 (print) ISSN: 2332-2489 (online)

Saint John’s Abbey 2900 Abbey Plaza Box 2015 Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-2015

s members of a global community, as a nation, we are living in a time when the virtue of hope is being tested to the breaking ‌ point. The SARS CoV-2 coronavirus that is responsible for the pandemic has proven to be extremely agile and mobile, able to hitch a ride with unsuspecting travelers, and to show up uninvited. As a result, we humans have been forced to physically distance from each other; to live without the social rituals that renew us each day; and to endure fiscal stress, as many have been furloughed without pay. Social unrest and a divisive presidential campaign have added to the confusion and frustration. The situation feels overwhelming, out of control.

Luigi Gioia, O.S.B.

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Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.

There is a wisdom in the monastic tradition that teaches us how to make isolation and distance a time to understand better what we have in our hearts and learn how to live day by day, trusting in the Lord. This Issue of Abbey Banner focuses on the impact of the dominant force of 2020: the coronavirus. At Saint John’s Abbey, as throughout the world, all facets of our lives—relationships, activities, attitudes—have been formed, reformed, or deformed by the pandemic. Communal norms and longestablished traditions have been modified or abandoned. Masks and social distancing have transformed even the appearance of our daily ora et labora (prayer and work). We are stretched and stressed, but in the spirit of the Gospel and Saint Benedict, we persevere, confident in the presence of our loving God. Mr. Michael Reilly outlines how the members of the Benedictine Volunteer Corps have adjusted and adapted to the new world order. Brother Lucián López shares the lessons learned by students, staff, and faculty of Saint John’s Preparatory School during a pandemic. Ms. Jessie Bazan reflects on how the rhythm and spirituality of Benedictine life sustain her in these troubled times. Saint Benedict recognizes that a “good word” is above the best gift (Rule 31.13-14 [Sirach 18:17]). Abbot John Klassen opens this issue, reflecting on a good word: hope—the hope that gives us “the strength to live” and “to learn from the situation we now face.”

Editor: Robin Pierzina, O.S.B. Design: Alan Reed, 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 Circulation: Ruth Athmann, Tanya Boettcher, Chantel Braegelmann, Cathy Wieme Printed by Palmer Printing

The Virtue of Hope

How does one nourish a hope that is genuine and substantial in the midst of this situation? Maintaining perspective is a first step. We are not the first generation to face a pandemic—history is replete with them! We are better equipped to understand the molecular basis of COVID-19 than any generation in history. Nor are we the first humans to face social unrest or a challenging election. Perspective stiffens our spine.

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Hope is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart.

In this issue we also meet our community’s newest members, Brothers Félix Mencias and David Allen; hear the Christmas stories and their Old Testament echoes; are introduced to further studies of the wisdom of Saint Benedict; and discover a culinary treat guaranteed to brighten a cloudy COVID day. Cover: Gertken brothers and mama, 1929. Standing, left to right: Abbot Severin, Father Norbert, Father Innocent; and Margaret. Photo: Saint Benedict’s Monastery archives

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The staff of Abbey Banner joins Abbot John and our confreres in extending best wishes to our readers for a joyous Christmas and Epiphany and prayers for God’s blessings of good health throughout the new year. Peace! Brother Robin Pierzina, O.S.B. Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Václav Havel

Václav Havel, a Czech statesman, writer, and thoughtful commentator on the situation of the Czech people in the grip of the Soviet Union in the 1980s, wrote that hope is above all “a state of mind, not a state of the world. Either we have hope within us, or we don’t. . . . Hope is not prognostication. It is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart. It transcends the world that is immediately experienced and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons” (Disturbing the Peace). For Christians, hope is anchored in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and in the Word made flesh. In the latter, we see God’s love for our world as unconditional and deeply personal. There is never a question of God giving up on us! In the resurrection, God transforms the agonizing defeat of the death of Jesus into the raucous, joyful victory of the risen Christ. Václav Havel again: “Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well. . . . It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” Above all, hope gives us the strength to live, to be faithful to our deepest values and convictions, and to learn from the situation we now face. My life flows on in endless song; How can I keep from singing? Robert Wadsworth Lowry

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The Christmas Stories Raymond E. Brown, S.S.

nly Matthew and Luke in the New Testament tell us about Jesus’ birth and youth. Our Christmas cribs harmonize and intermingle details from the two Gospels, but if you read the accounts without that conditioning, you will find that they diverge on many points. Matthew pictures Mary and Joseph living at Bethlehem and having a house there. The coming of the Magi causes Herod to slay children at Bethlehem while the Holy Family flees to Egypt. After Herod’s death, the accession of his son as ruler in Judea makes Joseph afraid to return to Bethlehem, so he takes the child Jesus and Mary to Nazareth, seemingly for the first time. Luke, on the other hand, tells us that Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth and went to Bethlehem only because they had to register there during a Roman census. The statement that Mary laid her newborn child in a manger because there was no place for them in “the inn” indicates that they had no house of their own in Bethlehem. In recounting the peaceful return of the Holy Family from Bethlehem through Jerusalem to Nazareth, Luke leaves no room for the coming of the wise men or a struggle with Herod. Some scholars have tried hard to reconcile the discrepancies between Matthew and Luke, but with little success. A greater fidelity to Scripture would recognize that the Holy Spirit was content to give us two different accounts of the Christmas events, and that the way to interpret them faithfully is to treat them separately. Scripture is inspired by God, and sometimes the drive to harmonize the two stories arises from the false idea that each infancy account must be approached as if it were an exact historical record. Yet the This article is excerpted from “The Christmas Stories: Exploring the Gospel Infancy Narratives” by Raymond E. Brown, S.S. (1928–1998), from Scripture from Scratch, December 1994. Reprinted with permission of Liguori Publications.

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Catholic Church teaches that the Bible is a library containing many different types of inspired literature, including poetry, drama, and parable. Only part of the collection consists of books that are historical. In one respect the accounts of Jesus’ birth differ significantly from the Gospel versions of Jesus’ ministry and death. The latter were drawn from apostolic eyewitnesses, but the apostles were not on the scene at Jesus’ birth. Some may object that the authors of the infancy narratives surely got their information about Jesus’ birth from his parents. Yet that is never claimed in the New Testament, nor in the earliest Church writings. Indeed, the sharp differences between the two Gospel versions make the idea that they came from Mary and Joseph improbable. In making judgments we should be careful to avoid both naive fundamentalism and destructive skepticism. To take every word of these accounts as literal history does not deal realistically with the problems. Yet the accounts should not be dismissed as mere fiction or myths. Between precise history and purely imaginative creation there is a whole range of ways to convey a religious message. Moreover, for all their differences Matthew and Luke were both trying to convey a central religious message about Jesus on which they were in remarkable agreement. This message had two points: the identity of Jesus and the way the early life of Jesus echoed the history of Israel. Matthew and Luke agree that Jesus could claim descent from David through Joseph. They also agree that Mary conceived Jesus not through sexual relations with Joseph but by the creative power of the Holy Spirit. This dual identity, Son of David and Son of God, was a very important component in the New Testament understanding of gospel or Good News. Elsewhere in the New Testament, however, this identity is associated with “moments” in Jesus’ life other than his conception and birth. Paul, reassuring the Roman Christians that the gospel he preached was the same they had

learned (from others) described Christ as: “Born of the seed of David according to the flesh; designated Son of God in power according to the Holy Spirit as of the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:3-4). Paul was pointing out the twofold identity we find in the infancy stories; but writing 20 to 30 years earlier than Matthew and Luke, Paul linked Jesus’ divine sonship through the Spirit with the resurrection, not with the conception of Jesus. As the early Christians reflected on Jesus’ life, great “moments” of that life (the resurrection and the conception) became key occasions for clarifying who he was: the Messiah or anointed King of the House of David and the unique Son of God through the Holy Spirit. Because the infancy stories were very effective in conveying Jesus’ identity, they were included in the Gospels. Moreover, once the child’s identity has been revealed, it is quickly shared. In Matthew the revelation is shared with Magi from the East. In Luke the revelation is made known to Jewish shepherds. Although the cast of characters differs, each evangelist is teaching that Christ’s identity is never received to be kept as a private possession. Alas, there are also others who reject Christ: Herod, all the chief priests, and the scribes in Matthew; in Luke (in Simeon’s prophecy) many in Israel who will fall. Thus the Christmas crib lies under the shadow of the cross, and its joy has an element of sadness. In a very real way, the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke are like miniGospels. They contain the basic revelation of the full identity of Jesus, and the way in which this revelation was shared, evangelizing some, but causing rejection and hatred among others. A second religious message on which Matthew and Luke agree needs emphasis since so few Christians appreciate it. In early Christian circles the Scriptures were the Jewish books called “the Law, the Prophets, and the other books.” Both evangelists used their first two chapters (the infancy narratives) as a bridge from those Jewish Scriptures to the story of Jesus’ ministry. They

rightly believed it was impossible to appreciate Jesus without a preparation of Old Testament stories and themes. Matthew begins “the story of the origin of Jesus Christ” with Abraham begetting Isaac! That is followed by a strange selection of ancestors of the Messiah: Jacob and Judah, for example, chosen over more honest or noble figures such as Esau and Joseph. This choice will be echoed by Jesus’ strange choice of sinners over the just. Next Matthew gives a list of kings but with emphasis on a decline from the founding of the monarchy by David to the Babylonian Exile—a background appropriate for a Jesus who would discourage his followers from seeking first places in God’s kingdom. After the Exile most of Jesus’ ancestors in Matthew’s list are not famous and are completely unknown to us. They anticipate the insignificant fishermen and tax collectors who would constitute the first followers of Jesus and the ancestors of the Christian community. The women included by Matthew are not the obvious “saints”—such as Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel—but Tamar, Rahab, and Uriah’s wife Bathsheba who were seen in their lives as publicly scandalous. Yet these women were true instruments of God’s Spirit and grace in preserving Israel. Their inclusion prepares the readers for Mary who is “found with child” before living with her husband, and yet is the vessel of the Holy Spirit in conceiving Jesus. Following his list of ancestors, Matthew offers more echoes of Israel’s history. Jewish readers, for example, hearing of Joseph, would have thought of the patriarch Joseph, whom Genesis portrays as the master interpreter of dreams. He went down to Egypt and from there was able to save his family from famine. It is not accidental that Matthew’s Joseph is the principal New Testament figure to receive revelation in dreams and the only one to take his family down to Egypt. After the patriarch Joseph brought Israel to Egypt, a wicked Pharaoh killed all the Hebrew male children. The

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Monastic Profession infant Moses escaped, ultimately to save his people by leading them out of Egypt. Similarly in Matthew, the wicked King Herod kills all the male children at Bethlehem. The infant Jesus escapes, ultimately to return from Egypt and save his people. Matthew accompanies all this by citations of the prophets, to show the extent to which Jesus sums up the story of Israel to whom he has been sent. Luke shares this outlook but presents it more subtly. He too begins the infancy story with Abraham and Sarah, though not by name. Instead he portrays them in the persons of Zechariah and Elizabeth. With both Abraham/Sarah and Zechariah/Elizabeth, the situation involves the aged and barren, an angel announces the forthcoming conception to the father who asks, “How am I to know this?” and the sequence concludes with

the mother rejoicing. Luke’s narrative of Mary echoes the mother of Samuel presenting her son at the sanctuary in the presence of the aged Eli and singing a canticle magnifying God. Five times Luke notes how, in the incidents of Jesus’ infancy, his parents are faithful to the demands of the Jewish Law. Luke’s coverage of the Old Testament is as comprehensive as Matthew’s. The Gospel infancy narratives go to the heart of the meaning of Christmas—no sentimental “baby Jesus” language here. Rather we find a clear emphasis on the conception and birth of the Savior King of the House of David and God’s unique Son. This identity of Jesus is splendidly set in the context of the Old Testament echoes, to show that the God who is acting through Jesus behaves consistently with the way the God of Israel has acted in the past.

The Christmas crib lies under the shadow of the cross, and its joy has an element of sadness.

Artwork: Frank Kacmarcik, Obl.S.B.

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n 14 September 2020, Abbot John Klassen and the monks of Saint John’s Abbey rejoiced as David Allen and Novice Félix Martin MenciasBabian professed simple vows as Benedictine monks. Brother Félix grew up in La Perla, Veracruz, Mexico. Before coming to Saint John’s, he taught philosophy, theology, and social studies at high schools in Mexico City. He had been prepared for teaching through his undergraduate studies at Instituto de Estudios Superiores Rafael Guízar Valencia and graduate studies at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente and at Instituto de Formación Teológica Intercongregacional de México. He also explored a vocation with the Discalced Carmelites before considering Benedictine monasticism. His training and teaching skills fit well with Brother Félix’s current work at the Emmaus Institute, a formation program for lay ministers and Latinx diaconal candidates from the Diocese of Saint Cloud. He also assists, especially in the areas of liturgy and catechesis, with Casa San Benito, the abbey’s Latinx ministry program. An avid biker and photographer, Félix loves music— especially Mexican music to which he dances when he’s not playing the guitar. “Every moment at Saint John’s Abbey,” Brother Félix reflects, “I have lived with intensity. All the experiences have helped me in my discernment. Saint John’s

Alan Reed, O.S.B.

Masked monks: Brothers Félix and David (left, right center) join Father Lew Grobe (formation director) and Abbot John Klassen.

represents the opportunity to follow the Lord Jesus closely, to serve the Church, carry out my vocation, and fulfill myself as a person. I deeply desire to live united to the Lord Jesus and to be sincere in my search for God.” Brother David has been a Benedictine ambassador, if not a monk, for many years. Born in Saint Paul, he graduated from Saint John’s University. After serving for a year in Chile with the Benedictine Volunteer Corps, he returned to Saint John’s, entering the abbey’s novitiate in 2011 and professing simple vows a year later. While a junior monk, David worked in the university admission office and the abbey vocation office where his energetic, positive, and joyful personality shone brightly. However, his discernment led him to pursue a career outside the monastery.

In 2015 he became the senior spiritual care consultant for the Benedictine Health System, where he oversaw the spiritual care programs of thirty-eight long-term care communities across six states, working with their chaplains and affiliated religious communities. In 2018 he led a system-wide tour of The Saint John’s Bible to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Sisters of Saint Scholastica, Duluth. Brother David now returns to his School of Theology studies in pursuit of a master of divinity degree. He also continues to share his creativity and energy as activities coordinator for Saint Raphael Hall, the abbey’s senior healthcare center. “I am attracted to monastic life,” he says, “because I am drawn to ministry while also being supported in community. It feels great to be in vows again!”

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Benedictine Volunteer Corps Waiting in Hope Michael Reilly

hough so much of what happens in our world and in our lives is beyond our ability to influence or control, there is one constant throughout our lifetime: we determine how we respond to every situation. We can control our effort and our attitude. Since March 2020 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, managing expectations is what most of the world has been doing. The 2020–2021 chapter of the Benedictine Volunteer Corps (BVC) is no different. Because of the pandemic, fourteen Benedictine Volunteers began their year of service at Saint John’s Abbey, while three volunteers assisted at Newark Abbey, New Jersey, teaching courses to students at St. Benedict’s Preparatory School. In Collegeville, each volunteer immersed himself into the daily—but in light of COVID, highly unusual—routine. Dealing with the anxiety of not knowing when (or if) their site would open, the frustration of not being able to serve their assigned monastic community, and the disappointment in their premature removal from campus and consequent lack of closure surrounding their senior year in college, the volunteers have responded well, managing their expectations, controlling their attitudes.

In July the 2020–2021 BVC participants gathered at Saint John’s for a retreat, during which they were introduced to the daily life of the monastery, becoming accustomed to its rhythms, and attending conferences given by various monks. The retreat provided a solid foundation of Benedictine spirituality for the volunteers’ return to Saint John’s on 17 August to begin their year of service. Their first task was to assist Saint John’s University to get up and running for a new, if very unusual, academic year. Exercising Benedictine hospitality, they facilitated the initial move-in of undergraduates, administering screening tests to students and returning all personal property—that had been stored on campus since the university closed in March—to students at their fall housing assignments. After classes began they dispersed to different departments

Benedictine Volunteers at play

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to participate fully in expressing the abbey’s mission. Two volunteers were assigned to Saint John’s Preparatory School, acting as tutors and substitute teachers. Two assisted the university COVID team by working as contact tracers, while others were certified COVID-19 testing administrators, administering tests to the monastic community and staff. Some volunteers worked outdoors, battling the invasive and ubiquitous buckthorn in the abbey arboretum. Those who can stand the heat, assisted in the kitchen: as servers in the student refectory or as full-time cooks for the fourteen Benedictine Volunteers. Teaching skills are being developed by those volunteers who assist as English-as-a-Second-Language tutors for monastics studying in the School of Theology or as online teachers for students at Colegio San Benito in Esquipulas, Guatemala.

BVC

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share that vulnerability with their peers.

welcome all people as Christ (Rule 53).

The volunteers understand the importance of the moment. Their immersion in the daily monastic routine of work and prayer has grounded them in a solid foundation of stability, enabling them to reframe the frustrating COVID situation in a positive manner. They have taken up their crosses and are joyful in hope: hope for positive news from their assigned communities in foreign lands; hope for the success of the scientists, researchers, and all medical professionals working diligently to discover a cure or vaccine for the coronavirus; and hope that our society, in Benedictine fashion, will

While patiently waiting to hear from abroad, the Benedictine Volunteers participate in the “new normal” daily life of Collegeville. They continue to inspire the community around them by grounding themselves in the discipline of work and prayer. May we look to our Benedictine Volunteers as examples of resiliency and service! May we, like them, be joyful in hope! Mr. Michael Reilly, who served as a Benedictine Volunteer at Christ the King Priory, Tororo, Uganda, in 2019–2020, is the assistant director of the Benedictine Volunteer Corps.

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The Rule in the Window societies—means give and take. Along the bottom is the text Vir obediens loquetur victoriam, “The obedient succeed” (literally, “speak victory”), from Proverbs 21:28, following Testis mendax peribit, “While the lying perish.”

Martin F. Connell

hat the Rule of Saint Benedict inspires people inside and outside the cloister almost 1,500 years after the saint wrote it is something of a miracle. Benedict laid out “nothing harsh, nothing burdensome,” so that his monks could “amend faults and preserve love” (Prol.46-47), a perennial goal for monks and nonmonks alike. Though his image in the Great Hall at Saint John’s makes him harder to find than Moses and Jesus in its other rose windows, Benedict is in the center of the window above what was the former abbey church’s choir loft. Its texts are in Latin, the only liturgical language of Catholics when the building was constructed, 1879–1882. Around Benedict is a three-part intercession, Sancte Pater / intercede / pro nobis, “Holy Father, pray for us.” Benedict wears a hooded habit and holds three objects: (1) a chalice with a winged snake swirling out of it, illustrating a tale from the Life of Saint Benedict when enemies tried to poison him; (2) a crozier, the symbol of his leadership as abbot and shepherd of the community; and (3) a red book with the letters REG, the beginning of the word Regula, “Rule.” The eight sections around the window’s perimeter are not actually reflections on Benedict but

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The northeast section has the open book with “Holy Rule” (as above) in its spread. Ascending from it is a ladder of twelve steps, the twelve steps of humility in chapter 7 of the Rule, with the text DVCIT AD VITAM, “It leads to life”—to heaven. The east section’s text is NON COMMOVEBITVR, “It will not be shaken,” and depicts the wind blowing against a sturdy tower. Follow the Rule, and our path will not be disturbed. The southeast section also displays “Holy Rule,” yet instead of a ladder, we find a heart and two lilies springing up from the Rule, signifying purity of heart. The banner above the lilies is Alan Reed, O.S.B.

on the Rule in his hand. The window promotes the Rule as the guide for monks as well as for Christian life in general, urging all to turn away from sin and preserve love. The letters that appear in three sections of the window, SAC. REG., are the abbreviation of Sacra Regula, “Holy Rule.” If the top of the window is considered north, the sections

following (clockwise) are northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, and northwest. The window’s north section has palm branches and two leafy crowns, both symbols of victory, not in sports but in reversing vices listed in the Prologue of the Rule. The word in the banner is OBTEMPERANTI, “compliance” or “obedience,” because peaceful living in community—as in families and marriages and

BEATI, QVI AMBVLANT IN LEGE, “Blessed are those who

walk by the law,” the opening words of Psalm 119, the Bible’s longest chapter of 176 verses. Its inclusion here reflects, perhaps, the amount of time spent trudging through Psalm 119 in daily monastic prayer! The south section again has “Holy Rule,” with the Rule perched on a white cloud and a radiating crown above it. A small script reads Quid prodesti scire via coeli, sin ambulas,

“What good is it to know the way to heaven if you don’t walk it?” The banner confirms this message: FACIENTIBVS, NON SCIENTIBVS, “For doers, not knowers.” “Doers,” moreover, echoes the second verb of the Benedictine motto Ora et Labora, “Pray and Work.” In community each member must share in the daily chores. (Praying and study are okay, but somebody’s got to mop the floor!) The southwest section shows two hands sculpting a statue, one with a chisel, the other with a mallet. Its banner holds FERIT, VT EFFICIAT, “It strikes to produce”—meaning to do well— an inspiration to artists and artisans, as in chapter 57 of the Rule, some of the previous section’s “doers.” The west section has Regula preceded by the preposition SINE, “without the Rule,” and an image of an architectural tool on top of an incomplete building. Without the Rule, we won’t succeed in reversing those vices.

Turn away from evil and do good; seek after peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:14-15, 1 Peter 3:11, RB Prol.17

The final, northwest section has the famous first words of the Rule of Benedict, Ausculta [Obsculta] O Fili Praecepta Magistri, “Listen, child, to the master’s teachings.” The banner reads AD DIRIGENDOS PEDES IN VIAM PACIS, “Guide our feet in the path of peace,” the last verse of the Canticle of Zechariah (Benedictus) in Luke 1:79, which comes near the end of Morning Prayer in the monastery every day. With the Rule’s first words, the banner contains a portion of the beginning of every monastic day, the Ora that precedes the Labora. The rose window directs us to follow the Rule in order to sustain holiness—no small task when voices daily cry out: America-first, me-first, and urge us to climb the ladders of self-interest, whose steps thwart the Benedictine moral conversion of one’s life. Heeding the Rule moves some to step away from the world, as monks do in the cloister. But the window and the Rule it proclaims also, and especially, urge all Christians—within and outside cloisters—to conquer sin and preserve love in their homes, schools, and workplaces. Each day we need to crack open the SACRA REGVLA and preserve love. Dr. Martin F. Connell is professor of theology at Saint John’s University.

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The Gertken Family his obituary, Abbot Severin was “intensely interested in the liturgy of the Church,” and “his influence on behalf of the Liturgical Movement was felt in his community, throughout his diocese, and, indeed, throughout Canada.”

Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.

he Margaret and Luke Gertken family, originally from Richmond, Minnesota, must surely be contenders for the record for the family with the most siblings entering Catholic consecrated life. Truth be told, eleven Gertken siblings became members of the Order of Saint Benedict in central Minnesota. A singular talent and interest common to nearly all was music. Two recurring threads that weave themselves throughout the lives of the family were music and education (teaching). A few were proficient on more than one musical instrument in addition to vocal performance and choral direction. Several of them also furthered the agenda of the Liturgical Movement initiated by Father Virgil Michel, O.S.B., of Saint John’s Abbey, in the early twentieth century. After introducing their parents, we review (in order of monastic profession) these siblings’ remarkable contributions to the local and universal Church. Luke (a.k.a. Lucas) Gertken [1848– 1912] was the father of the family. Described as a Schullehrer (schoolteacher) in the early days of Stearns County, he attended Saint John’s as a student and was also an organist who taught his children music. Luke’s wife, Theresia (Mockenkaupt) Gertken [1854–1877], died ten days after their son Gustav (Father Innocent) was born. Luke’s second spouse,

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Sister Waltrudis (Maria) Gertken, O.S.B. [1887–1967], musically gifted as an organist, served as a grade-school teacher of German, history, and catechetics, later becoming school principal.

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Agatha Gertken (center, right; 1905–1986), the baby of the family, was the only child of Luke and Margaret who pursued her vocation outside the monastery.

Margaret (Schneider) Gertken [1861–1947] of Richmond, raised the family in her hometown. Father Innocent (Gustav) Gertken, O.S.B. [1877–1953], a consummate musician, was awarded a master’s degree in accounting in 1896. According to The Record at the time of his death, “The life of Father Innocent as a monk was closely connected with sacred music, although he also taught penmanship, Greek, and German. He was organist

I will sing to the LORD all my life, make music to my God while I live. Psalm 104:33

and director of the abbey choir from 1903 to 1946. During the more than fifty years of his life as a teacher, he also gave piano, cello, cornet, and organ lessons.” Long after his death, Father Innocent’s creativity lives on in the musical setting of Saint John’s alma mater, “High above the Sagatagan,” which he composed. Early in his career Father Severin (James) Gertken, O.S.B. [1881–1960], was head of the department of chemistry at Saint John’s University, having been awarded a master’s degree from the University of Chicago in 1924. He also served as dean of Saint John’s Seminary and dean of the college. In 1926 he was appointed abbot-ordinary of St. Peter’s Abbey, Muenster, Saskatchewan, Canada. According to

Father Norbert (Aloysius) Gertken, O.S.B. [1885–1957], was an accomplished musician, skilled at playing and teaching a range of instruments—piano, organ, and horn—as well as voice. He directed the student choir, band, and orchestra for

many years. For most of his monastic life he taught in the university music department where he was especially prized for his proficiency in repairing all kinds of musical instruments and rebuilding many of the department’s pianos. He taught Gregorian chant at Saint John’s and farther afield at convents, summer schools, and parishes in Saint Cloud, Saint Paul, and Crookston. His talents were not limited to music, however. An expert taxidermist, he mounted many of the specimens of the old Saint John’s natural history museum and served as its curator over several years. Norbert taught German and geometry at both the high school and college levels, with shorter stints as assistant pastor at a local parish and chaplain at an orphanage in Saint Paul. Sister Veneranda (Anna) Gertken, O.S.B. [1889–1962], manifested the Gertken family gift by giving music lessons and serving both as parish organist and choir director. Sister Devota (Monica) Gertken, O.S.B. [1891–1968], lived up to her name by her devotion to the teaching profession in various locations throughout central Minnesota. She also taught high school classes in English, German, and mathematics, and religion in the intermediate grades.

Father Norbert

Saint Benedict’s Monastery archives

Sister Urban (Teresa) Gertken, O.S.B. [1893–1987], was chapel organist and choir director for

Sister Veneranda

S. Bernice Knelleken

Saint Benedict’s Monastery. Her education culminated in a master’s degree from Chicago Musical College, enhanced with graduate work in choral and liturgical music. She taught piano, organ, Gregorian chant, and rubrics, serving as head of the music department of the College of Saint Benedict. As related in her memorial tribute, “under her direction the Schola recorded for the Gregorian Institute of America and for radio programs.” But perhaps “her greatest contribution was to establish Saint Benedict’s Monastery’s liturgical life on the firm theological and liturgical principles which the Liturgical Movement, promoted by Virgil Michel, was promulgating in America,” a contribution that extended even more widely through the lives of the teaching

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sisters who came under her purview. Sister Gemma (Agnes) Gertken, O.S.B. [1894–1990], worked as a musician in North Dakota and in Saint Joseph and Saint Cloud, Minnesota. She played the organ, taught music appreciation classes, and studied Gregorian chant. She earned a master’s degree in music at the University of Michigan. As her Benedictine community remembers her, “Sister Gemma eagerly participated in the early years of liturgical renewal at Saint John’s Abbey, where, inspired by the work of Virgil Michel, her love for church music and liturgy grew.” In paying tribute to the life of Sister Assumpta (Barbara) Gertken, O.S.B. [1896–1989], her Benedictine sisters affirm that “great gentleness, infinite patience, and willingness to

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Father Bartholomew Sayles and Sister Cecile Gertken

help were characteristic of Sister Assumpta.” Such personal qualities no doubt predisposed her for teaching kindergarten and fourth graders.

Father Innocent and the Saint John’s marching band, c. 1925

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ing it as the Church’s treasure and gift to future generations. In disseminating the study and performance of Gregorian chant, she fostered the Liturgical Movement begun by Virgil Michel. As attested in her memorial tribute, “the use of English in the liturgy after Vatican Council II inspired the work to which she devoted the rest of her life: translating and adapting the chant to the English language, and promoting its use in the liturgy. She thereby helped to shape community liturgy and spirituality and exerted a strong influence in other religious communities, literally around the world.” She received invitations as lecturer or panelist at Gregorian chant institutes,

Brother Alban (Alphonse) Gertken, O.S.B. [1899–1923], lived only until his twenty-fourth year, dying of complications of appendicitis. Already ordained deacon at the time of his death, he was slated for priestly ordination. The monastic community had hoped that he would take up a professorial career in the college, since he was already accomplished in drawing and music. Sister Cecile (Cecelia) Gertken, O.S.B. [1902–2001], was an exceptionally gifted musician. Although she taught English and French, music played a vital role in her life as a teacher, and she excelled as a pianist, choir director, and organist who performed at many concerts. Sister Cecile studied Gregorian chant with her brother, Father Innocent, view-

Gertken Organ Studio. Added to the Auditorium at Saint John’s University in 1985, the Getrken Organ Studio is one of the gems of the music hall. Organ students take lessons, practice, have studio class, and perform on the beautiful 21-stop tracker instrument, constructed by Mr. KC Marrin in 1988 to honor the early Saint John’s music professor, Father Norbert Gertken.

Steve Woit

Dr. Kim Kasling, professor emeritus of music at Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict, asserts: “Due to Benedictine influence, central Minnesota has an exceptionally rich heritage of organ history as well as recent and current developments in organ building and study. In a semi-rural area, such developments would have been very unlikely without such influence.” Certainly, the Gertkens played a part in that rich heritage. and her published chant booklets were distributed world-wide. Sister Cecile was a good friend and musical collaborator of Father Bartholomew Sayles, O.S.B., who directed a Gregorian chant choir at Saint John’s Abbey. The Gertken family now makes music amid the heavenly hosts, to the end that “in all things God may be glorified” (Rule 57.9 [1 Peter 4:11])! Brother Aaron Raverty, O.S.B., a member of the Abbey Banner editorial staff, is the author of Refuge in Crestone: A Sanctuary for Interreligious Dialogue (Lexington Books, 2014). Father Norbert

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Pandemic Education

Prep archives

Lucián López, O.S.B.

OVID-19 has presented

many challenges for Saint John’s Preparatory School! Throughout the summer, faculty and staff met repeatedly to discuss and plan how the prep school would open for the new school year. We created various committees to tackle the many challenges we faced—everything from organizing the class schedule to analyzing how we could do extracurricular activities, support students’ mental health needs, or the physical arrangements in the classrooms. For example, the space normally used for assemblies has been turned into a common space for lunch. The lounge for the upper school (grades 9–12) has been turned into our sixth-grade classroom, and the furnishings in many classrooms have been

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rearranged to accommodate social distancing guidelines. Since the beginning of the school year, students have been screened daily by answering health questions on their iPad before entering the academic building. As they enter the building, we scan a QR Code to confirm that they completed the health screener. All guests have their temperature taken and must answer the screening questions. In October the students performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream in an improvised outdoor theater space, under a picturesque circle of trees—resulting in one of the most magical productions the prep school has ever presented! During the evening performances the fairy lights could be seen swaying overhead!

Our swimming, soccer, tennis, and cross-country teams have been able to compete this fall. Our athletes must wear masks until they dive into the pool, step onto the field, jump on the court, or run the course. Coaches check to ensure that all athletes, assistant coaches, and officials take part in the daily temperature check and health screening. Our teams compete only with those in our Central Minnesota Conference. (Several games or races were canceled because of illness or exposures on other teams.) Our students have been cooperative in following rules such as no high-fives or no sharing of water bottles, so that they can continue to stay safe and play. For the campus ministry program, the pandemic is equally challenging. Usually we con-

duct retreats for each grade in the high school; this year that will not be possible. As a school, we pride ourselves on community cohesion, daily school assemblies, and schoolwide communication. This year, however, students gather in their homeroom advising groups. Mass, prayer services, and community formation activities are conducted via the videoconference program Zoom, and the students watch with their homeroom groups in the classrooms. In many ways this has helped different grades develop closer connections with their peers, as well as empower the instructors who serve as homeroom teachers to lead discussions on a variety of topics. For our school liturgies, the presiding celebrant offers Mass from the campus ministry office while students watch from their classroom with their homeroom advisors. Our music instructor and the school orchestra “share screen” during Communion and other parts of the Mass in order to pipe hymns throughout the school. Students and staff receive Communion at the central staircase, forming two lines —one going up and one going down. For one hour the entire school becomes a church, and the reverence and sense of the sacred are palpable! I am proud and honored to work at the prep school where, throughout the coronavirus pandemic, we have been ahead of

COVID Curriculum

Every class day I go to the school office in order to prepare announcements and Morning Prayer over the intercom. Once that’s done, I rush to my classroom to begin teaching Spanish 2. Class has already started, but I turn on the iPad that is mounted on a tripod in the middle of the room, setting up my class for the eLearners who will be watching online. Because we must wear masks, I have a microphone that I put on, hanging the speaker on the iPad. When class is over, I receive an email notification that my class has been recorded. I then upload the video so the asynchronous eLearners can watch it later. Twice each day I wipe down all desks and chairs in my classroom with a sanitizing agent, dry them, and get ready for the next class. On average I have about fifteen students attending my classes in person. I teach four classes—two Spanish and two philosophy. Usually there will be three to five synchronous, online learners. This means that they are watching live, and I need to remember to include them, repeat other students’ questions, and keep track of what they are able to see—or not see. The asynchronous eLearners will be watching the uploaded videos later, when more appropriate for their home time zone. Most of these students live abroad and were not able to come to the U.S. this semester. On a more personal note, I must deal with my own fears as an adult male with pre-existing conditions that put me at risk. I know that many of our students, faculty, and staff are concerned about grandpa or grandma at home. I have to accept that, as a monk, I have dozens of “grandpas” at home to worry about! I am aware of the potential danger I court each time I kneel down to look at a student’s iPad in order to figure out “if this answer looks right.” But I also believe in our students and in the incomparable value of the work I am doing with them. Each school day is busy, challenging, and a blessing! [Alas, the prep school transitioned to eLearning on 16 November.] the curve: deliberate in our response, transparent in our communication. We have had to do things differently and creatively, but different and creative have always been among the strengths of Saint John’s Prep! Brother Lucián López, O.S.B., is director of campus ministry at Saint John’s Preparatory School. Prep archives

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Saint Michael Hall Renovation

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Time Frame Images/Fred & Cheryl Fuhrmeister

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Designed by Hanson and Michelson, Architects, Saint Paul, the residence of Saint John’s Preparatory School—Saint Michael Hall—opened in the fall of 1962. Six of the eight bays in the 31,000 square-foot split-level complex were used by boarding students (each bay could house sixty beds), while two bays were used for recreation. In the 1970s the boys’ school would become coeducational, but not until spring 2020 would the dorm be able to accommodate girls. In addition to upgrading the residence facilities, Mr. Gregory Friesen of CSNA Architects, Colorado Springs (lead designer of the renovation project), opened the south wall of the building, introducing brilliant light into the massive concrete structure. A formal dedication and blessing of the renovated facilities awaits the passing of COVID-19.

Time Frame Images/Fred & Cheryl Fuhrmeister

21 Time Frame Images/Fred & Cheryl Fuhrmeister

Time Frame Images/Fred & Cheryl Fuhrmeister

Saint Benedict’s Wisdom Tara Durheim

iturgical Press recently published the English edition of Saint Benedict’s Wisdom: Monastic Spirituality and the Life of the Church by Luigi Gioia, O.S.B. For many years Father Luigi was a professor of systematic theology at the Pontifical University of Sant’Anselmo in Rome and now is a research associate at the Von Hügel Institute for Critical Catholic Inquiry at the University of Cambridge. We recently interviewed him to learn more about his work and thoughts on the Rule of Saint Benedict. Why did you write this book? And what prompted you to expand the English edition? This book is the result of years of teaching monastic spirituality and especially the Rule of Saint Benedict to novices and guests and then to many monastic communities all over the world for their annual retreats. It has been growing in me for years. Something that the first biographer of Saint Benedict, Pope Gregory the Great, said about Scripture also applies to the Rule: its meaning expands with the spiritual maturing of the person who reads and interprets it. Your book talks about how all, not only monastics, can learn about “living and loving well” from the Rule. Why is that important for the Church today? Photo: Alan Reed, O.S.B.

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The main contribution the Rule of Saint Benedict brings to the Church today is a “healthy” spirituality, a spirituality that respects and promotes the flourishing of the whole person. Many modern readers are taken aback when they find that the Rule is more concerned with the body than with the inner life. Benedict mostly talks about eating, sleeping, working, reading, talking, smiling, and especially about toiling in community life. He has no illusions about the inevitable hardships of life in common. And yet all these factors are deeply “spiritual” to him. In Benedict’s mind, the healthiest way to seek God is through community life, because he knows instinctively there is no access to interiority other than through interaction with

our environment and others, and no relation with God other than through the mediations of body, fellowship, history, and Scripture. What does the Rule teach us about being and living in community? How can we act on that in this time of isolation and distance? This time is akin to the experience of the desert that was endured grudgingly by the people of ancient Israel, and yet became the time in which they experienced in a unique way the loving care of their God. The same desert was embraced willingly by Jesus, then by the Desert Fathers, and by people who choose to live under the Rule of Saint Benedict. The

The healthiest way to seek God is through community life.

desert is not so much a place as an inner disposition in our relationship with God, which is essential in the life of the Church and of each Christian. There is a wisdom in the monastic tradition that teaches us how to make isolation and distance a time to understand better what we have in our hearts and learn how to live day by day, trusting in the Lord. What do you most hope readers take away from the book? Our Christian life can be regenerated and refreshed by seeing it as a quest for wisdom, the things of God, and greater humanity and magnanimity. By growing in this wisdom, our perception of the world, others, and God will grow deeper and more meaningful—and especially joyful. We do not pay enough attention to the role of delight in our life of faith as the only effective antidote to guilt. I hope that by reading this book everyone will, like me, be endeared to the Old Testament image of Wisdom delighting and rejoicing in God’s presence and in the company of people. We are told that she is God’s “delight day by

day, rejoicing always in God’s presence” and also that she rejoices “in God’s world, delighting together in people” (Proverbs 8:27-31). Delighting and rejoicing: how about that! In addition to Saint Benedict’s Wisdom, Liturgical Press has recently published a few books for those seeking the spiritual guidance and wisdom that Father Luigi references. In Journey to Jerusalem: Steps on the Road to Your Soul, Paulist Father Mark A. Villano walks with the reader through the journey of life as a disciple of Jesus who, of course, is our true traveling companion. Aided by the words of Scripture and the symbols of our faith, we learn to interpret our experience of being human and being open to changing our hearts. For those in spiritual direction, whether as a director or someone seeking guidance from

others, Learned, Experienced, and Discerning: St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross on Spiritual Direction would be a good fit. In this book by Mark O’Keefe, O.S.B., we are reminded of the timeless spiritual insights from these Carmelite doctors of the Church through their classic texts. Not just for followers of Ignatian spirituality, Discernment: Theology and Practice, Communal and Personal by Ladislas Orsy, S.J., is a little gem of lived wisdom. This book will guide the reader through a well-tested way of listening to the Holy Spirit that, in turn, enables one to discern ways of navigating life’s questions through either or both personal and community discernment. Ms. Tara Durheim is associate publisher for academic and monastic markets at Liturgical Press.

Saint Benedict’s Wisdom: Monastic Spirituality and the Life of the Church by Luigi Gioia, O.S.B. Pages, 232. Journey to Jerusalem: Steps on the Road to Your Soul by Mark A. Villano. Pages, 232. Learned, Experienced, and Discerning: St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross on Spiritual Direction by Mark O’Keefe, O.S.B. Pages, 184. Discernment: Theology and Practice, Communal and Personal by Ladislas Orsy, S.J. Pages, 88. To learn more or to order any of these books, visit litpress.org.; or call 1.800.858.5450.

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Abbey Woodworking his skill and mastery as a woodworker. A bed here, a table there, a chair in the refectory. What more could be expected! He learned from a master.

End of an Era KC Marrin

hen a young Michael Roske put his hat in the ring for a position at Saint John’s Abbey Woodworking, little did he know about the road that would lie ahead or who would lead the way. He joined the woodshop in the fall of 1983 when Brother Hubert Schneider, O.S.B., was already more than halfway into his sixty-year tenure in the shop. Despite his age, Brother Hubert would be the one to guide Michael in the initial ways of the craft—and also in humility, as he knew more about the subject than most, including most theologians. Younger monks were purposely sent to the shop to see if a bit of Hubert’s monastic life experience might rub off on them. Older monks too would migrate in and out, lingering amidst the rhythm of a predictable routine and the smell of home-cut red oak. Michael was about to begin a full, 8-credit, graduate course on the subject. Humility is appropriately woven into the search for perfection that motivates a novice artisan to-be. In every clean, tight dovetail, strong mortise, or smooth corner, the holy, well-measured life of Brother Hubert set a tone that still hangs in the air of the abbey’s turn-of-the-century shop. In his hands, a plane or chisel became an instrument of kindness and respect. A Shaker

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Brother Hubert Schneider (1902–1995)

artisan would be quite at home here. Ask around. This is not romantic nostalgia! But what of the study of humility? Do artisans ever stand to take a bow? Occasionally, but that is never the heart of it. Their work is the work of skilled hands that instinctively know the lay of the grain on the board they hold. (Read chapter 57 of Saint Benedict’s Rule; then look around campus.) Michael’s work is everywhere, speaking to

Michael Roske, master woodworker

Michael concluded his 8-credit course years ago, magna cum laude. Now a master crafter like Brother Hubert, he retired in October after decades of cutting, measuring, sanding, and shaping; at first with hesitation, now with humble confidence. Those who know Michael share in his always-generous spirit, his sense of humor, willingness to talk, and ability to find a solution to get the job done. He is known by almost everyone at Saint John’s as someone they call to get something built, fixed, picked up or delivered—and even where to find ice cream and a candle for a surprise birthday cupcake. If there are craftsmen in the monastery, let them practice their crafts with all humility.

But beneath it all, especially his legacy work, is a gentle, generous man, a husband and father, a man shaped by a monk in whom the spirit of the Benedictine life unfolded so beautifully, conferring countless blessings on this deserving student. Michael lucked out. He walked through a door at just the right time. But those of us who know him—we lucked out, too! His life at Saint John’s is a gift and an inspiration to what we all aspire to be. For this, we are grateful. Michael: you may now stand and take a short but welldeserved bow. Mr. Kevin Christopher “KC” Marrin, a woodworker mentored by Brother Hubert Schneider, is also an organ builder, tuner and technician of pipe organs, and member of the abbey schola.

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For over 150 years, Saint John’s Abbey Woodworking has crafted furniture in much the same way. Utilizing wood from its own forest and traditional woodworking techniques, generations of monks and local artisans have designed and created custom furniture that is distinct and made to last, thus giving witness to the value of manual labor, stewardship, and the perpetuation of the craft in the twenty-first century. But more than witnessing, the woodworkers seek to continue mentoring others who wish to understand the art and techniques of crafting wood.

Rule 57.1

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Winter 2020-21

Lives of the Benedictine Saints Blessed Alcuin of York Richard Oliver, O.S.B.

lcuin, whose English name is Ealhwine, was born at York in northern England, 735. The York cathedral maintained a school where Ethelbert, formerly a student of Venerable Bede, served as Alcuin’s teacher. When Ethelbert became Archbishop of York in 767, Alcuin assumed management of the school as Magister Scholarum, devoting himself to the work of instruction, attracting numerous students, and enriching the already valuable library. In his poem “On the Saints of the Church of York,” he describes the academic life at York, including a list of authors in what amounts to a catalog of the York library. Disce ut doceas (learn in order to teach) was the motto of his life. When Ethelbert resigned in 778, Eanbald, one of Alcuin’s students, became the new archbishop. Alcuin agreed to travel to Rome to procure the pallium for Eanbald’s consecration. During his return from Rome, Alcuin met Charlemagne, who persuaded Alcuin to move to Aachen to help

elevate literary studies in the empire. With the permission of his superiors in York, Alcuin yielded to the request and settled on the continent under imperial protection until his death. He joined an illustrious group of scholars whom Charlemagne had gathered around him, the driving force of the Carolingian Renaissance: Peter of Pisa, Paulinus of Aquileia, Rado, and Abbot Fulrad. Alcuin became master of the palace school in 782 and revolutionized the educational standards, introducing Charlemagne to the liberal arts and creating an atmosphere of scholarship and learning. Charlemagne gathered the best minds of every land in his court, making many of them his closest friends and counselors. Alcuin soon found himself on intimate terms with Charlemagne and the others at court, where students and masters were known by affectionate and jesting nicknames. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, “He loved Charlemagne and enjoyed the king’s esteem, but his letters reveal that his fear of him was as great as his love.”

Almighty God, who in a rude and barbarous age raised up your deacon Alcuin to rekindle the light of learning: Illumine our minds, we pray, that amid the uncertainties and confusions of our own time, we may show forth your eternal truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Collect, Feast Day of Alcuin

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The primary means Alcuin used to meet Charlemagne’s expectations was the creation of a standardized curriculum at the recently created schools as well as at many cathedrals and monasteries. He promoted learning in every way he could. “Alcuin was responsible for the writing of textbooks, creation of word lists, and establishing the trivium [grammar, logic, and rhetoric] and quadrivium [arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy] as the basis for education” (Norman F. Cantor, The Civilization of the Middle Ages, 1993). Under his direction the school at Aachen became one of the great centers of learning in Europe. Alcuin was the moving force and spirit of the Carolingian Renaissance and made the Frankish court the center of European culture and scholarship.

Wikimedia/National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Not known principally as a theologian, Alcuin “was a teacher rather than a thinker, a gatherer and a distributor rather than an originator of knowledge” (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913). Nevertheless, he used his skills to fight the heresy of Adoptionism and saw it condemned at the Synod of Frankfurt in 794. He encouraged the use of ancient texts, revised the Latin text of the Vulgate Bible, wrote commentaries on Scripture, and authored hundreds of letters, many extant. He established the Roman Rite and compiled a Missal that was generally adopted (New Catholic Dictionary).

Another of his significant contributions was the development of Carolingian minuscule, a script first used at the monasteries of Corbie and Tours that introduced the use of lowercase letters, reserving capital letters to begin sentences. He also developed a standardized version of Latin that allowed for the coining of new words while retaining the grammatical rules of classical Latin. “This Medieval Latin became a common language of scholarship and allowed administrators and travelers to make themselves understood in various regions of Europe” (Mortimer Chambers, et al., The Western Experience to 1715, 1983). In 796 Alcuin retired from court (age 61) and reformed the discipline of various monasteries with the help of Saint Benedict of Aniane. He served as abbot of Marmoutier Abbey at Tours (founded by Saint Martin), where he invigorated the famous school. He resigned the abbacy two years

before his death at Tours in 804. His feast day is celebrated on 19 May. At Saint John’s, the fifth and longest reigning abbot, Alcuin Deutsch, O.S.B. (1921–1950), bore the saintly schoolmaster’s name. Because of the abbot’s numerous travels, helping monasteries in wartorn Europe and visits to new foundations in Mexico and Puerto Rico, some of the monks referred to him as “Alcuin of Tours.” The Saint John’s University library, dedicated in 1966, is named after Blessed Alcuin, a fitting model for young academics. Visitors to the library will find a bronze statue of him in the entrance lobby. Brother Richard Oliver, O.S.B., president emeritus of the American Benedictine Academy, is the coordinator of Saint John’s Abbey church tours.

Alcuin occupies a distinguished place in the literary history of the Middle Ages, not on account of his actual writings, but through his position as foremost man of letters in the restoration of teaching under Charlemagne. He was not a profound writer on any subject, nor have his Latin poems much artistic merit, but he was the best representative of a cultured life in a somewhat uncultured time, and his lively, active disposition seems to have harmonised exactly with the functions he was called on to discharge. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Saint Alcuin, Tyrolean painting, c. 1525

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Meet a Monk: Gregory Miller marches. As he got to know the priests better, his admiration for their commitment to social justice increased his own interest in the priesthood. Upon graduation from high school, he entered the minor seminary program at St. Ambrose University, Davenport.

he solid Catholic upbringing for Father Gregory Miller, O.S.B., can be summarized by his memories of the weekly Sunday ritual. “The question was not ‘Are you going to Mass today?’ ‘It was which Mass are you attending today?’” Born in Davenport, Iowa, on 28 June 1947, the third of five children of Vern and Dolly Miller, Greg attended Catholic schools throughout his life. Family life for him was grounded in the Catholic faith and practices.

For his major seminary studies, Greg’s diocese assigned him to Saint John’s Seminary, Collegeville. His first and lasting impression was of a warm and welcoming place, especially the warmth of the rector, Father Alfred Deutsch, O.S.B. This was Greg’s first experience of Benedictine hospitality. His classes were the cutting-edge theology of Vatican II, particularly those taught by Fathers Godfrey Diekmann, Kieran Nolan, and Kilian McDonnell—all Benedictines. He was also introduced to ecumenism in the LutheranCatholic Dialogue as well as in Scripture classes taught by Lutheran professors. One of his most transforming experiences was as an exchange student with Luther Theological and Hispanic Ministry, a January Term class at the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio, Texas.

His parents were very supportive of parish priests, inviting them to the house after a round of golf, which was multiple times during the week. Many of the pastors were involved in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Greg was so inspired by their prophetic witness to justice that he joined in several of the protest

Greg was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Davenport on 26 May 1973. For the next four years he served as an assistant pastor in two parishes. Because of his interest in Hispanic ministry, he was assigned to Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Mission in Muscatine, Iowa, where he worked with a team that included

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Timothy Backous, O.S.B.

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another priest and covered the needs of the Spanish-speaking community throughout the diocese. They celebrated weekly Masses, administered sacraments in parishes where the pastor did not speak Spanish, and visited some forty migrant camps. Because the H. J. Heinz Company had a ketchup factory in Muscatine, migrant workers would be in the area from summer until early fall, harvesting tomatoes. Greg and team worked alongside a medical clinic and law office that offered services to the migrants. The team would report health or safety abuses in migrants’ work and living conditions to state or federal officials. Little by little, the farm workers’ conditions improved. The goal, Father Greg explains, was to get the migrant families out of the “migrant stream” by helping them find permanent, local work so their children could be in school. While serving the migrants, Greg became a licensed foster parent for two Vietnamese refugees and a Mexican American boy. He continues to be in contact with his foster sons. After serving eight years as vicar for Hispanics, Greg was granted a sabbatical at the Jesuit School of Theology (Graduate Theological Union), Berkeley, California. His studies and time away allowed him to contemplate his call to ministry more deeply. “It was a turning point in my vocational call,” he explains. “There were forty participants, equally divided between men and women. But

September 1997. He was appointed director of field education for Saint John’s School of Theology and parochial vicar that included a weekly Spanish Mass in Cold Spring, Minnesota. His appointments since solemn profession have included: pastor, Church of Saint Joseph, Saint Joseph; Hispanic minister at Church of the Ascension and Basilica of Saint Mary, Minneapolis; and pastor of Saint John the Baptist Parish, Collegeville, and eventually, Saint Benedict Parish, Avon, when the communities were twined.

Father Greg celebrates with a quinceañera (fifteenth birthday honoree).

what was striking was that all the participants, except for me and one other diocesan priest, belonged to religious communities. I recognized that religious communities were more supportive and encouraging for their members to be updated and renewed. I was the first priest in my diocese to be granted a sabbatical in many years, but it was seen as a luxury.” Father Greg’s sabbatical studies also led him to the conviction that celibacy is best lived in a religious community: “Celibacy frees one from a one-to-one relationship so that each can be

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in relationship with many. My experience as a diocesan priest was of being a lone ranger. There was no sense of community. I came to recognize that if I were to continue being a priest, I needed community support for my prayer life.” These insights led to years of intensive discernment and finally to his decision to leave the diocese and seek communal life at the place that had formed and educated him as a priest: Saint John’s. In 1996 Greg began a candidacy period at Saint John’s Abbey, followed by profession of vows as a Benedictine monk on 14

Since 2018 Greg has been a sacramental minister to the Harvest of Hope Catholic Community (including four parishes in Avon, Albany, and Saint Martin, Minnesota), a faculty resident at Saint John’s University, and a substitute Catholic chaplain at the Saint Cloud VA Medical Center. He delights in his ministry and having fewer administrative responsibilities. His biggest challenge is keeping his calendar up to date and knowing where he is supposed to be at any given moment! Greg enjoys golf, reading, cooking, and hosting friends. He is very much at peace with his vocational call, having found God in this community and support for his spiritual life and ministry. He is especially grateful for being a monk, feeling he is on the “brink of everything,” and the future looks good.

Winter 2020-21

Ruined for Life Jessie Bazan

he smoke of a neighbor’s bonfire rises like incense as I pedal past. The parish bells toll down the street, marking the 7:00 hour on this Saturday evening. There’s a good chance I would be rising from a choir stall in the abbey church right now if not for COVID-19. I would be watching maskless monks process into the sanctuary, hardly six feet between them. I would feel the organ vibrate as the community sings together, “Be joyful in the Lord, you lands . . . .” I would lean into the sturdy wooden stalls — and the comfort of sharing space with familiar faces. But praying during a pandemic is different. Tonight I pull up the abbey livestream on my phone as I straddle my bike in the driveway. Who says exercise and Evening Prayer can’t go together! I press play, slip the device into my pocket, and pedal off. Soon the familiar voices of particular monks echo in my earbuds. I listen and participate. After seven years in Collegeville, I’m pleasantly surprised by how many psalms burrowed their way into my memory. The words return as easily as a childhood bedtime prayer. “Like the deer that yearns for running streams,” we all pray together, “so my soul is yearning for you, my God.” I chant quietly under my mask as I ride through the streets of Saint Joseph. By the time the Salve Regina begins,

ule of Benedict I realize it’s space, not spiritual practice, that separates me from the monastic community these days. Connections can happen, even miles apart.

This is a gem of the Benedictine way. My internal clock ticks differently because of my formation in Collegeville. The seven o’clock hours, both morning and evening, call me to attention even when I’m away from the abbey church. I cannot go more than a few hours without being interrupted. I settle into a writing groove and—stop! Time to pray. I’m out for a walk and—stop! Time to pray. I spiral into an episode of anxiety, wondering how long this pandemic will last, and if I’ll get sick, and if it’ll ever be safe to go to Mass again and—stop! Time to pray. I heard a Jesuit Volunteer Corps member say the experience left her “ruined for life.” I feel the same way about my time around Saint John’s Abbey and Saint Benedict’s Monastery. Benedictine spirituality seeped its way into my being and “ruined me” —and my evening bike rides— for life. I could not be more grateful. Ms. Jessie Bazan, a graduate of Saint John’s School of Theology, helps Christians explore their life callings in her work with the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research.

Tools of the Spiritual Craft Eric Hollas, O.S.B. The abbot himself should do all things in the fear of God and in observance of the Rule, knowing that beyond a doubt he will have to render an account of all his decisions to God, the most just judge. Rule 3.11

Love is the ultimate reward.

ear of punishment can shape behavior, but it doesn’t always bring out the best in people. Sanctions may curb social barbarism. They might even fashion a climate in which mutual tolerance becomes the order of the day. But ought monks—or anyone—aspire to something more ambitious than “just getting along”? To his credit Saint Benedict does not rely much on scare tactics. There is the occasional warning, such as when he urges his monks to fear the Day of Judgment and to be in dread of hell (RB 4.44-45). It’s his notso-subtle way of saying that there need to be consequences that ensure accountability. However, fear cannot be the prime mover in a monk’s life. This is no way to live. In his chapter on the instruments of good works (Rule 4), Saint Benedict lays out a program for guiding a monk’s life. First, he cites the two great commandments (4.1-2). Then he delves into a short meditation on the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule (4.3-9). These provide the foundation for a life well-lived. As is the case for all Christians, monks must not lie, steal, cheat, kill people, or trash the reputations of others. But this is just the beginning. Benedict requires more than the avoidance of egregious sinning. He expects his monks to surpass these minimal standards and engage in a life of deeper introspection. To that end he cites several passages from the Bible, as if to suggest that he is asking no more than what Christ expects of any Christian. “Deny oneself in order to follow Christ” (RB 4.10 [Matthew 16:24]). “Become a stranger to the world’s ways” (RB 4.20). These make explicit the self-examination that he asks of his monks. But the reward for all this is more than the avoidance of hell. If “the love of Christ must come before all else” (RB 4.21), then love is the ultimate reward. As Robert Louis Stevenson suggests, someday we will all sit down to a big banquet of consequences. For Benedict, however, the consequences come far sooner than the Day of Judgment. The banquet can begin with each new day. For those who want to see good days, the “tools of the spiritual craft” are a great way to make them so.

My internal clock ticks differently because of my formation in Collegeville.

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

Aidan Putnam

Winter 2020-21

Cloister Light The daily routine within the cloister is enlivened by the antics of the “characters” of the community. Here are stories from the Monastic Mischief file.

From the Oral Tradition

Welcome to California, Father. So this is the first time you’ve seen the Pacific Ocean. What do you think of it? I thought it would be bigger. Father Paschal

How are you today, Brother? Still in the corruptible flesh.

Abbey Chronicle To celebrate the end of the school year, a Benedictine administrator invited a number of employees to an evening at a nearby supper club. Because the supper club had not yet opened to the public for the season, the Saint John’s group would be the only patrons on the particular night. While confirming the reservation, the restaurant manager asked for a precise number of orders of steak or walleye. The administrator did a quick tally, and then reminded the manager

that a couple of vegetarian entrées would also be needed. The manager replied: “Don’t you worry, Father. We’ll give them chicken.”

Social in courtyard (If it rains in basement) Gloss: What if it doesn’t rain in the basement?

Brother Gabriel

Every time we have a war, we get a bad crop of novices. Oh. When was your novitiate, Brother John? 1939. With a sigh, a Stearns County matron informed a late-arriving monk at the annual employees’ picnic: “Hamburgers we got, but buns . . . I’m afraid.” One of our senior monks, suffering from dementia, purchased a Greyhound bus ticket at Saint John’s and headed west. When the bus stopped at one of the neighboring towns, someone recognized Father and came to the rescue, escorting him back to Saint John’s. Later, the prior of the monastery asked the employee who had sold the bus ticket to Father to be more judicious in the future. The employee protested: “How am I supposed to know which monks are crazy?” COVID-19 Mask and you shall receive.

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Homily Hints Saint John’s monks have served as ministers of the Word and sacrament for parishes, hospitals, nursing homes, and other religious communities for decades. Their homilies have been met with mixed reviews. Father, I was looking around during your homily today, and I noticed that everyone was paying attention, waiting for the next thing you were going to say. I just don’t understand how you do it. You’re not a dynamic person. Celebrant: Can you hear me back there? Parishioner: Only too well, Father, only too well.

n overcast sky with a temperature in the 40s drove the monastic community’s Labor Day picnic indoors. Scattered frost was recorded in central Minnesota three days later. Autumn began with summer temps, 70s and 80s, but the real treat for Collegeville residents were the flashes of scarlet, bright orange, and golden yellow foliage: the fall colors were among the most brilliant in memory. Five inches of heavy snow fell on 20 October, helping to produce the snowiest October on record in many parts of the state. Bright sun and a high of 58 greeted those who trekked to the cemetery for the All Souls’ midday prayer service, a prelude to the following week’s summery weather—the highest November temps recorded in Minnesota. Despite those high temps, Lake Sagatagan froze for the season on the last day of November.

Brother, would you proofread my homily? After drawing a large “X”: Take out this page, and it will be fine.

For many, the hope and anticipation that typically fill our Advent hearts have been replaced by uncertainty, anxiety, and fear. A relentless pandemic, with the number of infections and deaths soaring, has upended our lives, lifestyles, liturgies, and holiday traditions. A people who walk in darkness seek a great light (Isaiah 9). O come, O come, Emmanuel!

While serving in Japan, I gave study sessions to the Nasu Trappist sisters, when I was their chaplain. Sometimes they would correct the translations of my homilies, and I would read them. One day the sacristan who would correct the text said, “Father, don’t worry about having everything correct; we really enjoy your mistakes.”

August 2020 • The monks are hearing voices again! Following months of decline, the decades-old and increasingly dysfunctional sound

Celebrant: (Tap, tap, tap.) I think there’s something wrong with this microphone. Congregation: And also with you! Gosh, Father, every one of your sermons is better than the next one! Fraternal correction of homily drafts: You have three homilies here. Pick one.

Father Cyril

Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

system of the church collapsed in August. On 28 August— following the installation of new equipment and cabling—the monks could once again hear the presider at Eucharist and the readers at the Liturgy of the Hours, though the sound quality and volume proved to be unpredictable and wildly uneven. Fine tuning of the amplification and sound control systems continues with a goal of fulfilling the Scriptures: “Whoever has ears ought to hear” (Matthew 11:15). • On 30 August Abbot John Klassen and the monastic community offered thanks and a blessing to Ms. Karen Voller for her years of efficient, gracious, and faithful oversight of the monastic refectory. Enjoy your retirement, Karen!

September 2020 • Master organist Ms. Jan Kraybill, former president of The Hymn Society, showcased the expanded Holtkamp-Pasi organ in recordings for a series of instructional videos on effective hymn-playing. The recording project is supported by a Vital Worship grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (Lilly Endowment fund). October 2020 • During the ongoing battle with COVID-19, the abbey’s victory gardens were highly productive. More than 6,100 pounds of produce were harvested this year, including 2,170 lbs of fall squash, 1,395 lbs of tomatoes, 450 lbs of summer squash/ zucchini, 378 lbs of potatoes, 222 lbs of green beans, 115 lbs

Winter 2020-21

Oblate Honors

of cucumbers, 100 lbs of onions, 80 lbs of asparagus, 87 lbs of hot peppers, 78 lbs of okra, 63 lbs of carrots, and 61 lbs of rhubarb. Much of the bounty was served throughout the summer as salads or vegetable inserts for meals. The abbey apiary was not in operation this year. Nonetheless, a local bear managed to get into and destroy the empty boxes left out from last year. The black walnuts—and there were not many—were claimed by the squirrels. November 2020 • Pope Francis has reappointed Father William Skudlarek to a five-year term as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. • In cooperation with Vets for Peace and in observance of Armistice Day, the banner bell tolled 11 times at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, recalling the end of World War I in 1918. • Brother Jacob Berns presented his graduate organ recital on the mighty Holtkamp-Pasi organ on 21 November. Featured works included A Solis Ortus by Nicolas de Grigny, Prelude and Fugue in C major (BWV 547) by J. S. Bach, and Symphonie Romane by Charles-Marie Widor. • Saint John’s is hosting its nineteenth controlled deer hunt since 1933. The intent of the hunt is to reduce the deer population to a level that allows natural regen-

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Pope Francis has appointed Dr. Bill Griffiths, an oblate of Saint John’s Abbey and graduate of Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary, as a Knight of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great—an award bestowed on Catholic lay men and women deemed to have made a significant contribution to the Church. Dr. Griffiths has held a variety of leadership positions on parish, school, and social service governance and management boards in Australia and currently chairs the National Liturgical Council.

Alan Reed, O.S.B.

Following the broadcast of the profession of first vows made by Brothers Félix Mencias and David Allen, several undergraduates shared their response to the service. One student commented: “The pure joy on their faces during their vows was so special and really particularly moving to me, as it helped me understand just how important and special the ritual is for them.” Another noted: “The most impactful moment for me was when the two brothers sang their prayer [Sustain me, O Lord, as you have promised that I may live . . .] three times with their arms outstretched in front of the altar, and the community echoed their prayer each time. I found it a very spiritual moment. I also really liked when the community said that they accepted the two brothers and welcomed them.” eration of the forest ecosystem. Abbey land manager Mr. John Geissler explained: “The diversity of wildflowers, herbs, and shrubs on the forest floor has been diminished by hungry deer, in addition to the significant browsing of important tree species such as white pine and oak. This disruption of the ecological balance of the area directly affects the health of the forest, the deer herd, and the populations of other wildlife.” The archery hunt opened on 14

Oblate director Father Michael Peterson reports that between July and November, nine oblates of Saint John’s Abbey made their final oblation, either remotely or in person at the abbey. Mr. Samuel Torvend (Lakewood, Washington), a professor of religion at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, shares with his students the influence of the Rule of Saint Benedict in history. Mr. Andrew Kovacs (Ballwin, Missouri), a 1986 Johnnie alumnus, maintains a strong relationship with the university and abbey. Being an oblate formalizes “my relationship and deepens my spiritual journey.” Mr. Mark Camp (Norman, Oklahoma) became an oblate to “find a place to belong with like-minded folks. I see the abbey as a spiritual home.” A med-

ical doctor, he is keen on how the Rule provides an environment of health and well-being. Ms. Sara Gavit (Calais, Maine), an Episcopal priest and graduate of Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary, hopes “to be involved in a community of seekers and pilgrims like myself who find comfort and challenge in the Rule.” Mr. Bill Alexander (Minneapolis) has studied Zen Buddhism and meditation for years—even living with Thich Nhất Hạnh’s monastic community for a time. He “is encouraged by the wisdom and balance of the Rule.” Mr. Matthew Celichowski (Saint Paul), an avid reader of monastic sources, finds Saint Benedict’s Rule to be full of insight of how he can be a better father and husband. Mr. Brian Smith (Des Moines), a 1983 university alumnus, works as a nutritionist. He loves the natural environment around the abbey which feels like “a second home.” Ms. Kathleen Cepelka (Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin), who oversees 107 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, was introduced to Saint John’s by Give Us This Day, published by Liturgical Press. She has a “deep desire to be part of a monastic community that will provide structure in my life.” Ms. Jane Hagerman (Milwaukee) discovered the abbey through its streamed liturgies and website. “Benedictine spirituality is right for me because I do want to see Christ in others.”

October and will run through the end of December. As of 27 November, 34 deer have been taken. • The pandemic will temporarily end a grand tradition: the annual maple syrup harvest, typically occurring between February and April, has been cancelled since sap harvesters would be unable to observe social distancing during the cooking process in the sugar shack. Curse you, COVID!

Since March, the Breuer wing of the monastery has been undergoing major renovation. Energy-efficient thermalpane windows are being installed, along with upgrades in the plumbing and heating/cooling systems. Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.

Winter 2020-21

Fifty Years Ago

Monks in the Kitchen

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

Pandemic Pavlova Ælred Senna, O.S.B.

7 October 1970

• By 1981 some fifty priests of the community will be over seventyfive years of age; to maintain all the commitments we now have, five men [would have to be] ordained each year for the next twenty years. This does not seem likely. At present there are about 240 active priests. By 1980 that number will likely be reduced to 200. With this impending shortage of priestly personnel, adjustments will have to be made, and this is the problem the committee on the pastoral apostolate is working on now. • The senior council approved a recommendation of the liturgical committee that there be one conventual Mass during the present school year and that the time for this Mass be 5:00 P.M. This does not preclude other concelebrated Masses during the day by small groups. The committee gave the community a sample of some new forms for the Office, with much more singing of the psalms. The reaction was very favorable. • Father Roger Schoenbechler has published the first Oblate Letter, dated October 1970. 2 December 1970 • On 14 November Abbot Baldwin Dworschak took part in the solemn blessing of the new monastery near Mexico City known as Monasterio Benedictino del Tepeyac, the new home of the

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S University archives

Fathers Don LeMay (left) and Gordon Tavis led sing-alongs at many Homecoming, birthday, and Christmas celebrations.

Benedictine priory whose history began in 1947 when the chapter of Saint John’s Abbey decided to reopen the Colegio del Tepeyac in Mexico City. • Fathers Godfrey Diekmann and Kilian McDonnell attended another meeting of the Lutheran/ Catholic Dialogue in Chicago at the beginning of November. The group has finished their work on ministry, which got coverage in the National Catholic Reporter and Time magazine. Father Godfrey considers the work on ministry “the most important breakthrough in ecumenical discussions.” 18 January 1971 • Brother Julius Beckermann and his gang of novices have been tearing up the east/west corridor floor on second floor of the quadrangle on the abbey side, in prep-

aration for a new rug which is soon to replace the old floor and linoleum that has been deteriorating the past years. Rooms on the west end are also being renovated by adding sinks and wardrobes. There has been a change in Saint Benedict’s Chapel. The altar has been moved out and the tabernacle now sits on a new granite pedestal. • On 10 December about fifty-five monks went down to Der Keller to celebrate Father [Henry] Bryan Dority [Beaumont Hays]’s fiftieth birthday. On 18 December a Christmas party was held in the same place. Both times Father Donald LeMay played the piano and Father Gordon Tavis alternated between the trumpet and violin. On New Year’s Eve twentyseven hearty souls braved the 10-degree weather for a skating party. Brother Cyprian Weaver wore a muskrat coat.

ummer 2020 will undoubtedly be remembered as the summer of the COVID pandemic. While spending time homebound, people all over the world took to cooking and baking to pass the time or to save money on feeding their families. I was no different, though I was living away from the monastic community with my family during my sister’s (nonCOVID) illness. The virus kept us especially close to home for fear of bringing it to her already immunecompromised system. I was ever on the lookout for culinary opportunities, eager to try some new things, even if they take a bit more time. One such baking foray led to my family’s discovery of a new favorite dessert—pavlova! Named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, but originating in Australia and New Zealand, it is a light, airy meringue dessert—crisp on the outside, marshmallow chewy on the inside. Eating pavlova— especially when topped with fruit and whipped cream—is like eating the dreamiest, most delightful cloud you can imagine! Preparing pavlova is not difficult, but it does take a bit of (mostly unattended) time. It is best prepared on a day with low humidity. Once you taste it, you’ll be hooked! Brother Ælred Senna, O.S.B., is associate editor of Give Us This Day and a faculty resident at Saint John’s University.

Ælred Senna, O.S.B.

Pavlovas

(Yields 7–8 individual desserts)

• • • • •

4 large egg whites, room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla 1½ teaspoons corn starch

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream • 4 teaspoons granulated sugar • 3–4 cups fresh berries or cut stone fruit, lightly sweetened Preheat oven to 225°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat egg whites with whisk attachment in stand mixer for about 1 minute, until soft peaks begin to form. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating at high speed, until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes. (The meringue will be smooth and glossy.) Gently fold in lemon juice and vanilla with a spatula. Then fold in corn starch until well incorporated. Transfer meringue to a piping bag fitted with a wide (1”) tip or with no tip at all. Pipe 3½” to 4” nests on parchment paper. Use a spoon to make an indentation on the top of each nest. Bake at 225° for 75–90 minutes, taking care not to allow browning. Turn oven off, but do not open door. Allow to rest in the oven as it cools for 30–45 minutes. (Outsides should be dry and crisp.) Remove from oven and place in a cool, dry spot to cool completely. Whip cold cream with sugar at high speed to spreadable consistency, 2–3 minutes. To serve, place a dollop of whipped cream in the indentation of each pavlova and top with fruit.

Winter 2020-21

In Memoriam

The Voice of God

Please join the monastic community in prayerful remembrance of our deceased family members and friends: Ethel L. Backes Roger Brian Bechtold Andrew A. Blenker Mary Maureen Blenkush, O.S.F. Peter M. Butler Ellen Domine Edward “Eddie” Dummer Patrick Arno Dwyer Katherine Joyce Engholm Rita Evans Robert “Dr. Bob” Foley Kathleen Mary Friedrich Roland P. Friezen Mary Eileen Ghesquiere, O.S.F. Jeanette L. Gibbons Jean Gibson, O.S.B. Linda M. Hansen Bede Joseph Hasso, O.S.B. Maureen Kelly, O.S.F.

Donald L. “Don” Kercher, Obl.S.B. Patricia A. Kercher John Edmund Kirchner Marcella E. “Marcy” Klassen David G. Klein Mary Blase Kulzer, O.S.F. Elmer M. Lahr David E. “Dave” Larsen Mary Therese Lenz, O.S.F. James “Jim” McDermott Timothy J. “Tim” McGough Louise McKigney, O.S.F. Jonathan J. Murrman, O.S.B. Elaine A. Nelson Dorothy Lina Orts Donna Joan Peterson Andrew Raple, O.S.B. Patrice Reed, O.S.B. Martin N. Rothstein

Lawrence A. “Larry” Rudolph Donald J. “Don” Schimmels, Obl.S.B. Mary Fabian Schneider, O.S.F. Blaine Schultz, O.S.B. Janice J. Stanton Ruth E. Svihel Donald Tadich Marian J. Taylor Robert “Bob” Testa Vera Castelli Theisen Francis Tran, O.Cist. Lana DeAnne “DeeDee” Vos Jeanne M. Welch Virginia Ann Wieland Jo Ann Wilch Richard B. “Zeke” Zilka Steven George Zilka Rev. Nicholas Zimmer

Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of God’s faithful ones. Psalm 116:15

Timothy Backous, O.S.B.

henever someone claims to have received direct orders from God, I get nervous! Thus, when politicians, evangelists, or even local homilists speak as if they’ve just had tea with the Almighty and took extensive notes of the conversation, I’m skeptical. God’s voice and God’s directions are not as clear as we’d like to think. If they were, there would not be wars—because God told us to love each other, not kill each other (Exodus 20:13). There would not be starvation in our world—because God told us to feed the hungry (Matthew 25:3146). And there would not be problems with our environment—because God commanded us to be good stewards of creation (Genesis 1:28-31; 2:15). God’s voice is audible to many only when it happens to coincide with their own desires. But what happens when that voice commands us to love someone we find despicable? Or show patience with someone we don’t trust? What happens when God calls us to follow roads that are unfamiliar or seemingly lead nowhere? This is where the presence of God gets mysterious and evasive. And this is exactly what our experience of God should be: an unsolvable mystery. The Hebrew Scriptures are full of God’s evasive presence. No one ever sees the face of God. There are burning bushes, pillars of cloud, earthquakes, and fearful signs in the heavens. But even Moses could only catch a quick look at God’s back, because anyone who saw God’s face could not live (Exodus 33).

The glory of God is the living man or woman. Saint Irenaeus

Consider how saints, mystics, and theologians approach this matter. A lifetime of prayer, scholarship, teaching, and preaching led them to the conviction that God exists, but that is about it. Even Jesus does more to show the presence of God than try to explain it in words. His message is more like “watch what I do, and then do it yourselves,” rather than writing books of theological truths to interpret.

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.

Saint Benedict was one such mystic: his spirituality embraces this approach to God’s mysterious nature. It is not in what we think we hear, but in what we do for each other. Benedict insists that his monks defer to others’ needs rather than pursuing their own (Rule 72.7). Instead of using our time to figure out God’s marching orders for our life, we should strive to make others’ lives more peaceful, relaxing, or spiritually enriched. In this, the mystery of God’s presence doesn’t need explanation or clarification.

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/.

God comes alive in human existence by the force of our loving one another. Our search for God begins and ends in our care for one another. This is itself a mystery, and the best witness of God’s presence.

Alan Reed, O.S.B.

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

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Abbey Banner The woods, once walls of Lush, living green, are now but Bare sticks and black bones. Mild-mannered juncos Keep themselves— and my heart—warm On sub-zero days.

Winter 2020-21 Volume 20, Number 3

4 This Issue Robin Pierzina, O.S.B. 5 The Virtue of Hope Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B. 6 The Christmas Stories Raymond E. Brown, S.S. 9 Monastic Profession

26 Lives of the Benedictine Saints: Blessed Alcuin of York Richard Oliver, O.S.B. 28 Meet a Monk: Gregory Miller Timothy Backous, O.S.B. 30 Ruined for Life Jessie Bazan

10 Benedictine Volunteer Corps Michael Reilly

31 Rule of Benedict: Tools of the Spiritual Craft Eric Hollas, O.S.B.

12 The Rule in the Window Martin F. Connell

32 Cloister Light

Bold bird tracks on snow: Crows are rushing the season; It’s fifteen below!

14 The Gertken Family Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.

33 Abbey Chronicle Robin Pierzina, O.S.B. 36 Fifty Years Ago

A signal honor! Cardinals patronize my Window bird feeder.

18 Pandemic Education Lucián López, O.S.B. 20 Saint Michael Hall Renovation

37 Monks in the Kitchen: Pandemic Pavlova Ælred Senna, O.S.B.

22 Saint Benedict’s Wisdom Tara Durheim

38 In Memoriam

24 Abbey Woodworking KC Marrin

39 The Voice of God Timothy Backous, O.S.B.

After the snow storm, My narrowed eyes see only Blinding white; stark dark.

Conrad Diekmann, O.S.B. An artist, English teacher, poet, and sports enthusiast, Father Conrad Diekmann, O.S.B. (1904– 1974), was a monk of Saint John’s Abbey for fifty years.

40 Poetry Conrad Diekmann, O.S.B.