Each day the monks of Saint Meinrad Archabbey help to write another page in the long history of Benedictine monks throughout the world. As in the life of any family, life in a monastery is made up of events big and small. Here Father Prior Tobias reports on some of last month's events at Saint Meinrad.

September 2008

(1) Labor Day. The School of Theology held its annual fall Day of Prayer, with Archbishop Joseph Kurtz (Louisville) serving as presenter. His talks were very well received.

(2) The scaffolding is still in the Archabbey Church as some touch-up plastering and painting continue. Creatures of habit that we are, we’ve had to adopt some alternate traffic patterns as a result.

(3) Abbot Bonaventure, just days away from his 90th birthday, spent most of the day stuffing envelopes with the 16 volunteers in the Development Office.

(4) The School of Theology hosted the annual Dolle Lecture on church art and architecture. Alumnus Father Kieran Kleczewski and Gabriel Vigil, both from Phoenix, AZ, were the presenters.

(5) Last weekend we hosted parishioners from Father Edward’s parish in Chicago. This weekend we are welcoming parishioners from parishes where Father Severin and Father Stephen serve as pastors. The Chicagoans spoke in glowing terms about their experience. We fully expect that this weekend will also bring many blessings.

(6) At supper in the refectory this evening, we honored Abbot Bonaventure with colloquium and a birthday cake as we celebrated his 90th birthday. Faithful readers of About The House may remember that those celebrating their 90th birthdays are invited to sit at the abbot’s table for supper. Since this is where Abbot Bonaventure regularly sits, a number of confreres have been teasing him for weeks that, as a special treat on his birthday, he could choose to sit at a different table! As part of our parish weekend program, the Spencer County Community Band gave an outdoor concert this evening in front of the seminary lobby. Our nine visiting confreres—monks from other monasteries studying in our seminary and living with us—went on an early-in-the-semester outing today. They realized that, if they got too deep into the semester, they might not be able to find a day when all were available.

(7) Archabbot Justin was among those attending this evening’s dinner in Louisville for alumni and benefactors.

(8) Just two days after Abbot Bonaventure’s fifth birthday in 1923, young Henry Heck received the name Theodore as he made vows as a Benedictine monk. Now 107, Father Theodore celebrates the incredible milestone of 85 years of monastic profession! This evening we had an informational community meeting in the calefactory, our community room. The setting lends itself very well to meetings that are slightly less formal and more spontaneous.

(9) Abbot Lambert, who serves as chaplain to the Carmelite nuns in Des Plaines, IL, arrived today for a 12-day visit. He has several engagements in the area during these days. The faculty of the School of Theology was off to New Harmony, IN, for its annual overnight study day.

(10) Two new large vocation posters were on display in the calefactory. (They roll up into their bases like a windowshade.) Our monks who work in vocations take these with them as they visit high schools, college campuses and vocation fairs.

(11) Every four years, each monastery in our congregation welcomes outside visitators, who interview each resident monk, and then write up their commendations and recommendations. Our visitation is scheduled to begin on October 12. The pre-visitation materials that have been prepared were sent to the three visitators today. Father Harry was commissioned by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis to write a hymn text that will be used during the archdiocese’s celebration of its 175th anniversary. The text is now finished, and is very lovely indeed.

(12) Archabbot Justin left today for Europe. He will first spend a few days at our motherhouse in Switzerland, the Abbey of Einsiedeln, before moving on to Rome for the Abbots’ Congress, the quadrennial meeting of all the Benedictine abbots in the world.

(13) Archabbot Justin and Father Sean (who is beginning a sabbatical) both arrived safely at Einsiedeln today. (Click here to see a photo of Abbot Justin with the two other superiors of daughter houses of Einsiedeln, Prioress Irene of nearby Kloster Fahr and Abbot Enrique of Santa Maria de los Toldos, Argentina.) Back here at the monastery, 35 of the confreres enjoyed our first pizza luncheon of the fall semester at the UnStable. This event is still as popular and eagerly anticipated as always.

(14) Triumph of the Holy Cross. Prior Tobias was the celebrant and homilist at the Conventual Mass. Winds clocked at more than 70 mph—remnants of Hurricane Ike—tore through our area, felling many trees around the campus, tearing up the roof and breaking windows at the carpenter shop, and knocking out the power for the entire campus. Except for the Guest House, which was to be without power for four days, power was restored to the rest of the hill after a 12-hour outage. Strangely, there was no rain which, as it turned out, made the restoration of power a little easier to accomplish.

(15) Today Archabbot Justin and Father Sean paid a visit to Kloster Fahr, another foundation of the Abbey of Einsiedeln. The prioress of Fahr, Sister Irene Gassmann, visited Saint Meinrad during the summer of 2007. We had a Chapter of Faults in the Chapter Room this evening. Father Meinrad gave the reflection. Brothers Paulavang and Lawrence from the Monastery of Christ in the Desert received the shocking news today that their confrere, Brother John Dat, 38, died suddenly yesterday. May he rest in peace!

(16) Father Anthony organized a group of local high school seniors today, who cleaned up limbs and branches all over the campus. Father Raymond is home from Catholic University to lead tomorrow’s workshop in the School of Theology for their celibacy formation program, known as “Together In One Place.”

(17) As Archabbot Justin travelled from Switzerland to Rome today, Father Sean received word that his father is near death in Findlay, OH. He will pause his sabbatical and come home to tend to his father.

(18) Brother Christian and Brother Aaron (Abbey of Einsiedeln) were among those making their deacon promises in the School of Theology this evening. They will be ordained deacons with their classmates here on October 25.

(19) Today we welcomed alumnus Father Jim Ramer (Peoria), who is with us for a few days.

(20) Abbot Lambert led more than 100 members of the Abbot Martin Marty Guild in a day of recollection here today.

(22) Father Sean called from Findlay to say that his father died this morning. May he rest in peace! Father Denis gave the annual Rector’s Report to the monastic community this evening. Also speaking was seminarian John Hollowell (Indianapolis), who serves this year as president of the Student Theological Society. Following the report, we adjourned to the newly renovated Alumni Commons, which now includes a state-of-the-art coffee shop.

(23) Father Pius travelled to Findlay today to represent us at the wake and funeral for Father Sean’s father.

(24) Archabbot Justin was among those abbots meeting in Rome who went on the outing to the monastery in Norcia, Italy—the birthplace of Ss. Benedict and Scholastica—where Father Cassian serves as prior.

(25) The abbots meeting in Rome have re-elected Abbot Notker Wolf as Abbot Primate. He has already served in this capacity for the past eight years.

(26) Father Noël has a retreat at the Guest House this weekend with more than 40 retreatants. At supper we were served homemade pies made with pumpkins grown in our garden. Absolutely delicious! (Click here to see Br. John with his harvest of pumpkins and winter squash.) 

(27) The family of our deceased former confrere Father Charles (Thomas) Crouse was here for an overnight visit. Father Charles’ chalice was used as the main chalice at the Conventual Mass this morning.

(28) Archabbot Justin returned safely from Rome this afternoon. Deo Gratias.

(29) This evening, after dark, we received some much-needed rain, although not very much.

(30) Anniversary of the Dedication of the Archabbey Church. Archabbot Justin was the presider and Father Harry gave the homily at the Conventual Mass. This date, in addition to being the 11th anniversary of the church renovation, is also the 138th anniversary of our being raised to the status of abbey.

In your charity, please remember in prayer our confreres who currently reside part-time or full-time in the infirmary: Father Theodore, Father Eric, Brother Stephen, Father Simeon, and Brother Charles.