Abbey Banner Spring 2014

Abbey Banner
Spring 2014
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Happy are those who sing with all their heart,

from the bottoms of their hearts.
To find joy in the sky, the trees, the flowers.
There are always flowers for those who want to see them.
Alan Reed, O.S.B.
Henri Matisse, Jazz, 1947
Photo: Alan Reed, O.S.B.
This Issue
Bury the dead. Console the sorrowing.
Desire eternal life with all the passion of the spirit.
Keep death daily before ones eyes.
Rule of Benedict 4.17, 19, 46, 47
Abbey Banner
Magazine of Saint Johns Abbey

Published three times annually (spring, fall,
winter) by the monks of Saint Johns Abbey.
Editor: Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.
Editorial assistants: Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.;
Dolores Schuh, C.H.M.
Fujimi bureau chief: Roman Paur, O.S.B.
Abbey archivist: David Klingeman, O.S.B.
University archivist: Peggy Roske
Design: Alan Reed, O.S.B.
Circulation: Ruth Athmann, Mary Gouge, Jan
Jahnke, Danielle Schmiesing, Cathy Wieme
Printed by Palmer Printing
Copyright 2014 by Order of Saint Benedict
Saint Johns Abbey
Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-2015
abbeybanner@csbsju.edu
saintjohnsabbey.org/banner/
ISSN: 2330-6181 (print)
ISSN: 2332-2489 (online)
Change of address:
Ruth Athmann
P. O. Box 7222
Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7222
rathmann@csbsju.edu
Phone: 800.635.7303
This Issue of Abbey Banner looks to Easter life, to our faith founded on the
journey of Jesus through death to resurrection, and to the Churchs practices
and ministry of celebrating the transition from earthly life to death to eternal
life. Abbot John Klassen opens the spring issue with a reflection on Easter
belief. Father Michael Patella explores the richness and significance of the
readings for the Easter Vigil, the Queen of Liturgies. Other confreres address
the manner in which we prepare for death and honor the deceased. Father
Roger Botz shares the role of a hospital chaplain in ministry to the dying or
terminally ill, as well as the ministry to those who grieve the loss of a loved
one. Life and faith are both celebrated at the funeral liturgy. Father Anthony
Ruff explains the significance of music in the Mass of Christian Burial, emphasizing our faith in Jesus victory over death. Father Edward Vebelun reflects on
the ritual, simplicity, and beauty of monastic funerals.
Faith in the Lord Jesus is the foundation of monastic life. Prior Roman Paur
welcomes Brother Liting John Chrysostum (JC) Long who professed his solemn
(lifetime) vows as a Benedictine monk in Fujimi, Japan, in March. Prayer and
service are at the heart of The Saint Johns Benedictine Volunteer Corps (BVC).
Father Columba Stewart introduces us to Saint Thomas Abbey in Kappadu,
India, and to the communitys two Benedictine volunteers. Brother Paul
Richards announces the BVC class of 2015.
Before his untimely death in 2008 University President Brother Dietrich
Reinhart dreamed of strengthening the Catholic and Benedictine character of
Saint Johns University, consistent with the dreams of the founding monks in
1857. Father Mark Thamert confirms how the Benedictine Institute honors
these dreams and this mission.
Fifty years ago the Holy Spirit inspired the Second Vatican Council to issue
Sacrosanctum Concilium, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. Brother
Aaron Raverty outlines the significance of this document for the life of the
Church and how it guided liturgical renewal at Saint Johns Abbey.
This issue also captures one of the cutest critters in the Saint Johns woods;
offers two answers to the question: But what will the neighbors say?; introduces a monk pastor; and examines the juncture of justice and mercy: the
Churchs position on capital punishment. Father Timothy Backous concludes
the issue with a reflection on Gods loving mercy.
Cover: Resurrection icon by Aidan Hart
The staff of Abbey Banner joins Abbot John and the monks of Saint Johns
Abbey in extending prayers and best wishes to all our readers for a joyous
Easter season. Peace!
Brother Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.
Death is not extinguishing the light;
it is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.
Rabindranath Tagore
Abbey Banner Spring 2014
Easter Belief
Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.
o believe in Easter we need to know about death.

We need to know that death is real. Our culture uses every
imaginable trick to deny the process of aging, relentless
loss, and finally death itself. We hear of a young person who
dies from the flu. This is deeply troubling to us because of our
unquestioning faith in technology. Some go gentle into the night;
others go through cancer treatments, Alzheimers, or debilitating
surgeries. Countless others never have a chance; they die from
disease, starvation, or violence. We have to know that Jesus
really died.
Abbey archives
To believe in Easter we must believe in change, in conversion, in

transformation.
Jesus proclaims the reign of God and the need for change.
Those who first followed Jesus, however raggedly at times, were
those who were willing to change: Peter, James and John, Mary
Magdalene, the woman at the well, the Beloved Disciple. (His
hometown of Nazareth, not so much!) Everything is transformed
by the total self-gift on the cross and the unexpected, unimaginable resurrection. It breaks our language, it crumbles our
categories of analysis. The resurrection of Jesus says that selfgiving love is possible, that love is the most powerful force for
change in the world.
To believe in Easter we need to believe in life.
Not life as an abstraction, but my life and your lifethe life
of spouses, children, parents, brothers and sisters, friends and
enemies. We stand with God at the beginning of creation and
behold life with a sense of wonder, and say with God, it is
very good (Genesis 1:31). Every stage of life has its work, its
possibilities for growth, for getting stuck and finding a path
through, for failing and forgiving, for fear, doubt, and faith, for
reconciliation and peace. Life is always new. This is the promise
of the resurrection. Anyone who has lived needs Easter.
To believe in Easter we must believe in Jesus Christ.
It is the risen Lord who calls us by name, who has the words of
eternal life, who walks on the road with us, and teaches us the
meaning of the paschal mystery. It is he who gives us the great
commission to feed, heal, forgive, love, and baptize, who sends us
into the world to put flesh on the Gospel as we proclaim it. Only
Jesus Christ our risen Lord can speak these words with authority.
This is the day the LORD has made; truly it is a marvel in our
eyes! (Psalm 118:23-24)
New
Monastic
Prep
Profession
School
Headmaster
Easter
Vigil
Readings
Geoffrey Fecht,
Michael Patella, O.S.B.
ften called the Queen

of Liturgies, the Easter
Vigil is the foundation
from which all other liturgies
and prayers throughout the
year arise, and a major segment
of the Vigil itself is the Liturgy
of the Word. The Easter
Vigils biblical readings invite
us to see ourselves within the
narrative of salvation history;
when combined with the other
liturgical actions, the lessons
rehearse our communal and
personal redemption wrought
by Christ.
The context for the Easter Vigil
readings is the Triduum, the
single, three-day celebration of
the paschal mystery (Christs
passion, death, and resurrection).
The Triduum opens with the
Mass of the Lords Supper on
Holy Thursday, featuring the
account of the Passover in Exodus 12, the description of the
Eucharist from 1 Corinthians 11,
and the mandatum for the foot
washing from John 13. Good
Friday employs readings from
Isaiah 5253, Psalm 31, Hebrews
4 and 5, and the Passion according to the Gospel of John.
As the Triduum celebration

moves into the Easter Vigil,
we, the people of God, are
emerging from the somber
darkness of Christs passion
and death. The liturgical
drama uses this opportunity
to set that experience within
salvation history, and it does so
with the Vigil readings. Each
of the seven Old Testament
passages includes a response in
the form of selected verses from
a particular psalm or biblical
song. Following the Gloria,
the liturgy turns to the New
Testament. Romans 6 provides
the theological interpretation of
Christs dying and rising, while
the Gospel, from either Matthew,
Mark, or Luke, depending on the
yearly cycle, describes how the
resurrection was seen by Christs
apostles and earliest followers.
This year we will hear Matthews
account.
A variety of good, well-trained
readers, who sense the depth of
the text and the beauty of the
language, make the Genesis and
Exodus stories come alive as
well as light up the prophetic
utterances of Isaiah, Baruch,
and Ezekiel. Placing the readers
in different parts of the church
keeps the liturgy flowing. Sung
O.S.B.
responses for the readings also

engage us all in the great story
played out before us.
The Old and New Testament
lessons during the last days of
Passiontide are not sequential;
rather, they are constructed
thematically according to the
theology of salvation: suffering
and death in Christs passion
(Holy Thursday through Good
Friday) followed by the Vigils
narrative of humankinds
hopeful longing for redemption.
Drawing all our attention with
its resonant, opening verse, In
the beginning . . . , Genesis 1
relates the six days of creation
and the day of rest, followed
by the test of Abrahams faith
and Gods loving fidelity in
Genesis 22; then the rescue of
Gods people from the hand of
Pharaoh, Exodus 1415; the
strength of Gods covenantal
relationship in the face of human
apostasy, Isaiah 54; Gods universal bounty, Isaiah 55; Gods
enduring love for holy Wisdom,
Baruch 34; and the divine
rescue of Gods people from the
Babylonian exile, Ezekiel 36.
Saint Pauls great discourse
(Romans 6:3-11), the first
passage of New Testament
Scripture we hear at the Easter

Vigil, situates our salvation
within the life, death, and
resurrection of Christ. This
Pauline passage pulls all the
readings toward the climax of
the Liturgy of the Word: the
resurrection Gospel, preferably
introduced by majestic music
to accompany the sung alleluia.
No matter which Gospel of the
liturgical cycle we are using in
any given year, each account
is surprisingly brief, with few
details other than what the
women saw and experienced
and what they told the others.
Literally, words cannot describe
the resurrection event!
In Genesis and Exodus, Gods
loving initiative is expressed in
the creation of the universe and
humankind, the divine election

of Sarahs and Abrahams
descendants, and the rescue
of Gods people Israel from
the grip of slavery and death.
The prophetic literature then
interprets that history through
the eyes of God, who forms
and shapes the Israelites into a
holy people, all in preparation
for the coming of Christ. The
Old and New Testament readings together set our human
experience within Christs incarnation, passion, death, and
resurrection.
The readings supply the images
and metaphors for all the other
liturgical action within the Vigil:
lighting of the Easter fire and
candle, singing of the Exsultet,
blessing of the water, acts of
All the Vigils art and

action touch us most
inwardly, where we find
love lost and found,
forgiveness sought and
granted, and relationships
severed and mended.
baptism and confirmation, and

partaking of the Eucharist.
These same images and metaphors echo throughout the
liturgical year and have become
references for over two thousand
years of Christian art, music, and
literature.
Working in concert in this grand
liturgical drama of salvation
are fire, water, incense, song,
flowers, and splendid raiment.
All the Vigils art and action
touch us most inwardly, where
we find love lost and found,
forgiveness sought and granted,
and relationships severed and
mended. The Easter Vigil is
indeed the Queen of Liturgies.
As Saint Athanasius succinctly
summarizes the paschal mystery,
Christ became human so that
humans can become divine.
This great exchange is what we
celebrate at the Easter Vigil. B
Geoffrey Fecht,
O.S.B.
Father Michael Patella, O.S.B.,

rector of Saint Johns Seminary, is
a professor of New Testament at
Saint Johns University School of
Theology.
Lighting the Easter candle
New PrepProfession:
Monastic
School Headmaster
Fujimi
Roman Paur, O.S.B.
t has been a long time since a

monk of Trinity Benedictine
Monastery made solemn
profession! The last one was
Brother Makoto Paul Tada,
O.S.B., fourteen years ago. But
the waiting was worth it! During
Mass on the Feast of Saint Benedict, 21 March, Brother Liting
John Chrysostom (JC) Long professed solemn (lifetime) vows
in the presence of Abbot John
Klassen, O.S.B., and the Fujimi
monastic community. Earlier
in the day at Morning Prayer
Brother Shuuta Maximilian Kolbe
Oka, O.S.B., extended his simple
vows for another year. Brother
JC is the first solemnly professed
monk of Saint Johns Abbey
from mainland China assigned to
Trinity Benedictine Monastery.
Liting John Chrysostom Long,
35, was born in Datong, Qinghai
Province, an agricultural but
mountainous region about eight
hundred miles southwest of Beijing. Because of his parents work
circumstances JC lived with his
grandmother, Rongying Yang,
during his preschool years in
Lanzhou, Gansu Province. Mrs.
Yang had been a professor of
higher mathematics at Northwest
Teachers University and was an
accomplished pianist. She was
also a victim of the Cultural
Revolution in the 1960s, a dark
and tragic decade in Chinese
history, when it became a crime
to be educated. She suffered
mock trials and beatings from
mobs of jeering students. During
a period of twelve years before
the death of Chairman Mao, she
Trinity Benedictine archives
Brother JC Long (above, left) professes solemn vows in the presence of Abbot John
Klassen. Prior Roman Paur witnesses JC sign his monastic commitment.
was forced to do backbreaking

farm labor. This kindly lady
encouraged JC as a child to study
English and, in spite of her own
ordeal, instilled in him the value
of education. JCs father, Jiahui
Long, was forced to work in the
precious metal mines for thirtyfive years because his parents
were of the intelligentsia. JCs
mother, Xiumei Zhang, worked
as a chemist and production
manager in a garment factory.
While attending public elementary and high schools in Gansu
Province, JC became interested in
math and electronics. In 2002,
following four years of study, he
received a diploma in applied
computer engineering from the
Physical Sciences College at
Lanzhou University.
JCs journey to Christianity
and monastic life is remarkably
cosmopolitan. His college
was located near the Catholic
cathedral where he took advantage of the cathedral library.
There he met and received
instructions from the pastor
and was baptized in 2002 at
age 23. In 2005 JC moved to
the Philippines and spent a year
assisting in a Manila parish while

living with Chinese diocesan
priests. When he returned to
China he entered the National
Seminary of the Catholic Church
in China, Beijing, where he completed a year of philosophy. In
the seminary JC was influenced
by a visiting Ottilien Benedictine
monk from South Korea who
introduced JC to lectio divina
(meditative reading of Scripture)
and sparked his interest in monastic life.
Brother JCs pathway that led
him from the Peoples Republic
of China to Trinity Benedictine
Monastery in Japan included
Father Shun Anthony Yao, a graduate of Saint Johns University
School of TheologySeminary and
JCs spiritual director while he
studied at the Beijing seminary.
Father Anthony encouraged JC
to contact the vocation director at Saint Johns, who in
turn referred him to the Fujimi
community. The rest is history
that became our blessing. B
Father Roman Paur, O.S.B., is
the prior of Trinity Benedictine
Monastery in Fujimi, Japan.
In One Voice
My life is taking turns that I would not have ever
imagined as a child. There are many surprises. I
am learning a lot about myself and my expanding
world, and about my faith that is still pretty new to
me. I am discovering that what is important about
monastic life is what I can learn in the community
from my brothers and especially from common
prayer and holy Mass. I miss my country, and maybe
someday I can go back to China and be a small part
of Abbot Timothys dream of rebuilding a Benedictine
presence there. But that would be a long way off.
Now I just want to be a good monk. I chose the
name John Chrysostom, the fourth-century saint, to
remind me to appreciate whatever life has to offer,
try to make it better where I can, and always to be
grateful.
Brother Liting John Chrysostom (JC) Long,
O.S.B.
Lois Kauffman

The monks at Saint Johns pray
the hours in one voice
A difficult task for the
untrained and the hurried
The monks at Saint Johns

pause between lines
Between stanzas
Between prayers
They speak together
Speak to the unseen
The silence gives space
The space is prayer
Prayer happens
Prayer is more than noise
More than people
Prayer happens in the silence
The silence is uncomfortable
The silence is long
Nothing to hear
Silence
Saint Benedicts first rule: Listen
Listen in the silence
Listen to the words
Listen to the prayer
Listen to God
Listen with the ear of the heart
How does God talk?
How does prayer talk?
How does silence talk?
I listen: I hear
I listen: I know
I listen: God speaks
In the silence
May 2009
Narrow is the road that leads to life (Rule, Prol.48).

Brother JC clears the narrow path to the monastery.
Roman Paur,
O.S.B.
Benedictine Volunteer Corps

Kappadu, India
Columba Stewart, O.S.B.
n January I was able to spend

several days at Saint Thomas
Abbey, a Benedictine monastery
in Kappadu, in the hilly forests of
Kerala, India. I was there to teach
the younger monks and to learn
more about the daily life and work
of our two Benedictine Volunteer
Corps members, Ethan Howard
and Martin Hermann.
The founders of Kappadu
came from Asirvanam Abbey
in Bangalore, a Benedictine
monastery founded by Belgian
missionaries. When they arrived
in Kerala, they wanted to establish
a way of life that suited the local
culture. From the beginning they
focused on traditional agriculture
as their major work. The monks
sell eggs, milk, rubber, bananas,
coconuts, nutmeg, and other
crops. They also manage a large
hostel for teenage boys attending
a local secondary school. When I
was there they had just cleared

and planted a large banana plantation that uses drip irrigation
to keep the thirsty banana
trees happy throughout the
dry season. Our Benedictine
Volunteers help with the farm
and also teach English to the
junior monks.
The monastery consists of several buildings, with a beautiful
church atop a hill. It has the
feel of a small village. Although
the monastery was officially
established only in 1988 and
became an abbey in 2004, it
already has five small daughter
houses used for the formation
of candidates. Following local
custom, they start monastic
life at the age of 15. After
candidacy the young men go
to Kappadu for their novitiate
and juniorate formation.
Kerala is the home of Indias
most ancient Christian community. Firmly held belief maintains that Saint Thomas the
Apostle brought Christianity to

the region in A.D. 52. The native
Christianity of Kerala belongs to
the Syriac tradition, and its liturgy
to this day has close affinities with
that of Churches in the Middle
East. Although the monks at
Kappadu follow the Rule of Saint
Benedict, their liturgy is the SyroMalabar rite of their own Church,
celebrated today in Malayalam,
the local vernacular.
Father Columba Stewart, O.S.B., is
the executive director of the Hill
Museum & Manuscript Library.
Class of 2015
Paul Richards, O.S.B.
uring Easter week 2013

Saint Johns Abbey hosted
representatives from a
dozen faith-based volunteer
organizations as part of a Lilly
Endowment grant program
that encouraged postgraduate
volunteers to consider longerterm church service. Among the
Being a Benedictine Volunteer has not only allowed

me to immerse myself in a community that I would
not normally get the opportunity to be a part of, but
it has also allowed me to pursue further intellectual
and spiritual development in my post-university life.
Martin Hermann
I came to India with every intention of fully giving
myself to this way of life so that I may gain even
the slightest instance of wisdom that Saint Benedict,
and other intellectual giants alike, made a priority to
share with humanity.
Ethan Howard
BVC
Ethan Howard (left) and Martin Hermann assist with meal

preparation.
10
archives
Bailey Walter
Benedictine Volunteers, 20142015. From left, front to back, row 1: John (JD) Quinby, Patrick Kunkel, Jacob Helmer, John
Jaeger, Joseph Dick, John Dube; row 2: Mark Greci, Richard Rohlik, Mark Steingraeber, Connor Triggs, Joseph Kinnan; row 3:
Benjamin Precourt, Brandon Dorsey, Brian Vander Heiden, Cody Groen, Charles Dudek; row 4: Cody Lynch, Conall Quinn, Adam
Bachmeier, Drake Osterhout, Alexander Forster; not pictured: Lukas Ramsey
organizations present were the

Jesuit Volunteer Corps (which
predates the Peace Corps), the
Christian Appalachian Project,
Lasallian Volunteers, Quaker
Voluntary Service, and LArche
USA.
What distinguishes our Benedictine Volunteer Corps (BVC)

from other volunteer groups?
The key difference is that those
chosen to serve in the BVC have
been raised in our own backyard
as students. Other volunteer
organizations hire recruiters who
spend a considerable amount
of human and fiscal resources
finding their volunteers at
schools across the U.S. and then
vetting and training them. The
Benedictine Volunteer Corps
begins its recruitment and training when men enter Saint Johns
University as freshmen. The
undergraduate experience at
Saint Johns creates an applicant
pool seasoned in the Benedictine
culture of service and prayer.
And we dont have to travel
more than six blocks to find

them!
This years Benedictine Volunteer
class continues our elevenyear tradition of service to the
Church, the Order of Saint Benedict, and local communities by
more than one hundred alumni.
The applicant pool was the
largest ever (more than forty)
and comes from a class whose
members have distinguished
themselves academically, spiritually, and socially. Beginning
in June, Saint Johns Abbey
will send more than twenty
volunteers to Benedictine com-
munities around the world,

including two new sites, New
Norcia in Western Australia
and Mount Saint Benedict in
Trinidad.
Special thanks to readers of
Abbey Banner who support
the BVC through prayer and
financial contributions. Visit us
at www.saintjohnsabbey.org/bvc.
B
Brother Paul Richards, O.S.B., is

the founder of The Saint Johns
Benedictine Volunteer Corps.
Following a two-week retreat in late January,

Matthew Palmquist, 2012 alumnus of Saint
Johns University, has been serving in the
Benedictine Volunteer Corps at Saint Johns,
assisting in the abbey woodworking shop and
living in the monastery. As an undergraduate,
Matthew worked at the Saint Johns Pottery
and also helped to establish Johnnie Java, the
campus coffee shop. He will serve in the BVC
until June.
Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.
11
New
Prep SchoolInstitute
Headmaster
The Benedictine
about their vocations as
colleagues at Saint Johns and
Saint Bens. Ms. Gloria Chick
Hardy and I have a hand in
leading this formation program.
The assistant director of the
Benedictine Institute, Chick is
well known for her ability to
teach and guide participants
throughout the preparations
and the study tour itself. One
member observed, You took
a group of people who barely
knew one another and helped
us deepen our relationship to
God and each other. You have a
gracious gift for seeing the best
in everyone.
Mark Thamert, O.S.B.
he Benedictine Institute of
Saint Johns is well known
for its Benedictine heritage
study tours for faculty, staff,
and administrators. For twelve
days each summer, these groups
follow the footsteps of Saint
Benedict in central Italy and then
visit the founding monasteries
of Saint Benedicts Monastery
and Saint Johns Abbey, in Eichsttt and Metten in Bavaria,
respectively. More than one
hundred colleagues from Saint
Johns and Saint Bens have
participated in these pilgrimages.
All report that the group travel,
prayer, Masses, lectio divina,
and spiritual discussions are lifechanging.
For Professor of English Matt
Callahan, One experience really
stands out. It was during the
Mass at San Benedetto, the tiny
church in the heart of ancient
Rome just off the Tiber River,
where Father Mark served as
concelebrant and translator with
Father Maurizio, the Brazilian
pastor of this small parish. It
was morning, and later that
day we would experience the
splendor and magnificence of
Saint Peters and the Vatican.
But San Benedetto was simple
and quiet, plain by comparison.
The sky was pale blue, the
air clear and warm and still.
Swallows twittered just beyond
the open windows, and seagulls
called from the Tiber River
not more than a stones throw
away. In addition to the twelve
Americans, there was a handful
12
Gloria Hardy
Saint Johns Abbey coat of arms in the

crypt ceiling of Monte Cassino, Italy
of other participants in the

congregation. Standing within
those worn walls where Benedict
himself once stood, I felt at once
both large and small, removed
from the hustle and bustle of
Rome and the greater world
and also absolutely connected
to it. I caught a glimpse of what
might have driven Benedict out
of Rome to that cave in Subiaco
many centuries ago and also
what brought him back from
seclusion. It was, at the risk of
sounding too dramatic, one of
the most profound moments of
my life.
To prepare for these travels in
Italy and Germany, participants
engage in a five-month formation program that includes
meals and liturgies at our two
monasteries, talks by monks and
sisters, discussions of readings
on Benedictine spirituality, and
participants sharing stories
he impetus for the Benedictine Institute dates

to 2008 when former
University President Brother
Dietrich Reinhart, O.S.B.,
proposed such a center as a
counterpart to such institutes
at other prominent Catholic
universities such as the Jesuit
Institute at Boston College
and the Ignatian Center for
Jesuit Education at Santa Clara
University. Shortly before his
death Brother Dietrich became
the first director of the Institute,
succeeded in July 2009 by Saint
Johns University President
Emeritus Hilary Thimmesh, O.S.B.
With a group of colleagues,
Father Hilary set about crafting
a mission statement that would
honor the vision of Brother
Dietrich: The purpose of
the Benedictine Institute is to
strengthen and articulate in
fresh ways the Catholic and
Benedictine character of Saint
Johns University that has been
its hallmark since it was founded
by the monks of Saint Johns

Abbey in 1857.
The Institute fulfills its mission
by nurturing in students,
faculty, and staff, as well as
alumni, parents, and friends, an
understanding and appreciation
of Benedictine tradition, spirit,
values, and the many-faceted
Catholic intellectual tradition.
In collaboration with Saint
Johns University Residential
Life, we are now finalizing plans
for a group of twelve students
to form a living community in
Virgil Michel House at Saint
Johns. Beginning this fall the
participants will live, pray, and
learn about Benedictine life
together for nine months. They
will be taught by a team of
monks, sisters, and lay colleagues
who will introduce them to
community living and spirituality
in the Benedictine tradition.
This past October the Institutes
noontime lecture series included
a presentation by Brother David

Paul Lange, O.S.B., Designing
a church for Saint Johns in
the mid-20th century: What
the architect and the monks
had in mind. In November
Father Columba Stewart, O.S.B.,
gave a talk, From the Dark
Ages to Cold War Europe,
from Ethiopia to the Middle
East and India, and on to Timbuktu: How Benedictines cant
stop preserving endangered
manuscripts.
In addition, the Institute sponsors afternoon discussions on
spiritual and historical topics.
Recent discussions included the
America magazine interview
with Pope Francis and his
statement on the future of the
Church; four sessions devoted to
Professor Annette Atkins book
about the history of the College
of Saint Benedict, Challenging
Women Since 1913; and a slide
show and discussion with Mr.
Vince Michael on church and
monastic architecture. Other

discussions included Mr. Jose
Bourgets reflections on working
in the Church of the poor in
the Dominican Republic, and
a panel discussion by Sister
Josue Behnen, O.S.B., and Sister
Elizabeth Liebert, S.N.J.M.,
comparing Benedictine and
Ignatian views of discernment.
This spring Bishop Dennis
Madden, former monk of Saint
Benedicts Abbey of Atchison,
will talk about his years of pastoral service in the Gaza Strip
and about the spirituality of
the Decree on Ecumenism of
Vatican II, Unitatis Redintegratio.
Last month Professor Gerald
Schlabach, resident scholar
at the Collegeville Institute
for Ecumenical and Cultural
Research, gave a talk, Glamour,
a Sense of Place, and Young
People: The Meaning of Benedictine Stability in Todays
World. We also hosted Abbot
Primate Notker Wolf, O.S.B., who
discussed The Art of Leadership,
which he coauthored.
We continue to seek ways
to strengthen and articulate
our Catholic and Benedictine
character, so that in all things,
God may be glorified (1 Peter
4:11; Rule 57.9). B
Father Mark Thamert, O.S.B.,
director of the Benedictine Institute,
also teaches German language and
culture at Saint Johns University.
Gloria Hardy
Brother Dan Morgan and members of the May 2012 Benedictine heritage tour enjoy
lunch at Saint Scholastica Abbey, Subiaco, Italy.
13
Ministry to the Dying and Grieving

Roger Botz, O.S.B.
haplains contact with

terminally-ill or dying
patients is intermittent
rather than constant. We may
be with them when they receive
the initial diagnosis. Patients
may then transfer to their home,
a nursing facility, or a hospice
program. We may see them in the
hospital as they return from time
to time for specialized therapies.
Finally, in need of enhanced pain
control, patients may come to the
hospital a final time and die here.
Chaplain ministry is about the
meeting of a person with a person,
a patient with a chaplain. The
patient is the focal point. The
chaplain will meet the patient
where the patient is, emotionally,
spiritually, physically. What
the patient wants to talk about
is the agenda. If the patient
cannot or does not talk, the
chaplain provides a quiet, caring
presence. A chaplains role is to
let the patient know that God
is presenta God of mercy, of
tenderness, of forgiveness, a God
whose own heart breaks at the
When a chaplain
expresses sorrow
over loss,
it is God
who is speaking.
14
Alan Reed, O.S.B.
same moment a patients heart

breaks. A chaplains task is not
to coach but to accompany.
For Catholic patients, a priest
can administer the healing
power of the sacraments, the
sacraments of anointing and
reconciliation and last rites.
From their early years, patients
have become attuned to the
importance of these rituals when
death approaches. Their faith in
God to heal and save makes the
rites effective. The priest offers
them as gifts from a loving God.
Dying is about more than the
patient, the chaplain, and God.
It is also about the family,
including everyone who carries
the familial fealty of love, caring,
and inclusion. The chaplain is
supportive of all, quietly and
unobtrusively present. When a
chaplain expresses sorrow over
loss, it is God who is speaking.
The chaplain may do well to

remind the family that not all
is lost in death. Love does not
end with death, neither their
love for the deceased nor the
deceaseds love for them. The
chaplain confirms: there are
many persons in heaven whom
we love, and many who love us,
and now your dear one is among
them. Memories are not lost
either, neither for the deceased
nor for us. What does end with
death is the physical relationship
with the deceased, and that loss
must be grieved. Sometimes the
greatest gift from the chaplain
is to encourage the family to
grieve and to stand with them
in their loss. Then we let go. B
Father Roger Botz, O.S.B.,

has served in the spiritual
care department of St. Cloud
Hospital since 1985.
Music for the Mass of Christian Burial

Anthony Ruff, O.S.B.
lder readers might

remember the Requiem
aternam and Dies ir
chants of the old Latin funeral
Mass. The Requiem aternam is
the entrance antiphon, Eternal
rest (grant unto them, O Lord).
Its opening words eventually
became the name for the whole
liturgy, and hence some still
speak of a Requiem Mass for
the dead. The second chant,
Dies ir, is the sequence hymn
formerly sung before the gospel
reading. Its text is ominous:
Day of wrath, day when the
world dissolves in ashes. A
later stanza says, Tearful that
day when the guilty one arises
from the ashes to be judged.
Spare him, O God!
The first chant is still part of
the funeral Mass, but since
the Second Vatican Council
(19621965), the second is
not. Why the change? Because
the Council decreed that the
rite for the burial of the dead
should express more clearly the
paschal character of Christian
death. This means expressing
the entire Easter Triduumnot
just the death of Good Friday
but also the resurrection of
Easter Sunday. The second chant
was thought to be too focused
on dread judgment, without the
hope of the resurrection, and so
it was removed.
coffin. It is a gentle and consoling piece in which we entrust

our brother to a forgiving and
merciful God. In most parishes,
some other English hymn is sung
to express the mystery of death
and resurrection, as the reformed
liturgy also permits.
The introduction to the Order of
Christian Funerals tells us that
the funeral liturgy has several
purposes: to proclaim that the
risen Lord is the center of the
Churchs life, to strengthen the
faith in the paschal mystery
of all the participants, to pray
for the dead with confidence in
Jesus victory, to console those
who mourn, and to offer praise
and thanksgiving to God for the
gift of the life of the deceased.
The music of the funeral liturgy
should express this rich expanse
of themes. The emphasis is on
the Lord and his victory, with the
deceased and mourners sharing

in the Lords life. This is not
simply a celebration of life of
the deceased, nor is it quite a
Mass of Resurrection, as some
want to call it. The music should
be hopeful, with even a bit of
Easter joy breaking through, but
should also express our sadness,
including our acknowledgment
of the reality of sin in our lives.
We pray for the deceased, but in
a spirit of hopeful confidence,
as in the communion antiphon,
May eternal light shine upon
them, O Lord, in company with
your saints forever, for you
abound in love. B
Father Anthony Ruff, O.S.B., teaches

liturgy and liturgical music at Saint
Johns School of TheologySeminary
and is the moderator of Pray Tell,
praytellblog.com, a blog that offers
practical wisdom about liturgy.
This is the feast

of victory
for our God.
Alleluia!
At Saint Johns Abbey we still

chant the Requiem aternam in
Latin as the monks process into
the church to stand before the
15
Celebrating Life in Death

Edward Vebelun, O.S.B.
remember, as a novice, my
first experience of a funeral
at Saint Johns Abbey. I was
struck by the ritual and beauty,
and I experienced a profound
feeling of understanding how the
final stage of my own monastic
vocation would unfold. I recall
standing in the baptistery of the
church, waiting for the monks to
arrive, and listening to the slow
tolling of the bell to signal the
departure of one of our own for
the next step of the journey unto
eternal life.

In the monastery, at the reception of the body, we gather in
the baptistery and sprinkle the
body with holy water to recall
our Christian vocation given
through baptism. Then we read
from the Prologue of the Rule
of Saint Benedict, Listen, my
son, to your masters precepts,
and incline the ear of your
heart (Prol.1). For the monk
this pulls the imagination back
to the noble beginnings of our
monastic vocation and places
death within the proper context
of the entire Christian and
monastic life. Saint Benedict
exhorts his monks to keep
death daily before ones eyes
(RB 4.47). Community members
speak with great fondness of
our funeral rite, a cherished
memorial of our brothers and a
way to place the reality of death
within the context of the entire
monastic vocation.

Following the initial reception
of the body in the baptistery, the
16
community processes into the

church with the body and recalls
the journey of life by reciting the
psalms and listening to the Word
of God, or another selection,
specially chosen to reflect that
monks life. For monks, who
enjoy a daily diet of Scripture,
it is easy to find a passage that
speaks to us of the character and
focus of our deceased confreres
life.

In all of this the presence of
the body is significant. The
Catholic funeral rite has allowed
for cremation for decades, but
it continues to give a strong
preference for the presence of
the body at the funeral Mass.
At Saint Johns, once the body
is brought to the front of the
church, we open the casket
so that we can look upon our
confrere. In life we knew our
brother only in a physical,
concrete expression; so seeing
his face and entire body dressed
symbolically in the monastic
habit gives us an appropriate
venue to mourn his loss and to

see our own eventual death as
a natural rite of passage from
death into life.

The presence of the body is
so significant and natural at
funerals that in some cultures,
such as in the Philippines, it is
common to keep the body at
the family home for days, or
even weeks, to allow friends
and family to gather, mourn in
its presence, and celebrate life.
In Japan, throughout decades
past, it was common to have a
ritual cleaning and dressing of
the body at the home, in front
of family and friends, instead
of taking the body to a funeral
home.

Our monastic funeral Mass
begins with the entire community gathering around the
body for a final view of our
brother as the casket is closed
and clothed with the white
pall, symbolizing a garment of
salvation. Following the funeral
In cultures where cremation is normative, appropriate leave of

the body is taken. For example, in Japan, at the closing of the
funeral Mass, each person in the assembly is invited to place a
flower into or near the casket. The body is then escorted by the
family and closest friends to the crematorium where they pray
and witness it go into the oven and the oven turned on. When
the cremation process is finished, by Japanese custom, the family
reassembles around the remains (mostly skeletal remains) and
takes turns ritually placing them into an urn. This urn is placed
within the family home for 49 days until it is ceremoniously
taken to its final resting place. The number 49 is believed to be,
in Buddhist mystical understanding, the amount of time the spirit
continues to roam the earth before it seeks its final rest.
Our funeral rite: a cherished memorial of our brothers and a way to place the reality
of death within the context of the entire monastic vocation.
University archives
Mass, the community processes

with the body to the cemetery.
The community walks along the
road chanting familiar psalms
that comfort us with the hope of
the resurrection. As we turn to
climb the hill into the cemetery,
we sing a pilgrimage psalm, We
shall go up with joy, to the house
of our God (Psalm 122).

Since we live and die in the hope
of the resurrection, there is no
need to mask the realities of
death. Following the cemetery
rite the body is lowered into the
ground, and all who are present
are allowed to cast a handful
of dirt over the casket or to
bless it with holy water before
it is completely covered. At one
funeral in the past, attendees

could even hear the roar of the
backhoe moving toward the
cemetery to seal the grave.
According to monastic tradition,
commemoration does not cease
when we leave the cemetery.
Grieving and closure are aided
by a display of photos and
memorabilia of the deceased
monk within the monastery that
are viewed and cherished by the
community. For thirty days we
also place two candles at the
dinner table in our monastic
refectory to honor the deceased,
and we recall his name at
Morning Prayer each day for the
same length of time.
The monks of Saint Johns Abbey

take great pride in our monastic
cemetery. Intentionally placed
atop a hill overlooking the
monastery and Lake Sagatagan,
it is adorned with ordered rows
of granite monuments that lie in
the midst of towering pine trees,
in the shadow of the centrally
placed cross. The cemetery is
frequently visited during walks
by confreres because of its beauty
and significance as a memorial of
our common life. B
Father Edward Vebelun, O.S.B., is
the pastor of Saints Peter and Paul
Church in Richmond, Minnesota,
and Saint Martin Church, Saint
Martin.
17
Bernard Buffet: The Passion of Christ
Clockwise from top left: The Agony in

the Garden, Ecce Homo, the Crucifixion
(including the scriptural text), the resurrected Lamb of God, and Veronicas veil.
Considered one of the most important
postwar French artists, Bernard Buffet
(19281999) worked in an expressionist
style, striving to show emotional content
with an aggressive handling of the artistic
elements. La Passion du Christ was published in Paris in 1954 in an edition of 140
copies and includes, along with the biblical
narrative of the Passion and death of
Jesus Christ, twenty-one drypoint, etched
illustrations. It is said that these images
were influenced by the photographs of
World War II German concentration camps
that were published after the liberation
of the camps. The folio comes in a distressed zinc box that further emphasizes
the absence of attempts to soften this
significant work of art.
From the collection of:
Arca Artium, Hill Museum & Manuscript Library,
Saint Johns University. HMML.org
Fifty Years of Liturgical Renewal

Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.
he Second Vatican Council

(19621965) was a watershed in the history of the
Catholic Church. Convened by
the charismatic Pope John XXIII,
this twenty-first ecumenical
council is sometimes likened to
an opened window providing
an inflow of fresh air. On 4
December 1963 the first document
of the council, Sacrosanctum
Concilium, the Constitution
on the Sacred Liturgy, was promulgated, addressing the general
principles for the restoration
and promotion of the sacred
liturgy. In the ecumenical spirit
of Vatican Council II, the stress
on unity and community allowed
for greater similarity in Catholic
and Protestant worship as well as
helped to overcome individualism
and a me and Jesus piety. This
Council teaching highlighted the
importance of adapting to culture
in liturgical reform.

After emphasizing that Christ
is always present in liturgical
celebrations, the Constitution on
the Sacred Liturgy underscored
the significance of the liturgy
for the life and vibrancy of the
Church as the Mystical Body
of Christ. It emphasized active
participation, a participation that
had formerly been limited by the
Latin language and the emphasis
on the priestly, clerical action
apart from the faithful in the
pews. It rebalanced the vertical
and horizontal dimensions of
the liturgyits hierarchical and
communal naturesin addition
to its mandates to teach and
20
Michael Crouser
provide pastoral care for all its

members as the Body of Christ.
The document addressed the
need to adapt liturgy to those
whose native languages and
customs were different from
peoples enculturated under the
umbrella of Western influence
(inculturation), and encouraged
the use of the vernacular while
not disparaging the timehonored traditional Latin.
Sacrosanctum Concilium outlined needed updates in the
liturgical life of each diocese
and its parishes, with limited
experimentation under the
supervision of the local bishop,
and the promotion of pastoral
liturgical action. This included

the nature and celebration of
the Eucharist as the summit
and ultimate sacrament of the
Churchs liturgical life, where
it encouraged acclamations,
responses, and other forms of
participation by the laity (the
dialog Mass), as well as
new norms for the sacraments
and sacramentals. Moreover,
the document addressed the
communal life of the prayer of
the Church in the Divine Office
and reconsidered the cycle of
the Churchs calendar of the
liturgical year. It spoke of the
contribution of sacred music
in liturgical celebrations and
advocated for the incorporation
of hymns and other new musical

expressions in addition to the
traditional Gregorian chant.
A fresh approach to the more
material and aesthetic aspects
of church art, architecture,
and sacred furnishings was
encouraged so each could enliven
the worship setting and inspire
the faithful in the space and
structures in which the larger
Churchs liturgy was enacted.

ow was such liturgical
renewal addressed at
Saint Johns Abbey?
Notable changes appeared in
the celebration of the Eucharist,
with a gradual move from Latin
into the full use of English, even
though Latin chant has been
preserved at Saint Johns, chiefly
in our simple Mass ordinaries
and in the chant schola choir
pieces. The musical repertoire
was broadened, especially in the
use of hymnody. Communion
always includes both bread and
wine. The various ministries
acolytes, readers, musicians,
and eucharistic ministerswere
opened to monks and to lay
men and women. Eucharistic
concelebration became the norm
on weekdays, along with the
virtual disappearance of the
private Mass.

In October 1967 our Benedictine
Congregation was granted
an indult from Rome for the
renewal of the Liturgy of the
Hours within broad, basic
parameters. At Saint Johns the
Liturgy of the Hours evolved
organically through four major
periods up to the present, gradually moving into the full use
of the vernacular. The use of

English facilitated the unity of
the whole communitypriests,
brothers, and guestsat daily
prayer. Our Liturgy of the
Hours began incorporating nonScripture readings from a wide
variety of sources: the Church
Fathers, ancient and medieval
texts, modern authors, Catholic
and non-Catholic, men and
women, living and deceased
authors, canonized saints, and
noncanonized holy ones. This
is broader than the preconciliar
Liturgy of the Hours.

A new prayer schedule was
devised, and the Hours were
prayed at their correct times,
never clustered together nor
mixed with the celebration of
the Eucharist: Morning Prayer,
Midday Prayer, Evening Prayer,
and Compline (privately). A
new and simpler structure came
to characterize Morning and
Evening Prayer: hymn, psalmody,
reading, prayer. The reading of
Scripture was increased at the
main Hours; prayers of litany
followed by the Lords Prayer
end the main Hours. These
litanies are original texts in
English; they are topical and
flexible according to contemporary needs and events.

In addition communal prayer
services of reconciliation are
celebrated seasonally at the
abbey. The communal anointing
of those whose health is impaired by illness or old age is
celebrated in Saint Raphael
Hall (the abbeys health care
and retirement center). Rites
of installation of persons in
ministries and of ordination to

the priesthood are celebrated in
community according to Roman
usage. Funerals use the Rite
of Christian Burial as adapted
by the U.S. Bishops with some
minor adaptations according to
Saint Johns Abbey customs.

Monks of Saint Johns, such
as Father Virgil Michel, O.S.B.
(18901938), spearheaded
the liturgical movement in the
U.S., arguing for the use of
the vernacular as well as the
implementation of the dialog
Mass long before Vatican II.
This encouraged the participation of the congregation in
the liturgical action. Father
Virgils call for liturgical reform
was taken up by Father Godfrey
Diekmann, O.S.B. (19082002),
himself a peritus or theological
expert at the Council. Through
the initiatives of these and other
monks, Saint Johns Abbey
gained the reputation as a worldwide leader in liturgical reform. B
Brother Aaron Raverty, O.S.B., is
a member of the Abbey Banner
editorial staff.
In the restoration and

promotion of the sacred
liturgy, the full and active
participation by all the
people is the aim to be
considered before all else,
for it is the primary and
indispensable source from
which the faithful are to
derive the true Christian
spirit.
The Constitution on the Sacred
Liturgy, no. 14
21
Flying Squirrels
Kristina Timmerman
hy flying squirrels?
Visitors to the
Saint Johns Abbey
Arboretum regularly ask this
question when they learn that
I conduct field research on
these nocturnal denizens. Why
indeed! The biology faculty of
the College of Saint Benedict and
Saint Johns University are always
on the lookout for field projects
that will contribute to our
students learning and synthesis
of scientific methodology, and
the chance of seeing one of these
elusive creatures draws students
interest like a magnet!
Southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) really are the
perfect study organism. They
are small, easy to trap and
handle, do not pose any health
or injury risks to students, and
the population is large enough so
we usually have success within
Kristina Timmerman
Hannah Von Arb (left) and Stephanie

Noyes record data about a captured
flying squirrel.
22
Kristina Timmerman
After being outfitted with a fashionable ear tag, the flying squirrel is released.
one or two trap nights. Because

these chipmunk-size animals are
nocturnal, most people are not
familiar with them. Despite their
name, they dont actually fly but
rather make use of a loose fold
of skin (patagium) that extends
from the front to the back feet,
allowing them to glide distances
of up to 150 feet, though twenty
to thirty feet is the typical range.
about five feet above ground. If

traps are merely set at the base
of the tree, the probability of
catching a flying squirrel goes
down significantly. Saint Johns
carpentry shop builds trap
sleeves out of scrap wood.
Our live traps slip into the
sleeve; a strap anchors the sleeve
to the tree with the trap safely
ensconced inside.
After receiving approval from

the Minnesota Department
of Natural Resources and the
institutional animal care and
use committee (IACUC), we
initiated our first trapping
project in May 2012. Jamie
Tessier, Wendy Buermann, and
Kelsey Puhalla (all 2012 Saint
Benedict graduates in biology)
participated in the initial study
with financial support from the
biology department and honors
thesis student fellowships. This
short-term project was carried
out to determine if trapping
flying squirrels was feasible.
Live traps were set up in grid
fashion (twenty-five traps total
in a 1200 square-foot area),
each anchored to a tree trunk
During our active research time,

traps were opened at dusk and
checked early the next morning
for four consecutive days. Traps
were then closed for three days,
and the cycle started over again.
This is how we achieve a ratio
of newly captured animals to the
recapture of the already marked
or ear-tagged animals. Since our
study was focused exclusively on
flying squirrels, we limited the
chance of trapping of diurnal
(day active) animals by opening
traps at dusk and closing them
after the morning check period.
When animals are captured, we
move them from the trap to a
gallon plastic bag for handling.
With the squirrel still in the bag,
the students determine gender
and reproductive status, and

take standardized measurements,
such as length of body and tail,
and weight. Each animal gets a
uniquely numbered ear tag, so in
future trappings we can identify
individual squirrels.
During the summers of 2012
and 2013 students assisted in
a population study of flying
squirrels; they estimated population size by repeatedly trapping, marking with ear tags, and
recapturing individuals. The
undergraduates also conducted
their own independent research.
For example, during the summer
of 2013, Kyle Gronbeck and
Stephanie Noyes explored
whether the old Saint Johns
entry road acted as a barrier
to squirrel gliding movement.
For the 2012 independent
study, Hannah Von Arb and
Stephanie Noyes investigated
the relationship between habitat
characteristics and trapping
locations. They wondered: Is
there a relationship between
where a squirrel was trapped
closing the trap for the night.

Raccoons quickly learned that
there was free food in each trap
and systematically walked trap
lines, opening each trap to eat
the foodagain, effectively
closing the traps. Therefore, our
estimate of squirrel populations
in a given area is not reliable
because our trapping numbers
were too small! We will head
back to the scientific drawing
board to devise solutions for our
mouse/raccoon problem before
we initiate another trapping
session.
A night bandit enjoys free food.
Stealth Cam
and the types of trees or amount

of woody debris on the ground?
Unfortunately for our trapping
efforts, white-footed mice and
raccoons had other ideas about
trap use! Mice climbed the tree
trunk and entered the trap for
the peanut butter and raisins
used to attract the squirrels. The
mice triggered the door to close
(as a squirrel would), effectively
Our summer independent

research projects were successful, however. The 2012 and
2013 summer fellowship data
results have been accepted
and presented at the National
Conference on Undergraduate
Research national meetings. In
addition, results were (or will
be) presented at the annual
Scholarship and Creativity Day
at Saint Benedict and Saint
Johns.
All students report that the
summer research enhanced
their undergraduate experience
within the biology department.
They gained confidence in their
ability to take on new tasks, and
expanded their understanding
of ecological and scientific
concepts. The experience was
also an excellent addition
to their rsuma win-win
relationship between student and
mentor! B
Stephanie Noyes checks a trap.
Kristina Timmerman
Kristina Timmerman is an adjunct

instructor in biology at the College
of Saint Benedict and Saint Johns
University.
23
Dear Monks,
arrived at Saint Johns on New

Years Day 2009, as wife of
a scholar at the Collegeville
Institute for Ecumenical and
Cultural Research, afraid I would
either freeze to death or die of
boredom! I came not knowing
what the Hours were and not
knowing much about monks or
why monks exist. But soon I
was walking to the abbey church
in minus-20-degree weather to
pray with you. I returned day
after day, not knowing why, but I
simply could not stay away. You
were always there in the choir
stalls; I came and you took me in.
You gave me hope.
At daily Mass I listened to homilies that were from the heart.
Some were inside the box, some
outsidebut they were homilies
that have and are changing my
life. I prayed prayers that were
no longer just words, but truths
that caused me to question and to
make commitments.
After five months at the Collegeville Institute, my husband
and I returned to our home in
Washington, D.C., but you were
still with me. I trusted that my
heart, the one you helped to heal,
the one that is learning to listen,
would be a heart that gives to
others and helps bring healing
and love to the wider world. If
and when that happens, it is
because of you.
We returned the next fall for a
full year at the Institute, and have
stayed. I know that you held me
in prayer when I was at the point
of death. In the summer of 2011
my family asked for your prayers
24
when I was suddenly struck by

meningitis and encephalitis and
not expected to live. I believe
your prayers were heard and
brought me back to Saint Johns.
Thank you! I thought prayer
was only for the pious and holy,
but you made it available to me
and for me.
While praying with you I found
an old friend in myself, someone
whom I had forgotten. You
have provided me a place where
I could write, a place where
I could survive a Minnesota
winter and enjoy it. A monk
taught me to accept prayer as
community and as joy. When
praying the Hours I lift my voice
and listen to the voices of others.
I become one voice in the choir
of many voices.
love resides, a place where fear is

so powerful that I want to run,
and run fast, but which calls me
back and wont let me run. It
is both talking and listening.
Talking I know; listening is
difficult.
We have opened the Michael
Sattler House across the road
from the monastery grounds,
where we now live. Inspired by
a sixteenth-century Benedictine
prior who was martyred for
social justice, we provide hospitality to others involved in social
justice, offering them what we
have been given at Saint Johns.
Our door is open to all, as Saint
Johns has been to us.
Yours in thanksgiving,
Lois Kauffman
Prayer is beyond my understanding, but a place where I

now must live, a place where
Good Neighbors
Alan Reed,
O.S.B.
Eileen Haeg
here is an old saying: You

can choose your friends,
but not your neighbors
(or relatives, for that matter).
My husband, Richard, and I
chose to become neighbors of
Saint Johns Abbey. The year
was 1959. The abbey and
university church was under
construction, and Richard was
assisting in crafting the stainedglass window for the churchs
north faade. I was soon to
graduate from the Saint Cloud
Hospital School of Nursing,
and we planned to be married
in 1960. That summer Saint
Johns Abbey sold us a building
site in Collegeville on the other
side of Highway 52, now I-94.
That was the beginning of our
relationship as neighbors of the
abbey.
Our neighborhood consisted of

twelve houses, some of which
were built by the abbey for their
lay employees and families;
professors and trades people
employed by Saint Johns built
others later. The abbey was and
is our generous neighbor. Their
woods are our woods. Children
and adults spend many happy
hours exploring the trails and
ravines on foot in summer, or on
skis and snowshoes in winter.
Their lake is our lake. Summers
are spent with children playing
at the beach, learning to swim,
and even catching fish. Their
church is our church. Baptisms,
First Communions, weddings,
and funerals mark events in our
lives that are shared with our
abbey friends. Daily and Sunday
Masses are also times to come
together as neighbors.
Saint Johns serves as a cultural
oasis in central Minnesota.
Neighbors can take advantage
of the library by checking out
books and films. Many cultural
events are offered. Some are for
entertainment; others include
nationally acclaimed speakers
on social justice, political, or
religious issues. These are
usually open to the neighbors,
free or as ticketed events.
The abbey is a never-ending
source of local conversation.
Neighbors speculate and comment on the latest abbey project,
sometimes scratching their
heads as to the wisdom of the
current undertaking, but always
interested and often influenced
by the success (or not!) of the
venture. The church forever

changed the architectural vision
of the neighborhood. The
flowerbeds and the landscaping
are inspiring. The abbey continues to be a source of ideas in
art, architecture, music, theology,
landscaping, and resource management.
As neighbors we are aware of
each others joys and sorrows,
strengths and weaknesses. We
share in abbey celebrations
and funerals. When the media
takes the abbey to task over
abuse issues, we are saddened
with them. Their troubles
become our troubles. We are a
neighborhood.
I spent thirty-three years working for the abbey in health
care. The commute was great!
In good weather I could walk
the old road through the
woods to my job. In 1996
the abbey generously gave me
the opportunity to further my
education, which I then used in
service of the abbey until 2009.
I recently returned to the abbey
as volunteer coordinator, a job
that lets me stay in contact with
the community and promote
neighborliness. I hope the abbey
has benefited from the good
will, help, and kindness of their
neighbors also. B
Ms. Eileen Haeg served Saint
Johns as a registered nurse,
physician assistant, and especially
as Doctor Mom.
25
Meet a Monk: Matthew Luft

taught in the religious education
program at Saint Boniface. Later
he did his student teaching in
Cold Spring and at Apollo High
School in Saint Cloud. But a
vocation also tugged at him,
and he entered the pre-theology
program at Saint Johns as a
seminarian for the Diocese of
Des Moines.
Abbey archives
Eric Hollas, O.S.B.
t was an odd place to meet.

There, in the middle of a
snow-packed street, Father
Matthew Luft, O.S.B., welcomed
me to Saint Boniface Church
in Cold Spring, Minnesota. He
had just finished Mass and was
headed across the street for
breakfast in the rectory. For a
few moments we chatted, until
the cold gusts and a car chased
us out of the street. To all
appearances Matthew seemed to
have all the time in the world;
but looks often deceive. This is
one monk with a lot on his plate.
Born in Des Moines, Iowa,
Matthew came as a freshman to
Saint Johns University in 1991.
At the time he was not sure
of his career path, but neither
monastic life nor Minnesota
figured into his future. Law
school and education ranked
among the more likely possibilities, and as a student he
26
In the fall of 1996 Matthew

began seminary training at The
Catholic University of America
in Washington, D.C. Two
years of reflection confirmed
in him the call to ministry, but
those years also unearthed a
surprise. If he were to minister,
community would have to be a
component. With that to chew
on, he left Washington and
taught in Phoenix for two years.
There he continued to pray, and
his search led him back to Saint
Johns. In 2000 he entered the
novitiate of Saint Johns Abbey,
professed vows as a Benedictine
monk a year later, and in January

2005 was ordained to the priesthood.
There were other threads that
contributed to this pilgrimage as
well. First, he had grown up in
a Catholic family that included
two older sisters and three
younger brothers. His father
had been ordained a deacon,
and Father Matthews parents
had participated in the diaconate
program at Conception Abbey
in Missouri. At Saint Johns,
Sister Kristin Malloy, O.S.B.
(19222007), further added to
the Benedictine strand. In her
First Year Symposium, when
Matthew was an undergraduate,
she discussed monastic life as well
as her own life as a Benedictine.
She was a woman of faith and
ideals, he recalls, and she had a
profound influence on him. Two
monks reinforced her impact.
Matthew remembers well the
day Abbot Jerome Theisen, O.S.B.
(19301995), spoke
about the Rule of
Saint Benedict; and
daily he saw Father
Cletus Connors,
O.S.B., the faculty
resident on his
freshman floor.
Heather Luft
Father Matthew celebrates his nieces First Communion

with Deacon Dad/Grandpa.
Following ordination Matthew

returned to Catholic University,
where he began the
doctoral program
in liturgical studies;
he passed his oral
dissertation defense
in March. He continued to ponder
his vocational path, this time

concentrating on the balance
between prayer and work, and
the work he might later pursue.
For one thing, he relished the
chance to study the liturgical
tradition of the Church. He
also discovered how much he
enjoyed teaching. While there
he taught graduate courses on
Ministry and the Liturgical
Presider and Introduction to
Liturgical Preaching, as well
as one undergraduate course.
On weekends he assisted at
Our Lady of Mercy Parish
in Potomac, Maryland. He
describes that experience as
absolutely phenomenal,
because it forced him to translate his formal theology into
language that was accessible
to people in the pews.
In 2013 Father Matthew became
the twenty-fifth Benedictine pastor of Saint Boniface Church.
Not surprisingly, he has not
ceased to reflect on what it
means to be a monk and now
a pastor, but he is firm in one
conviction. Im a disciple of
the Lord, he says. From that
flows life as a monk, a student,
a teacher, and a pastor. All
monks are disciples first, he
continues, and nothing else
matters.
But of course there are practical
issues to consider. For one,
Matthew draws inspiration
from the monk-missionary Saint
Boniface. Like all monk-pastors
before him, Matthew admits
to the challenge of maintaining
contact with a community that
is fifteen miles away. He returns
Father Matthew (left) and Stella and Louie enjoy a lake outing.
to the abbey regularly, both to

visit as well as to serve on the
abbey finance committee and
the mentor council. He also
welcomes confreres who come
on occasion to help with the pastoral work at Saint Boniface.
A second challenge is the steep
learning curve he faces as pastor.
Parish administration demands
a great deal of attention, as do
the peoples needs on a daily
basis. There is also a growing
Hispanic community to consider;
Matthew is fortunate to be fluent
in Spanish. And he is well aware
of the great legacy that twentyfour Benedictine pastors have
left at Saint Boniface since 1878.
Its easy to pick up the earnest
tone in Matthews voice. Hes
grateful for the impact that his
parents, Sister Kristin, and so

many others have had on his
spiritual journey. Hes thankful
for life in community and for the
chance to pursue graduate study.
He feels privileged to translate
the Gospel into the experience
of people in the pews. And hes
especially awed that people
would welcome him into their
lives as pastor.
There is no doubt that Father
Matthew is one busy monk. But
above all else he is glad to be
a disciple of the Lord. Maybe
thats why he is more than happy
to stop in the middle of a snowy
street and share a bit of that life.
B
Father Eric Hollas, O.S.B., is deputy

to the president for advancement
at Saint Johns University.
27
Where Justice and Mercy Meet

Old Testament, you shall give
life for life, eye for eye, tooth for
tooth, hand for hand (Exodus
21:23-24), the authors take the
readers through the Mosaic Law
into the New Testament, asking
What Would Jesus Do? in contemporary American society?
hile browsing in
the Liturgical Press
showroom last fall, I
came upon Where Justice and
Mercy Meet: Catholic Opposition to the Death Penalty. The
title caught my attention because
I have a pen pal who has been
on death row in Raleigh, North
Carolina, for nineteen years.

Following a Foreword by Sister
Helen Prejean, C.S.J., editors
Trudy D. Conway, David
Matzko McCarthy, and Vicki
Schieber, all associated with
Mount St. Marys University in
Emmitsburg, Maryland, have
assembled the relatively short
articles by seventeen authors.
The articles are sometimes
preceded by an introduction
by the editors, and followed by
a short editorial commentary
or review. At the end of each
chapter are two or three questions for group discussion.
Interspersed throughout the
book are factual stories of people
who have been affected by the
murder of a family member. Ms.
Schieber, for example, tells of her
struggles when her daughter was
raped and murdered in 1998.
She and her husband realized
that vengeance and retribution
were not the answer to their grief
and would not bring closure
to the family. They chose,
instead, to honor their daughters
memory by working to abolish
the death penalty.

The book reveals some startling
facts about the Catholic
Churchs position on capital
28
Choose Life (Deuteronomy 30:19-20), Suzanne Moore.

2006, The Saint Johns Bible, Saint Johns University,
Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Used with permission.
punishment. In the course of

the churchs history, there have
been three dominant practical
conclusions toward the use of
the death penalty, each situated
within a historical period:
(1) Prophetic rejection of the
death penalty in the first three
centuries of Christianity; (2)
Acceptance from the fourth to
nineteenth centuries; (3) Pastoral
opposition to the death penalty
in the twentieth and twenty-first
centuries. Starting with the
well-known passage from the
Some of the most recent statistics, given in a graphic format

in this book, reveal that only
nine percent of democracies
in the world today use the
death penalty, and the United
States is in that percentage. In
2010 only four countries in
the world (China, Iran, North
Korea, and Yemen) executed
more people than the United
States. Also in 2010, the Pew
Forum on Religion and Public
Life revealed that sixty percent
of U.S. Catholics support the
death penalty. Only seventeen
states have abolished capital
punishment.

This volume would be an excellent textbook for a college
course that offers a unit on the
history of the Catholic Churchs
position on the death penalty. It
is available from Liturgical Press
at www.litpress.org or by calling
1.800.858.5450. B
Sister Dolores Schuh, C.H.M., has
served on the editorial staff of
Abbey Banner since its first issue in
2001.
Those interested in being a
pen pal to a death row inmate
can contact Sister Dolores
Schuh at abbeybanner@csbsju.
edu to receive information
about an inmate in Raleigh,
North Carolina.
Abbey Chronicle
old, darn cold, dangerously cold! January

weather arrived a month
early, chilling the Collegeville
Christmas cheer. Santa and
Rudolphs annual trek from
the North Pole was quickly
overshadowed by the repeated
descent of the polar vortex!
(Definitely naughty, not nice.)
Frigid temperatures and lifethreatening windchill factors
closed schools and discouraged
travel throughout Minnesota
and much of the country during
the first month of the new year.
Frequent snowfalls, ice-packed
roadways, and numbing cold
were the norm through February.
Even our confreres in Japan were
overwhelmed by snow, such as
the nearly four feet that fell in
less than twenty-four hours in
mid-February and buried Holy
Trinity Monastery (above, right).
March came in neither like a
lamb nor a lion but more like
a polar bear: the temperature
never made it to zero, and the
windchill through most of the
day was in the -20s. During
Ash Wednesday services, monks
repented of having murmured
about how hot it was last
August. Cold weather marked
the first week of spring, delaying
the first collection of sap for the
maple syrup season until late
March. The community hopes
for a bright, but not white,
Easter. Come Lord Jesus!
December 2013
On Sunday, 15 December,
six hundred members of local
Latino communities gathered in
Roman Paur,
the abbey and university church

for a celebration of the feast of
Our Lady of Guadalupe. Bishop
Donald Kettler was the celebrant
of the Mass, Abbot John Klassen
concelebrated and preached, and
Brother Dennis Beach provided
a simultaneous translation of the
homily into Spanish. An open
house in Guild Hall, with all
manner of Latino fare, concluded
the celebration.
Despite the cold temperature,
a large crowd joined Abbot
John and the monks of Saint
Johns Abbey for the services
of Christmas Eve. Before and
during the Eucharist The St.
Johns Boys Choir and the abbey
schola presented a concert of
Christmas carols; after the liturgy,
light refreshments were served in
the Great Hall to fortify guests
for their travels home.
Between 26 October and
31 December 2013, a total of
fifty-one deer were harvested
O.S.B.
during the twelfth controlled

(and first archery) hunt in the
Saint Johns woods. About one
hundred hunters took thirtyseven adult does, one adult buck,
eight yearling does, and five
yearling bucks. The goal of the
controlled hunt is to reduce the
deer population to a level that
allows for the regeneration of
the forest vegetation and for a
healthy herd.
January 2014
Sung Gospels for Major
Solemnities in Multiple Voices
by Father Anthony Ruff was
published by Liturgical Press.
These musical settings are
written for two- or three-part
voices, adapted for the English
language from settings of
medieval manuscripts.
During the week of 12 January Abbot John gave a series
of retreat conferences to three
dozen priests of the Diocese of
29
New Prep School Headmaster

Saint Cloud at the Christ the
King Retreat Center in Buffalo,
Minnesota.
Bishop Bruce R. Ough, resident bishop of the Dakotas
Minnesota Episcopal Area of
the United Methodist Church,
preached at the community
Eucharist on 19 January in
observance of the annual Week
of Prayer for Christian Unity.
February 2014
During February and March,
Contuitus: A View from the Monastery, video installations by
Brother Simon-Ha Phan, were
exhibited in the Saint Johns
University Art Center. Based
on self-examinations and his
reflections on Benedictine life,
the video installations presented
a glimpse of monastic life, of
Nicholas Moe
Employees parking on the

southwest side of the campus
on 15 January were shocked to
discover but a shell of the Saint
Johns Paint Shop standing. A
fire, which began about 5:30 the
previous evening, had consumed
the structure; only remnants of
the brick walls and the office
space at the south end (a 1938
addition to the original 1912
building) were still standing.
Lost in the fire were 143 bed
frames, dozens of chairs, and
other furnishings from the abbey
30
woodworking shop that were

being varnished in preparation
for use in the university dorms.
Two Steinway grand piano
lids from the university music
department, being refinished
because of water damage last
summer, were also lost. No
lives were lost, however; thanks
be to God. Mr. Rob Stoeckel,
paint shop coordinator, and
student workers were unharmed.
Battling the blaze was the Saint
Johns Fire Department, assisted
by the Avon and Saint Joseph
monastic values and virtues,

of place and community, and
of a specific manner of life
that is Saint Johns, according
to Brother Simon-Ha. My
own experience of living and
working as a monk, teacher,
and filmmaker are all alluded
to in this exhibition. Although
it focuses on the monastic life,
with its ebb and flow, successes
and struggles, beauty and
ordinariness, it presents a life
University archives
departments, as well as by the

S J F D monk-auxiliary, who
made Johnnie Bread sandwiches
for the firefighters.
Designed by Father Raphael
Knapp, O.S.B., the building served
as the community laundry from
1913 until the mid-1970s when
the laundry operation moved to
the monastery and the building
became the paint and finishing
shop. Since 1979 the building
has been listed on the National
Register of Historic Places.
that is very much like any

other life commitment. Its
an ordinary life, but one that
requires extraordinary grace
from God.
After only a couple of days I

noticed the abbey and the liturgies were having a strong
effect on me. I was only able to
describe it as a feeling of being
overwhelmed. A persistent call
to the abbey led Bob to seek to
become a claustral oblate. I
look forward to spending my
remaining years here, working,
praying, and playing with the
monks, says Bob. Its a good
life!
March 2014
Abbey archives
On 15 February Mr. Robert

Bob Kirkley was invested as a
claustral oblate of Saint Johns
Abbey. Though they are not
monks, claustral oblates are men
who seek God by following the
Rule of Saint Benedict, share the
common life of the monastery,
and make a promise of obedience
to the abbot.
Chemistry has been the focus of
much of Brother Bobs life. After
completing a masters degree in
organic chemistry at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst,
he worked as a chemist for
Union Carbide Corporation in
Tarrytown, New York. He later
taught high school chemistry
for several years before joining
the chemistry department at San
Jacinto College Central Campus
in Pasadena, Texas, a position he
held for thirty-five years.
Brother Bob recalls his first visit
to Saint Johns in May 2005.
A $172, 213 grant from Xcel

Energys renewable development
fund will be used to install an
additional 198 kilowatts of solar
capacity at the Saint Johns solar
energy farm. The new fixed
tilt panels will also allow for a
comparison of efficiency with
the current linear axis tracker
technology. The power level of
the solar farm is now 400kW,
which represents four percent of
Saint Johns annual energy needs.
On 1 March Mr. Nathanial
Putnam and Mr. Brad Rothrock
began a three-month candidacy
program to discern a call to the
monastic life at Saint Johns
Dreams of spring
lred Senna, O.S.B.
Nathanial Putnam (left) and Brad Rothrock
Abbey. Nathanial, age 35,

from Oakland, California, has
managed a caf for the last few
years and has been active as a
minister of faith formation in
his parish. Brad, age 43, originally from Tucson, Arizona, is
completing his dissertation as a
doctoral candidate in theology
and education at the Boston
College School of Theology and
Ministry.
On 15 March nearly two
hundred local volunteers took
part in Community Tapping
Day at the Saint Johns Abbey
Arboretum. Hundreds of maple
trees were tapped with nearly
nine hundred spiles to inaugurate the maple syrup season. B
Robin Pierzina,
O.S.B.
31
Fifty Years Ago

Excerpted from The Record, official
newspaper of Saint Johns University:
17 January 1964
That wasnt a friendly bonfire

on the ski hill last Sunday. It
was a full-fledged blaze that
reduced [the warming house] to
a heap of ashes, and although
Brother John [Anderl] and crew
put out maximum effort to stop
the fire, it was levelled.
28 February 1964
An estimated $12 million

program that will complete the
second and third phases of Saint
Johns 100-year comprehensive
development was announced
today. The second phase of the
program, tentatively scheduled
for completion in 1967, includes
a new library already designed
by Marcel Breuer and a science
hall to replace the 1910 building
[Simons Hall; formerly Engel
Hall]. Work will begin this year.
Top priority in the second phase
of the comprehensive plan
has been given to the 600,000
volume library. It will replace
the present building [Wimmer
Hall] which was completed
in 1901. In view of the rapid
changes which are taking place
in technology, the library has
been designed in as flexible a
manner as possible. Fixed rooms
will appear only around the
periphery of the building, and
the majority of the space may
be adjusted for shelving, seating,
or electronic installations as
future circumstances suggest.
The third phase of the longrange plan includes a [university]
32
University archives
Alcuin Library: the tree of knowledge
recreation center, a student

union, a residence hall, and two
additional buildings for the
preparatory school.
6 March 1964
Marcel Breuer visited Saint

Johns on February 2627 to
help reconsider and update the
100-Year Building Plan, initiated
in 1953, to consult the library
committee on construction
of the new library, and to
begin preliminary studies for
construction of a proposed
science hall. Mr. Breuers visit
was his first since the dedication
of the abbey church in 1961.
While touring the church,
Mr. Breuer commented on its
excellent construction and
praised the contractor. He also
had words of praise for Val
Michelson, a former associate
responsible for designing the new
prep school.
17 April 1964
Saint Johns University has

been granted an unqualified
preliminary accreditation
by the North Central
Association of Colleges
and Secondary Schools to
grant a masters degree in
sacred studies. Saint Johns
accepted the challenge of
founding the Benedictine
Institute of Sacred Theology
in 1957, with a five-year
summer cycle of theological
and monastic studies. The
Graduate School, open
to priests, seminarians,
religious and laity, offers two
sequences of study toward
the masters degree.
Excerpted from Confrere, newsletter
of Saint Johns Abbey:
(Volume II, No. 2 [February

1964]) In January the theology
faculty informs their students
that a more realistic grading
system will be introduced. Said
one prof: Anyone receiving
an A in my course should be
teaching it.
(Volume II, No. 3 [March
1964]) At the Vatican Pavilion
at the New York Worlds Fair
there will be on display many
religious art objects from Saint
Johns. For the most part they
are statues from the chapels in
the crypt of the church.
(Volume II, No. 4 [April
1964]) Maple syrup operations
start up after a lapse of four
years. Over 1500 pails are
hung out by Brother Marcellus
Handorgan and his crew. By the
end of the season 182 gallons
had been boiled down for use on
the pancakes and French toast in
the monastic refectory. B
Monks in the Kitchen

Gathering the Brothers
lred Senna, O.S.B.
onks typically take their

meals in common with
the whole community.
But occasionally a few of us
will gather for a meal and the
opportunity to deepen personal
relationships that, in turn,
strengthen the community as
a whole. Recently I had the
opportunity for such a meal with
a few of my confreres. Brother
Michael Leonard Hahn, O.S.B.,
who serves as a faculty resident
in one of the university dorms,
hosted several confreres for a
Sunday supper.
The residential area in which
Michael Leonard serves offers
apartment-style living and, with
its open design, is especially
suited to extending hospitality.
It allows him to prepare a meal
while interacting with guests,
even inviting them to assist with
the preparation of the meal.
Brother Michael Leonard prepared a simple and wonderfully
delicious appetizer, called
Spanish mushrooms, as he
explained the origin of his love
for cooking. His interest began
while serving as a Benedictine
Volunteer in Newark, New
Jersey. There he had the opportunity to try many local foods,
and he developed a desire to
conjure up some of those flavors
in his own kitchen. He taught
himself through trial and error,
research and experimentation.
Michael Leonards efforts were

definitely successful. We enjoyed
not only the Spanish mushrooms
but also beautifully prepared
and presented braised pork
chops, baked asparagus, freshbaked bread, and a dessert of
crme brle. The latter two
items were prepared by Brother
Paul Richards. The whole
eveninga shared meal, prayer,
conversation, laughterserved
to strengthen our fraternal
bonds. May it always be so
whenever friends gather to break
bread! B
Brother lred Senna, O.S.B., is the
vocation director of Saint Johns
Abbey.
lred Senna, O.S.B.
Brother Michael Leonard prepares

Spanish mushrooms for the brothers.
Spanish Mushrooms
(serves 4)
1 t. olive oil
4 oz. thick-cut bacon, diced
cup diced red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. button or other fresh mushrooms (cleaned, stems
removed, quartered)
2 3 T. white wine
cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and add the bacon to brown and
render its fat.
Saut the onion until translucent, then add the garlic, stirring
another 30 seconds or so.
Add the quartered mushrooms and stir until they soften and
begin to release their liquid.
Add the wine and continue to cook until the total liquid is
reduced by about half.
Stir in the parsley and salt to taste.
Serve hot, right out of the skillet, on small plates, tapas style.
33
In Memoriam
Please join the monastic community in prayerful remembrance of our deceased family members and friends:
Jacqueline C. Jackie Breher
Joseph Hucko Jr.
Shirley Mrochek
Mary Katherine Brenneman
Moran Mar Ignatius Zakka I Iwas
Roger J. Nierengarten
Norma Cowan
Gregory A. Jenniges
Sandra Sandy Notch
Daniel Durken, O.S.B.
Jose L. Jimenez
Flores Ottenhoff
Edward Eckroth
John E. Jorgensen
Aelred Reid, O.S.B.
Francis Ehnat, O.S.B.
Gerald Jerry Kavanaugh, Obl.S.B.
Francis Rex Riley
Dorothy Eisold, O.S.B.
Jeannette Klassen, O.S.B.
Marion Sauer, O.S.B.
Edward Englund, O.S.B.
Woodrow E. Woody Klingeman
Stephen Savage
Eunice M. Erceg
Ebert A. Konz
Francis Cloud Schellinger
Urban Feucht, O.S.B.
Nancee Kretschmer
Martina Schindler, O.S.B.
Tracy Lynn Flascher
Allen Al Kuebelbeck
Arthur Schmit, O.S.B.
Daniel Gagliardo
Joseph Laloo
Laurian Schumacher, O.S.B.
Stephen Leo Glady
Mary Henry Landsteiner, O.S.B.
Irene Margaret Shay
Marvin D. Hanson
Bertrand LaNoue, O.S.B.
Bishop Alphonse Sowada, O.S.C.
Austin Doc Harren
Robert Licari
Herb Taus
Dorothy Hauser
Caroline Liebl, O.S.B.
Mary M. Thelen
John N. Heinz
Hildegarde A. Lueck
Scott R. Westrup
Kathryn D. Kay Heiskari
Richard S. McGuire
Zachary Williams
Grace Margaret Hendel
Ethel C. Meagher
Joseph Woidyla
Jane Herbst
Eugene Mohr
Gilbert M. Zilka
Leonard D. Zylla
Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
Psalm 116:15
AMonks Chronicle
Father EricHollas, O.S.B., offers spiritual insights andglimpses into the life
of the Benedictine community at Saint Johns Abbey in a weekly blog, A
Monks Chronicle. Visit his blog at: www.monkschronicle.wordpress.com.
Father
Dons 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 abbeys website at:
www.saintjohnsabbey.org/reflection/.
34
Tender Fire
Timothy Backous, O.S.B.
very year the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary update

the text with new entries. Recent additions have included hoki,
which is a fish in the hake family found mostly in the waters
of New Zealand; or audist, meaning one who considers him- or
herself superior based on an ability to hear. A word that seems more
colloquial, but nonetheless effective, is whip-smart, used to describe a
person who is quick-witted or extremely intelligent.
One word I came across recently, but which Id never heard or seen
before, is smooring. The word refers to stirring a fire in a way that
will keep the embers glowing until morning. It is understandable that
this word would be unfamiliar to those of us who grew up with central
heating. Rarely do we find ourselves reliant on a fireplace or a wood
stove as the source of heat.
As used in an old Celtic prayer, the word is moving and profound in its
simplicity:

I smoor the fire this night
As the Son of Mary would smoor it.
The compassion of God be on my fire,
The compassion of God, on all my household.
May
Gods loving mercy
continue to warm
the hearts
of those
who need it most.
It is easy to imagine the deeply felt emotion of the one stirring the
fire as this prayer is said. The words speak to a desire to protect and
thereby love those in our care, those who depend on us for the most
basic needs of life. To place ones self in company with the Son of
Mary indicates a mindfulness of Gods pervasive presence in the fire
not only in the home but also within the relationships that thrive there.
Even though very few of us will smoor an actual fire today, there is
still plenty to smoor in our lives. The fires of compassion, empathy,
understanding, patience, and respect are under constant threat of
growing cold. May our dependence on and awareness of Gods mercy
be the smooring we need to keep the embers of those virtues and
practices alive. May Gods loving mercy continue to warm the hearts
of those who need it most. B
Father Timothy Backous, O.S.B., is vice president for mission integration and
Benedictine sponsorship at Essentia Health in Duluth.
I have come to set the earth on fire,

and how I wish it were already blazing!
Luke 12:49
35
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Abbey Banner
4 This Issue
5 Easter Belief
Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.
6 Easter Vigil Readings
Michael Patella, O.S.B.
8 Monastic Profession: Fujimi
Roman Paur, O.S.B.
9 Poetry
Lois Kauffman
10 Benedictine Volunteer Corps
Columba Stewart, O.S.B.
Paul Richards, O.S.B.
12 The Benedictine Institute
Mark Thamert, O.S.B.
Spring 2014 Volume 14, Number 1
14 Ministry to the Dying

and Grieving
Roger Botz, O.S.B.
15 Music for the Mass
of Christian Burial
Anthony Ruff, O.S.B.
16 Celebrating Life in Death
Edward Vebelun, O.S.B.
18 Bernard Buffet:
The Passion of Christ
20 Fifty Years of Liturgical
Renewal
Aaron Raverty, O.S.B.
25 Good Neighbors
Eileen Haeg
26 Meet a Monk:
Matthew Luft
Eric Hollas, O.S.B.
28 Where Justice and Mercy Meet
29 Abbey Chronicle
32 Fifty Years Ago
33 Monks in the Kitchen:
Gathering the Brothers
lred Senna, O.S.B.
22 Flying Squirrels
Kristina Timmerman
34 In Memoriam
24 Dear Monks,
Lois Kauffman
35 Tender Fire
Timothy Backous, O.S.B.
Benedictine Day of Prayer

16 May 2014: Religion: I dont practice it anymore
The day begins at 7:00 A.M. with Morning Prayer and concludes about 3:30 P.M.
Cost: $50. This includes retreat materials, breakfast, and lunch.
Rooms are available in the abbey guesthouse for the preceding overnight.
Register online at abbeyguesthouse.org; or call 320.363.3929.

Abbey Banner Spring 2014

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Abbey Banner Spring 2014

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Happy are those who sing with all their heart,

Henri Matisse, Jazz, 1947

Photo: Alan Reed, O.S.B.

Magazine of Saint Johns Abbey

Cover: Resurrection icon by Aidan Hart