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.

April 2008

(1) The transferred feast of St. Benedict (ordinarily celebrated on March 21). Archabbot Justin was the celebrant and homilist this morning.  Some 40 oblates are here on retreat, with Father Cyprian serving as retreat master. The monastic community joined the oblates for supper in the Newman Dining Room.

(3) Father Jeremy is leading the very popular annual retreat for parish secretaries at the Guest House. A number of the secretaries have made all or almost all of these retreats over the years.

(4) With the approval of Archabbot Justin, Archbishop Raymond Burke has named Father Samuel as the founding director of the Institute of Sacred Worship for the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

(5) Alumnus Abbot Joel Macul (St. Paul’s Abbey, Newton, NJ) is with us for several days.

(6) Today Father Archabbot was in Bloomington, IN, and Martinsville, IN, for confirmations. Father Gabriel served as his master of ceremonies. The music group VOCE gave a concert in the Archabbey Church this afternoon.

(7) Archabbot Justin was among those attending this evening’s Evansville alumni dinner.

(8) Personnel from the Rush Study on Aging and Alzheimer’s are here this week for their annual meetings with the monks who are participating in the study.

(9) This evening we hosted benefactors from the Lincoln Hills (Indiana) area for Vespers, a reception and dinner.

(10) Father Archabbot had development visits in the Evansville area today.

(11) Changeable and very windy weather today, with temperatures climbing into the 70s. Father Eugene is leading a retreat at the Guest House this weekend with 36 signed up.

(12) Father Jeremiah Grosse (St. Mary’s Abbey, Morristown, NJ), who has been with us for the past four years while studying in our School of Theology, was ordained to the priesthood today in New Jersey. Fathers Kurt and Gabriel represented us. Here at home, some 30 of the confreres enjoyed a lunch of pizza, beer and soft drinks at the UnStable.

(13) World Day of Prayer for Vocations. About 100 young people came to campus for today’s Youth and Young Adult Pilgrimage. Originally scheduled to take place at the Monte Cassino Shrine, the event took place at the Guest House because of inclement weather. Participants enjoyed the opportunity for adoration, music, fellowship and tasty barbecue (prepared and served by local chapters of the Knights of Columbus).

(14) Today we welcomed Deacon Greg Podwysocki (Joliet, IL), who is here to make his priesthood retreat.

(15) Archabbot Justin is in Indianapolis today and tomorrow for confirmations at the Cathedral. Father Julian, current administrator of the Cathedral, will serve as master of ceremonies—a job he knows very well after years of serving in this position here! There was a gathering of benefactors this evening in Vincennes, IN.

(16) We share the American Church’s anticipation and excitement at the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI on our shores. We are proud that Father Samuel was commissioned to provide some of the music for the Vespers service at the National Shrine. Today is the actual 50th anniversary of profession for Brothers Giles and Kim. They were invited to sit at the abbot’s table during supper, and we honored them with colloquium during the meal. They were seated next to Abbot Bonaventure who, 50 years earlier, was the one who received their vows! We received word that Father Sebastian’s sister, Sister Delia, SP, died early this morning. May she rest in peace!

(18) Like the rest of the Midwest, we were shaken awake this morning by the 5.2 magnitude earthquake centered in Southern Illinois. The strongest aftershock came around 10:15 a.m. We suffered no damage here. Fathers Richard, Aelred, Aurelius and Jeremy concelebrated the funeral Mass at St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN, for Sister Delia. Father Noël has 28 married couples on retreat this weekend at the Guest House.

(19) Archabbot Justin was in Indianapolis to receive an award on our behalf from Bishop Chatard High School, recognizing Saint Meinrad’s community leadership through its various programs.

(20) Roger Walker, an Episcopalian seminarian from Louisville, joined us in the refectory for the noon meal.

(21) Today we welcomed alumnus Fr. Chris Bazar (Toledo, OH) and annual retreatant Fr. Dan Vogelpohl (Covington, KY), who will be with us this week for retreat.

(23) The junior monks were in Louisville this afternoon for a brief outing.

(24) The School of Theology hosted its staff appreciation supper this evening at the UnStable.

(25) The Board of Overseers of the School of Theology holds its spring meetings today and tomorrow. After this evening’s meal in the Newman Dining Room, the Board honored Father Mark for his 12 years of leadership as President-Rector, and Dan Schipp who, after 20 years as Vice President for Development, will be leaving Saint Meinrad this summer. At the Placidium this evening, the junior monks fêted Brother John Mark, the socius, on his patronal feast day.

(26) The Board of Trustees of the School of Theology met this afternoon. Father Harry and a number of the junior monks were at Monastery Immaculate Conception (Ferdinand, IN) this afternoon for the first profession of Sister Kimberly Ann Mandelkow.

(27) Elisabeth von Trapp, the granddaughter of Maria von Trapp, played the guitar and sang during communion at the Conventual Mass this morning. Her rendering of the music of Hildegard of Bingen was most inspiring! This evening Archabbot Justin blessed the Last Supper frescoes in the Guest House Dining Room. They are the work of Brother Mel Meyer, SM (St. Louis), and he has generously donated them to Saint Meinrad.

(29) Word came from the Abbey of Gethsemani (Trappist, KY) that Father Elias Dietz has been elected their 10th abbot.

(30) Nearly 25 volunteers joined the monks for the Midday Office in the Archabbey Church. They were then honored at a luncheon in the Anselm Dining Room for their generous service to the work of our Development Office. This evening we welcomed Father William Aruko, AJ (Knoxville, TN), who joined us for the evening meal in the refectory.

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.