
Today (Tuesday) was the abbatial blessing of Archabbot
Kurt Stasiak, OSB, with Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin,
CSsR, presiding at Mass and conferring the blessing. In my time
here, I have never seen the Archabbey Church so full -- with
visiting abbots, bishops, priests, deacons, alumni, students,
faculty members, co-workers, oblates, other guests, personal
friends of Fr. Abbot, and more. I hate to hazard a guess, but I'd
say there were well over 300 people present -- possibly 400. At
times, such as at Communion, it was a little tricky to
maneuver!
It was certainly a festive day, and all the stops were
pulled liturgically and otherwise: the church was adorned with
flowers and banners (and with flags outside), and the air was
filled with incense, the mellifluous voices of all those
worshipers, and the resounding notes of organ and brass
instruments.
Particularly moving was the litany of the saints, chanted
by the entire congregation as Archabbot Kurt lay prostrate on the
floor in front of Archbishop Tobin. After the litany, the
archbishop presented Fr. Abbot with The Holy
Rule of St. Benedict, and his ring, miter, and crozier.
(To see a slideshow of the occasion, click
here. And, to view even more photos of the
event, click
here.)
The picture above, taken by Krista Hall of our Development
Office, is the combined coat of arms for Saint Meinrad Archabbey
and Archabbot Kurt, which was placed above the main entrance to the
church for the day's festivities. On the left side of the shield
are two ravens representing the Abbey of Einsiedeln (our mother
house in Switzerland), and a ship symbolizing the arrival of the
first monks from Einsiedeln who came here to establish Saint
Meinrad in 1854.
Fr. Abbot's coat of arms on the right (which was created
by our Br. Martin Erspamer, OSB) depicts an eagle, evoking the coat
of arms for Germany, where Fr. Abbot was born in 1952. Below the
eagle is a representation of the U.S. Air Force insignia, with its
star and outstretched wings. (Fr. Abbot grew up in a military
family, having been adopted shortly after his birth by an American
Air Force officer and his wife, who were living in Germany at the
time; he is to this day very much an aviation
enthusiast.)
Incidentally, Archabbot Kurt has chosen for his
abbatial motto words from Psalm 26 (Grail translation): "Hope, Hold
Firm, Take Heart."
Please join in praying for him and our entire monastic
community, with this prayer from the Rite of Solemn Blessing of an
Abbot:
Give him the gifts of
your Spirit.
Set him on fire with love
for your glory and for the service
of your church,
and may he in turn
inflame with zeal
the hearts of his brothers.