Tower Topics ~ Spring 2003

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A glimpse of heaven

A pilgrim walks into a monastery and sees a golden telephone in the corner. The sign in front of the phone says, “Talk to God – $500.” He asks the porter about it and is told that the phone is a direct line to God. Unable to afford the fee, he moves on to the next monastery. Entering the front door, he finds another golden telephone. But this one has a sign that says the call is free. The pilgrim approaches the porter and says, “I was just at another monastery and they had a similar phone, but they were charging $500 per call. How come your phone is free?”

“Ours,” the porter responds importantly, “is a local call.”

(Chuckle or groan here. A belly laugh is probably too much to ask.)

There’s no golden telephone at Conception Abbey, but if there were, I suspect it would be a local call.

This issue of Tower Topics features a front-cover photo of sunrise over Conception Abbey and a back-cover portrait of the monastic community taken at Thanksgiving.

These two images capture a glimpse of why the thousands of people who visit Conception each year feel they have found a place that is a little closer to heaven. The quiet beauty of nature meets the wisdom and dignity of tradition.

The past year was difficult for the monks of Conception, but the hope and faith they sing of each day in the Liturgy of the Hours remains
strong. With the renewal of Lent, Conception finds itself stronger for its hardships. The monks will tell you their prayers for the world and for each other have grown and taken on even deeper meaning. As Abbot Gregory has said, the members of the community are more caring – softer – with each other. And the sunrises over the Basilica towers are as beautiful as ever.

I would encourage anyone seeking peace to make the long trip over rough Missouri backroads to Conception.

Come look at the trees. Breathe the country air. Visit the Basilica during one of the six times of community prayer each day (I recommend 6 a.m. vigils). And, of course, get to know the monks. Remind yourself of why it is important that we have places like Conception Abbey.

But even when you’re too busy to get away – even when you’re caught in traffic or stuck in a meeting and the abbey is a distant thought – it’s good to know it’s here.


Dan Madden
Director of Communications