November:

November comes upon us with the gift of memories. The feast of All Saints on Nov 1st and All Souls on Nov 2nd turn our focus to the many people who have gone before us. Those we name as saints are often people of former times and yet their heroic lives of virtue continue to speak to us. We depend upon their example and intercession to assist us in difficult times. Our own departed loved ones continue to be a part of our lives as we remember them and try to make sense out of the things that happen.

Inclement weather at the time prevented our usual liturgical procession in prayer through the cemetery on All Souls Day. Praying for the dead is something we monks do often. Daily we remember our deceased monks, friends, and benefactors at Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.

On Nov 6 we remembered our long time friends who have supported us with financial help through the years with a special Donor Appreciation Dinner. Without these generous and loyal friends much of our ongoing capital improvements would probably not happen. Sharing a meal together and honoring these good friends is surely a blessing to be celebrated with great and lasting gratitude.

Gratitude was certainly the theme which came to the fore during the entire Thanksgiving week. It was good to have most of the monks on mission here those days. Those who were missing were Brs. Paul, Macario, Victor and Guerric. These four young monks have been in theological studies at St. Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, IN and St. Vincent Archabbey of Latrobe, PA and will come home for the Christmas break.

Tuesday of Thanksgiving Week was devoted to a day long workshop by Fr. Michael Joncas who teaches theology at St. Paul’s Seminary, in St. Paul, MN. He spoke about the new translation of the Roman Missal, its background and its present form. He also helped the priests learn the new tones for the orations and the Preface of the Mass.

Wednesday of Thanksgiving Week was taken up by chapter meetings as well as a conference to the whole community given by the abbot in the afternoon. Our traditional night before Thanksgiving party honored and teased our six jubilarians: Fr. Richard Cleary, Fr. Hugh Tasch (60 years of monastic profession of vows); Archbishop Jerome Hanus (50 years of monastic profession of vows); Fr. Francis Stuart and Fr. Rene Guesnier (50 years of priesthood), and Br. Jude Person (25 years of monastic profession of vows).

These jubilarians and the whole community gathered with Abbot Gregory as celebrant for the Thanksgiving Eucharist on Thursday at 10:00am. The banquet meal which followed seemed to be a fitting way to recognize our community and individual blessings.

Nov 27 was the Beginning of the Advent Season which was very special this year since it marked the first time for using the new translation from revised Roman Missal. We have found that following the transition is going quite smoothly for the most part, although old habits kick in now and then without warning. That’s the story of human nature isn’t it?

December:

This month started tentatively with overcast skies for the most part and days cold enough to reach for the heavier winter coats when venturing outside. It was amazing to see the roofers and brick masons working on the guest house braving the cold winds to try to get the job completed. It turned out that the roofers were successful with the temporary covering (the copper will wait until the spring) but the masons had to close up shop for a while as it was too cold to lay bricks. They are finished except for one side of the building.

There is a noticeable picking up of the pace around campus as students, faculty, and monks are working on their "to do" lists before finals and heading out for Christmas. The Advent season is meant to apply the brakes to some extent and get people to think about the "reason for the season." We hope that this indeed takes place at least on the inside where it counts the most.

May these days be filled with peace and blessings for all people of good will.

"Try to remember… Oh, try to remember, the times of September…" the haunting lyrics and melody from the old musical The Fantasticks capture some of the beauty but also the blurring activities of the fall season. Through it all there seems to be connecting threads of activity throughout the months of September and October here at the abbey and the college seminary.

The Seminary Program moves forward: It’s always rather amazing to see the various pieces of our three-fold formation program coming together into a seamless garment of care and challenge for the young men who come here looking to join the priesthood. Some of the returning seminarians have the advantage of seminary experience behind them; others come with many questions about what lies ahead of them as they plunge into this new lifestyle. It’s heartening to see the enthusiasm and dedication these young men bring to the work of discerning whether God might be calling them to priestly ministry. The challenge for the whole formation staff, namely, academic formation, spiritual formation, and character formation, is to guide, support and even challenge that enthusiasm toward a mature and lasting response to the movements of grace in these young men. These young men learn that the work load is heavy and balancing one’s time between work, leisure, and prayer is always a challenge. The seminary administration, faculty and staff take their mission and responsibility very seriously with an eye toward bringing the best out of the seminarians, but also encouraging them for their future ministry. As it so often happens, those in charge may not know the immediate impact of their time and effort, but every now and then grateful alumni will express deep and lasting appreciation which makes it all worthwhile.

Construction and the "new look": With a new building for our new guest house going up right in front of our eyes, it soon becomes a focus for monks and students alike. The in-house entertainment from one day to the next is to try to guess how the various spaces will be used. The recent installation of the metal stairs gives a good reference point for the rest of the building. The steel roof girders also give more shape to the building. With good weather we hope that construction can march forward at a good pace.

Alumni Reunion and a walk down memory lane: The annual alumni reunion, Sept 23-24, hosted seventy-two returning alumni. Some of the alumni returned for the first time in forty years! They found quite a mixture of the old and the new. Re-connecting with friends and faculty represented the "old" and touring the new and re-modeled buildings provided the "new." Comments from alumni representing their graduating class at the banquet were very inspirational for seminarians and monks alike.

Using the new translation of the Psalms: After a tremendous amount of work in formatting, proof-reading, and printing the new books for the monastic Liturgy of the Hours has been completed. We began to pray the Psalms in September according to our new Revised Grail translation and also new psalm tones. Old habits die hard and therefore it requires extra attention and focus to deal with new wording and new music. In time and with practice we can enter into a deeper spirit of prayer which the Psalms provide for us in their ancient richness and scope of feelings.

We can all connect with summer sounds as they speak of different personal experiences. Think of the sound of a riding lawn mower off in the distance, or as it becomes more invasive right under your window. Mowing grass is like getting a hair cut, you know when you need it and when it’s finished there’s a freshness and neatness about it all. Think of the sound of locusts in the trees, especially at dusk as the sun is going down in the still of the evening. It could be the evening prayer of some of God’s creatures, doing what they’ve always done, but calling us to hear, to remember, and be grateful. For us in the country we even get to hear the conversation of coyotes in the darkness now and then. Because sound travels easily on a calm summer evening those four legged family units even at a distance may sound like they’re just outside your window.

Although summer provides some of the leisure necessary to enjoy these pleasant summer sounds, it also gives way to a great deal of activity. A good number of our monks took on summer assignments this year such as directing retreats or attending summer classes. Several also planned their vacations with families and friends. Leaving the remaining remnant of monks in the choir stalls feeling the responsibility of carrying on the apostolate of prayer and remembering our absent brethren. During those weeks of extreme heat we all very much appreciated the air-conditioned comfort of the basilica. How well we remember the "old days" when a very distinctive sound of summer was the hurricane sound of many large fans blowing over the choir to keep it somewhat bearable. As you might guess, the question of fans or no fans, and their position, was an on-going debate back then.

The beginning construction of our new guest house continues to be a point of community interest as the new building begins to take shape. This year our summer has also included the sounds of heavy earth moving equipment as they began forming the base foundation of clay and fill dirt. There was a kind of respectful dance among these lumbering giants as another team of earth movers and bulldozers joined them. Taking turns slicing off the clay from the same nearby hill these additional machines worked to complete the renovation of the small pond we call Maria Laach. This pond east of St. Maur Hall was completely dredged, and repairs were made to the leak in the dam. The moat around the island was cleaned out, and a sealing coat of clay was laid down across the bottom of the pond. Construction sounds have continued into these late summer days as concrete transport trucks bring their revolving loads of wet concrete to the new guest house site to be pumped into its final resting place, in the walls and floors of the new building for untold decades to come.

Major Wind/Hail Storm: Just as this Prior’s Journal piece was about to be posted on the website, we had a "Wind Event" with a very special and ominous sound! At 7:30 pm on Thurs., August 25th winds in excess of 70 miles per hour, rain, and hail covered a large area, from the Iowa state line south along the corridor between Maryville and Conception and on south including the St. Joseph area. We had marble-sized and some golf ball sized hail which riddled most windows on the north sides of our buildings. A whole set of 25-30 foot windows on the north side of St. Joseph’s hall (Library windows) had just been installed a few days before. Fortunately their double pane strength allowed them to withstand the hail without damage, but the older upper story windows in the student rooms were ruined. We lost power, water, and phone service (after the phone system’s batteries failed) from Thursday evening until mid morning on Saturday. At one point 40,000 people in the whole area were without power. The sisters at Clyde Convent had even more property damage than we did, including some priceless Austrian stained glass windows on their Sorrowful Mother Chapel. We can be so grateful that in spite of extensive property damage there were no serious personal injuries. The newly arrived first year students spent their first two nights here without power. Welcome to the rigors of seminary life!

The coming of spring and summer is measured not only by the emergence of plants, grasses, flowers, bushes and trees but also new vigor in the monastery. House cleaning with fresh breezes blowing through the windows takes on a whole new feeling of preparing for wonderful things.

The coming of Easter and the end of the school year followed by the community retreat all serve to remind us that something new is about to come along. The celebration of Easter in all its splendor, no matter what the weather might be is one of those perennial signs that new life is possible. Even though we had no baptisms here at the abbey, we rejoice in the newly baptized who have brought special joy and hope to our neighboring parishes. I’m sure our seminarians who left immediately after the Easter celebration found that their own parishes were alive with a special dimension of the new life of Easter.

Our graduation and commencement events brought yet another school year to a close as our young men further discern what their individual vocations might be, either to continue toward pastoral ministry in the priesthood or recommitment to living their faith as a lay person.

A good number of us had the privilege of representing Conception Abbey and Conception Seminary College at over thirty ordinations conferring the Order of Diaconate or the Order of Priesthood on our alumni. It is always heartening to hear our sponsoring bishops express their appreciation on these occasions for the role Conception has had in the on-going formation of their newly ordained deacons and priests.

This summer will mark the beginning of another ambitious construction project as we hope to have ground-breaking ceremonies on June 20 for our new guest house. After a great deal of study and conversation with our loyal and generous donors we launched a capital campaign in 2009 which focuses on three areas of renovation - our health care center, the construction of a new guest facility, and eventually the renovation of our monastery. God’s blessings through our generous and loyal friends have brought us to the point where the monastic community could vote in favor of going ahead with the construction of the Guest House. If we are blessed with favorable weather and no major delays we hope to complete the guest house in ten to twelve months. This will certainly be an improvement for our guests and retreatants concerning location of the building and convenience in their living quarters.

At the time of writing this Prior’s Journal we are looking forward to the abbot’s return from his four week visit and teaching commitment in Italy. His emails have spoken of many rich and sometimes challenging experiences throughout his travels. One can never have too many second languages!

As the summer gets off to a good start we pray that our challenges will be manageable and our surprises will be blessings to be enjoyed and lived to the full.

Long winter moves toward spring:

Monastic life is a lot like a revolving melody. Remember when you get a particular tune stuck in your head and it just seems to go round and round forever. Our ordinary monastic day is our melody of praise and doing the ordinary work that goes along with our community life. We can become so familiar with it that it becomes almost second nature but it’s like a familiar melody line which never becomes stale because it’s supported by harmonic chords and a solid rhythm which provides a certain amount of stability and direction. Far from becoming boring the ordinary repetition of the schedules and interaction within the community provides a very important and enriching structure.

I think of this when we see the weeks and months passing by as we flip the pages of the calendar. Much of January and February was conditioned by the changes brought on by Old Man Winter which certainly provided a wealth of topics for table conversation.

The passage of time and the waiting for spring, which seemed to be tantalizingly close at times, was a great preparation for the official arrival of Ash Wednesday and the Season of Lent on March 9. We continue to follow the practice of each of us meeting with the abbot before Ash Wednesday to discuss how we plan to use the Lenten season to prepare for Easter. The three things we choose for our Lenten effort make up what is called our "Bona Opera" which St. Benedict describes in the Holy Rule. The late date of Easter this year can assure us that the glories of spring will help us to celebrate the full meaning of Easter as the coming of new life and hope.

Comings and goings:

We’ve had a good number of monks involved in giving preached retreats and private directed retreats both here at the abbey and away. No matter how much "self-help" material might be out there (a stroll down the aisle of a book store shows you that there is truly a LOT out there) it is always amazing that people still see the need for making a retreat. Perhaps it’s a hunger for spiritual refreshment which comes from sharing the faith and wisdom of another through the power of prayer and dialogue in a peaceful environment. Our guest department continues to be extremely busy as they arrange for visitors, individual retreatants and retreat groups. There are some weekends when every guest room is reserved. It’s quite a challenge for the housekeeping crew to keep the rooms ready for the next group.

Revised Grail Psalms:

Abbot Gregory has been especially busy these months as his schedule takes him around the country attending meetings, workshops, giving retreats, and giving lectures about the new translation of the Revised Grail Psalms. There seems to be a lot of interest in praying the psalms in a translation that lends itself to private meditation as well as community recitation with or without music. We at Conception are very gratified that Abbot Gregory’s scholarly work with valuable contributions from others in our community has made a significant contribution to the prayer life of the English speaking Church around the world. That’s a wonderful legacy, isn’t it?

Winter Scene:

We remember the old Missouri saying (actually its used in many places!) which goes like this: "If you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes and it will change." A bit of an exaggeration of course, but it’s certainly one of the things that makes living in the Midwest very interesting. After a pretty normal Christmas season with intermittent snows we here in Missouri have gone from the drab and dry weeks after the holiday season to an old-fashioned snow storm which dumped about 10 inches on us. On the morning after the storm slick roads caused some traveling problems for our employees getting to work. I’m sure we were not alone in battling the white stuff. Br. Placid and the maintenance crew got the sidewalks cleared in time for the morning "rush hour" traffic of students and monks going to classes. The trees and bushes in the abbey courtyard were sculptured in snow giving it a very different look, a great opportunity for the shutterbugs of the community.

School year off and running (again!):

Classes got off to a good start after the three week Christmas break with 110 full time students and 9 part-time students. Most of the students reported that the break was good (how could it be otherwise?) and about the right amount of time to be fully energized and ready to return to the classrooms. Some were soon on the road again in buses either going to the January 24 March For Life in Washington, DC or going to Mundelein Seminary for the annual Seminarian Basketball Tournament. At the time of this writing we haven’t heard how the basketball team did but the March For Life is always an arduous but very worthwhile experience of support.

Sometimes simple things are very interesting. While walking through St. Maur’s main corridor the other day a table of art pieces caught my eye. The pieces were submitted by the art class. The assignment had been to take a picture of an object, and then reproduce it using different materials and textures in a 3-D format. Some were very simple; some were more complicated using a variety of materials. It was a good exercise in attempting to portray and translate a flat image into something with depth. I wonder if that might be something we should all be challenged to do, not necessarily as an exercise in art but in the art of life. How well do we actually look at something, could we describe it, reproduce it?

Healthy Care Center Report:

Our elderly brethren continue to give us a good example of entering their autumn years with great faith and a variety of interests. Our senior at 92, Fr. Joachim continues to listen to a variety of tapes and reads by means of a special book magnifier. Msgr Louis McCorkle, also in his 90s, of the Jefferson City diocese lives right next door to Fr. Joachim and is busy with reading and correspondence. Next door Fr. Anthony continues to read from a wide variety of interests and has a good view of the lake which is presently frozen. Next door Fr. Paschal is more mobile and can make the trip to the library where he continues to restock his reading materials. Next door Br. George is almost totally absorbed in his rosary-making routine as he turns out many rosaries each day. Fr. Francis continues to be in touch with the "world out there" through the use of the TV in his room and through correspondence. He has become known wherever he has served with the year round request "Pray for snow!" Right now his prayers seem to have been fully answered.

Our monastic community, as any monastic community, takes special care to celebrate the memories of the past. In a world which sometimes moves too quickly we monks tend to remember and document as much as we can careful to chronicle the significant events of life. In the first years of our community it was Abbot Frowin’s diary which captured the significant happenings, the blessings and the losses of the every day experience. Now and then excerpts of that diary are read at meals which gives us a snapshot of what happened in those difficult days. Various monks over the years have taken up the work of keeping a written history updated on a regular basis. Sometimes death and change of assignments tend to disrupt the regular recording of daily events. Today of course the possibility of people writing a blog has taken over as the electronic diary in many cases. Fr. Kenneth’s blog is a good example of that. No matter what method is used for recording history the fact that we can recall it gives us reason to celebrate and rejoice in the Lord for the good things that have happened. On the other hand the ability to remember helps us through the hard times and gives us reason for a lively hope.

Thanksgiving in the monastery:

We continued our tradition again this year of remembering the many years of service of those celebrating their jubilees on Thanksgiving Day. Six of our monks marked special anniversaries of their monastic profession: Fr. Anthony marked 70 years of profession, Br. Blaise and Frs. Quentin, Allan, and Isaac marked 50 years of profession, and Fr. Timothy celebrated 25 years of vowed life. Abbot Gregory pointed out our gratitude for those many years of witness of vowed monastic life. Each monk brings a special combination of skills and gifts to community life and everyone is the beneficiary. For more information about Conception Abbey's 2010 Jubilarians click here.

This time of remembering and giving thanks followed four days of what is officially called the monastic visitation. Every four years in our congregation a visitation team arrives to listen to the concerns and observations of each monk in our community. It provides good feedback to both the community and the Abbot in their final report about how we’re doing. This year the team was made up of Abbot Justin Duvall of St. Meinrad’s Abbey, Fr. Matthew Clark of St. Joseph’s Abbey and Fr. Charles Reichenbacher of Marmion Abbey. The report was quite positive so we can feel relieved!

Advent, the season of waiting and preparing:

We finished the Thanksgiving events and gathering with a day of recollection leading us into the First Sunday of Advent. With the help of the Abbot’s opening conference on the meaning of John the Baptist and the meaning of Advent, we entered once again this season of hope and lasting values which are often lost in the secular world. Various monks have been appointed by the Abbot to give the weekly conference dealing with the theme of John the Baptist during Advent.

At the time of this journal entry the seminarians are busy cramming for their final exams which will unlock the flood gates allowing them to stream to their homes for the Christmas-New Years break. It’s always amusing to note that a raging blizzard is never enough to prevent them from venturing out on the roads to head for home, but even the threat of some snowflakes on the day of their return makes them pause, call the seminary, and wonder if it is safe to start out!! Human nature, twas ever thus!

We look forward to some days of peace and quiet around the monastery as Advent eventually leads us to the full celebration of the Solemnity of Christmas and the beautiful liturgical days in the following week. The blizzard of Christmas 2009 allowed only twelve people to be with us at Midnight Mass. We hope the weather will cooperate this year and the basilica will be filled as in years past for these beautiful liturgies.

May the Blessings of Christmas be abundant for all who are reading this.

We’ve transitioned into the beginning of fall and the school year very well. In the monastery that means people continue with their work and responsibilities relying on past procedures and also adapting to the new things on the horizon. I’m always impressed with those people who are the steady rocks in the community. They are the ones who can be counted on to be there day after day whether in choir at prayer or at their work assignment and getting the job done. So often those people who labor long and faithfully behind the scenes are truly the ones who make good things happen. We often take them for granted and that’s a shame. They need to be acknowledged, something we males in a predominantly male environment often forget to do.

It’s wonderful to see that we have another large enrollment in the seminary college. We’ve been blessed not only with good numbers again, but high quality seminarians who are serious about the process of formation and building community through prayer and hard work. The open house in St. Michael’s Hall on Sept 29 (Feast of St. Michael and all the Angels) provided us with the chance to accept their hospitality as we toured their residence floors. There is certainly a wide variety of talents and interests and housekeeping styles! Our competent formation, academic and administration staff surely provides a valuable learning environment for them.

Memories of good formation was certainly the focus front and center for the Alumni Reunion, Sept 24-25, 2010. Although the numbers were down a bit from last year, the enthusiasm and volume level of greetings among long time friends was certainly high. It was wonderful to see particular classes make special efforts to return as a group and walk down memory lane. There were some who had not been back to visit for almost fifty years. The sharing of stories and catching up on their careers and accomplishments provided some wonderful exchanges. Having Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake Diocese as our guest lecturer speaking about the Church’s stand on the immigration issues was both inspiring and very informative. Bishop Arthur Tafoya, retired bishop of Pueblo, CO honored us by celebrating the Eucharist and preaching the homily. We in turn were able to honor him by presenting him with the Conception Seminary Alumni Distinguished Service Award. Our alumni who make a positive difference in the world are our best and most effective outreach of our life and work.

The communities of Conception Abbey and Clyde Convent have been involved with making a positive difference in our immediate area through an economic development initiative of the Tri-C area. This includes the towns of Conception, Conception Junction, and Clyde. Using the organizational resources of the Public Square Community Building group, we are looking at future possibilities for re-vitalizing the economic and social base of our area. By networking with our neighbors its exciting to be part of a positive movement into the future. Celebrating hope is what we’re all about no matter who and where we are.

Stage 2: Last Month I was saying that the summer often falls into two stages. The first stage takes us up through July 4 and from then on it’s all downhill as the second stage slides right into the opening of the school year.

This certainly has been the case this summer. The construction projects, the road improvements, and the handicap accessible ramp construction march forward whether or not there are enough "sidewalk supervisors" to make sure it's done right. Our numbers of monks have been down due to summer studies, workshops, retreats, and of course vacations. Our summer meals are simply served cafeteria style which means fewer waiters are needed. There are of course a number of positions and house responsibilities which must be covered. This means that those lucky ones who are here and available get asked frequently and "get" to help out as needed.

International Priests Program: Br Macario helped me out by describing our summer educational program for diocesan foreign-born priests who were with us.

"Conception Seminary College’s LCCIP (Language, Culture, and the Church, for International Priests) came to a successful close last Friday (July 30). We had 13 international priests. They came from the Philippines, Africa, India, and Latin America. They are now priests in U.S. dioceses. The month long program focuses on two aspects: accent reduction and American sacramental ministry. The morning class sessions were devoted to language. The first session was accent reduction and the second session was a mix of tongue twisters, American idioms, and Rosetta Stone. The afternoons were workshops that focused on ministering the sacraments in the U.S. In the evenings the priests enjoyed socials in the Alumni Union with other participants and with some monks. The director of the LCCIP program was Sr. Maria Armijo, SFCC. She was also one of the instructors for the morning classes as well as Br. Elias, Br. Macario, and Br. Anselm."

Retreats: Retreat groups continue to come for first time as well as repeated visits to the abbey. It is always good to see people finding peace and quiet time for prayer alone or along with the monks during their stay with us.

Parking Lot facelift: One of the logistic challenges of the summer continues to be the need to empty parking lots of all cars from time to time in order to reseal and recondition as well as mark the parking spots. We got that accomplished this summer along with the major project of replacing the service road down around the carpenter shop with a new concrete pavement road. I had predicted that it would be a skate boarder’s delight, but it turns out that the new road has a roughened finish which will be helpful when dealing with snow and ice next winter but it might be less than a smooth ride for the eager skateboarder.

Summer, 2010 – Stage 1: From past experience it seems that the "good old summertime" is usually divided by Stage 1 and Stage 2 with the first stage leading up to the celebration of the 4th of July and the second stage being all downhill and brings us into immediate preparations for the new school year.

Stage 1 certainly got off to a wet start as the spring rains continued to swing through on a weekly basis. A good number of local farmers had to replant areas which were lost to flooding. The race to get everything planted with the first drying days finally came along made for long periods in the fields. It’s always amazing to me to see how the big modern equipment can cover so much ground in a relatively short amount of time. My early memories of farm field work meant two row planters and two row cultivators. That made for a lot of tractor reflection time as you went go back and forth across the fields day after day! (There were no air conditioned cabs in those days. There were no tractor radios either, but you could sing out loud if you wanted to and there were no complaints from the occasional hawk or the rabbits!)

The weeks after the retreat at the abbey saw a good number of the monks attending deaconate and priesthood ordinations around the country as our alumni finished their theology training leading to ordination. It’s always a sense of satisfaction to see our alumni persevere and begin their pastoral work for the people of God. We hope and pray that the seminary formation which began here will continue to serve them well as they labor for the Lord’s harvest.

Summer Construction begins: Several projects in spite of the June rains have gotten off the ground. The chairlift at the outside library steps will be replaced by a handicap ramp. Sorry roller bladers, the hairpin turn halfway down may be too much even for the best of you! The natural speed bumps and chuck holes in our campus road will soon be phased out. The basilica parking lot is in the process of being patched, sealed, and marked. The road leading from the fish pond and around to the garage parking lot will be completely removed to its base and replaced with cement pavement. Now, this might be a roller bladers delight! St. Michael’s laundry room area is also getting a facelift and expansion. New washing machines will be added to handle the increased student population.

Monks hither and yon: The combination of giving retreats, going to workshop, and taking vacation time has meant a lot of fluctuation in the ranks of monks at choir and the Eucharist. It’s always a challenge to see who is here and available for the different responsibilities around the house. Sometimes it comes down to finding a sub for a sub!

As always, flexibility is the key. This is a pretty good rule for life in general, right?

Fourth of July Fizzles: Although the 4th of July is usually pretty low key around here, the rains throughout the day made it even lower key. Our prayers in gratitude for the gift of freedom were offered at Mass and were perhaps our best celebration this year.

Graduation: Ending and beginnings

Graduation. May 16, 2010 marked the end of another good year for our seminarians. As happens each year some of our twenty-five graduates have discerned that they are not called to the ordained priesthood and will be dropping out of seminary formation. The majority of the class, however, have indicated to their bishops that they are eager to pursue theological studies either in this country or in Rome. We always feel that we have been successful in working for the good of the Church when we have truly helped our seminarians to make a very positive and prayerful discernment concerning their vocation.

Community Retreat:

Again our community gathered for our annual retreat which extended from May 17- May 21. The retreat conferences were given by Fr. Ronald Witherup PSS who is the Superior General of the Sulpician Order. This religious order specializes in providing initial and ongoing formation to diocesan priests throughout the country and around the world. Fr. Ron is a well-known and published New Testament Scripture scholar who brought his expertise in the writings of St. Paul to examine the connections between the thought of St. Paul and St. Benedict in the Holy Rule. He seemed to feel very much at home while he was with us and we appreciated his scholarship and his spirituality. There was some concern whether he would arrive in time for the retreat since his flight from Paris was threatened to be delayed or cancelled due to the volcanic ash in the atmosphere. The abbot had to have a Plan B in place in case of a last minute cancellation. We are glad that Plan B was not necessary.

Summer activities:

With the students gone a variety of maintenance projects swing into full operation around the campus. The construction of new sidewalks and a handicap ramp next to the library entrance shows good progress. A major project of replacing and paving the entrance road from the basilica parking lot to the garage area will be a welcome improvement. It will, however, remove the great challenge of trying to dodge the large potholes in the present road!

Abbey guard dog:

We have hulking form in white fur keeping watch during these summer nights. This past year the CMC Brothers at St. Scholastica’s House acquired a white "puppy" which they and everyone one campus came to know as Bandit. This is no ordinary puppy and at eight months of age is now well on his way to his full statue as a Great Pyrenees Sheep dog. Since the brothers decided not to take it with them for the summer we have inherited, for the time being, this "still in training" watch dog. So if you hear an occasional deep throated "Woof, Woof" during the night, its just Bandit letting us know that he is indeed on duty.

"Mystagogia" is one of those fifty cent words that gets thrown around a lot after Easter. It either causes people to have a bland look wondering if they heard it correctly or it brings a smile to the newly baptized who recognize what it means. It’s an ancient Greek term for the period and the process of allowing those recently baptized or received into the Church to ponder and savor the joy of their new relationship with the Lord and the People of God. Even though we had no Easter baptisms here at the abbey, the liturgy continues that wonderful theme of rejoicing in the gift of the Resurrection and new life. The presence of the Easter environment in the basilica along with the stately Paschal Candle lift our minds and hearts in gratitude for the gift of Christian life through our baptisms whenever that might have taken place.

This is always a beautiful time of the year as Easter, baptisms in many parishes, and new life in nature combine to celebrate the creative work of God. The long wait of winter gives way to the promises of spring. The local farmers are hoping for some good drying days to get the rest of the crops planted. Some of the early corn has already come up.

Abbey Trails: All trails led to Conception Abbey again this year for our annual physical fitness program and social gathering. April 17 dawned as a perfect day for running and walking which of course delighted the 213 participants. Some of our friends have made this an annual outing over the years. It’s always nice to meet new friends as you run or walk the beautiful grounds of the abbey. The hearty and healthy breakfast afterwards and the health fair in gym were again much appreciated. The proceeds from the event go toward the maintenance of the year round wellness program which is open to the people of our area.

Year’s End: As this column is being written the seminarians have counted down the days before the final papers are due, the coming of the final exams, graduation day, and of course the summer break. Students and faculty alike need a good break at this time of the year. The final Eucharist of the year and graduation will be May 16. We extend our best wishes to those who are graduating and moving on either to further theological studies and the priesthood or to their vocation as dedicated laity. A good number of the monks associated with the seminary will represent the seminary at various ordinations to the priesthood and deaconate during the month of May and June.

LCCIP: Again this summer we’ll host a special program called Language, Culture, and Church for International Priests. This extension of our regular program during the school year for non-English speaking students is designed for priests who are already functioning in this country but still need assistance with their English pronunciation, and a better understanding of the American culture and Church. It has proven to be a very popular program not only for the sponsoring bishops but the participants themselves. See more about our LCCIP program here.

Beautiful landscape: The flowering trees and bushes set against the emerald green of freshly mown lawn make for a beautiful and relaxing scene. We invite you to come see us when you can. You’re always welcome!

Holy Week Reflections: Mountain roads are great for the view. Sometimes you can go to the same scenic overlook you’ve visited many times before, but it’s a different view with every visit. I think that is often the way it is with Holy Week although of course its far more than simply being a sight seer! Except for Palm Sunday, the weather was certainly more cooperative this year. As people entered into the powerful liturgies of the Triduum they could ponder what they heard and saw with a quiet walk outdoors. The long wait and preparation during lent brought us to the point of sharpened awareness and a deep hunger for the message meant for us this year.

The liturgy of Holy Thursday spoke to us through the emotions of joy and gratitude in the intimate setting of being with the Lord around the table. This carried over into the awesome experience of reflecting on the Lord washing the feast of his disciples. But the image of total service was then extended to the agonizing limit of death on the Cross

What a contrast going from the full-throated joy of the agape meal to the somber and controlled sorrow of the Passion of Christ and the veneration of the Cross of Jesus on Good Friday. Again the power of symbolism allowed us to go beyond the limitations of words. Venerating the cross as the precious instrument of our salvation allowed us to approach with our own full component of sorrow, gratitude, reverence, and commitment.

One can wonder and also hope that those who are currently suffering the hardships of being homeless due to earthquakes, war, and violence might have someone to stand with them as they participate in the Cross of Christ. The cry of desperation from the Cross continues from the time of Jesus to our own times. Who but our Father in heaven hears them, unless we also stand at the foot of the Cross?

The Easter Vigil as always was the high point of the Sacred Triduum. Gathering in the dark to witness the lighting and blessing of the new fire reached its full meaning when the flame was transferred to the Paschal Candle. We followed the Light of Christ into the dark church as countless others have done through the centuries. We walked through history into the present. The entire liturgy brought us back and forth from the past to the present. The Word of God became ever more clear and focused in the person of Christ who has declared again that He would be with us through the power of his Spirit.

The scene was quite familiar and yet as always different due to the passage of time, people’s experiences, and the working of grace. We’re always happy to have a number of retreatants who join the seminarians and monks for these powerful liturgies. When the sun has arisen on Easter morning and everyone has enjoyed an early morning breakfast we know deep down that Easter has truly happened for another year. It’s the same place but the scene is different!

Have you ever crossed a mountain stream by stepping on the rocks? It’s always a matter of keeping your balance as you keep looking ahead to the next rock which might be large or small, close or a big step away. That is certainly the way life is. It’s never a measured pace with absolute regularity. How dull that would be! We’re always pausing, stepping out, measuring the next step, deciding whether it’s a wise step or not.

The weeks since I’ve last written some thoughts for this column seem to have been filled with all kinds of big and little steps for the community and for me. The consistency of monastic life could be considered the flowing mountain stream which each of us has to navigate, always pushing forward to reach the head waters, the source of it all.

The season of Lent in which we now find ourselves leading us to the climax of Holy Week has reminded us for some five weeks that our spiritual journey is never the same and is always changing in its challenges and opportunities. Early on in Lent we were most grateful for the three presentations given to us by Fr. Paul Turner of our diocese who spoke from his experience and widely respected expertise dealing with the theology and reasons behind the new changes we’ll find in the new Roman Missal. This new translation will eventually be used in the celebration of the Eucharist.

During this season of Lent the monastic community is giving special attention to the meaning and implications of monastic culture. Perhaps a bit like picking out the solid rocks in negotiating a mountain stream, naming and embracing the essential aspects of monastic culture help us to appreciate the current and coming challenges and opportunities of our life. At two week intervals Abbot Gregory and two other monks, Frs. Xavier and Daniel have in turn presented reflections about monastic culture which the community discussed in small groups each following week.

As always the pace and range of commitments for pastoral ministry both in the Abbey Guest Center through retreats here and away continues to challenging. Several of us have been involved with giving parish missions which is a very rewarding experience. My time at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish at Hitchcock, TX proved to be a wonderful and grace-filled experience. I left Missouri in a blizzard expecting to find welcome warm temperatures in south Texas, but to my surprise the cool temperatures (cold by Texas standards!) followed me through out the five days!

Coming to the threshold of Holy Week finds us again preparing for the great Paschal Mystery. No matter how many times we have approached this high point of the liturgical year there is always a new dimension to be noted and pondered. May this be a time of blessing for all of us.

In the rear view mirror: Some scenery is best enjoyed through the rear view mirror as we’re so glad to be moving forward and away from it. As everyone knows the month of December and early January could be labeled "Old Fashioned Winter." It certainly brought back memories of being snowed in (or out!) when we were young. The shock of celebrating Christmas and New Years with blasts of wind and snow did however provide many Currie & Ives winter scenes glistening in the morning sun. However, for those who were snowed in or for the farmers who couldn’t reach their livestock without cutting through fences the scene was not all that idyllic.

Life at the monastery continued along the familiar patterns of prayer and work. With the seminarians gone from Dec 19th until Jan 10 we had more quiet than usual and together with a few guests we could follow a more relaxed pace. The blizzard on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day itself meant that very few came for the Midnight Mass (only about twenty people) and very few on Christmas Day itself. As is our custom here, each afternoon during the Christmas season we had a short break in the common room for refreshments and Christmas snacks which had accumulated in the days before Christmas. Share and share alike is a good way to enjoy all the goodies and not be tempted to try to make them disappear all at once!

Home for the Holidays: It was good to have Brs. Victor, Anselm, and Paul with us during these days as they took a break from their studies at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and at St. Vincent’s Archabbey. On Dec. 26 Brs. Victor and Paul received the Order of Lector and thus took another step closer to the sacred priesthood. They immediately took on various reading responsibilities in the house to put their newly acquired Office to good use. Fr. Frowin was home "in spirit" as he continues his studies at Rome.

Fr. Jeremy Driscoll OSB: Using his experience and expertise as professor of Sacramental Theology in Rome, this monk of Mt. Angel Abbey presented a series of conferences to us for several days after Christmas. His focus was on the liturgy of the Eucharist and provided a very refreshing and stimulating discussion on this sacrament which is an essential element of our daily prayer life. The Eucharist and our praying of the Liturgy of the Hours each day remind us of our important role of praising God but also lifting up the needs of the People of God.

The view through the front windshield: The guest department continues to host various groups and individuals who come for retreat and spiritual rejuvenation. Our retreat staff is booked with various confirmation retreats as well which utilize some of the seminarians who speak with and interact with the young retreatants. The school year continues to challenge faculty and students alike as we welcome new transfer students for the spring semester. We have many reasons to give thanks to our good and gracious God who leads us forward through the uncertainties of the future. For all of us its full speed ahead.