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Labor Day Weekend

It was a warm Labor Day Weekend in Missouri.  Saturday morning I was at Viking Lake with the students from the Newman Center at Northwest Missouri State.  We had Mass, then spent a few hours swimming and going out on the boat.  Several of the priests from the Abbey take turns on the weekends celebrating Mass and ministering to the Newman students.

Back at the Abbey, the weather was particularly nice on Sunday.  Everything is looking nice and green for September.

Below:  The front porch of the monastery is finished.  The new entrance matches the brickwork that adorns the stairs leading from the parking lot to the Basilica.

Below:  Once inside, this is what people see.  There is a quote from our founder, Abbot Frowin Conrad, along with his picture.  

We had our annual Labor Day picnic, with both the seminary and monastic community coming together.  The seminarians were on a Day of Recollection for the past 24 hours, and their silence concluded with the cookout.

Above:  Fr. Pat, Fr. Albert, and the other chaplains are usually in charge of the grilling.  We had steaks!

Below:  The seminarians like playing hacky sack.
Below:  The monks and seminarians make their way through the food line.