Community

Moved out of the Monastery

The monks are getting settled in their temporary residence in St. Joseph Hall. I wanted to get more pictures posted of us moving out of the monastery last week, a historical event that will now be known simply as, “The Move.” Again, it was the efforts of seminarians and monks to help the move goes…

Celebrating the Sacrament of Baptism

As you can tell, it was a beautiful day at the Abbey. The weather was warm, sunny, and in the 70’s. But, the real joy came from being able to baptize Dominic Anselm Pawlowski, the third son of Max and Laura. Max works at the Newman Center at Northwest Missouri State. During the school year…

First Anniversary of Priestly Ordination

It was one year ago today that Fr. Victor and I were ordained to the priesthood. It was a whirlwind of events that lead up to my ordination, including running in the Pittsburgh Marathon Relay, taking final exams, graduating from St. Vincent Seminary (Latrobe, PA), preaching all the weekend Masses at Sts. John and Paul…

A Moving Experience

This is normally a quiet week for the monks.  It is usually the time of year when the monastic community has its annual retreat.  The seminarians have gone away until August and we transition into the summer months.  However, this week is different because the monks are moving out of the monastery to prepare for…

Happy Mother’s Day

Today, Sunday, May 11th, we celebrate Mother’s Day—a day to honor our mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers, godmothers, and all who have had a maternal influence in our lives.  Whether you are the homemaker, teacher of life, caretaker, nurse, best friend, soccer mom, backbone of the family, or just good old “Mom”—thank you for the many roles…

Seminary Graduation

Congratulations to Conception Seminary’s Class of 2014 It was a full church for the Commencement and Honors Assembly.  Due to the rain and thunderstorms, post-graduation pictures were taken in the Basilica.  Our seminarians will depart after Sunday’s Mass of Thanksgiving.

May Day!

May Day is an annual community-wide team-oriented sports and activity day held at Conception Seminary College which fosters fraternity, promotes physical fitness, and builds the framework for friendly competition.  Alumni from year’s past have great memories of May Day during their time at Conception Seminary. The night before, seminarians are usually up to no good…

Reflections of Light

It is that time of the year again.  Yes, when the late afternoon comes streaming through the rose window and makes a beautiful reflection in the center of the Basilica.  On our way out of Evening Prayer, I noticed the reflection slowly creeping across the pews and moving toward the center.  So, I grabbed my camera and…

May Flowers

It is a beautiful and sunny afternoon to take pictures. So, I put on my 50mm macro lens and took a stroll around the monastery.  Enjoy. Below: Br. Blaise spotted me with camera in hand and came over to show me some of his negatives from years before digital cameras.          

Monks Compete in Warrior Dash

Last May, Fr. Victor and I were ordained to the priesthood.  This past Saturday, we were completely covered from head to toe in mud after competing in our first “Warrior Dash.”  The Warrior Dash is a 5K (3.1 mile) race with 12 different obstacles, most involving barbwire, water, mud, with some climbing structures.  It’s not…