kansas monks
DESCRIPTION
The Fall 2014 issue of Kansas Monks magazine.TRANSCRIPT
1Society of St. Benedict
a publication for the Society of St. Benedict
- P s a l m 3 0
kansas monks
A l s o i n s i d e :
T H E 2 0 1 4 A N N U A L R E P O R T
So that my glory may praise you
and not be silent.
O Lord, my God,
forever will i give You thanks.
GRATITUDEG I V I N G T H A N K S F O R T H E G I F T S I N O U R L I V E S
in the next Kansas Monks
Ora Labora
• M o n k s P r o f e s s F i r s t Vo w s• Wa k i n g U p t h e Wo r l d : T h e Ye a r o f t h e C o n s e c r a t e d L i f e
• O n t h e c o v e r : S t . B e n e d i c t ’ s A b b e y ’ s m o n s t r a n c e w a s a g i f t o n t h e o c c a s i o n o f a r e c e n t s o l e m n p r o f e s s i o n o f a m o n k f r o m h i s f a m i l y .
10 - GratitudeBr. Emmanuel Orrino offers six thoughts on expressing gratitude.
18 - The Death of the VeilBenedictine College graduate Shane Rapp discusses a transfiguration.
4 - From the AbbotAbbot James offers his thoughts on gratitude and serving one another.
6 - Monk Life - NovitiateNovices Br. Placidus, Br. Benedict, Fr. Jay, and Br. Karel discuss their experience of the novitiate.
8 - Cultivating GratitudeBr. Simon Baker reflects on the start of his year as a transitional deacon.
12 - Benedictine BornFr. Blaine Schultz celebrates 60 years of monastic life.
17 - Raised CatholicMike Kuckleman looks back at being raised in the shadow of the monastery.
23 - 2014 Annual ReportA look back at the 2013-2014 fiscal year and a thank you to all of our generous benefactors.
2 K a n s a s M o n k s
3Society of St. Benedict
Th a n k y o u .
A s i mp l e p h r a s e t h at w e r e p e at a n co u nt l e s s nu m b e r o f t i m e s e v e r y d ay. I t i s i n g r a i n e d i n t o o u r v o c a b u l a r y a t a n e a r l y a g e , w h e t h e r b y o u r p a r e nt s o r b y o u r p a s t o r. We a r e t o l d t h at i t i s t h e ap p r o p r i a t e r e s p o n s e t o a ny a c t o f k i n d n e s s o r c h a r i t y.
B u t w h at d o e s i t m e a n t o b e t r u l y g r a t e f u l ? H o w c a n w e au t h e nt i c a l l y exp r e s s g r a t i t u d e ?
Th e m o n k s d e m o n s t r a t e a p e r f e c t ex a mp l e o f t r u e g r a t i t u d e f o r e a c h o f u s , o f f e r i n g t h e i r l i v e s d a i l y t o G o d t h r o u g h t h e i r p r ay e r s a n d s a c r a m e nt a l m i n i s t r y. R e g a r d l e s s o f c i r c u m s t a n ce t h e y b e g i n a n d e n d e a c h d ay b y p r a i s i n g G o d f o r t h e m o s t f u n d a m e nt a l g i f t t h at w e h av e a l l r e ce i v e d : l i f e . We h av e a l l b e e n e n d o w e d w i t h a s o u l b y o u r c r e a t o r a n d a r e b l e s s e d t o co nt i nu a l l y r e ce i v e h i s g r a ce s t h r o u g h t h e s a c r a m e nt s .
I n t h e s e p a g e s t h e m o n k s exp r e s s t h e i r g r a t i t u d e t o y o u , t h e i r b e n e f a c t o r s a n d f r i e n d s , f o r y o u r k i n d n e s s ; b u t I s u g g e s t t h at w e w h o s h o u l d s ay t h a n k y o u . We h av e b e e n b l e s s e d w i t h t h e i r ex a mp l e f o r m o r e t h a n 1 5 0 y e a r s .
Th r o u g h t h e a c t o f exp r e s s i n g g r a t i t u d e p e r s o n a l l y o r b y o f f e r i n g o u r p r ay e r s f o r t h e s e m e n , w e c a n t h a n k t h e m f o r co nt i nu a l l y s a c r i f i c i n g f o r u s .
- J . D. B e n n i n g E d i t o r, K a n s a s M o n k s
g r at i t u d e
F O R G O D S O LO V E D T H E W O R L DH E G AV E H I S O N L Y S O N
- J O H N 3 : 1 6
Non no b i s , Domin e
4 K a n s a s M o n k s
I recently visited Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., where a confrere was completing his summer pastoral experience. This gave me the opportunity to meet with his supervisors and “shadow” my confrere to understand his experience there. As I stood outside one patient’s room while this confrere was with her – a woman who had been in intensive care for a month – the patient’s husband came out to talk with me. He wanted to express his gratitude for all that this monk had done for them. He said he wanted to share his deep appreciation for the care he and his wife received in their faith.
Gratitude is the heart of our faith. It is the first step in our relationship with God. It is the font of the Eucharist and should be the font of all our prayer. When we sit down to pray, the first thing we should do is spend some moments thanking God. “Thank you, Lord, for my life, for my community, for the family that nurtured me, for the confrere who shared of himself, for the opportunity to spend myself, for all the gifts of creation and for your Son Jesus who has saved me.” There is no greater virtue that will create a stronger bond between others and our relationship with God than this virtue of gratitude. Our whole day is filled with acts of service and favors from those around us. It costs us very little to show our gratitude and it does so much good toward creating a stable and tranquil atmosphere, improving rela-tionships, and making our own charity easier to practice. The root of this virtue is our own gratitude toward God.
Fundamentally, cultivating the spirit of gratitude requires of us a deep humility. We need to understand that everything we have and everything we are is a gift. And this begins with the very gift of life. When we stop and think about all for which we should be grateful, it can be overwhelming, but how can we not be in awe of all that we have been given, and how can we not be grateful?
This is the sense that St. Benedict is trying to instill in us as he reminds us to offer prayer before every good work. Opening up all that we do to the grace of God, that he might bless our endeavors, so as to provide us with a sense of gratitude for his work in our lives.
G i v i n g T h a n k s
F r o m t h e A b b o t
N on no b i s , D omin e
5Society of St. Benedict
G.K. Chesterton put it this way: “You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in ink.” Ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus!
Equally important to this gratitude is the spirit of detachment in serving others. As disciples of Jesus and of St. Benedict, we are called to give ourselves uncondi-tionally to the service and well-being of each other, and of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we are called to do so with complete detachment from any praise. We experience true gospel freedom when we serve with a spirit of total detach-ment. It might hurt when we don’t receive praises of gratitude for a kind deed; when our best efforts go unnoticed. We should strive to make sure that our inten-tion is always unconditional – and this is tough – focusing only on what our action is doing to build up the Body of Christ as we seek our eternal reward. This is true Christianity, and this is true monasticism – that our lives are for the Other.
There is a price that comes with living for the other – so our standard must be the Cross of Jesus Christ. We may receive appreciation and thanks from those to whom we show acts of charity or whom we serve. When we serve with a spirit of grati-tude and detachment we will know joy. The disappointments and adversities that others may cause, or we allow ourselves to be consumed by, will purify our interior motives and allow us to focus on what God truly has in store for us – life with him. We need to be filled always with gratitude for God’s unconditional love. We need to always thank those who serve us and love us with their generous lives. In the end it boils down to this: “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name give glory because of your mercy and faithfulness” (Psalm 115:1).
In the spirit of St. Benedict,
Abbot James Albers
Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name give glory because of your mercy and faithfulness
P s a l m 1 1 5 : 1abbatial mot to of abbot thomas hartman
fourth abbot of saint benedict’s abbey
Living as a Benedictine Novice is not something I can easily describe – luckily for me, the novices recently had the oppor-tunity to attend a retreat offered by Fr. Michael Casey, a Trap-pist monk known for writing on the Rule of St. Benedict and Benedictine spirituality. He described monastic life is as a school of self-knowledge.
I always thought I knew myself well. But in my experience, my interactions in community life are like a mirror in which my truest self is reflected back at me. When I pause at the end of the day and recollect how my day went, sometimes I do not like what I see: I lacked charity here; I was short there. At first I was scandalized by what I was learning about myself, but slowly I grew in understanding that knowing one’s self in radi-cal honesty is the first step in really growing spiritually. This self-knowledge leads to true humility, knowing not only where one is weak but also where one is strong.
What I’ve seen in the mirror of community life this year hasn’t always been bad. I have learned that I am also improv-ing and doing well in many ways. I’ve also learned that I am a decent brittle cook and do well with our work around the grounds. On a more personal level, I have found that I am able to give to the community and my relationships even when I am having a bad day or difficulty in connecting with others at the moment.
Even when I do not like what I see looking back at me in that mirror, these opportunities have led me to better myself in ways I could have never known outside the monastery. This year has been a great opportunity to get to know myself more and grow closer to God’s plan for me in that. As I round out the final months of my time as a novice, I am immensely appre-ciative of what this community has given me and look forward to what is in store for me here in the future.
“My Son, if you come forward to serve the Lord, remain in justice and in fear, and prepare yourself for temptation.”
- Sirach 2:1 This passage, one of my favorites from scripture, describes
the novitiate very well. Since I became a novice, I have experi-enced many beautiful moments of prayer with God. I have also faced many temptations – including anything from sleeping in to harboring a grudge. I have learned first hand that the devil does not like monks. The novitiate has provided a window for me to look in upon myself and take stock of my weaknesses and strengths. It has also helped me to get an idea of what it takes to be a monk and whether or not I will be able to persevere. But I know God is stronger than anything that stands in my way: “Await God’s patience, cling to him and do not depart, that you may be wise in all your ways” (v. 3). I know that despite every-thing, God will always be there with his mercy.
In this year I have been privileged to witness many great examples of how to live the life of a monk in my confreres and have learned how to be more properly part of a community centered on Christ. I often find Christ startlingly present in them, sometimes when I least expect it. I take courage and heart from their examples, their fellowship, and their prayers. They are a living witness for me: “Consider the ancient generations and see: who ever trusted in the Lord and was put to shame?” (v. 10). Even in my novice Brothers, I have found friends who will walk this path with me until the end of our lives. I look forward to seeing them grow older and holier as we progress down this road together. Finally, I have had the privilege of experiencing death and the frailty of life in those confreres who have gone before. It has been a humbling experience and a continual reminder of what I hope will be my end. “Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for as his majesty is, so also is his mercy” (v. 18).
G e t t i n g t o k n o w M y s e l fb y B r . P l a c i d u s L e e
A H u m b l i n g E x p e r i e n c eb y B r . B e n e d i c t G e i s t
6 K a n s a s M o n k s
Every journey has to begin somewhere. Life in a habit starts in the Novitiate. For one year these men live under the tutelage and guid-ance of the Novice Master, Fr. Meinrad Miller, and prepare to profess simple vows, becoming active members of the community.
M O N KL IFEliving as a benedictine novice
Having come from the background of a busy parish priest, one could say that my new life as a novice at St. Benedict’s Abbey has been an escape to a simpler life. Seriously, how often do people get to have a year-long retreat? However, my time in the novitiate has been much more than a retreat from a busy world. It has deepened the role of stability in my life.
The world is a busy place, and I lived in it. I found it “crazy-making.” People often resign themselves to the fact that this is the way things are. But this never made sense to me. If God is unchanging, and we are to share in his divine life, somehow shouldn’t the stability of God be reflected in our lives on earth? Monastic life does exactly that, with its daily rhythm of ora et labora, and it encourages us to take that back into the world for the purpose of bringing some order and stability in the chaos of daily life. Monastic life challenges us to realize that we are often responsible for a lot of our own “crazy-making” busyness, and perhaps we need to cast aside sin and deepen our life with Christ to bring order and stability into our lives.
In the novitiate I was invited to rest in the stability of monastic life. There were, of course, many times when our routine was disrupted, but it was clear that stability was the norm rather than the exception.
This was made clear to me twice this summer when Atchi-son was under tornado warnings. As we took refuge in the sub-crypt, I remember looking outside from the boiler room doors at the frightening scene of the storm. I was grateful for the thick walls and foundations of the monastery, and I realized that this is how monasteries should be built: strong, stable structures set on a hill (or bluff), inviting everyone to enter into the stabil-ity of God and of his Church, built upon solid rock. Yet despite being built to last, monasteries come and go. But if they can call people to rest upon the unchanging rock of Christ and to look towards eternal life, they have fulfilled their purpose.
S e e k i n g S t a b i l i t yb y F r . J a y K y t h e
W h e r e I F o u n d G o db y B r . K a r e l S o u k u p
Fr. Meinrad tells us of a monk from our motherhouse who would sigh, “Ah, to be a novice again.” When asked why he would want to be a novice, he responded, “Because then I could leave!” Those words ring true with me. I entered the novitiate in 2007 with Br. Leven. After nine months I left. Seven years later, I found myself in the last place I ever imagined: right where I started. In between, I studied in seminary, worked at a grocery store and as executive director for a small not-for-profit organization.
As novices, we take no vows; we are free to leave at any time and can be dismissed from the community at any time. None-theless, it has been precisely this freedom to leave which, for me, has been most educative in the vow of stability which I am preparing to profess. The past eight years, both my time in and out of the monastery, have taught me that my joy does not come from the material circumstances in which I find myself, nor my happiness from achieving self-imposed goals. Rather, I see every day that my life is given meaning: Christ who sustains me and works through me and in me, no matter where I am.
It is said that The New York Times once sent an inquiry to G.K. Chesterton asking him to compose an essay on the topic “What’s Wrong with the World.” His response was simple: “I am.” There’s a similar saying repeated to those discerning religious vocations: “You won’t find a perfect religious community; and if you do, don’t join because you’ll screw it up.” The monastery isn’t perfect, I learned that eight years ago. It took me a lot longer to figure out that neither am I, and that the things I thought I would escape by leaving had an amazing knack for following me.
St. Benedict says that the novice should be one who truly seeks God. But that is the basic desire of every human heart, and God is to be found both within the monastery and without. I have returned to the monastery because I have found God here, because I see Christ working here, in me, in my brothers, in our apostolates and in our guests.
7Society of St. Benedict
- R u l e o f S t . B e n e d i c t , P r o l o g u e : 1
Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is advice from a father who loves you; welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice.
Br. Simon Baker has been a Benedictine monks since 2009. On June 5 Br. Simon was ordained to the transitional Diaconate after studying at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. He will spend the next year working in various ministries preparing to be ordained to the Priesthood in April 2015.
C U L T I V A T I N G A G R A T E F U L H E A R Tb y B r . S i m o n B a k e r
8 K a n s a s M o n k s
In the very first week of my summer assignment I moved in with the Jesuits across from Rockhurst University (Sunday), began my eleven-week Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program (Monday), and was ordained to the transitional Diaconate (Thursday)! Although the learning curve was a steep one, I find myself with countless reasons to be grateful.
Gratitude arises from the awareness of having received something one did not earn or deserve. Therefore, the key to cultivating a grateful heart is to recognize everything as gift. As one of my seminary professors likes to say, “Unexpressed gratitude is useless.” Therefore, allow me to express my gratitude for the gifts I received this summer.
First, I am grateful to the Jesuits of the Claver Residence at Rockhurst University for open-ing wide their doors to me. It is no secret that monks have historically been known for their hospitality. However, if ever a monastery could be rivaled in its practice of this virtue, I think the Kansas City Jesuits would give us a run for our money! I am grateful for their treatment of me as a colleague and for modeling dedicated service to God’s people.
Second, I will be forever grateful for the gifts I received during my time as a hospital chaplain in the ICU – of a Level 1 Trauma Center – in a tough part of town! My time in CPE taught me how true it is that in ministry “we get much more than we give.” My patients taught me how to pray, no longer for ambiguous categories, but for people - no longer for the vague category of “the unloved,” but for Theresa who has five children by four different men and is being physi-cally abused by the fourth; no longer for the generic “helpless,” but for Jim who is watching his wife die and is powerless to do anything. Although I did nothing to earn the intimacy my patients shared with me, I am grateful for them inviting me into the mystery of their life and death, pain and loss, faith in God, and sometimes almost inhuman strength in trials.
I am grateful for the opportunity of minis-terial collaboration with the many wonder-ful staff of the hospital (doctors, nurses, security, environmental services, etc.) and especially my strikingly diverse group of fellow CPE interns. I never imagined a group of people could be so diverse reli-giously, ethnically, culturally, in personal-ity, and still get along so well. They taught me to love Jesus and live my Catholic faith with renewed zeal and fervor. Ministry to God’s people takes all kinds. And work-ing with these marvelous men and women, I take solace in the Church’s teaching that even if someone is not one of us (Catholic) they are still one of us (a member of God’s Kingdom). “Whoever is not against us is for
One of Br. Simon’s first acts as a deacon was to baptize his newborn nephew.
9Society of St. Benedict
us,” says Jesus (Mk 9:40) – see also Unitatis Redin-tegratio (3) and Lumen Gentium (16). I am forever in debt to their companionship, mentorship, and discipleship.
And finally I am grateful, perhaps most of all, to have been invited by God into a new way of doing ministry, through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The very day I was ordained I gave new life to my youngest nephew through the Sacrament of Baptism; later in the summer I was privileged to witness the marriage of my uncle; and I “Deaconed” at the Eucharistic table of my parents’ parish, which has supported me since the very first day that my vocation was born. Assisting at Mass is without question the greatest gift of all and there-fore deserving of the most gratitude. In fact the very word, Eucharistia, while usually translated as “thanksgiving,” can just as accurately be translated “gratitude.” The Eucharist is a feast of gratitude!
Truly, all is gift, even if some gifts are more easily recognizable than others. When we make a conscious effort to give thanks for the gifts we do recognize we might begin to see the wisdom of Henri Nouwen’s words in Life of the Beloved: “every time we decide to be grateful it will be easier to see new things to be grateful for. Gratitude begets gratitude, just as love begets love” (p. 52). So let us heed the words of St. Paul and “In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess 5:18).
Young Knights Accomplish A Steep MissionThanks to Benedictine College’s Knights of Columbus, St.
Benedict’s Abbey holds a complete Pontifical set of vestments. Br. Simon Baker’s (above, center) ordination to the transitional deaconate was a perfect opportunity to raise money for a dalmatic, a liturgical vestment worn by deacons.
“The vestments are hand made, so they exude a sense of beauty and design that reflects our Creator,” said Zach Rohm (above, left), Grand Knight and senior at Benedictine College.
The Knights of Columbus place an emphasis on charitable works, especially when it comes to supporting religious vocations.
“The Knights have numerous opportunities to support priests on the diocesan level, but we thought that supporting a future priest who was within our own Benedictine community would be most meaningful,” Rohm said.
“This dalmatic is special because it comes from the Knights!” Br. Simon shares. “Raising the money to purchase it for the monas-tery demonstrates the respect the students have for the monastic liturgy. The choice of this specific vestment confirms that they understand the monastic liturgical ideal of ‘noble simplicity.’”
“It’s wonderful,” Br. Simon expresses the essence of his thoughts about the student support. “A nice liturgical vestment is not cheap. I don’t want to quantify the students’ level of support but it does show to what lengths they will go to express this support.”
Fundraising took place at events throughout the school year guided by Br. Luke Turner (above, right), the financial secretary for the Knights. The largest fundraiser was through spring study mugs for the college students. A study mug includes candy and a letter from parents to encourage their son or daughter during exams.
The Knights fundraising motivated Br. Simon during his own seminary studies. “Br. Luke informed of the Knights support. It has been a great encouragement for me as I move toward Ordination.”
Every year, BC Knights of Columbus elects a particular semi-narian to pray for and support financially.
“Not only is it fulfilling our mission as Knights, but it also fulfills our call as Catholic gentlemen. Hopefully it will foster future vocations for the Abbey,” Rohm said.
Br. Simon will be ordained a priest April 25, 2015 at St. Bene-dict’s Abbey Church.
“Part of the reason I have dedicated the rest of my life as a monk and priest of St. Benedict’s Abbey is because of the students. The gift of this vestment by the Knights of Columbus is the tangi-ble expression of their reciprocity and their mutual dedication to the monastery.”Br. Simon pictured with the other summer interns at
Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo.
6S i x t i p s
gratitudef o r g r o w i n g i n
by Br. Emmanuel O rr ino
Tr y as one might , no one can make himself happy, or cause another to love him. Neither can anyone exper iencing success say that i t i s ent irely his own, and not somehow the f ruit of those who came before .
Sel f -suf f ic ienc y may sound nice , but this i l lus ion places an unfair burden on the one who has i t and denies him a remarkable opportunity for a l i fe f i l led with the beauty of grat i tude!
The self -made man is an illusion.
10 K a n s a s M o n k s
Pray for the gift of gratitude. O f co u r s e i t w o u l d b e s i l l y i f w e co u l d g i v e o u r s e l v e s g r at i tu d e ! We c a n ch o o s e to fo s te r i t i n o u r l i v e s , b u t u l t i m ate l y G o d g i v e s u s th e g r a ce to re co g n i z e h i m a n d w h at h e ch o o s e s to g i v e u s . A sk h i m fo r th e g r a ce to l i v e g r ate f u l l y ! Yo u w o n’t re g re t i t ! Ju s t b e s u re to th a n k h i m a f te r w a rd s .
Remember the “you” in “thank you” W h e n w e a re g r ate f u l , w e d o a ck n o w l e d g e th e g o o d n e s s o f w h at w e re ce i v e . B u t th at ’s n o t th e m o s t i mp o r t a nt p a r t ! R e a l g r at i tu d e i s ab o u t a ck n o w l e d g i n g th e g i v e r ! S o th e m o s t i mp o r t a nt p a r t o f “ th a n k y o u” i s “ y o u .” R e a l i z e th at y o u ’re t a l k i n g to a re a l p e r s o n ( a “ y o u” ) w h e n y o u g i v e g r at i tu d e to G o d .
Be generous with others. “It takes one to know one.” A s y o u g ro w i n g e n e ro s i t y, y o u w i l l b e co m e m o re a t tu n e d to th e g e n e ro s i t y o f G o d a n d o f o th e r s . A n d a s y o u u n d e r s t a n d fo r y o u r s e l f th at re ce i v i n g g r at i tu d e i s a n i mp o r t a nt a f f i r-m at i o n , y o u ’ l l w a nt to g i v e g r at i tu d e i n re s p o n s e to th e g e n e ro s i t y y o u s e e e l s e w h e re .
When something good leaves you speechless, try saying “thank you”Hav e y o u e v e r b e e n s p e e ch l e s s a t th e s i g ht o f a b e au t i f u l s u n s e t ? O r p e rh ap s b y h e a r-i n g th at a s i ck f r i e n d re co v e re d ? W h e n y o u h av e n o th i n g e l s e to s ay, t r y s ay i n g “ th a n k y o u .” G r at i tu d e m ay n o t b e y o u r i n i t i a l re a c t i o n , b u t ch o o s i n g to g i v e i t m i g ht s u r p r i s e y o u !
Examine yourself and your life. Ho n e s t ex a m i n at i o n re v e a l s a t l e a s t t w o th i n g s : Fi r s t , th at w e a re b ro ke n a n d h e l p l e s s to g i v e o u r s e l v e s e v e r y th i n g w e n e e d . S e co n d , th at w e a re n o n e th e l e s s g i v e n m a ny w o n d e r f u l th i n g s . Ack n o w l e d g i n g o u r sh o r tco m i n g s h e l p s u s re a l i z e th e w o n d e r o f w h at w e a re g i v e n . Th i s i s r i p e g ro u n d fo r g r at i tu d e !
Make small sacrifices. Fro m t i m e to t i m e , s ay “n o” to m o re th a n o n e ch o co l ate ch i p co o k i e , to ext r a s a l t , o r a d j u s t i n g th e h e at t w o d e g re e s . A l l o w i n g o u r s e l v e s to fe e l e v e n a l i t t l e d i s co m fo r t h e l p s u s re ce i v e o u r b l e s s i n g s w i th g r at i tu d e r ath e r th a n t a ke th e m fo r g r a nte d .
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12 K a n s a s M o n k s
Benedictine Born
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Some choose the B enedict ine way of l i fe , but for Fr. Blaine Schultz , the l i fe chose him.
Fr. Blaine l ived with a heav y B enedict ine inf luence early on. His family attended a par ish in Kansas City, Kan. , where the pastors , Fr. Ambrose Keating and Fr. Maurus Kennedy, were B enedict ine monks . Knowing nothing about their l ives as monks , he gre w up admir ing them.
“I was impressed knowing that these two pr iests belonged to a much bigger group of men. A part of something that most don’t have an exper ience of .”
Part ic ipat ing in the boys choir at his par ish strengthened his admi-rat ion. Since Fr. Blaine was the only one who could play piano, he was the accompanist for the choir. His mother was a pianist and required al l her chi ldren to take lessons for at least two years .
“My and two younger s isters counted down the days to quit . But I ne ver stopped. I ’ve a lways played piano. As soon as I got home from school , I would play on our smal l piano. I real ly took to i t .”
Involvement in the choir had i t s perks . Fr. Maurus awarded the boys , taking them to parks and picnics . One day, he rented a bus to br ing the choir to the Abbe y. “Seeing the monks come together real ly appealed to me,” Fr. Blaine said.
Fr. Maurus invested t ime in Fr. Blaine because he kne w something special was there . He was the one who proposed attending Maur Hil l Prep School , arranging a scholarship. “ I owe him a great deal ,” Fr. Blaine shares .
Discernment to the B enedict ine l i fe began in high school because of Fr. Maurus ’ involvement in Fr. Blaine ’s l i fe . “My whole l i fe i s prov identia l . The y a lways had words of encouragement a l l the way.” This motivated him to continue as one of the “Hil l toppers” at St . B enedict ’s Col lege in 1951.
co n t i n u e d o n n e x t p a g e
Benedictine Born6 0 Y e a r s of M on a s t i c L i f e
by R a c he l L a n z , B C ‘ 1 5
Fr. Blaine was ordained in 1960. He is seen above witnessing the marriage of his mother on May 26, 1962.
14 K a n s a s M o n k s
“A Hilltopper was a student thinking about becoming a monk or diocesan priest who studied separately from the student body in the top two stories of St. Benedict Hall. We had classes and meals together, but we formed friendships with the other students, too.”
After two years of studying theology and philosophy, Fr. Blaine and four others professed vows in St. Martin’s Chapel before Abbot Cuthbert McDonald, clothed as monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey.
“It was a much larger and younger community back then. Most of us became friends and shared many experiences together,” recalling his early years of monkhood.
Fr. Blaine looks back fondly at week-long vacations to the Ozarks in the summertime. The young monks in training, called Clerics, travelled by bus to a large remote cabin. “It was a totally different setting. We cooked our own food and said prayers together. There was that camaraderie we had that I really enjoyed.”
Fr. Blaine was ordained to the priesthood on May 26, 1960. He started teaching theol-ogy and philosophy courses at St. Benedict’s College after his ordination, along side playing the organ. “I’ve always wanted to become a teacher and I did well in my theol-ogy and philosophy classes in school. One of my professors, Fr. Dunstan, told me I was a born teacher.”
A n E d u c at i o n E v e r l a s t i n g
F r o m B e n e d i c t i n e R av e n t o B e n e d i c t i n e M o n k
His work ignited a desire to continue his own education. His love of music set the tone. He chose graduate school at the University of Kansas in Lawrence because of the excel-lent music program. While living with KU’s chaplain, who happened to be a Benedic-tine monk, he received a Bachelors of Music degree in music history in 1964. Fr. Blaine went on to the University of Wisconsin at Madison for a masters in music.
“It was a wonderful situation. There was another Benedictine monk chaplain at a convent right outside Madison. He more than welcomed me in, taking advantage of having another monk. He was a very holy man.”
Arriving back to Atchison, Fr. Blaine taught history of music, as well as art history in the introduction to fine arts course with two other professors who taught music and theatre. “At the end of the intro class, I continued to teach fine arts. And that’s when I asked if I could study in Europe to learn more about art.”
Fr. Blaine took a sabbatical, an academic year off from teaching, to study in Europe with Benedictine monks from all over the world from the fall of 1987 to the summer of 1988.
“It was a great experience because I actually saw the art I was teaching in class. I actu-ally saw the Parthenon in Greece and the Chartres Cathedral outside Notre Dame. I went from watching slides, telling the students, ‘isn’t it marvelous,’ to bringing first hand experiences into the classroom which improved my lectures.”
Fr. Blaine’s favorite part of teaching was the opportunity to team-teach courses. One coworker he enjoyed working with most was Sister Joachim Holthaus, a distinguished musicologist. They took students to the Opera and Symphony in Kansas City, and the Nelson Art Gallery.
“It was really heart warming reading the student’s reaction papers expressing the desire to go back. Years later, I got postcards from Rome bragging that they saw what they learned in class. That’s what makes teaching worthwhile. Giving an experience to someone they hadn’t had one before.”
P r o fe s se d • July 1 1 , 1 9 5 4O r d a i n e d • M ay 2 6 , 1 9 6 0
• F a t h e r B l a i n e S c h u l t z o f t h e O r d e r o f S t . B e n e d i c t •
15Society of St. Benedict
Fr. Blaine retired in 2006 after 45 years. He turned to composing in his spare time, putting music to text. He gained experience doing this during the changes of Vatican II.
“It was an outstanding experience that the young monks don’t have, living through the changes from Latin to vernacular in the liturgy. When that switch happened, we could no longer sing the Psalms. So, Abbot Brendan asked if I could start writing music for the Psalms. I composed 45 psalm tones that the monks still sings today.”
In addition to full-time organist, Fr. Blaine’s work includes guestmaster, a post he has held since his appointment in 1982. “I thoroughly enjoy both my jobs. I meet the most wonderful people and when you are happy, people see that and it attracts others.”
Reflecting on his 60 years as a Benedictine monk, Fr. Blaine declared, “No regrets whatsoever. I’m glad that I could bring my musical talent with me. The monks always encouraged me, provided teachers, and I can serve the community doing what I love as a musician.”
Fr. Blaine hopes to fill every place in the choir section again. “We can’t let Benedictinism die in Atchison, we have to keep it going.”
He encourages the community of Kansas Monks to attend more Benedictine College athletic games and to be more involved and present among the students. “I have never missed a ballgame, if I can help it.” You will most likely find Fr. Blaine sitting in the back of the bleach-ers. Say hi to him, he will be there.
“This lets students see we’re human, happy, share the same interests, and we know how to have a good time outside of the monastery. Hopefully they benefit by contact with us and discover what religious life is about. It is not an easy life, but a rewarding life.”
A F u l f i l l i n g F u t u r e
W e c a n ’ t l e t B e n e d i c t i n i s m d i e , w e h a v e t o k e e p i t g o i n g .
RAISEDCATHOLIC
16 K a n s a s M o n k s
The Abbey and the College will never separate.But we are separate.
“ We embrace the college a s a father embrace s hi s child . Yet we operate independently and count on the f inancial generosit y of our f r iends to do G od’s work .”
The monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey are proud of their heritage as co-founders of Benedictine College. The Abbey’s commitment to education and learning is as strong today as it was in 1858 when the monks established a “school for the Lord’s service.”
- A B B OT J A M E S A L B E R SB C C L A S S O F ‘94
A Common Heritage
A Separate MissionSt. Benedict’s Abbey is, however, a separate corporation from Benedictine College. This is often a surprise to many people. The Abbey must raise its own support and maintain its own facilities. The good works of the monks are supported mostly by the contributions from friends and benefactors and salaries for academic services and pastoral assignments.
by Mike Kuck leman
RAISEDCATHOLICG R A T I T U D E F O R A S T A B L E F O U N D A T I O N
The monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey have impacted my life in many ways for which I say, “thank you.” However, saying “thank you” is not enough; gratitude is required here. We are instructed on gratitude in the Catechism, “for Christians a special gratitude is due to those from whom they have received the gift of faith, the gift of Baptism and life in the Church.” I owe gratitude to the monks just as I owe gratitude to my family.
Gratitude comes from the Latin, gratia, meaning grace. Grat-itude is a virtue and requires humility and grace. Saying “thank you” is part of gratitude but it is not equivalent to gratitude. When we say “thank you” to a store clerk that is social politeness – there is an exchange and the customer and store owner each receive something they are entitled to receive; one to payment and one to goods. Gratitude is much more than an expression of social politeness.
Gratitude is the realization that what we have received is unearned, it is a true gift. We receive many gifts that we have not earned and for which we have no entitlement. We are not worthy but instead, it is gratia; a gift bestowed upon us but not owed to us. Thus, gratitude requires humility in recognizing we are not worthy but we are blessed anyway. We receive many gifts strictly by the grace of God. We all are called to show gratitude for many gifts which we were given but did nothing to earn: our parents, our life, our children, air, living in a free country – the list could go on forever. Likewise, I feel gratitude towards the monks for the impact they have on my life, my family and the community.
I am grateful I was raised in the Atchison Catholic commu-nity. The presence of the monks provided a continuity to my faith outside of my home. This has been the way for many people in Atchison for many years. The earliest settlers in Atchison County were beneficiaries of the monks who traveled and settled along the river in hope that as the west was settled, faith would be a corner-stone of the communities. The monks were certainly successful in their evangelization considering Atchison became home to a monastery, a convent, two Catholic colleges, two Catholic high schools, three Catholic parishes with three Catholic schools.
I was fortunate to grow up in Atchison and received many blessings as a result of the presence of the monks. My introduc-tion to my faith was a result of being born into the Kuckelman family but my faith was impacted substantially as I grew up in such close proximity to this group of men. I recall dinners at our home that included many of the community members over several years.
One of my earliest memories is of Fr. Germain Kuckelman coming to our house for dinner. I recall the rosaries he made from sweetgum fruit. Even today, the thorny sweetgum fruit laying just north of St. Benedict’s Church serves as a permanent reminder of Fr. Germain and his rosaries. While social interaction with the monks was an important part of my childhood, I am especially appreciative of their role in my formal education in grade school and at Maur Hill.
In considering my personal gratitude for the monks, I have always felt special gratitude for Br. John Peto (above at top right).
When I was a sophomore at Maur Hill I was in Br. John’s religion class. His teaching of catechism was especially effective. As Maur Hill students we received a great understanding of tangible versus intangible aspects of our faith. Br. John went so far as to eat chalk to demonstrate the difference between something tangible such as chalk which can be touched, seen and even eaten as compared to intangible features of our faith. To this day when a sacrament is given, I can recall with clarity Br. John’s teaching of the sacra-ment. Br. John is but one example of many ways the monks impact the lives of those around them on a daily basis but frequently that impact is life-long.
In Luke 17:5-17 we learned of the ten lepers who were healed. One healed leper returned in gratitude. The one healed leper that returned glorified God and fell at the feet of Jesus and gave thanks. Jesus said “Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they?”
I hope in my gratitude for the monks I can be like the leper that had the grace and humility to realize he was given a gift that was unearned. I close with a heartfelt “thank you” to the monks but know that it is really gratitude I am attempting to express.
Ora et labora.
Mike Kuckleman is a native of Atchison, Kan., graduating from Maur Hill Prep School in 1982. He lives in Kansas City with his wife and children.
17Society of St. Benedict
I r e c e n tly r e a d a n a rti c l e in The American Conservative by an Orthodox Christian named Rod Dreher entitled “Beauty and Transfiguration” which examined what Christ’s Transfiguration has to do with our lives. Surely it is one of the oddest moments in the gospels: shining face and clothes, descending prophets, booming voice, and then…nothing. Back to business as usual. Strange, to say the least.
But what Dreher suggests is that we have all had transfigurative moments, that at times in each of our lives the grey film of the Fall is peeled back and we see things “as they really are” and become like Peter and James and John that day when gazing upon their Lord. It is not altogether different from what C.S. Lewis proposes in The Great Divorce, where Heaven is not so much different from this world but more real, thicker and richer and fuller to the point that we appear as ghosts in a land where even sunlight has weight.
When I reflect on this idea that, as St. Paul says, we “see dimly now, as in a mirror” (1 Corinthians 13:12), I am brought back to my first transfigurative moment.
After my sophomore year at Benedic-tine College, I decided to remain on campus over the summer to work, train for soccer, and focus on my faith life through prayer and spiritual direction with Fr. Bruce Swift. Through the witness and encouragement of friends, I had begun a conversion of sorts, finally accepting my faith as my own and ready to face up to its demands, and I thought a summer near the monastery could be the jump-start I needed as I began my journey anew.
After the first few weeks, however, I felt stymied. There were no mystical visions or fits of ecstasy, no immediate dissolution of my sins, no mass conversions of my friends and family inspired by the courage it took to live off my parents’ money with my friends in my favorite place in the world for a whole summer.
I didn’t get it.What I know now is that, as the author/blogger Mark Shea puts it, “Grace is grace, not magic.” I was waiting for the
magic-Jesus-wand to turn me into a man with no temptations and no faults and no struggles. Didn’t happen.But what He did give me was a moment I will never forget. It was not a vision of Mary. It was not a dream of an angel. It was a transfiguration.One night that summer, I simply didn’t want to pray. It was late, I was tired, and I just wanted to go to bed. But as I lay
down, the gruff voice of Fr. Bruce kept echoing in my mind, reminding me that I was not allowed to sleep until I prayed.So I grudgingly got out of bed, walked out of Memorial Hall, and cut through campus to the adoration chapel in the
back of St. Benedict’s Church.After being let in the door by an elderly gentleman, I knelt down to pray in front of the Eucharist and tried to focus.
Almost immediately I became aware of a prompting to leave the chapel. It was odd, and I won’t call it a “voice” per se, but it was definitely there, an urging of sorts, quite clearly telling me to go.
by Shane R app
the Deaththeof
18 K a n s a s M o n k s
And while you might think there is no way the Holy Spirit would urge someone to leave the presence of Christ mere moments after settling in front of Him, it seemed clear to me that that was precisely what was happening.
So I made the sign of the cross, sheepishly stepped past the old man who had just had his prayer disturbed 90 seconds before to let me in the chapel, and left.
I wasn’t exactly sure where I was supposed to go, but I found myself walking towards the Abbey.
I passed under the oaks outside the guesthouse and towards the weathered bench at the river overlook. I paused when I got there and surveyed the scene before me.
Even now as I write I know this is a futile effort. I can’t really tell you what happened there or why it changed me. All I know is that something there changed, transfigured, was revealed to me as it truly is: something vibrating with life and reality, still, yet pulsing with Something More.
As I looked off the edge of the bluffs, the clouds above me moved and a full moon shone brightly on the river. A light fog was drifting like smoke over the Missouri and the bluffs beyond the bend were simmering in the white light as the water north of me curved like a scythe. The reds and browns
of the trees stood stark against the stones framing them like a red-breasted robin breathing in the iridescent moonlight.
I stood there and wept by myself, and have never felt less alone.
I don’t know why I cried. I don’t know why the Spirit moved me to that place at that time, other than to see what I saw. I didn’t have an intellectual epiphany or finally find the recipe to kick all my sins to the curb.
But I was filled by the deep breath of life and burned by the desire for more of it. And perhaps that was all I needed.
What response could one have to this but gratitude? The knowledge that I am bankrupt and all that is good in my life comes from God, often through family and friends and monks but at times through the sheer splendor of His hand, that the best I could do after a summer of prayer and study was be struck dumb by beauty: this makes gratitude easy.
Perhaps you’ve had a moment like this, even if you didn’t know what was happening at the time. Regardless, Jesus is waiting to put the “mirror” away and show you something, show you Himself “face to face”, if you have the eyes to see.
Pay attention. When something changes, even for a moment, it can change everything. It did for me.
Shane Rapp graduated from Benedictine College with his bachelor’s in English and Secondary Education in 2008 and again with his Master’s in School Leadership in 2012. He and his wife Megan (BC class of ‘08 and ‘12 as well) live in Olathe with their two children, Cayleigh and Ryan. To read more of Shane’s work, see his blog at thedeathofcatholocism.com
the Deaththe
19Society of St. Benedict
Summer is the time for enrichment programs and some of the monks have profited by them:
Fr. Blaine Schultz participated in the 37th Annual Convention of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians July 14-18, 2014, in St Louis, Mo. The five days featured liturgies, work-shops, vocal and instrumental performances and exhibits.
Br. Timothy McMillan and Br. Emmanuel Orrino joined 35 other male Benedictines in first vows at the annual Junior Insti-tute for male Benedictines at St. Vincent Archabbey (right), Latrobe, Pa. June 14-28, 2014. Representatives from five of the major groups of Benedictines in the country participated in this two-week study/exchange program. Our Abbey will host the program in 2015.
News items from St. Joseph Priory, Mineiros, Goiás. Brazil
Abbot James’ role as abbot includes periodic visits to St. Joseph Priory, our monastic foundation in Mineiros, Goiás. Brazil. He journeyed there April 21-30 to visit the community and to partici-pate in the ordination to the priesthood of Br. Carlos Alberto Nogueira Filho on April 27.
Br. Victor Hugo Pinheiro Leão dos Santos made profession of triennial vows on the feast of St. Scholastica, February 10. In view of future seminary studies he began philosophical studies at the Federal University of Goiânia on February 17.
On the feast of St. Benedict, July 11, two young men, Br. Thiago Ferreira and Br. Filipe Hélio Inácio da Silva Junior Inácio began their novitiate year and received the monastic habit from Prior Duane Roy. They have also been joined on August 2 by João Luis Vascancelos Machado, a native of Mineiros, as a postulant.
Prior Duane Roy and Fr. Josias da Costa have moved from residency in St. Benedict Monastery, Goiânia, the priory’s house of studies, to St. Joseph Priory in Mineiros and serve as associ-ate pastors of St. Benedict Parish there. Subprior Rodrigo Perissinotto, until now pastor of St. Benedict Parish in Mineiros has moved to Goiânia where he is the superior of the house of stud-ies, St. Benedict Monastery, and is
pursuing graduate studies in Psychology at the Catholic Univer-sity of Goiânia. Fr. Carlos is master of novices and is teaching in the Literature Department of the Catholic University. Fr. Vinícius de Queiroz Rezende became the pastor of St. Benedict Parish in Mineiros on June 15.
With the transfer of Bishop José Luiz Majella Delgado, CSSR, from the diocese of Jataí, Goiás to the archdiocese of Pouso Alegre, Minas Gerais, Fr. Joaquim Carv-alho has been elected administrator of the diocese until the appointment of a new bishop. Prior to his election Fr. Joaquim had been serving as Vicar General of the Jataí diocese.
News from Atchison
Fr. Matthew Habiger continues to promote strong marriages and Natural Family Planning (NFP). He offers NFP Parish weekends, Parish Missions on the Catechism and the Theology of the Body and clergy conferences throughout the USA. He recently travelled to Hong Kong to promote NFP. He preached at several parishes and gave presentations to permanent Deacons, NFP teachers, Catholic doctors and other medical professionals. He was spon-sored by the Hong Kong Catholic Marriage Advisory Council.
Br. Emmanuel Orrino is teaching Introduction to Law in the Political Science Department at Benedictine College and is the faculty moderator for the Communion and Liberation Group at the College. He also collabo-rates with Br. Leven Harton as associ-ate vocation director of the Abbey.
Br. Luke Turner completed his Executive Master’s Degree in Business Administration on August 17. He was chosen by his classmates to give their address and was chosen by the faculty to receive the Dr. Lawrence Hart Award for the most outstanding student of this year’s cohort. He was a member of the team that won the Business Plan of the Year Award through the Kaufman Foundation. Br. Luke teaches International Management in the Business Department of Benedictine College. He will also be taking philosophy courses in view of studies for the priesthood.
abbey notes
20 K a n s a s M o n k s
Although he graduated from Benedictine College in 2011, Br. Timothy McMillan is pursuing the equivalent of a Major in Philos-ophy there in view of future studies for the priesthood.
Fr. Marion Charboneau continues his doctoral studies in American history at Kansas State University. He is currently preparing for comprehensive examina-tions in his chosen fields of Civil War, Southern history, and Modern China. Earlier this spring, he presented a paper at a student history conference at the University of Kansas entitled “To Put an End to Bayonet Rule: The Reli-gious Motivations of Rutherford B. Hayes, the Civil War, and the End of Reconstruction.” Fr. Marion composed this paper for a course on U.S. religious history.
Fr. Daniel McCarthy and Fr. James Leachman, OSB, are co-editors and authors of a new book in the Appre-ciating the Liturgy Series , Transition in the Easter Vigil: Becoming Chris-tians. The volume is comprised of scholarly articles by the editors and five other liturgical scholars. It is published by the St. Michael’s Abbey Press, Farnborough, UK. Fr. Daniel continues teaching and research at the Institutum Liturgicum located in London and affiliated with the Cath-olic University of Leuven, Belgium.
Fr. Meinrad travelled to Kolkata, India, to give a seminar to some of Blessed Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity from August 5-13 on the topic of “The Paschal Mystery and the Mystical Body of Christ.” This was Fr. Meinrad’s fourth trip to India to give religious seminars to the Missionaries of Char-ity. He continues as a faculty member of the Theology Department of Benedictine College and is the Novice Master of the Abbey.
On June 1 Abbot Emeritus Barnabas Senecal and his brother, Fr. Gerard Sene-cal, celebrated jointly their respective 50th and 60th anniversaries of priestly ordination at St. Benedict Parish, Atchison. In recog-nition of Fr. Gerard’s lead-ership while pastor of the parish, the parish school gymnasium has been named the “Fr. Gerard Senecal Gymnasium.” Abbot Barn-abas is currently associate pastor of St. Benedict Parish and Fr. Gerard has recently retired after 15 years as pastor at Atchison parishes and one year as administrator of Immaculate Conception Parish, St. Marys, Kan. and St. Stanislaus in Rossville, Kan.
After 29 years of ministry to incarcerated persons in various locations, Fr. Bruce Swift retired this year from his prison minis-try at the Lansing Correc-tional Facility, Lansing, Kan., where he celebrated Mass and provided sacra-mental ministry for 13 years. Fr. Roderic Giller has assumed the role of sacramental minister at that facility.
Br. Simon Baker was ordained deacon on June 5 in the Abbey Church by the Most Reverend Joseph Naumann, Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas. He has spent the summer enrolled in the Clinical Pastor Education (C.P.E.) program of Research Medical Center, Kansas City, Mo. He is currently completing his fourth and final year of priesthood studies at Saint Meinrad Seminary, Saint Meinrad, Ind. His ordination to the priesthood is scheduled for April 25, 2015.
What difference does the Easter vigil make in the life of one celebrating its rites?
In this book the liturgical rites and prayers of the Easter vigil reveal the human transformation intended in the process of becoming Christians in the sacraments of initiation celebrated during the Easter vigil.
Whereas other scholars provide focused studies on the scriptural readings or on a major prayer of the Easter vigil, this unique book provides a comprehensive view of the Easter vigil by examining all the short prayers which in turn reveal the steps in the process of human transformation.
Contributors
Fr Daniel P. McCarthy osb, a monk of St Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison, Kansas, is engaged in research and teaching in the Institutum Liturgicum with the Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium: liturgyinstitute.org
Fr James G. Leachman osb, a monk of Ealing Abbey, London, is an associate tenured professor at the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy, Rome, also engaged in research and teaching at the Institutum liturgicum: institutumliturgicum.org.uk
Transition in the Easter Vigil D
. McC
arthy osb &
J. Leachman o
sb
Saint Michael’s Abbey PressSaint Michael’s Abbey, Farnborough, Hampshire. GU14 7NQ. England.
www.theabbeyshop.com
For more than one hundred years the Abbey of Saint Michael at Farnborough has enjoyed a reputation for excellence
in the field of liturgical scholarship and publishing.
The monks live a traditional life of prayer,
work and study in accordance with the ancient Rule of Saint Benedict.
At the heart of their life is the solemn celebration of the Sacred Liturgy.
www.farnboroughabbey.org
Other St Michael's Abbey Press Titles
A Pope and a Council on the Sacred Liturgy ‘Mediator Dei’ (Pope Pius XII) and ‘Sacrosanctum
Concilium’ with comparative study by A. Nichols OP ISBN 0 907077 38 2
On The Holy Mass by Dom Prosper Guéranger
ISBN 0 907077 47 1
Liturgy the Life of the Church by Lambert Beauduin osb
ISBN 0 907077 40 4
The Monastic Diurnal The Day Hours of the Monastic Breviary
ISBN 0 907077 44 7
All St Michael's Abbey Press titles available from
www.theabbeyshop.com
Edited by Daniel P. McCarthy osb & James G. Leachman osb
Series
LITURGIAM AESTIMARE :APPRECIATING THE LITURGY
Series editors
James G. Leachman osb
Daniel P. McCarthy osb
Appreciating the Liturgy offers a fresh understanding of post-Vatican II liturgical texts, based on their historical development, clarity about Latin and the interpretative method of the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy.
The President’s Council of The Pontifical Institute of Liturgy, Rome, endorses this project. Its President, Ephrem Carr osb, serves as project moderator with the directors James G. Leachman osb and Daniel P. McCarthy osb.
«DREI» publications: Documenta Rerum Ecclesiasticarum Instaurata.
Other books in this series:
Appreciating the Collect: an Irenic methodologyedited by J. Leachman osb & D. McCarthy osb
ISBN 978-0-907077-61-9
Transition in the Easter VigilBecoming Christians
ISBN 978-0-907077-64-0
Cover photograph by Daniel P. McCarthy
LITURGIAM ÆSTIMARE : APPRECIATING THE LITURGY
Fr Dominic Carey cssi
Fr Ephrem Carr osb Fr Anscar Chupungco osb
Fr Alain IntimiFr James Leachman osb
Fr Daniel McCarthy osb
Fr Patrick Regan osb Fr Manuel Eduardo Solórzano Zerpa op
21Society of St. Benedict
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• a n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 4 •
S e r v i n g t h e m e n w h o s e r v e t h e C h u r c h
The 2014 Abbot’s Table was a great success. Just under 600 guests, donated over $475,000. Above: Abbot James chats with Tim Mispagel.
Th r o u gh o u t th e c e n t ur i e s monaster-ies have strived to be self-sustaining. However, due to a variety of situations, to be self-sustaining has proven to be a formidable challenge. Since the founding of St. Benedict’s Abbey in 1857 the monks have placed a high priority on that same monastic value. And, as might be expected, it has been a difficult task from the beginning. Those early years were filled with financial challenges. We frequently like to quote Fr. Peter Beckman’s opening line in his 1957 centennial history of St. Benedict’s Abbey: “The history of St. Benedict’s Abbey . . . demonstrate(s) how not to found a monas-tery.”
However, this does not necessarily mean that the monks here in Atchison, Kan., or those monks founding monasteries for more than fifteen-hundred years, have been poor financial planners or inadequate business officers. Of course, one can find an occa-sional example of that in monastic history. But luckily those are the exceptions. To discover the source of the dilemma one might better look at the very mission and goals of monastic life itself.
The real “problem” may be that these monks have given a higher priority to carrying out their mission and higher values of maintaining monastic centers of prayer and work, evangelizing God’s people in missionary territories, responding to the call to provide education and pastoral ministry, and being focal points of hospitality and spiritual reflection. While these are highly impor-tant contributions to the People of God in their continued search for God’s Kingdom, they are not necessarily sustaining financial enterprises.
Thus, when a person reflects on monastic history and the various apostolates and minis-tries taken on by the monks, it is not surprising that monasteries have been dependent upon the charity and generosity of their benefactors to assist them in meeting their financial obligations. In order to reach out to embrace others and to assist them in meeting their vari-ous spiritual and material needs, the monks find themselves being financially needy as well.
There is another area of concern: St. Benedict’s Abbey, like many religious institutions today, faces a demographic challenge. We have many elderly members and also some very talented younger members. We are missing the comparable membership in the central age group. And, as it happens, these are often the primary wage-earners for the community. There are many reasons for this current age gap in many religious communities, but that would be an article in itself. For the moment it suffices to say that it is a challenge we face daily.
Finally, St. Benedict’s Abbey, like many other religious insti-tutions today, is very dependent upon financial investments. As demographics and apostolates have changed, communities have often sold or leased buildings and land holdings in favor of more reliable and productive sources of income. Yet, as we all well know, investment return in the current market situation can be extremely volatile.
And so it becomes evident that our benefactors are our most reliable source of sustaining support as we work to rejuvenate our community. We have been blessed with many generous friends who make it possible for us to maintain this monastic community as a center of prayer and work, a focal point of spiritual reflection and hospitality, and at the same time enabling us to provide for the greater Church community the many ministries it needs as its members continue their search for the Kingdom.
I am happy to report that at the end of the most recent fiscal year on June 30, 2014, we showed an operating surplus, primar-ily due to contributions and investment return. This surplus will help to compensate for the serious operating deficits we suffered in previous years when the economy was enduring the severe reces-sion.
However, the financial challenges continue to confront us as we look forward to the current fiscal year and subsequent years. As we enter further into our strategic planning process, one of our financial priorities is to achieve and maintain a balanced operating budget while at the same time bringing in additional revenues to cover necessary capital projects and endowment needs.
We daily remember our benefactors as we celebrate the Eucha-rist and pray the Liturgy of the Hours. May God continue to bless all those who have been so generous in assisting St. Bene-dict’s Abbey maintain its witness and ministries here in Northeast Kansas as well as in our mission in Brazil.
Lo oking Back at 2014a f i s c a l r e c a p
by Fr. Maurice Haef ling , Business Manager
24 K a n s a s M o n k s
A d v a n c e m e n tR e v e n u e
25Society of St. Benedict
•Financial Statement•Fiscal Year - July 1, 2013 - June 30, 2014
Administration & General $ 730,899.00Operations & Maintenance 614,008.00 Support of Members 598,087.00 Health Care 416,655.00 Depreciation 341,093.00 Contributions & Alms 44,533.00 Total $ 2,745,275.00
Advancement Revenue $ 1,408,180.00Investments Revenue 1,034,823.00Revenue from Ministries 363,178.00 Miscellaneous Revenue 195,112.00Social Security & Medical 133,609.00 Total $ 3,134,902.00
Special Projects $ 342,853.00Abbot’s Table 476,254.00Bequests 76,274.00Annual Fund Giving 512,799.00Total $ 1,408,180.00
A d v a n c e m e n tR e v e n u e
C o n t r i b u t i o n s& A l m s
O p e r a t i o n s &M a i n t e n a n c eI n v e s t m e n t
R e v e n u e
R e v e n u e f r o m M i n i s t r i e s
S u p p o r t o fM e m b e r s
H e a l t h C a r eM i s c e l l a n e o u sR e v e n u e
D e p r e c i a t i o n
A d m i n i s t r a t i o n &G e n e r a l
S o c i a l S e c u r i t y& M e d i c a l
Advancement Revenue• d e t a i l e d •
R E V E N U E S E X P E N D I T U R E S
26 K a n s a s M o n k s
Society of St. Benedict members may pursue increasing levels of commitment by investing in the mission and ministry of the monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey. The names of the levels correspond to key roles that different monks exercise within the monastic community, with varying levels of responsibility and authority.
The Abbot’s Table$10,000+
The Abbot serves as the father in Christ to the monastic community. It is a high honor to be invited to sit at the Abbot’s table.
The Prior’s Guild$5,000+
The Prior assists the Abbot in the governance of the monastery. A guild is a hard-working group of people, coming together to serve a common cause.
The Procurator’s Council$2,500+
The Procurator is the monk appointed by the Abbot to be in charge of the financial affairs of the monastery.
The Choir Master’s Schola$1,000+
The Choir Master is the monk appointed for choosing the music used within the monastery. The monastic schola is a group of elite singers from within the monastic community.
The Porter’s Circle$500+
The porter is the monk appointed to welcome guests to the monastery. It is considered an important office, as the porter is the representative of the monastic community to the outside world.
The Friends of the Abbey$1+
Every gift aids the monks in spreading the message of Christ to the world. The monks want you to know that you are part of our family and are kept in our prayers each day.
Society of St. Benedictc o m m i t m e n t l e v e l s
To learn more or become more involved in the Society, contact Matt Kemnitz, Director of Advancement, at 913.360.7897 or e-mail [email protected].
Our ministr y i s made poss ible
by your generosity
27Society of St. Benedict
Prior’s GuildAdair/Exchange Bank Foundation
Aegon Trans America Foundation
Anonymous
Ray & Mary Jo Becker
Larry & Tresa Buessing
Dick Deitchman
Thomas Dekat†
Rich & Cindy Dickason
Bob & Shirley Chenoweth
Dan Fangman & Dolly Duffy
Jim & Zibbie Ferrell
John Gages
Larry & Fran Gallagher
Mike & Susan Gangel
William & Nina Gerst
Ilene Good
Mick & Marlys Haverty
Larry & Linda Kaminsky
Hank & Susan Keeley
P.J. & Virginia Keeley
Ronald Kelly
Pete Klebba
Phyllis Lieb
Matt & Sheryl McAvoy
Steve & Peggy McBride
MGP Ingredients, Inc.
Dave & Mary Pat Miller
Jack & Kathy Newman
Jim & Katie O’Brien
Chuck & Marty Raplinger
Tim & Sue Regan
Bob & Carolyn Reintjes
Steve & Lynn Rus
Rev. Donald Schwalm
Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica
Bob & Janet Wholey
Jim & Earlene Wilson
Our ministr y i s made poss ible
by your generosity
D o n o r s c o n t inu e d o n n e x t p ag e
Abbot’s TableAnonymous
Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
J.E. Dunn Construction Company
John & Clara Crawford†
Gallagher Family Foundation
John & Terry Gillcrist
Michael R. & Marlys Haverty Family Foundation Fund
AJ & Marjorie† Horinek
Richard & Elizabeth Kampeter
Koch Foundation, Inc.
Don & Diane Lueger
National Religious Retirement Office
Lou & Sue McAvoy
Mary McBride
David & Rebecca Moritz
Michael & Theresa Murphy
Dorothy Ryan†
Terry & Michelle Sexton
Bob & Grace Strathman
Emmett & Mary Jo Tangeman
Paul & Kathleen Westerman
The Westerman Foundation
There is ne ver a lack of opportunity to ser ve our Lord in our ministr y of prayer and work in our apostolates . My confreres and I have the utmost grat i tude for a l l our f r iends who, through your generous support , jo in us in this miss ion of l i f t ing up the world in prayer and ser v ing Chr ist in his Church.
Abbot James AlbersNinth Abbot of St. Benedic t’s Abbey
Benedic tine Monk since 1996
I see in a specia l way how your k indness contr ibutes to the dai ly l i fe of the monks . Your generosity supports us in our miss ion of prayer and work . Thank you for your continued prayers and support of the Abbe y.
Fr. Jeremy HepplerPrior of St. Benedic t’s Abbey
Benedic tine Monk since 2003
I appreciate this opportunity to thank the many donors f rom this past year. As the Procurator for more than twenty years , I have witnessed a lmost on a dai ly bas is the importance and value of our benefactors as we str ive to meet our var ious f inancia l obl igat ions . Without your k ind ass istance we would not be able to carr y out our miss ion of prayer and ser v ice to the Church. Thank you for your continued generosity and support .
Fr. Maur ice Haef l ing • Proc ur ator of St. Benedic t’s Abbey Benedic tine Monk since 1963
Choir Master’s Schola
Chuck & Susan AdamsBob & Janet AdrianBob & Betty AlbersDon & Kathy Albers
Edwin AmreinArensberg-Pruett Funeral Home, Inc.
Milton ArganbrightMike & Kay Bartoletti
George & Barbara BaumgartnerRev. Henry Baxa
Bob & Louise BonaJim & Linda BongersDave & Joyce Boone
Joe & Connie BricknerMichael & Kimberly Brox
Jerry & Cass BrungardtLeonard & Kitty Buddenbohm
Gary & Eileen BurkartThomas & Carol Burke
Patrick ByrneJohn & Marilyn Carroll
Stephen & Joan CharbonneauChevron Humankind Matching Gift
Program Robert Chisolm
Dennis & Rosemary ClydeCountry Club Bank
Bill & Kathy CunninghamRev. Earl Dekat
Irene DierksEdward DillonDavid Dinneen
Sean & Julie DohertyDavid & Libby Domann
Terry & Peggy DunnCarlyle & Kathleen Dunshee
Lee & Ruth EckertDamian Enneking
Lee EulerElmer Fangman
Peter & Barbara FayardBud & Dorothy Feichtinger
Jim & Eleanor FlemingJoseph & Marilyn Foos
Dick & Kathy ForgeBo & Terry Fraser
John FridellJames & Marlene Fugere
Paul GillerLouis & Darra Glavan
John & Theresa† Gould, Jr. Jon & Barb Haden
Kevin HagerJoe & Missy Hahn
Rosco HalseyJohn & Lisa Harpole
Louis & Norma HarrisMichael Harris
Joanne HartRev. Bob Hasenkamp
Angela & Gene† HegartySteve & Nancy Heideman
Justin HeinDennis & Judy Heine
O.Z. & Brenda HelmerBill & Terri HendricksKeith & Kelly HertlingJack & Ellen Hickman
Ron & Karen HindmanPatrick & Lisa Hirsch
Dick & Mary Lou HomanRandy & Debbie Huber
Joe & Connie HundLamar & Rita Hunt
Tom & Shirley HutchisonTom & Ann James
Bert & Terry JohnsonBr. Peter Karasz, O.S.B.Bill & Monica† KastensPeter & Clare KearneyH. B. & Carol Keithline
Ted KellyTom & Joni Kemlage
Joe & Tara KerrDavid & Jean KetterRoger & Joan Knapp
Knights of Columbus #4708 Al & Beth Koch
28 K a n s a s M o n k s
Procurator’s Council
Michael & Susan BeckerMike & Lisa Boddicker
Betty BunckCharley & Janelle CarriganFrank & Cecilia Carpinelli
Bob & Laura CotterJerry & Aileen Cronan
Dean & Mary Ellen DiederichDick & Charlotte DooleyWilliam & Rita Dooley
Easterday Charitable Foundation Tom & Sandy Fitzmaurice
Joe GeistEd & Marlene GellingsBob & Diane Harton
Mark & Janelle HegartyRich & Sheila Henry
Burton HuerterJoe & Chanda KoechnerMargaret Ann Koechner†
Abbie LydenJohn Lynch, Jr. Skip McCarthy
Steve & Amy MinnisMitchell Capital Management Co.
Robert & Carol PenkaRev. Daniel Schmitz
Andrew & Trâm SchrefflerRev. Gene Sitzmann
Pat & Judy SmithJohn & Marge Steinhauser
Pete & Marcie StokmanCorky & Molle Stueve
Bob SueperJohn J. Sullivan, Jr. Charitable Trust
Byron & Joan ThompsonThe Trinity Foundation Unipro Graphics Inc.
Rev. Bill WarmanMark & Barbara Wetta
Tom & Carmen WhalenAli WinterscheidtJonn Wullschleger
Your g i f t s a l low us to ele vate the community in prayer through music and song each day at Mass and in the Div ine Of f ice . Thank you for being par t of our l i turg ical miss ion.
Fr. B la ine Schultz • Choir Master • Benedic tine Monk since 1954
Mark & Christine KoechnerWalter & Ingeburg Koehler
Dan KoenitzMsgr. Vincent Krische
Gene KristofMike & Jo Kuckelman
Greg & Lucy KuhnLathrop & Gage LLP Keith & Terri Lilek
Jane MackeJackie & Bernie† Madden
Addison & Mary Rose MarquartEdward & Julie Martin
Michael & Elaine MartinDolan McKelvy
Leonard & Eulalia McKinzieJoe & Janie McLiney
Phil & Janet McManusKevin & Mary McNicholas
Daniel & Jo Ann MearaRev. David Metz
Ray & Theresa MillerRichard MillerMission Center
Tibor & Michelle MohacsiPaul & Laura MocciaDarrin & Dina Muggli
Michael & Catherine MurrayDolores Nangle
Nelson & Marcia NewcomerBuck & Martha O’KeefeJohn & Janice O’LearyTom & Diane O’Leary
O’Malley Beverage, Inc. Fred & Ardy OrrinoTim & Gina Osborn
Dominic & Marilyn PaolucciSteve Park, Jr.
Steven & Theresa PaulRobert & Cynthia PavluJoseph & Laura PetersAl & Deanna PianaltoEdward & Jean Pillar
Steve & Dorothy PodryWarren & Joanne Powers
Lawrence & Mary Kay PriorJerry & Jeneane Prisk
Carol RogersRick & Leann Romero
Gerald RottinghausSabatini Family Foundation
James ScanlonJames & Wendy Scheid
Syl & Vicki SchieberJerry & Pamela Schmidt
Nancy SchneiderRalph & Mary Schramp
Gene & Sharon SchreinerRandy & Mary Schrick
Wil & Gail SchulerLadd & Karen SeabergJohn & Karen Sheehan
Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. Gene & Darlene SittenauerGeorge & JoAnn Sittenauer
Jim & Linda SlatterySmith Bros., Inc.
Paul & Michelle SmithSteve & Mary Beth Smith
Roger & Lisa Steiner
Richard StrathmanWilliam & Lina Sublette
David & Patty SzottCyril TangemanGloria Throne
Steve & Michelle TorlineEd & Debbie Trompeter
Pete & Mary Anne TulipanaRosemary Tynan
Frank & Ann UryaszHelen Wack
Dennis & Marlene WagnerCaleb & Diane WayneTom & Linda Wessels
Annie WiggsRick Wilbanks
Ken & Diane WilliamsRoberta Wolters
Fred & Sydnnia WulffJoe & Megan Wurtz
Steve & Jeannine WyattZielinski Companies, Inc. Henry & Mary Zigtema
Monks, like Fr. Brendan Rolling, serve as teachers, chaplains and spiritual directors at St. Benedict Catholic School, Maur Hill-Mount Academy, and Benedictine College.
29Society of St. Benedict
Porter’s CircleBob Albers
Joe & Charlotte AlbersBuck Alberts
Rich & Dee AndraBaird Foundation, Inc.
William & Carole BakerRobert & Virginia Barker
Mary BarnesGina Bauer
Mark & Anne BaumanCraig & Monica Bedke
James BellJohn Berger
Greg & Paula BirketPaul & Marilyn Boeding
Steve & Marina BondElaine & Jim† Brandt
Michael & Shirley BreightCeleste Brodigan
Randy & Pam BrownTony & Pat Brox
Jon & Linda CarmainPatrick & Kate Carr
Bill Casserly, Jr. Maria Chastain-Brand
Donald ChristyRaymond & Julia Clem
Marty & Linda ClementsPatrick & Kathleen Cocherl
Steve ColeTom & Joni Colwell
Kevin ConnorMike & Katie Cotter
John & Carolyn CrillyJames & Judy Crossley
Jim & Judy CurtisSalvatore & Carolyn Cusumano
Don & Margaret DallaoAlex & Patricia Darvishi
Rev. James DeanFlora DeBacker
Thomas & Joy DeCourseyDavid & Barbara Dehaemers
Audrey DetersMargaret Diedrich
Larry & Cheryl† Domann
Richard & Brenda DriscollRobert & Jean Dummermuth
Richard & Margaret EbelMary Ann Eschmann
Matt EshnaurPeter & Margaret Faciszewski
Myron & Valerie FantonDave Farris
Phillip FarrisTom & Patsy Fawcett
Bill & Joyce FederhoferJerry & Pam Finnegan
Forte Plastics Company Timothy & Meredith Gaigals
Jim & Donna GalesTom & Mary GarbachRon & Kathy Garrison
Charlie & Sheila GartenmayerTony & Sarah Geiger
Robert & Therese GeiseJohn Gioia, II
John & Marge GladbachSteve & Tammy Glaser
Jerome & Kathleen GraneyRev. Larry GrennanJoseph Gronniger
Charles & Jeanne HaakeDewitt & Barbara Hackett
William & Wayona HafemanMichael & Theresa HaireMichael & Loretto Hayes
Tony & Beth HemannEd Hemberger
Judith HembergerJohn & Mary Anne Henke
Rick & Joan HenryDennis & Joan Higginbotham
Bill & Jeannette HinzLeon & Arlene HolthausFrank & Carol Hopfinger
Michael & Mary Frances HortonDennis & Joan Huber
Bruce & Tracy HudsonQuentin & Barbara Huerter
William JanuszewskiJirak Family Produce
Nancy JonesDarryl Jones
Quentin & Linda JonesWilliam Joyce
Al & Kathy KaineKnights of Columbus #723
Knights of Columbus #7781 Knights of Columbus #818
Ed & Diane KrallAndrew & Madlyn Kramer
Kevin & Pam KramerPrem Kythe
Dennis & Jean LarkinJerry & Kelly Lasater
Bob & Jeanie LatzDavid & Jacque Liebenthal
Brook & Patrice MaeseJerry & Janet Malone
Maur Hill-Mount Academy Jack & Kathy McCarthy
Jane McCarthyTom & Barbara McCarthyGary & Judy McGinnessGary & Frances McGrath
Patti MeierRodney & Frankie Mense
Robert & Marilyn MontoyaBrendan & Ellen MoranMsgr. Michael Mullen
Daniel MussoPat Mykins
Michael & Jeannie NagleMost Rev. Joseph F. Naumann
Walter & Mary Jo NelsonDan & Joyce Nolan
Bernie & Mary Anne NoonanJim & Mary NordhusCliff & Kathy O’BryanPat & Marilyn O’Gara
Ken & Bernie OtkeMiles Otoupal
Charles & Alice ParcellChris & Joan Pawlowicz
John & Sylvia PillarLeo Pimple
Bill & Darlene Pivonka
Patrick & Cyndy PriceLarry & Nancy Prohaska
Joan RaderAllen & Sara Reavis
David & Bernice RebeinLeo & Helen Rieke
Ronald & Linda RizzoRLM Foundation
Bruce & Suzy RoederCharles Rogers
David & Rosanne RutkowskiDavid & Karen Sapenoff
Gary & Gloria SeibDaniel & Kathleen Sexton
Paul Seymour, IIIIsidor & Rose SittenauerDeborah Sonnenmoser
Charles & Tricia SprouseTed & Beth Sri
Stevenson Family Pharmacy Howard & Gail Sturdevant
Dan & Mary SutherlandMsgr. Thomas Tank
Anthony & Mary TremmelLoren & Anne Trimble
Matthew & Peggy TynanMarianne Vespa
Innes VillalpandoWalter & Renee VoorhiesTom & Deanna Wagner
Dennis WettaRobert & Patricia Wickenheiser
Rudy WoerndleFrank Woodbury
W.T. Jochems Knights of Co-lumbus 4th Degree #1716
Daniel WulffFrank & Mary Young
Lionel & Florence YoungRichard & Margo Young
Mark & Julia ZiaRichard & Elizabeth Zitnik
Doug & Susan Zubradt
Thank you for support ing our miss ion of hospita l i ty as we fol low St . B enedict ’s instruct ion that “All g uest s who pre sent themselve s are to be welcomed as Chr i st . . .” rule of saint benedic t 53:1
Br. Joseph Ryan • Porter of St. Benedic t’s AbbeyBenedic tine Monk since 1995
30 K a n s a s M o n k s
Friends of St. Benedict ’s AbbeyRobert & Connie Aaron
Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity
Kathryn AbelsKurt & Beth Ackermann
Kevin AdamsStan Adamski
Rev. Msgr. Thomas AdriansJoseph & Jean Aho
Joe AireyA.L. Huber, Inc.
Sr. Celeste Albers, O.P.Greg & Jennifer AlbersRalph & Lucille Albers
William & Karen AlbertsPamela AlbrechtBob AlexanderCecilia Allen
Jim & Marigay AllenPaul & Judith Allen
Eric AllisonJohn & Cindra Altman
Roberta AmenellMarian Amrein
Joel & Kate AndersonMarie Anderson
Bill & Michelle AndreBetty Andrews†
Melvin & Margaret AndrewsTim & Lisa AndrewsJames & Sheila Antes
Richard & Betty Lou AnthonyMary Lou Aragon
Lee & Lulu ArensbergRobert & Mary Aringdale
James & Constance ArmourJames & Ann Armstrong
Jay ArmstrongJim & Maureen Asher
Mary AsherRobert Asher
Keith & Dorothy AtlaksonMary August
Dennis & Virginia AyerTed & Marcia AyresDeacon Ron Aziere
Christopher & Katie BacaTodd Bachamp
Roger & Barbara BackesDan Baker
Frank & Betty BakerPat & Beverly Baker
Paul & Colleen BakerRichard & Barbara Baker
Rick & Terri BakerDan & Pamela BalchSteve & Liz Baldwin
John & Mary Ellen BallingerFrancis Bangasser
Phil & Lisa BaniewiczBryce & Carolyn Banion
Dave & Linda BanksRev. Christopher Barak
Dave & Katie BarberDeborah Barclay
John & Marti BaricevicThomas & Emily Baril
Robert & Virginia BarkerHoward & Crystelle Barnett
Gene & Kathryn BarrettJohn Barry
Rhonda BarryRobert & Linda Bartkoski
Dustin & Jane BartleySkip & Barbara Baughman
Virginia BaumgartnerVern & Jean Baumhover
Richard & Ruth BealRonald & Linda Beare
Andrew & Mary BeauchampAustin Bechard
John & Mary BeckLarry & Sandy Becker
Patrick & Cathy BeckerRegis Becker
Richard BeckwithStephen Beggs
John BehrmannDan & Sheila Beingessner
Joe BeldenDiane Belken
Joseph & Catherine BennettJD & Lauren Benning
Laura BensonDan & Brenda Berardy
Barbara BergJohn & Deb Bergman
Thomas & Helen BergschneiderSteve & Jennifer Berko
Harlan & Sandra BerlandKen & Charlotte Berndt
Rev. Michael BernerEvelyn Bernica
Norbert & Alice BerningDonald & Georgene Bernskoetter
Timothy BerschCheney Bertholf, Jr.
Albert & Annette Beuerlein
Bob & Carol BieberDonald & Alleta Biggs
Patricia BildzokEllis Bingham
Edward & Louise BirzerJames & Rebecca Bishop
Nila BishopRobert & Luana Bitter
Valerie BlevinsJerry & Marie Blocher
Leroy BlockerGeorge & Dorlene Blodig
Warren BoazmanThe David C. Bodenhausen Trust Dennis & Judy BodenhausenKen & Mary Ellen Boerner
Rev. Marvin BoesBrandon Boesch
Doris BolandJim & Kathleen Boldt
Andy & Michelle BolinJacqueline & Vincent† Bommarito
Ronald BonesteelJames Bonke
George & Jane BoosMichael & Karen† Boos
Phil & Betty Boos
What is more delightful than the voice of the Lord calling to us?
r u l e o f s t . b e n e d i c t - p r o l o g u e : 1 9
Fr. Gerard Senecal (left) celebrated 60 years of priestly service this year. St. Benedict Catholic School honored him by dedicating their gymnasium in his honor. Fr. Gerard’s younger brother, Abbot Barnabas (right) celebrated 50 years of priestly service.
31Society of St. Benedict
Raymond & Donna BoosSteve & Cathy Boos
Forrest & Dorothea BordenLendell & Joan Boudreau
Archille & Eileen BourqueDave & Marlene BowersBill & Katherine Bowler
Richard BoyleDave & Kelly BradleyAJ & Janna BraithwaitJohn & Nancy BramanLarry & Ann BrandonDennis & Kim Branson
Mary Anne BrantKelvin & Nona Brath
Brigid BreazealeDiane Breckenfeld
Bob & Carlene BreenBarb Breheny
Lucille BrennanElizabeth Breting
Robert & Mary Kay BrightStephen & Mary Brodersen
Karl & Melissa Brondell
Bill Brooke, Jr.Mary Jane Brooke
Robert BrooksEdward & Ann Brophy
James & Dorothy BrophyChris & Angela BrownJerry & Greta Brown
Dan & Monica BrowneDan & Linda BroxSusan BroxtermanJonElliott BrubakerDave & Patty Brull
LeRoy & Linda BrungardtDaniel Bruns
Jack & Barbara BuckleyRichard & Kathleen Buessing
Charles BuhlerAdam & Anita Buhman-Wiggs
Max BurbachDouglas & Denise Burbank
John BurkeRev. Paul Burke
Tom & Betty BurkeClark Burnett
Joseph BurnsMike & Olive Burns
Steve & Sharynne BurnsMichael & Holly Buser
Jeanie ByrneTom & Maureen Byrne
Dorothy CacioppoMike & Mary Ann Caffrey
Pat & Anna CairneyCarl & Ann Calcara
Paul & Karen CamarataAgnes CamilleriValeria Campbell
Richard & Karyn CampinRobert & April Caplinger
Stephen & Sharon CaplingerBruce & Mary Ann Cappo
Alice CareyThomas Carey
Barbara CarlsonJohn Carmody
Dorothy CarneliaAnn CarriganGere Carrigan
Kevin & Donna CarrilJoseph & Jeri Carroll
Richard & Janet CarrollJan Carson
David & Marlene CaseJames & Joellen Caskey
William & Musette CastleMark & Judy CatanzaroArt & Terri CatramboneLeo & Judith Cavanaugh
Warren CawleyFrank CeresiaAlice ChangPius Chao
James ChappellMilton Charboneau
Msgr. William CharnokiBob & Imogene Chew
Chinchillas.com E-Store Len Chmelka
Evelyn & Paul† ChmidlingPaul & Marcia Chopp
Jim ChristoffEd Ciarniello, Jr.
Mike & Jeanine CindrichVicente & Regina Cisneros
John & Audrey ClarkinBernadette Cleary
Ellen ClearyMichael & Jeanne Cleary
Richard ClemJoseph ClemensLorene Clemens
Don & Kathleen ClementCharley & Shirley Cline
Jeanne & Brian ClineJohn & Louise Clinton
James & Louise ClossickConnie Clune
Patrick & Virginia CluneNorman & Mary Kay Coakley
Mike & Susan CochranDan & Amy Coder
Lucille CoderNancy Cohen
Winifred ColbyChris & Jennifer Cole
Forest & Rita ColemanJesse Coleman
Berdene CollinsKitty Colwell
Morton ComerTy Compton
Henry & Mary ConchaConcrete Accessories Co., Inc.
Most Rev. James D. ConleyRay & Marcy Conley
The Conner Trust Erin Conry
Charlie & Linda ContrerasGail Conwell
Paul & Linda CookRev. Msgr. Thomas E. Cook
Terry & Kathy CootsGeorge & Maxine Copeland
Richard CorderoBob & Rose Cordry
Richard & Shirley CorkenJudith Corley
Rick & Cathy CoronadoPete & Anne CorpsteinJim & Barb Cosgrove
Katy CossairtAlejandro Costilla
Robert & Christen CotaRita Coupe
The Cowley Trust Most Rev. Andrew H. CozzensCharles & Mary CrawfordDavid & Martha Crawley
John & Patti CreenRonald & Margaret CretenCharles & Joy Crevoiserat
Rev. Kenneth CriquiTim & Diane Crockett
John CroninRon & Anna Crowe
John & Maggie CrulcichCarl & Sheri Cuda
Thomas & Loretta CullanJean Cummings
Mary CummingsDenise Cunningham
Douglas & Peggy CurranPenny Cutler
Richard & Joann CyrPhilip Daddona
Richard & Suzanne Dahl
The Share our Mission Captial Campaign is still underway. Thanks to your generosity we have enough funds to begin work on our windows. A crew is shown here inspecting one of the Abbey’s windows. For more information contact the Abbey Advancement Office: [email protected] • 913.360.7908
SHAREOUR MISSION
ST. BENEDIC T ’S ABBEY C APITAL C AMPAIGN
32 K a n s a s M o n k s
William & Sylvia DaletskiMike & Barb Dallavis
Timothy & Carolyn DaltonJohn & Marlene Daly
Richard & Kathie DalzellGene & Rosemary Dames
Holly DaoMike & Laura DaPraJim & Janet Dargin
Chubby DarrenkampTim & Theresa Davenport
Gary & Jackie DavisVirginia Day
Clara De GroffFlora DeBacker
Ted & Joan DebaugeDennis & Mary DebrechtCharles & Jolene DeCarlo
Virgil & Ann DechantRobert & Bertha DeFeliceJames & Rhonda Dehner
Rita DehnerPatricia Deitchman
Richard & Helen DeitchmanRev. Carl Dekat
Damian & Rae DekatJohn Delphia Leo Demmer
Timothy & Barbara DempseyDennis & Antoinette Denmark
Steven DensonJack Denzer
John & Kathleen DePhillipsBen Deters, Jr.
Fred & Marlene DetersShirley Deters
Angela DeVillierAileen Diaz Meador
Sr. Bridget Dickason, O.S.B.Margaret Diebolt
Dennis & Alice DiederichBernard & Suzanne Dierks
Katie DillerJanet Dillman
David & Jennifer DillnerRichard & Ruth Dillon
George & Nancy DirnbergerDiocese of Des Moines
Greg & Jan DixonDalila Dolenz
Charles & Joan DomannJoe & Sherry Domann
Robert DomannLarry & Millie Donahue
Irene DonahyRev. Charles Donajkowski
Daniel & Andrea DonaldsonNancy Donaldson
Frank & Doreen DonovanBerniece Dooley
Cindy Dooley
John & Ann DoolingJohn & Mary Dornhoffer
Mary DoughertyDavid & Mary DoverRob & Terrie Dowdy
John & Kaarin DowneyDST Systems Inc.
Timothy & Susan DraftzJay & Rexine Draper
Paul DreesRuthe Drew
Michael DriverJames Drotar
Tony & Theresa DrummondRob & Jeanette Drury
Darlene & Charles† Du LacJack Dundon
Bill & Jean DunnBrian & Lynn DunnCarol & Bob† Dupuis
Sue DurkinTony Dusil
Edward & Sharon DyerRobert & Georgiann DytrychMike & Mary Alice Easterday
Larry & Barbara EbnerMichael Eck
William & Lillian EckJames & Shirley Eckert
Jerry & Rita EckertMichael & Amy Eckert
Michael & Claudia EddinsDavid & Rebecca Eder
Eileen Edgren
Courtney EdmondsStephen & Ann Edmonds
John & Anne EggersHarry Eggleston
Chris & Janet EliasLeroy & Sally Ellerman
Mark & Jean ElliottRoy Elliott
Nolan EllsworthRollie & Mary Jane Elpers
Craig & Kathryn ElsonJim & Jo Ann Emerson
Clarence & Lillian EngelkenRichard Engelken
Robert & Shauna EngelkenPaul Engler
John & Angie EnglishJames & Charlene Enneking
Larry & Donna ErpeldingRon & Donna ErpeldingPatrick & Barbara Erwin
Ramiro & Diana EspinosaMarie Esselmann
Rich & Diane EurichBrian EvansOpal Every
Jim & Norma EwbankGeorge & Terri Fagg
Joan FalkJohn & Frances FangmanRichard & Mary Fangman
John & Mary FarrellMike & Lois Farrell
Sean & Laura Farson
John & Darlene FasslerRichard & Mary FeierabendDuane & Marceil Feldkamp
Jerry & Nancy FennellFern Charitable Fund
Robert & Kathleen FernandezRyan & Maureen Fesker
Frances Finnegan†
Gunther & Elizabeth FischerJames & Irene FitzgeraldJoseph & Jean Fitzgerald
Scott FlaterEldon & Paula Fleury
Mark & Stacey FloerschJohn FlynnPatty Flynn
Sean & Mary FlynnDennis & Carolyn Ford
Dale & Angela ForgeLee & Donna Forge
Tom & Pat ForgeJames & Barbara ForstDuane & Mary† Fortin
Raymond & Leita FosterThomas & Julia FosterFrancis & Mary Fox
David & Karen FranceKenneth & Ruth Fraser
Robert FraserPhil & Brenda Frazier
William & Anne FreeburnRandy Freehling
Jeffrey & Angela FreemanLuke & Sharon Fry
Several monks attended the first ‘Pitching for Priests’ charity softball game between priests and religious of the Kansas City Kansas Archdiocese and Kansas City/St. Joseph Missouri Diocese.
33Society of St. Benedict
Daniel & Donna FuhrmanPhyllis Fuhrman
James & Mary FultonAl & Linda Funk
John & Linda FunkMatthew & Juanita Galindo
Rev. Daniel GardnerGerald & Maurine Gardner
Charles & Mary GarrettPerry L. & Omalee C. Garten
Trust Nick & Janice Gaspers
Mike GaughanSandra Gaul
Gerald & Diana GearhartThad & Bobette Geiger
Al & Helene GeiselhardtKathy Gellings
Leo & Regina GensweiderAlbert Geritz
Frank & Yoshi GernerWilliam & Rosemary Gervais
Nancy GibsonPeggy Giefer
Dwight & Shawn GigstadKevin & Jennifer Gigstad
Todd & Barb GigstadDaniel & Deborah Gilg
Bill & Marilyn GillBilly & Jeanene Gill
Patrick GillcristLarry & Ginny Giller
John & Kathleen GishpertJames Gladbach
James & June GlaserCathy Glennon
Dan & Karen GlennonStella GlennonSharon Goding
James & Joyce GoetzingerLee & Angie Gomez
Marty & Joyce GonzalesTom & Jill Gorman
Roger & Esther GormleyRobert & Kathryn Gotcher
Brian & Beth GowasackGeorge Gragg
Jake & Ruth GravesNeal & Mary Gray
Christina GreenDenis & Jennifer Greene
Adele GreerConrad & Leila Gregoire
Joe & Gerry GrennanTom & Carol Grennan
Norbert GressBrian & Sabrina Grewe
Raymond & Karen Griesedieck
Thomas & Corrine GriffinJoseph Grodahl Biever
Gary & Lonni GrosdidierGene Gruenbacher
Kurt & Sylvia Gruenbacher
Norman & Sharon GuettermannJuanita Guilmette
Claire HaagRobert & Jane Haas
Thomas & Cheryl HaaseBill Haegelin
Paul & Catherine HaerleMark Hafeman
Nelson HallRobert & Winifred Hall
Clarita HallingJames Halling
Leo & Kathleen HalloranJoseph & Rosina Halpin
Ted & Lisa HalpinWayne & Denise Hammersla
Rev. Greg HammesTim & Cecilia HandHandke Cattle, Inc.
Brian & Sabrina HandkeSteve & Paula Handke
James & Leonila HanleyRon & Mary Hansen
Charles & Patricia HardyMax Hargrove
Dolores HarkinsDaniel & Bridget Harrington
Dennis HarringtonGerald & Anne HarringtonJames & Andrea Harrington
Raymond & Patricia Harrington
Vincent & Nancy HarringtonDavid & Jackie HarrisJim & Deborah Harris
Paul & Mary Kay HarrisRobert & Mary Harris
Kent & Barbara HarrisonJohn & Rita Harrison
John & Avani HartJohn & Janet Hart
Charles & Dreda HartmanJoseph & Jan Hattrup
Frank HauberJohn & Janell Haug
Martin HaugHausman Metal Works & Roofing
Dawn HausmannDan & Sharon Haverkamp
Tom & Mary Beth HaverkampRev. Nathan HaverlandDaniel & Rebecca Hawk
James & Kathy HawkMichael & Loretto Hayes
Carol HazlettDaniel & Margaret HebertGerald & Martha HegartyJohn & Cassandra Hegarty
Terry & Becca HegartyTim & Stephanie Hegarty
Fred & Geri Heideman
Hubert & Mae HeidemanJane Heideman
Robert & Eleanor HeidemanWayne & Michelle Heideman
James & Barbara HeiliDon & Gerrianne HeimDon & Norma Heiman
Maurice HeimanDavid & Connie HeinenHarold & Ruby HeinenPaul & Dianne HeinenRev. Gregory Heinlein
Larry & Rita HeintzelmanPatrick Helfrich
Pete & Melissa HelgesenRobert & Nancy Helget
Ryan & Gretchen HembreeAaron Henderson
John & Betty HendersonJames & Elizabeth Hendricks
Laura HendricksJohn & Mary Anne Henke
Ryan HenningsenThomas Henrion
Dennis & Joyce HenryEdgar & Sally HenryElmer & Rita HenryJerry & Linda HenryBob & Joan Henson
Harry & Catherine HepplerPaul Heppler
Norbert & Marlene HermesEleanor HermeschAlbert & Jacqueline
HernandezBrett & Kara Herrman
Jerry & Laurie HessDon & Barbara HiattBJ & Barbara Hickert
Rev. Tim HickeyPaul Highstrom
Jo HildmanStephen & Bobbi Hiltibidal
Tim & Janet HiltibrandDaniel & Jean Himmel
David & Jane HinerHerbert & Cecilia HinerWilliam & Ruth HodesCharles & Mary Hodge
William & Eda HofmannTom & Jane Holek
Joseph & Kadi HolmbergRobert & Sheila Holmes
Bryan & Tara HoltDarren & Tammy Holthaus
Leon & Arlene HolthausTeresa Holthaus
Thomas & Sheryl HomanDon & Gina Hommertzheim
Tom & April HoopesJohn & Betty Horigan
In 1962 the monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey estbalished St. Joseph Priory in Brazil. Fr. Rodrigo Perissinotto (above at left) is among the monks who continue to serve the people of Brazil.
34 K a n s a s M o n k s
Clint & Sarah HorinekRev. Dave Howell
Frank & Margo HuebnerDavid Huelsmann
Ronald & Constance HuerterRita Hulsing
Mike & Debbie HundleyDick & Ginger Hunninghake
Bob & Rita HunterSam & Erica HunterMark & Mary Hurst
Mary HurstHerbert & Mary Huseth
Richard & Elia IbarraDonald & Karen Indra
Rev. Mark InglotDaniel & Ronda Intfen
James & Virginia JacksonMarcia Jackson
Corky & Kathi JacobsJohn & Patricia Jacobs
Margie JacobsRita Jacobs
Ken & Marilyn JacquinotCarolyn James
Dan & Amy JamesKristina James
Larry & Patti JanacaroLee & Ann JanssenEd & Kathy Jaster
Jayhawk Plastics, Inc. Fred & Kay Jehle
Christopher & Rita JensenDavid & Janice JohnsonDavid & Nancy Johnson
Mark & Mary Ann JohnsonMichele JohnsonNatalie Johnson
Ronald & Kathleen JohnsonLois JoinerBill Jones
Donald & Ruth JonesR.D. & Kay Jones
Nikola & Janice JurasicMary Jurgensmeier
Roger & Peggy JurgensmeyerMike Justin
Greg & Connie KaazRobert & Cindy Kaemmerer
Warren & Florence Kaemmerer
Al & Kathy KaineRev. Ralph Kaiser
Mary KalkJames & Charlene Kaminski
Dick KampMary Kanak
Tom & Lisa KanePhilip & Michelle KapustaDewayne & Connie Kasl
Jesse & Betty Kasler
Janet KauffmanGeorge & Jo Ann Kautz
Gus & Ashley KautzTom & Karla Kautz
Mark & Linda KearneyBob & Lila Keefer
Ted & Norine KeeleySusan Keith
Jerry & Julie KeithlineBrian & Maria Kelly
Michael & Kathleen KellyPatrick & Sally Kelly
Jerami KemnitzRev. Leonard Kenkel
Louise KennedyMax & Alita Kennedy
Gene & Nancy KermashekJohn & Bonnie Kern
Gerald & Maggie KerrBob & Jeanette Kerschen
Charles KesseMichael & Cynthia Ketter
Millie KetterKim & Jane Keutzer
James KewWilliam & Kathleen Kibler
Genevieve KieferKil Construction Company
Donald KilkennyCharles & Dolores KilmerStephen & Monika King
Rev. George KlasinskiJohn & Lisa Klebba
Thomas KleinJames & Kathleen KlenkeRoger & Nancy KleopperPhillip & Denise KlevornGregory & Lori KloepperRon & Joan Kloppenberg
Megan KlumpJerome & Satsuki Knapczyk
Harold & Debbie KnappKnights of Columbus #675 Knights of Columbus #834
Knights of Columbus #1769 Knights of Columbus #9532
Jane KnudsonBud & Barbara Kocour
Julie KocourFrank Kodell
Michael KoechnerAlex & Mary Kay Koenen
Cecil & Nancy KohakeDan Kohake†
Joan KohakeLeonard Kohake
Al & Patricia KolarikPaul & Monica Kolars
Gerry & Sherry KonjuraKenneth & Carol Kopp
Haydee Kostecki
Albert KovacTheodore & Thelma Kozan
Tim KraemerFrancis & Elizabeth Kram
James & Mary KramKevin & Pam Kramer
Kathryn KrausFes Krebs, III
James & Catherine KrebsbachDuane & Nancy KreiensieckFrancis & Mary Ann Krier
Larry & Susan KrischeRobert Krogmeier
James & Sharon KroneKuckelman, Torline, Kirkland
& Lewis George & Patricia Kutey
Dave & Bharti KythePaul & Marge Lafermann
Joe & Karen LaffleurRea & Karen Laflin
Donald & Kathryn LairdGlen & Patricia Lammers
Jerry & Anna Marie LammersMary Landon
Dave & Linda LandwehrJohn Landwehr
Roger & Doris LandwehrSherry Lange
William & Janet LangeJames & Nancy Langley
Lisa LaNoueDavid & Darla Lanter
Clare LarkinMary Larkin
Dick & Sharon LarsonGertrude LarzalereBill & Alecia LatzJeff & Amy Latz
Peggy LatzThomas & Colleen Latz
Lauer-Love, Inc. Sally Lauer
Courtney LaurieMel & Rita Lavery
Adrian & Diantha LavoieKelly & Sharon LawlessPatrick & Kris Lawless
Milton & Lorna LawrenceLazarus Project, Inc.
Michael & Julie LeCluyseCalvin & Karen Ledbetter
Mary Therese LeeSteven Lee
Tad & Tommie LeeTom & Pauline Lee
William & Ann LeFeversDaniel & Vali LeisKenneth LeitnerDennis LemanMary Leonard
As he prepares to begin his third year as a junior monk, Br. Luke Turner has recently completed the Executive Masters of Business Administration. He currently teaches in the Business Department at Benedictine College as he furthers his philosophy education to complete the requirements for seminary.
Br. Luke also serves as the finance secretary for the BC Student Council of the Knights of Columbus.He serves the monastic community in several capacities, primarily by assisting with fundraising and marketing efforts.
35Society of St. Benedict
Ed & Lisa LetourneauCarolyn Leverone
Jim & Dunrie LewisWilliam LewisJoe & Sue Ley
Karl & Melissa LeyRichard & Diane Liebsch
Joe & Judy LienemannCarl & Sarah Lind
George & Betty LingenfelserBob & Norma Lippold
Jo ListerJ.R. & Ardena LochJim & Gerry Loehr
Drew & Therese LoewSteve & Kristi Logan
Lawrence & Gertrude LohmanGeorge & Rosalind Long
Robert LongDavid & Emily LopezClinton & Carol Lord
Steve & Barb LoughmanRalph & Trudy Lowder
Nancy LoweBob & Regina LuchiRev. Philip Luebbert
David & Diane LuetkenhausFrank Luke
Karen LundgrenPaul & Joan LundgrenWilliam & Maria Lyda
James & Mary Ann LynchJim & Dorothy Lynch
Beverly LynnGary & Jane LyonsMargaret Mabry
Edward & Catherine MacanJim & Nancy Madden
John MaddenRoseann Mahieu
John & Geraldine MajerusJim & Betsy Malkus
Rose Mary MalmGreg & Chris MalmgrenMichael & Vicki Manly
Marlatt Enterprises Kurt & Katherine Marquart
Edward MartinKenneth & Emilie Martin
Dona MartinezJoAnn Marts
Marty’s Coaches Corner Inc. Donald & Barbara MarxPaul & Kathleen Marx
Arlin & Cathy MastWilliam & Betty† Matzeder
Mike MaudeSteve & Yvonne MauneRon & Marie McAdams
Jim McAnerneyJim & Sheri McAuliffe
Dorothy McBrideNeil & Maureen McCaffreyStephen & Heidi McCann
Aine McCarthyFrederick & Leora McCarthy
Thomas McCarthyDon & Donna McCartyKarl & Carol McCarty
Barbara McCauleyKaren McConnaugheyRuss & Sharon McCort
James & Kathleen McCoyVirginia McCoy
Bill & Debbie McCulloughJim & Theresa McDade
Dorothy McDermedKent & Rhonda McDermedKevin & Theresa McDermed
Madeleine McDonoughTom & Mary McDonoughMichael & Linda McGargill
Msgr. Charles McGlinnCharles & Marcia McGrewMike & Debbie McGuire
Marita McGurkLarry & Patty McHugh
Jerry & Debra McInerneyJim & Kathleen McKenzie
Ed & Bev McKinneyThomas & Jan McKnew
Charles & JoAnn McLaughlinRob & Patricia McLenon
Bernard & LaVon McManamanMarie McManaman
Kyle & Cari McMillianLawrence & Ruth McMurtrayRichard & Margery McNallyMichael & Mary McNamara
Kevin McNeillTim & Anne McNulty
Michael & Ginger McReynoldsEd & Ann McShane
Kathleen MeadeLeo Meade
Steven & Karen MeeksGene Meiners
Harry & Mary MeinhardtMel & Diane Melichar
Richard & Denise MelicharMera Excavating, LLC
Racki & Margaret MertesPatricia MessbargerSr. Ann Metzen, O.P.
Chris MeyerGlen Meyer
Jay & Barbara MeyerMeyers Funeral Chapel
Northland Lawrence Mikesic
David & Jennifer MillerFaye Miller
Kevin & Mary Lorraine MillerMargaret Miller†
Raymond & Traci MillerCarla Mills
Jay & Nancy MillsJohn & Kathleen Minicky
Dee & Janice MinnisJohn & Angela Minnis
Matt & MK MinnisAlfred & Susan Miossi
The monks of St. Joseph’s Priory in Brazil have been blessed with vocations in recent years having a junior monk, two novices and one postulant. Pictured here during their annual retreat: (back L to R) Fr. Vinícius, Br. Victor, Br. Filipe, Br. Thiago, Fr. Josias, Fr. Joaquim, Fr. Carlos, Postulant João, (front L to R) Father Gregory, a Benedictine guest retreat master from São Paulo, Fr. Duane, and Fr. Rodrigo. Please keep our Brazilian brothers in your prayers.
36 K a n s a s M o n k s
Mary MiroDan Misener
Joe & Vicki MitchellQuentin & Sharon MitchellGordan & Cookie Moffitt
Mary MollRev. Timothy Monahan
Michael & Patricia MooneyRon & Margie Moore
Mary MoorheadCharles & Marjorie Moos
William MoralesBonnie Moran
Timothy MorelandDonald & Rita Moriarty
Ryan & Amy MorrellAndrew MorrisSylvester Morris
Christopher & Hannah MotzBarbara Moulds
Marguerite MuellerArthur & Marcella MullerMichael & Becky Mullican
Mark & Alice MullinJohn & Diane Mulryan
Thomas & Cleo MurphyKent & Sandra Murray
Charles & Barbara MurrellKenneth & Peg Myers
Mark & Therese MyzerRobert Nadeau
Jim & Winnie NassLouise Naumann
Scott & Lori NavinskyFrank Nedrow
James NeedhamJim Neff
Bob & Dolores NeidertThomas & Maryanna Nerney
Dave & Janice NeumannRichard & Joy Neumann
Pat & Marilyn NevinsCharles & Bernice Newman
Gerard & Ellen NickTom & Sandy NickelBenjamin Nicks, Jr.
Dennis & Laurie NiehuesFrank & Janell Niehues
Kyle NiehuesMarvin Niehues
Wayne & Nancy NiehuesEric & Lois Niemann
Katherine NillesJames Nixon, Sr. Rachel NoffkeDeke Nolan
Paul & Mary Kay NoldLucille Noll
Richard L. Noll Rev. Living Trust David & Donna Nordhus
John & Bernice NordhusLarry & Ellen NordhusMichael & Lori Norlen
Louis & Irene NormandinBob & Nancy NowatzkeJames & Gladys O’BrienTerry & Valerie O’Brien
Tom & Katie O’BrienDub O’Bryan
Katie O’ConnorMark & Michelle O’Connor
Mike & Nancy O’ConnorRichard & Bernadine O’Connor
Robert O’GaraJim & Kathy O’Hara
Carol O’Keefe, OSUABrian & Tiffany O’Neill
John O’Sullivan, Jr. John & Elaine Oakleaf
Andrew OchsReuben & Felicia Ogbudinkpa
Jerome OidtmanAlbert & Betty Olberding
Ron & Peggy OlingerAndrew Oloffson
Patrick OrlichYvonne Ornelas-Rios
Dave & Michele OrrinoBill & Ruth Orth, Jr.
Leland & Irma OstdiekDave & Marian Oswald
Floyd OswaldJames & Pamela Oswald
John OwensRonald OylerSharon Page
Jerome PalukaRussell & Gail PanzaJoe & Kathy PaolucciJohn & Eileen Pappas
Jack & Nancie ParadiseNancy Paradise-Donaldson Gri
David & Deborah ParnellHenny Parre
Rupert & Deborah PateJames & Mary Ellen Paunovich
William PautlerMary Pavich
Patrick PeddecordColette & Frank Peel
Charlie & Sarah PeitschBill & Carol Peltzer
Tom & Theresa PenningRev. Gary PenningsJim & Carol PercyJohn & Pat PerezMichael Pesely
Betty PetersEvan & Lois Peterson
Robert & Frances Peterson
Nick PetrosMary Jo Pflumm
Steve & Christy PickCamille Pickhinke
Bob & Dorothy PickmanJerome & Freda Pickman
Tim & Janie PickmanZachary Pinaire
David PittEugene Pitts
Boyd & Helen PlankintonCalvin & Janet Plitt
Mary Jean PodrebaracMsgr. Daniel Pohl
Mary PonnathNaomi Popp
Nick & Rachel PorrettaThomas & Genevieve Potthast
Dean & Rozanne PratherJames Pretz
Esther ProffittJohn & Laura Proffitt
Don & Alberta ProhaskaRaymond & Elaine ProttiGalen & Sharon PruettRev. David Przedwiecki
Alexander PtakCorie Pung
Michael & Penny PurslowBill Putthoff
David & Stephanie PyneKelly Quick
Dick & Patti QuinnThomas & Mary Quinn
Jon & Rita QuintanaPhillip & Consuelo Quo
Russell & Margaret RabjohnsCharles & Monica Racki
William & Joan RaczkowskiMarty RadeticStacey Rains
Matthew & Jen RamageRonald RambergDorothy Randall
Rob & Shelly RandoMsgr. James Rasby
John & Shannon RasmussenJohn & Judy Raydo
Lewis & Lucinda RealDaniel & Janelle Reeder
Thomas RegnaryAnton ReichartThe Reid Trust
John & Barbara ReillyPatrick & Karen ReillyRex & Lenae Rempel
Gary & Pam RethmanBarbara Rew
Payce & Jody ReynoldsJames & Virginia Rezac
Fr. Matthew Habiger continues to promote strong marriages and Natural Family Planning. He travels throughout the USA giving NFP Parish weekends, Parish Missions on the Catechism and the Theology of the Body and clergy conferences.
He recently travelled to Hong Kong to help promote NFP. He preached at several parishes and gave presentations to permanent Deacons, NFP teachers, Catholic doctors and other medical professionals. He was sponsored by the Hong Kong Catholic Marriage Advisory Council.
37Society of St. Benedict
Joseph ReznikDean & Brenda Rice
Lorene RiceWayne & Lisa Rich
Ben & Sue RichenburgChris & Diana Ricketts
Tylan RickettsElmer & Helen RidderRobert & Mary RiedelAlvin & Carol Rieger
Rose Mary RileyWilliam & Sally Riley
David & Brenda RindomRaymond & Mary Ring
Jean & Maria RiouxPhyllis Rizzo
Robert & Meighan RobersonHarold Roberts
Riley & Ellen RobertsonBill & Barbara Robey
Tom & Frances RobinsonMark & Rita Robson
Rev. David RocheEarl & Mary Roche
Rev. Al RockersLawrence Rockers
Kimberly RodeCelestino Rodriguez, Jr.
Joe & Jenny RoeDon & Bonnie Roeder
Paul Roettele, Sr. Frank & Elizabeth Rogan
Cy RoggenkampJim Roh
Jay & Karen RohlederJack & Kathi Rohr
Elmer & Kate RonnebaumGina RonnebaumLen Ronnebaum
Robert & Diana RooneyRoland & Julie Rosario
Margaret RosbergAnne Roseberry
Harvey & Vicky RoseberryArdan Rottinghaus
Bob & Annette RottinghausElmer & Delores Rottinghaus
Emmett & Kathleen Rottinghaus
John & Gladys RottinghausKen Rowan
Vula RoyJackie Rubi
Ken Ruda, IIDuane Rueb
Paul & Elizabeth RuffMary Margaret RuhlmanAnthony & Terry Ruotolo
George RussellPete & Maureen Russo
Donald RutherfordCatherine RyanRosemary Ryan
Tom & Teresa RyanWilliam & Susan Ryan
Edward & Lorene RychlecJohn & Jeanne Rziha
Loretta SadlerNeil & Susanne SaetteleFrancis & Anne Sanna
Mike & Eddie SaundersPaul & Pauline Savageau
Bernard & Goldie SchaeferJoe & Joyce Schaefer
Joseph & Diane SchellHarold & Mary Lou Scheopner
Rev. Brian SchieberRev. Matthew Schiffelbein
Joe & Mary SchleicherCharles Schletzbaum
Daniel & Lucy SchletzbaumGerald & Nina Schletzbaum
James SchletzbaumJoe & Diane SchletzbaumPaul & Stacy Schletzbaum
Maxine SchlichterDavid & Karen Schmidt
Kathleen SchmidtLeon & Marjorie Schmidt
Elaine SchmidtbergerRosemary Schmiedeler
Charles & Elaine SchmitzRev. Daniel Schmitz
Kenneth & Diane SchmitzNorbert Schmitz
Ray & Joan SchmitzRoger Schmitz, Sr.
Rudolf & Susan SchnasseMargaret & Bill† Schneickert
Todd & Tracy SchneiderJohn & Julie Schneller
Gene & Camille SchoettlinPriscilla Scholz
Harold & Virginia SchrickJohn & Nancy Schrick
Kenneth & Mary SchrickTony Schrick
Dolores SchroffKelly Schuck
Karl & Jane SchueleTom & Pauline SchueleCarl & Nancy SchuetzLarry & Carol Schuetz
Emmett & Mary Ann SchulteNeil & Marsha Schulte
James & Dorothy SchultzTed & Catherine Schultz
Jackie SchusterGregory & Rebecca Schwab
David & Ellen SedenoRonald & Elizabeth Sedlacek
Jerome & Gloria† SeegerTimothy & Judith Seeger
Donald SeifertDonald & Betty Seitz
Donald & Barbara SeiwaldRobert & Doris Sempek
Wladimir & Diane SenutovitchFrank & Kathryn Seprino
Jim & Bobbie SextonDon & Kim Shankman
John & Rose Shaw
Patricia ShawMichael ShirleyCarol Shomin
George & Joyce ShominTony & Joy Shomin
Tom & Becky ShrimplinLarry & Rita Siebenmorgen
Frank & Judy SimonichRichard & Sheila Sims
Marlene SinnottBob & Susan Sittenauer
Curt & Jill SittenauerIsidor & Rosie SittenauerKen & Teresa Sittenauer
James SkahanJim & Martha Skain
Bob & Charlene SlaterNajla Sluder
Richart & Shirley SlusherBert Smice
Henricus SmitDallas & Christina Smith
Howard & Kim SmithMark & Maria Emma Smith
Roger & Joyce SnowdenBob & Joanie Snyder
Joseph & Rhonda SnyderMary Snyder
Terry & Rebecca SolanderFrank & Jeanette Soukup
Larry SowersRobert & Kelly Specht
Ralph & Mary SpellmeierEduardo & Martha Spencer
St. Ann’s Knights of Columbus Council No. 10321
St. Mary Magdalen Parish St. Mary’s Church Gwendolyn StaabBob & Joan Staley
Matthew StallbaumerRev. Ed Stander
John & Connie StanleyMary Stark
Jerry & Margie StarkeDonna Stec
Daniel & Susan SteffensDon & Carol Steingreaber
Robert & Nancy SteingreaberDale & Geri SteinlageJames & Jo Ann Stigall
Dorothy StoffelJames & Stephanie Stokman
David & Marilyn StolwykWilliam Strathman
Ann StreckerAnna & James† Strickland
Jerry & Patricia StrohmeyerMichael & Julie Strommen
Jeffrey & Jennise Stubbs
Br. Christopher Start has begun his second year as a middle school teacher at St. Benedict School, Atchison, teaching Mathematics, Science and Religion. On the occasion of his solemn profession of vows on December 8, 2013, his friends gave him a two-week trip to Rome, Italy. He took this trip during the month of June.
38 K a n s a s M o n k s
Mike & Wanda StuderAnne Stueve
Ann StutzFrancis & Eileen Sudbeck
Mark & Jane SullivanRichard & Sandra Sullivan
Gerva SunnebergCurt & Margaret SupallaSuper Saver Oil Co, Inc.
Michelle SusinkoJim Suther
LeRoy & Reba SutliefJim & Patty Sutterer
Andy & Sarah SwaffordEleanor SwannSusan Sweeney
Clarence SynakiewiczJohn & Lisette Sztukowski
Don & Margaret Mary TaborJoe & Debbie Taliaferro
Rev. Joseph TaphornRich Teahan
Robert & Mary TeedJack Teegarden†
Steven & Chaunzey TenbrinkRobert & Patricia Thedinger
Edmund & Alice TheisAlan & Cynthia ThibaultFrancis & Nancy Thissen
Al & Rosanna ThomasTim & Susan Thompson
Ryan & Jill ThroneMichael & Cheri Throop
Bill TiemeyerDavid & Lucille TobbenDavid & Elizabeth ToddBill & Beverly Todhunter
Martin & Martha TomaskoJohn & Marlene TomsWilliam & Leslie Toner
Jim & Joan ToplicarRobert TorbettRaymond Tracy
John & Susan TraffasLeo & Jeanette TraffasMark & Pat Tranckino
Mark TremmelMargaret Tritsch
Milton & Mickie TrujilloSantiago & Cecilia Trujillo
John & Noreen TurekDouglas & Patricia Turner
Thorene TurnerDon & Rosa Turpin
Joe & Joan TylerKenneth & Shelia Tyner
George & Delores UnderwoodMichael & Marilyn UnreinKenneth & Mary Uphaus
David & Angie Vallejo
Richard & Donna Van CleaveAlbert Van Hoecke
Frank VanceVictoria Vannest
Fred & Vicky VanweyKevin & Lori Vertin
Steve VertinMaggie Vettel
Della VigilGerald VinckeDenis ViscekFrank Viscek
Francis & Luz Elena VittEd & Jeri Vogrin
Bill & Moira VogtRichard Vogt
Keith & Theresa VogtsRev. Gerald Volz
Bob & Mary Beth VondemkampLeo & Linda Vorwerk
Ralph & Jerri VossKelly Vowels
Beverly VyhanekKenny Wachter
Gregory & Rachelle WaddleCharles & Carol Wagner
Jeff & Bev WagnerLarry Wagner
Mike & Darlene WagnerTim & Carrie Wagner
Wally WagnerA.G. & Laura Waite
Marcus WaldenLucy Walker
Rev. Scott WallischDean & Nina WaltonBrad & Lura Weaver
James & Barbara WeaverWalter & Christine Weglarz
Tom & Brenda WehkampMildred W. Wehking Trust
Erich & Judith WeidnerPaul & Darlene WeinmannWilliam & Marjorie Weis
Bernard & Kathleen WeishaarJohnny & Lora Beth Weishaar
Laverne WeishaarVicki Weldon
Henry & Evelyn WellmanThomas & Robbie WelshMelvin & Judith Werner
John WerthJohn & Karen Wertin
Alice WesselJoe & Mary Wessel
Leander & Stella WesselMike WesselKaren West
Lené WestermanRichard & Phyllis White
Edward & Janet WhiteJohn & Linda Whitehead
Frank WhitesellKenneth & Rita Wichorek
Gerard & Mary WickeyJerry & Marie WilburnLarry & Janet Wilcox
Mike & Linda WildgenBill & Valerie Wilkus
Annabel WillcottRev. Anthony Williams
Dwight & Toni Ann WilliamsMichael & Victoria Williams
Bryan & Lisa WillieWendell & Kathleen Willis
Michael WillmingBarry & Marge Wills
Steve WillyDavid & Kelly WilmesDean & Tara Wilmes
Carolyn WilsonThomas WilsonGinger Winder
Mark & Cyreesa WindsorRenee Winkel
Albert & Ellen WinklerHerbert & Wanda Winter
Art & Dee WintersRobert & Ollie Winzer
Roger & Mary Ann WisehartJohn & Ann Wissman
Eileen & Walt† WohletzJerry & Theresa Wohletz
Leo & Jan WohletzRay & Barb Wohletz
Donald & Mary Claire Wohlgemuth
Kent WohlgemuthLyle & Patricia Woita
Larry & Kay WolfeBill & Edna Mae Wolters
John & Pam WoltersNancy Wolters
Bill & Patty WolvingtonAlvin & Barbara Wood
John & Karen WoodRichard Wood
Robert & Karina WoolleyFlorentina Worthman
Thomas YanceyHarold & Alice Yanow
Brian YockersRev. Pat YorkJarrod Youk
Kenneth YoungKenneth Zimmerman
Rev. Mitchel ZimmermanGene & Margaret Zylka
Thank you for your generosity!
Brother Leven Harton serves as vocations director at St. Benedict’s Abbey, helping young men discern God’s will in their lives. He also leads the Benedict’s Brittle effort each fall.
39Society of St. Benedict
1020 N. 2nd Street, Atchison, KS 66002Kansas Monks USPS 290-760
Abbey Advancement Office913.360.7908KansasMonks.org
Non-profit Org.U.S. Postage
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Permit No. 579
St. Benedict’s AbbeyAtchison, Kansas
Fall 2014 | Volume 9 | Number 3
40 K a n s a s M o n k skansasmonks.org facebook.com/kansasmonks twitter.com/kansasmonks
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