MONK'S NEWS

Friday, May 18, 2012

Update on a few things at Conception Abbey

I'm sorry that it has been a rather long time since I have written on this blog. It seems that time goes so fast and I guess the recent weeks have been very busy. On Sunday, May 6, we blessed and dedicated the new guest house -- St. Gabriel Guesthouse. We have not started putting guests in the building yet but plan to do so soon. As you know I have taken pictures of the building as construction began and all the through to it's completion. It turned out very beautiful and should be comfortable place for guests to stay. Here is one last photo I will put on this blog:

Taken May 12, 2012.

And one taken on the day of the dedication of the building:

Some of those present for the dedication.

You can see all the pictures taken during construction by clicking on this link--

https://plus.google.com/photos/111035822686820527328/albums/5656741789992506177

The students graduated and left for home on Sunday, May 13. Then on Monday evening we began our retreat, after a chapter meeting in the afternoon. At the chapter meeting we accepted Brother Placid Dale and Brother Maximilian Burkhart for solemn perpetual vows. They will profess these vows in August.

During our retreat on Wednesday evening we had the ordination to the diaconate of Brother Victor Schinstock and Brother Paul Sheller. Both are continuing their education and look forward to being ordained to the priesthood in a year. Ordaining the two deacons was Bishop Edward Rice, auxiliary bishop of St. Louis. Bishop Finn, bishop of our own diocese, was busy at a confirmation and Bishop Boland, the retired bishop of our diocese was scheduled to do it, but lost his voice.

Ordination of Brother Paul to diaconate

Brother Victor and Brother Paul preparing the altar for the celebratioon of the

Eucharist after their ordination.

Brother Victor, Abbot Gregory, Bishop Rice and Brother Paul

Ordination to priesthood of Brother Guerric

Father Guerric kneels before the bishop

as Bishop Finn prays over him

After the ordination Mass Bishop Finn

and Father Guerric

Now things should settle down a bit for the summer, although we do have a lot of projects in line to be done this summer. Roofers are still replacing roofs that were damaged by the bad hail storm last August. New windows need to be put in both St. Michael Hall and St. Joseph Hall. And other projects are in line to be done this summer.

I did want to point out to all readers of this blog that you can find many photos of recent events on our web site. Simply click here and then at the top of the page, click on "picture gallery."

God bless you all.

Friday, April 27, 2012

POST-EASTER NEWS

After Easter Sunday the students were gone all that week. It was quiet and enjoyed by all of us I think. Every day during the Easter Octave and the Christmas Octave we have a little community get together each afternoon at 3:00 PM with snacks and drinks. Another reason I guess while I find it hard to lose weight.

St. Gabriel Guest House, is completed except for some minor details that appear here and there. A lot of work has been done on the landscaping and the roads and parking lots. The dedication of the building will be on Sunday, May 6. However, they do not think we will be able to start using it until about June 1, since much of the furniture has not yet arrived. Difficult to use the rooms when there are no beds in place yet. Here are a couple pictures of the building:

St. Gabriel Guest House.

New roads and parking area and new lights.

Northeast side of the building and patio

This past Wednesday, April 25, I participated in the observance of National Crime Victims' Rights Week, observed April 22-28 this year. This was held at Mozingo Park and Lake near Maryville, MO and was sponsored by the Maryville Treatment Center, a part of the Missouri Prison system. President Reagan designated this special week when he was president. This was the fourteen such observance held at Maryville and the ninth one in which I have taken part. To see more about this go to this Maryville Daily Forum website:
http://www.maryvilledailyforum.com/photos/x787573363/Abbey-victims-remembered-at-tree-planting?page=0

Here is a picture taken at the event. Planting a

tree in the park.

A former classmate of mine from back in the early 1950's has been here helping Father Albert with a class for about the last month. Jim Koch was here at Conception for college, but then left the seminary, got married and raised a family. He now lives in Austin, Texas. Originally he was from Hannibal, MO.

Classmates from the early 1950's. Fr. Kenneth,

Jim Koch and Charles Mattson. We had just

been out to enjoy a meal together.

Weather has been rather different all this year. Just two days ago on Wednesday it got up to 91 degrees. Today it is windy and much, much cooler. It's difficult to know what to wear when you go outside.

Finally, I invite you to look at other photos of the St. Gabriel Guest House. I will take more at the dedication and try to eventually get some more of the inside of the building.

https://picasaweb.google.com/111035822686820527328/GuestHouse

Sunday, April 1, 2012

HOLY WEEK AND OTHER NEWS

Today on Sunday, April 1, we began that great week known as Holy Week. On Holy Thursday evening we begin the Sacred Triduum which concludes on Easter Sunday evening with vespers. Today I was at Parnell, MO for two Masses, one yesterday evening on Saturday and one this morning. On Thursday I will leave for Brookfield, MO where I will celebrate the Holy Triduum, beginning withthe Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Thursday. It is always a joy to celebrate this week when God shows His love for us in such a special way.

A week or so ago Bishop-elect Edward Weisenburger was here for a retreat in preparation for his ordination as a bishop on May 1. He went to all four years of college here at Conception. He will be the new bishop of Salina, Kansas.

The weather has been just out of this world. We had a day or two of rain this last week, but the temperatures have been almost like summer. It is not unusual for the temperature to reach the mid-80's in the afternoon. It certainly has been an unusual year weather wise here in the midwest.

Three of our monks who are away studying theology at St. Meinrad Archabbey and Seminary in Indiana, are home for this week. Brother Guerric who is a deacon and will be ordained a priest in May, Brother Victor who will be ordained a deacon in May and also Brother Macario who is completing his 2nd year of theology. Brother Paul who is studying at St. Vincent Seminary in Pennsylvania is not able to be home for this week. He also will be ordained a deacon in May.

We have been having a lot of retreatants here, especially on weekends. This weekend was RCIA weekend so many candidates who are entering the Church this year at Easter were here with their sponsors and those who have been preparing them.

I wanted to include a picture or two as the St. Gabriel Guest House is just about completed. They are now in the process of pouring sidewalks, doing some landscaping and then some extended parking lots. While we are dedicating the building in May, I don't think we are planning to start using it until June. It will take some time to get all the furniture in the rooms etc.

Taken March 31, 2012. Brothers Victor and Macario

standing in front

For more photos of the building the St. Gabriel Guest House

click on this link.

https://plus.google.com/photos/111035822686820527328/albums/5656741789992506177

And to all readers of this blog have a Blessed Holy Week and Easter -- ALLELUIA

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Spring is on the way -- but did we have winter?

Now that we are approaching the half-way point of March, and we have switched over to daylight savings time just last night, we can look forward to spring. Already we have had some very nice spring like weather even though today it is rainy and cloudy and foggy. Of course it seems like winter just slipped by this year. We had very little snow, just two or three small ones that hardly even covered the ground. And in general temperatures were not that cold this winter. But, I think most of us are grateful for that.

Work on the roofs around here has continued most of the winter and will continue well into the summer. The roofs on the Health Care Center, part of St. Raphael Hall, the garage and maintenance building have all been replaced. Now they are starting on St. Michael Hall which was also damaged during the hail storm last August.

The students have been gone since last Thursday. We do not give a spring break but always give the students off all of Easter Week. Since that is still a few weeks off we gave them a long off campus weekend this weekend. They should be arriving back tonight.

March 10, 2012, 3rd floor

March 10, 2012, 3rd floor hall

St. Gabriel Guest House. 261 days of construction.

Bridge between Health Care Center and Monastery is being renovated

Another photo of bridge renovation.

And so for this time may God continue to bless you and especially during this Lenten season.
To see more pictures of the St. Gabriel Guest House click on this link.

https://plus.google.com/photos/111035822686820527328/albums/5656741789992506177

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return

Lent is here once again. This coming Wednesday on February 22, we begin the Lenten season with the blessing and imposition of ashes. During this season it is always good to keep in mind that we are "looking forward to the joy of Easter." That is the major feast we are preparing for during the Lenten season. We monks at Conception write down the good works we plan to do during Lent and give them to the Abbot. We go in to see him and receive a blessing that we can and will be faithful to what we set out to do at the beginning of the Lenten season.

This past week I had the misfortune to break off another tooth (the second one in the last six months) and so had to make another trip to the dentist who is in Maryville. It was part of a partial plate that I have and since it was the only good tooth on my upper jaw on the right side, he had to pull it and then it will be placed in the partial plate I have. Dentists can do a lot now days but it does cost.

I have been keeping busy especially in the Oblate Office. About this time every year I send a letter out to the oblates along with a renewal of oblation card. I ask them to return the card so we know that they still want to be an oblate of Conception Abbey. This year I also sent out a questionnaire with the letter so I am try to record all those things when they are returned.

A couple weeks ago I got to spend a couple days with my brother Harold and his wife Dee. They live in Kansas City and are both 85 years old. It's always good to be able to spend a little time with them. There were five boys in our family (no girls) but now there are only two of us still living.

I also got to spend some time with my good friends Benjamin and Alicia Darnell and their little son, Isaac. Benjamin works as youth minister in a parish at Wea, Kansas, just south of Kansas City on the Kansas side.