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The Order of Saint Benedict What Was New April, May and June 2005   Advanced Search

June 2005

Prior-Administrator for Colombia

On Thursday, 30 June 2005, the community of El Rosal Conventual Priory, Colombia, elected Abbot José María Martínez Barrera OSB to be Prior Administrator for a period of three years. Abbot José María retired two years ago from the leadership of San José Abbey, Güigüe, and has lived since then in El Rosal, formerly a dependency of San José. The election followed the resignation of Prior Gregorio Norberto Zeilinger OSB after 12 years of faithful and dedicated service.

+ Abbot Maurus Macrae OSB

Rt. Rev. Maurus Macrae OSB, Abbot of Westminster Abbey (Swiss-American Congregation), died on Friday morning, 24 June 2005. Born on 15 September 1926, Abbot Maurus professed monastic vows in 1959. He was ordained a priest in 1963. The monks of Westminster Abbey, Mission, BC, Canada, elected him the community's second abbot on 11 May 1992, and the abbatial blessing was celebrated on 26 June 1992.

Benedictines Celebrate 125 Years in South Dakota

The Benedictine Sisters of Yankton's Sacred Heart Monastery celebrated the 125th anniversary of their community in a celebration on Wednesday, 22 June. "Their greatest accomplishment is that, as a group, they have lived the Rule of Benedict in their daily lives," Father Denis Quinkert, a former chaplain at the monastery, said. "Daily life in a monastery isn't always easy, you have to bear with one another" (Aberdeen News). Quinkert also touched on one of the hardest times in recent memory at the monastery. A fire on 27 February 1997 killed Sister Teresa Schuster OSB and destroyed the monastery. Sister Teresa, 89, was a beloved community member who taught college in Yankton and elsewhere for many years.

+ Mgr Jean-Baptiste Gourion OSB

On Thursday, 23 June 2005, His Excellency Jean-Baptiste Gourion OSB, 71, died in Jerusalem. Named by Pope John Paul II on 14 August 2003 to be an auxiliary bishop to the Patriarch of Jerusalem with the care of Hebrew-speaking Catholics, Dom Jean-Baptiste was ordained a bishop on 9 November 2003. He was born in Oran in 1934 and was received into the Church in 1958 at the Abbey of Bec-Hellouin, France. He made first profession there in 1961 and was ordained a priest on 29 June 1967. The monks of Abu Gosh Abbey elected him their first abbot in 1999. He served as a definitor for the Olivetan Benedictine Congregation. The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated in the Abbey Church of Our Lady of the Resurrection at Abu Gosh, Jerusalem. on Tuesday, 28 June at 4 p.m.

Beauty and Faith

David Ian Miller interviews classical pianist Jacqueline Chew for SFGate about her re-discovery of faith and her decision to become an Oblate of Saint Benedict. Intrigued and inspired by the sacred music of Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992), Jacqueline's preparation for a performance of his "Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus" ("Twenty Contemplations of the Infant Jesus") led her to question the identification as an atheist she had made in 1968. Ms. Chew's engaging story supports the contention made recently by Fra Timothy Radcliffe OP that "beauty has its own authority, an authority to which every human being responds, and an authority that in no way threatens. We need to find ways of disclosing God's beauty to our contemporaries. We must give people a glimpse of Christ's beauty" ("The contribution of Christianity to the future of Europe," Westminster Cathedral, 2 May 2005).

Nuns in the West

MID-sponsored a second gathering of “Nuns in the West” at the Hsi Lai Chinese Buddhist Temple in Hacienda Heights, California. Two reports on this gathering have just been posted on the MID website, one by MID Board Member Sister Jeanne Ranek OSB, of Sacred Heart Monastery, Yankton, South Dakota, who coordinated the event, the other by Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron, one of the Buddhist participants.

Atchison Sisters Choose Prioress

The Benedictine sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, Atchison, Kansas, announce the election of Sister Anne Shepard OSB, as their prioress on Sunday, 12 June 2005. Sister Anne was born in New York City and raised in Washington, D.C. She has been a member of the community since 1965. Most recently, she has been Director of Development and Communication for the Mount St. Scholastica monastic community. She has also served on multiple boards, including the boards of Benedictine College, the Mount Community Center, and the Atchison Heritage Conference Center. Sister Anne‘s installation as 11th prioress will take place at 2 p.m., Sunday, 10 July 2005, at the monastery’s St. Scholastica Chapel.

Duluth Benedictines Elect Prioress

The Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery, Duluth, Minnesota, elected Sister Lois Eckes OSB its 13th prioress on Sunday, 12 June 2005. She will serve a six-year term. Her installation as prioress will be on 7 August 2005. Sister Lois has been director of McCabe Renewal Center in Duluth for eleven years. Her ministry has included education, administration, service as a hospital chaplain and work with new members in her community.

+ M. Basil Pennington OCSO

Saint Joseph Abbey, Spencer, MA, reports the death of Father M. Basil Pennington OCSO on 3 June 2005, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The feast had always been one of special import to Father Basil, who suffered serious injuries in a car accident last April. Father Basil was a prolific and popular writer on spiritual topics and introduced many to the daily practice of lectio divina. Two of his articles from The Modern Catholic Encyclopedia (Liturgical Press, 1995) appear at this website: "Saint Bernard of Clairvaux" and "The Cistercians: an introductory history." The monks of Spencer Abbey "thank all who offered prayers for Father Basil during his passion, and we ask your continued prayer for the repose of his soul in light and peace. May Jesus Christ, his Lord, come to embrace him for ever. Amen."

Ecumenical Event

The 42nd annual Glenstal Ecumenical Conference will run from 28 to 30 June 2005. The theme this year is "Meeting Others, Meeting Ourselves: A Call to Christian Transformation." Limited places are still available. Write to Brother Martin Browne OSB at <ecumenical @ glenstal.org> for more information or to make a reservation.

Church and Science

Father James Wiseman OSB STD writes for Science and Theology News (26 May 2005) about ideas concerning theology and science expressed by Pope John Paul II and the Holy Father when he wrote as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Both are closely affiliated with the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Cardinal Ratzinger dealt specifically with evolution in his book titled In the Beginning: A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall. Father James, Abbot of Saint Anselm's Abbey, Washington, DC, from 1975 to 1983, is the author of Theology and Modern Science. He is an associate professor of theology at The Catholic University of America.

May 2005

New Leadership Team Elected

On 22 May 2005 the Benedictine Sisters of Baltimore elected a new Prioress and Leadership Team. Sister Kathleen White OSB was elected Prioress; Sister Theresa Kessler OSB and Sister Joan Marie Stief OSB were elected to the Leadership Team. They will serve a term of office from 2005 to 2010. Installation of the team will take place on 2 July 2005. Former Prioress Patricia Kirk OSB and Subprioress Patricia Phillips OSB had served the community since 1993 and oversaw completion of a major addition to Emmanuel Monastery, the Sisters' residence in Lutherille, Maryland.

Masterful Monks

Thomas E. Woods, Jr., catalogs "What We Owe the Monks" in a recent essay. He organizes revealing details and fulsome praise under the rubrics: Agriculture, Technology, Charitable work, Preserving and appreciating the classical tradition, and Education. He quotes without attribution an appreciation of monks as "the skillful and unpaid technical advisers of the third world of their times -- that is to say, Europe after the invasion of the barbarians." Professor Woods also wrote the recently published book, How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization (ISBN 0895260387; Regnery, 2005).

Archpriest for Saint Paul's

By a Motu Proprio dated 31 May 2005, the Holy Father has issued "new norms for a renewal of the practice of worship in the pontifical basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls. The norms also affect administrative and extraterritorial aspects of the basilica.... With the Lateran Pacts of 1929 and successive agreements between the Holy See and Italy, the land and the buildings that make up the complex of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls belong to the Holy See and enjoy a special juridical status according to the norms of international law. In keeping with current norms, the Supreme Pontiff exercises civil authority over the entire extraterritorial complex.... As in the case of the other major basilicas, Benedict XVI has decided to appoint an archpriest to St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, who will exercise 'ordinary and immediate jurisdiction'" (VIS). The Holy Father has named Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, Titular Archbishop of Tuscania, to be the Archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls. Archbishop Cordero is a career diplomat who designed the coat of arms for Pope Benedict XVI.

Election in Bavaria

On Friday, 27 May 2005, the monks of Ettal Abbey, Germany, elected Father Barnabas Bögle OSB, 48, to become the monastery's 38th abbot. Abbot Barnabas graduated from Ettal Gymnasium in 1977 and entered the monastery in 1980. He professed first vows the next year and was ordained a priest in 1985. He completed graduate studies in Latin by passing the state examination in 1989. Since 1991 he has taught Religion, Latin and Archaeology at Ettal and served as a prefect in the boarding school. For almost 20 years he has edited Ettaler Mandl, a magazine that maintains contact between the monastery, alumni and friends of Ettal. On 11 July, the Blessing of an Abbot will take place in Ettal Basilica.

The Irish Benedictines

Finally the story is told. For the first time a comprehensive survey of the ways in which Irish men and women have sought, and continue to seek, God by following the Rule of Saint Benedict has been written and edited by two monks of Glenstal Abbey. Brothers Colmán Ó Clabaigh OSB and Martin Browne OSB have elicited essays from fourteen historians and monastics, including two abbots, that trace Irish Benedictines over 1400 years of history. "Their following 'the path of the Lord's commands' brought them across Dark Age Europe, through Reformation England and war-torn Europe and into modern Africa. In exile and persecution they established centres of learning and refuge; returning to Ireland they continue to devote themselves to these activities, seeking to glorify God in all things." The Irish Benedictines: a History (ISBN: 1-85607-417-X, May 2005, €29.99) is available from the Glenstal Abbey bookshop or the publisher, The Columba Press and its overseas affiliates.

Publications Online

Several monasteries and monastic organizations regularly make publications available online. The Bulletin of Monastic Interreligious Dialog, will, in fact, appear only online after the last printed issue for April 2005. Articles for the online issue of October 2005 have already appeared at the website.

The Alliance for International Monasticism USA makes its newsletter available online in both HTML and PDF formats. The current issue, Vol.14, Nr.1, provides, as usual, a glimpse into the worldwide spread and vitality of Benedictine/Cistercian monasticism that includes reports from Sri Lanka, Brazil, Chile and Peru. The AIM-USA website also facilitates the offering of Mass stipends for distribution among monastic missionaries, pastors and chaplains.

The Oblates of Saint Vincent Archabbey have for many years posted an online version of their Newsletter. Recent issues are available as PDF documents.

Members of The American Benedictine Academy will soon receive printed copies of the American Monastic Newsletter. The informative periodical, however, has become popular also with nonmembers who read it online. In the June 2005 issue, S. Judith Sutera OSB, editor, reviews some recently published books about monasticism. Among them is a translation into English by John Paul McDonald of Dom Jean Mabillon's Treatise on Monastic Studies. The printed translation is supplemented by the online "Catalog of the best books, with the best editions, for forming an ecclesiastical library" created by Mabillon as the third part of the first edition of his Treatise (1691). Reading the catalog requires downloading the DjVu plugin. Mabillon's Treatise is also enriched by the online exhibition, "Discovering the Middle Ages: Monks in 17th Century France" based on early printed editions of the Maurists cared for by Saint John's University, Collegeville, Minn.

Archabbot Bonaventure Celebrates 50th Anniversary

On 19 June 2005, the monks of Saint Meinrad Archabbey will celebrate the 50th jubilee of the abbatial election and blessing of Archabbot Bonaventure Knaebel OSB. He is one of three living former archabbots of Saint Meinrad. Archabbot Bonaventure was born 6 September 1918, in New Albany, IN. He made his profession of vows in 1938, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1943. On 3 June 1955, the monks elected him archabbot. He served in that position for 11 years, until 3 June 1966. Archabbot Bonaventure oversaw the construction of the first Archabbey Guest House during his tenure, dedicating the building in 1960. From 1966-74, he was a missionary in Peru, South America, and since his return he has served as mission procurator, pastor, superior in Mexico, chaplain, and administrator at Corpus Christi Abbey, Texas. Today, he works part-time in Saint Meinrad's Development Office. Ad multos annos!

Benedictine Bishops

On 18 May 2005 it was announced that Pope Benedict has accepted the resignation offered in conformity to can. 401 § 2 by Most Rev. Maximilian Aichern OSB, Bishop of Linz. Bishop Aichern was born at Wien on 26 December 1932. He professed monastic vows in the Abbey of Sankt Lambrecht, Austria, in 1955 and was ordained a priest in Rome in 1959. The monks elected him coadjutor abbot in 1964, and he succeeded as Abbot of Sankt Lambrecht in 1977. Pope John Paul II named Abbot Maximilian the Bishop of Linz in 1981. Bishop Aichern will serve as Apostolic Administrator of the diocese until the Holy Father names his successor .

On the same day, it was revealed that the Holy Father named the Most Rev. Fernando Antônio Saburido OSB the Bishop of Sobral, Brazil. Born at Juçaral, Cabo de Santo Agostinho (Olinda e Recife), on 10 June 1947, he professed vows in the Abbey of São Bento, Olinda, in 1978. Dom Fernando was ordained a priest in 1983. Pope John Paul II named him Titular Bishop of Tacia Montana and Auxiliary of Olinda e Recife in May 2000.

Missing Monk

Concern continues about the well-being of Father Maurus Deegan OSB, 93, a monk of Pluscarden Abbey, Moray, Scotland, who has been missing since Thursday, 12 May. Father Maurus' practice of taking long daily walks is well known, but it is "feared the monk may have tripped and fallen. In the past, he has been returned to the abbey by motorists who have discovered him exhausted by the roadside" (Sunday Mail). About 60 volunteers and professionals are engaged in the search. Sniffing dogs were employed, and a helicopter from nearby RAF Lossiemouth scoured the area using thermal imaging equipment (The Scotsman). Father Maurus is one of the five monks who, in 1948, re-founded Pluscarden Abbey that had been established in 1230 by Alexander II. It is the only medieval monastery in Britain still inhabited by monks and being used for its original purpose.

Election in Austria

On 9 May, the 12 Benedictine monks of Stift Altenburg, Austria, somewhat surprisingly elected Fr. Christian Haidinger OSB, 61, a monk of Kremsmünster Abbey, to succeed Abbot Bernhard Naber OSB, 70. Abbot Bernhard's retirement becomes effective at the end of August 2005. He did much to make Stift Altenburg, founded in 1144, the pastoral and cultural center of the Waldviertel.

Father Christian has been pastor of Saint James Parish since 1995 and the general dean of the Diocese of Linz since 2004. He also serves as the spiritual advisor for the Catholic Women's Movement of Austria. Fr. Christian entered Kremsmünster in 1964 and studied theology at Sant'Anselmo, Rome, where he was ordained by Benno Cardinal Gut OSB in 1969. For 29 years he taught theology at Kremsmünster serving for six years as a prefect. He also served as novice master, curator of the art collections and as leader of the Austrian Cursillo Movement for over 26 years. He is chair of the monastic commission of the Austrian Benedictines.

Abbot Edmund Power OSB

Abbot Primate Dr. Notker Wolf OSB announced in Rome on Tuesday, 10 May, at Collegio Sant'Anselmo, that on Saturday, 7 May, the Holy Father had approved the election on 9 April of Father Edmund Power OSB as the new abbot of Saint Paul's Outside-the-Walls. Abbot Edmund, 52, professed monastic vows in 1972 at Douai Abbey, English Congregation. He was ordained a priest in 1977. Dom Edmund served as administrator of Saint Paul's after the resignation of Territorial Abbot Paolo Lunardon OSB had been accepted on 15 March 2005.

His Eminence Angelo Cardinal Sodano, Secretary of State and Dean of the College of Cardinals, will confer the abbatial blessing on Abbot Edmund on Thursday, 23 June 2005, at 5 p.m. on the Vigil of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist in the Basilica of St Paul's Outside-the-Walls, Rome.

Pax Christi Award

On Sunday, 15 May, Saint John's Abbey and University will bestow their highest honor, the Pax Christi Award, on His Beatitude Ignatius IV (Hazim), Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. The patriarch, based in Damascus, Syria, has been influential in supporting the work of the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library preserving the precious documents in Lebanese libraries, especially those of the Armenian Church. The See of Antioch ranks third in honor among the fifteen self-governing Orthodox Churches, all in communion with each other. His Beatitude is the 170th patriarch after Saint Peter, the first bishop of Antioch.

In 1970, Metropolitan Ignatius became administrator of the newly created St. John of Damascus Theological Institute in Balamand, Lebanon. From the time of his theological studies in Paris, "he has been moved not only by a desire to pass on the deposit of the Faith, but also to take Orthodoxy out of its unhistorical ghetto by discovering in its Holy Tradition living answers to the problems of modern life."

Monastic Reality TV

Very bravely, Worth Abbey (now <www.worthabbey.net/>) opened its doors to BBC2 for a forty-day experiment. Previously unknown to the monks, five spiritual seekers allowed their experience as special guests in the Benedictine monastery to be documented. Abbot Christopher Jamison OSB evaluated the experiment:

"We saw in this project an opportunity to discover what our way of life offers to people today who do not share our beliefs. We had distinct hopes for the participants and for the viewers.

"For the participants, we hoped that they would discover hidden depths in their lives and in those hidden depths encounter God. This hope was fulfilled to an extent that took us all by surprise and the story of their development is movingly portrayed in the programmes."

The Abbey has a community of twenty-two monks, who follow the Rule of St. Benedict -- written 1,500 years ago, but still providing life-giving guidance to men and women throughout the world. The Monastery, a series of three episodes on successive Tuesdays,  begins on 10 May, at 9 p.m. on BBC2.

April 2005

Elections

Three communities in the Federation of St. Gertrude held elections in April. On 6 April the chapter elected Sister Clarissa Goeckner OSB to become the 13th Prioress of St. Gertrude's Monastery, Cottonwood, Idaho. The Sisters of Saint Scholastica Monastery, Fort Smith, Arkansas, re-elected Prioress Cabrini Schmitz OSB to a four-year term. On 20 April the Benedictine women of Mount Saint Benedict Monastery, Crookston, Minnesota, elected Prioress Lenore Paschke OSB.  Her installation as eleventh prioress is set for Sunday, 31 July 2005.

Roman Services

Brother Gregory A. Gresko OSB, 34, served as the principal deacon at the Investiture Mass of Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday, 24 April. A talented musician who began composing at 12, Deacon Gregory will sing the Gospel in Latin. He and another monk of Mary Mother of the Church Abbey in Richmond, Virginia, comprise the singing group, "Mary's Men in Black," a Christian rock band with a Catholic flavor. Brother Gregory is a student at the Pontifical Atheneum of Sant'Anselmo in Rome. He plans to study for a doctorate in moral theology at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family.

On Monday, 25 April, at 6:30 p.m., Pope Benedict will visit the tomb of Saint Paul in the Basilica at St. Paul's Outside the Walls Abbey "to express the inseparable bond of the Church of Rome with the Apostle of the Gentiles and the Fisherman of Galilee." [Homily.]

Pope Benedict XVI

On the second day of the conclave, Tuesday, 19 April, the Cardinal-electors chose Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, 78, to succeed Pope John Paul II. Benedictines were heartened and pleased to hear His Holiness announce that he had chosen the name Benedict. Speculation in the media mentions both his predecessor, Benedict XV (1854-1922), the Pope of Peace, and St. Benedict of Nursia (480-547), Co-Patron of Europe. Both patriarchs sought to establish stability in tempestuous times. Herr Wolfgang Schüssel, Chancellor of Austria and graduate of a Benedictine school, praised Saint Benedict as a "Guardian of the Church for Europe and an important figure who had much remaining for youth, science and education." Schüssel suggests that the name of Benedict is "a program." The Pope's birthday, 16 April, is the feast of Saint Benedict Joseph Labre (1748-1783), known as the Holy Pilgrim. [Update: The Holy Father spoke about his choice of name at his First General Audience on 27 April.]

+ Sister Julia Hunhoff, 84

Sister Julia, referred to affectionately as "Sister Jewel," died early in the morning of 12 April. The Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery, Yankton, SD, elected her to two six-year terms as Prioress during Vatican Council II and its aftermath, 1961 to 1973. The General Chapter of the Federation of St. Gertrude elected her President, and she served from 1973 to 1981. Loved and respected for her humility and confidence, Sister Julia was devoted to her large family. Her nephew reports that "she provided an updated list which included every family member and their descendants to everyone before Christmas each year." During her lifetime, Sister Julia also served as a school teacher, a lecturer at Mount Marty College, a business office assistant, a pastoral minister and more. The Liturgy of Christian Burial was held in Bishop Marty Chapel on Thursday morning, 14 April, with interment in the monastery cemetery. May she rest in peace.

Letter from Rome

Abbot Primate Notker Wolf OSB distributed a Circular Letter dated 21 March 2005 to all the monasteries of the Benedictine Confederation. In it he reports on the renovations at Saint'Anselmo, changes in personnel in the curia, Saint Paul's Outside the Walls, his journeys and other topics.

Sacred Architecture

The monks and parishioners of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica. Bishop John Francis Regis Canevin, Bishop of Pittsburgh, dedicated the church on 24 August 1905. As part of the 100th anniversary celebration, Duncan G. Stroik, assistant professor of architecture, design, theory and drawing at the University of Notre Dame, presented a special talk on 11 April at St. Vincent College. "Stroik's mission is to promote basilica architecture as the highest art form." A liturgical celebration of the basilica is scheduled for the summer.

Father R. Kevin Seasoltz OSB offers the fruit of his lifelong reflection and teaching on sacred art in his recently published work, Sense of the Sacred: Theological Foundations of Christian Architecture and Art (Continuum, March 2005). Father Kevin "wants to help people discover architecture and art as theological loci -- places of revelation." Father Kevin is Professor of Liturgy in the School of Theology at Saint John's University, Collegeville, Minn.

Six Women Reporting

Although the Cardinals have elected to maintain silence in the media, six Benedictine women are reporting regularly from Rome. Sister Joan Chittister OSB, outspoken columnist for the National Catholic Reporter, contributes to the paper's special coverage from Rome, "Church in Transition." Her viewpoint is that of "An American Catholic in Rome." Also sending personal, colorful accounts of the events in Rome are five other Benedictine Sisters. Four of the Sisters have positions at the Pontifical North American College and one is on sabbatical. The sisters are Sister Rebecca Abel OSB, librarian; Sister Norma Fultz OSB, archivist; Sister Susan Mary Hooks OSB, comptroller and assistant to the vice rector for administration; Sister Mary Carol Kinghorn OSB, assistant to the librarian; and Sister Mary Claude Croteau OSB, on sabbatical. Their reports are published at the lively website maintained by the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana.

Tutzing's Roman Website

The Generalate for the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing is in Rome. A well-designed and clearly organized website at <www.osb-tutzing.pcn.net/> provides information about the Congregation in three languages. Besides notices about its history, charism, structure, generalate, twelve priories and their dependent houses, a collection of inspiring biographies personalizes this very large and far-flung Congregation.

Roman Election

It has been revealed that the Pope John Paul II, on 7 March 2005, through Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops, removed the status of Territorial Abbey of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. The resignation of Territorial Abbot Paolo Lunardon OSB was accepted on 15 March. Currently Dom Edmund Power OSB of Douai Abbey, UK, serves as administrator. The abbey was removed from the Cassinese Congregation last September and is subject, "outside a Congregation," to the Abbot Primate.

Abbot Primate Dr. Notker Wolf OSB will oversee the election of a new abbot for Saint Paul's on Saturday, 9 April. In the course of the last several months, ten monks from diverse monasteries have enhanced the monastic community of Saint Paul's.

Monastic Institute

The 20th Annual Monastic Institute, hosted by the School of Theology and Seminary of Saint John's University, will be held 2 to 6 July 2005. Prioress Mary Collins OSB (Atchison) and Abbot John Klassen OSB (Collegeville) will discuss the theme, "Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Communities." For a brochure and registration form contact Linda Schreiber <LSchreiber @ csbsju.edu>.

Native South Dakotan Elected

For the first time in the history of Yankton's Sacred Heart Monastery, a Yankton native has been elected as prioress. The Sacred Heart Benedictines elected Sister Jennifer Kehrwald OSB as the 12th prioress of the Benedictine monastery on Saturday, 2 April. She will serve a six-year term. Sister Jennifer currently is serving as procurator/business manager of the monastery, an office she will hold until her installation. Sister Jennifer succeeds Sister Jacquelyn Ernster OSB who is completing a second four-year term and is not eligible for reelection. Installation of the prioress-elect will be 4 June during the community's chapter days. Sister Kathryn Huber OSB of Ferdinand, Indiana, president of the Federation of St. Gertrude, conducted the canonical election, following three days of the community's discernment.

10th Anniversary

1 April 2005 marked the tenth anniversary of the OSB Website. Begun with the blessing of Abbot Primate Jerome Theisen OSB (1930-1995), the website seeks to provide accurate and timely information about Benedictine men and women today, their history, heritage, charism and mission.

 

 

What Was New (1995-; archive)

January, February and March 2005.

The monks of Saint John's Abbey welcome comments, questions and suggestions from readers at the Pilgrim's Parlor. Send items for inclusion in "What's New" to the <Webkeeper>.

 

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