Abbots and Prioresses meeting at St. Bernard’s Abbey in Cullman, Alabama
Abbot Michael Brunner traveled to Alabama over the School’s “Winter Weekend” break to attend the annual gathering of Benedictine superiors. The theme for the session was “Care of the Sick,” an important part of monastic life, according to the Rule of Saint Benedict. The group met at St. Bernard’s Abbey in Cullman, Alabama, a monastic community founded in the late 19th century, now comprised of about thirty monks. St. Bernard’s also runs a thriving residential-day school offering a college preparatory level curriculum. The monastery website reports: “St. Bernard Abbey was happy to host the Joint Meeting of Benedictine Abbots and Prioresses this past weekend. Abbots and Prioresses of monasteries in North America met in Alabama for continuing education, fellowship, and monastic business. In particular, we were honored by the presence of Abbot Primate Gregory Polan, O.S.B., Abbot of the Primatial Abbey of Sant'Anselmo in Rome. We were also happy to welcome Bishop Elias Lorenzo, O.S.B., auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Newark and former Abbot President of the American Cassinese Congregation of Benedictine Monks, to which St. Bernard Abbey belongs.”
Br. Benedict in Florida
Further news from the south is the Br. Benedict Maria continues his formation for the priesthood. He has been in residence at the St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida. After his winter break, Br. Benedict returned to join his group, a diverse community of seminarians from dioceses of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. The seminary campus extends to 70 acres, providing ample space for walking and reflection. Br. Benedict continues to learn from the excellent staff, which he has noted “really care about their seminarians and are very effective in witnessing their pastoral care for their flock,” offering homilies and conferences he has found to be “excellently delivered, thought-provoking, and spiritually enriching.” Training for the priesthood, while not essential to monastic life, provides the monastic community with critical sacramental ministries to be fully equipped for the celebration of the Eucharist, as well as for other ministerial needs of the community and School.
DaPonte crew works on monastery garden
Meanwhile, in our own backyard, literally, we are heartened to see work that betokens the arrival of spring. While the monastic community takes on some of the labor of the maintenance of the grounds and monastery, we are often assisted by staff, including skilled professionals who help in critical areas. Some of the extensive work in caring for the grounds and gardens even exceeds the capacities of the School’s grounds crew, calling for the hiring of contracted firms. The community has a longstanding relationship with the DaPonte Landscaping Services, Inc. of Bristol, Rhode Island. We reported earlier this year on their involvement in the project to clear and reconfigure the Cory’s Lane entrance, directed by Ethan DaPonte ’10, alumnus of the School. This past week, some of the crew set to work preparing the monastery garden for the new growth of the spring. The garden, designed by Dom Peter Sidler and developed by Dom Damian Kearney, not only serves as a beautiful focal point for the monastic cloister, readily visible from the refectory and calefactory, but also serves to host numerous gatherings throughout the year, such as the opening picnic for faculty each year, and last year for the gathering of religious of the Diocese of Rhode Island. The monastic community has been grateful for the extensive work the DaPonte crew has continued to do in maintaining the beauty of our campus and grounds.
DaPonte crew
In this issue, we present the text of Brother Sixtus Roslevich’s Church Assembly Talk, inspired by his participation in the FOCUS SEEK23 conference and its theme, “Be Not Afraid.” This topic, itself inspired by Pope St. John Paul II, spoke effectively to the student and faculty gathered as they continue forward with their work for the remaining days of the waning winter term.