NEWSLETTER FOR BENEDICTINE OBLATES OF SAINT MEINRAD Summer 2017, Volume 27:3

Richard Drake was among the Louisville oblates who joined the Saint Meinrad Day of Service on March 11. He foldeddonated clothing that will be made available for resettled refugees.

Although the Rule of St. Benedict does notspecifically say that the most important roleof oblates is service in love, that ideapermeates every word of Benedict’s writings.In Chapter 53, Benedict instructs: “Allguests who present themselves are to bewelcomed as Christ, who said: I was astranger and you welcomed me (Matt.25:35).”

Scripture underscores that instruction, asPeter declares that we must “maintainconstant love for one another, for love coversa multitude of sins.” Moreover, Peter says,we must “be hospitable to one anotherwithout complaining” and “like goodstewards of the manifold grace of God, serve

one another with whatever gift each of [us]received … Whoever serves must do so withthe strength that God supplies, so that Godmay be glorified in all things through JesusChrist” (1 Peter 4:8-11a).

In this issue of the newsletter, we arefeaturing, through words and photographs,oblates of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in manydifferent experiences of service.

Serving with loveAn oblate’s vocation is rooted in Christian service

Ben edictine Oblate is published four timesa year by Saint Meinrad Archabbey.Editor: Mary Jeanne SchumacherDesigner: Tammy SchuetterOblate Director: Janis DoppOblate Chaplain: Fr. Joseph Cox, OSBEditorial Staff: Cathey Byers and JulieWilberding

Send changes of address and comments toThe Editor, Development Office,Saint Meinrad Archabbey,200 Hill Dr., St. Meinrad, IN 47577, (812) 357-6817, fax (812) 357-6325 or email oblates@saintmeinrad.orgwww.saintmeinrad.org ©2017, Saint Meinrad Archabbey

“The brothers shouldserve one another.Consequently, no onewill be excused fromkitchen service unless heis sick or engaged in

some important businessof the monastery, forsuch service increasesreward and fosters love.”

Rule of St. Benedict, 35:1-2

Humble service lies at the heartof the Rule. St Benedict echoesour Lord Jesus Christ, who tellsus that no servant is greaterthan his master (John 13:16;15:20). We are each called totake up the servant’s towel inhumble, loving service, asChrist modeled for us. Perhaps“outdoing” one another inservice becomes a noble goal.

A POINT TOPONDER FROMTheRuleTheRule

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“Sawatdee, kaaa! ” (Hello and welcome!)were the first words we heard fromPrawina Sompong, whose beaming smileand humble wai (a bow with handsfolded) put us in the presence of a mostgracious host at the HumanDevelopment Foundation-Mercy Centre(www.mercycentre.org) in Bangkok,Thailand. This is where we served asvolunteers, from early January to mid-March 2017, mostly teaching andcontributing in any capacity we could.

Last year, on advice from a friend, weread about the work of Fr. Joe Maier,CSsR, a Redemptorist priest andfounding co-director, who establishedthis community of care 45 years agoamong the poorest of the poor in thesquatter slums of Bangkok, known asKlong Toey.

In those years, the center has grown toembrace a mission of educating children,reaching out to victims of AIDS, andrescuing abandoned children from thescourge of drug and sex abuse thatplagues the back streets of the city.

“No matter what happens at home, you goto school!” (Dhong bai rong rien hai dai!) isthe Mercy mantra Fr. Joe rehearsesfrequently with the young attending oneof 26 schools he sponsors in the region,aided by many volunteer teachers. Inspiredby what we heard, we applied and joinedthe effort.

We learned much about service from theThai people we met there, including thepower of community in their lives.Although possessing very little, their carefor one another, grounded in humility,resilience, dignity and joy in the face of itall, overcame many obstacles. Wewitnessed this firsthand in our secondweek when a flash fire reduced some 30homes to rubble and ashes, as happenstragically several times a year in the slums.

While the government was intent onmoving the families affected to a distantsite, it was the organization of relatives,neighbors and friends that beganimmediately the local rebuild of what hadlong been a thriving community. And sothey did.

From Bloomington to Bangkok:A reflection on the least of the little ones

Carney Strange (back row) and his wife Dorothyann (wearing blue in back row) spent more than two monthsdoing service work in Bangkok.

Oblate Carney Strange tells a story with his guitar to a group of young Thai students.

“Being an oblate means to me that I have an

organized, constructiveprayer life that I practice on a daily basis. It means

continuing a personalrelationship with Jesus

Christ. Being a part of theoblate community has givenme an opportunity to know

that I am praying alongwith oblates everywhere in

the United States andaround the world.”

OBLATESIn their own words

Oblate Barbara PhillipsIndianapolis, IN

We found the dharma (divine law) of St.Benedict alive and well in this KlongToey Buddhist community – stability,hospitality, and work and prayer everpresent.

If you wish to learn more about thiswork, we recommend this book: Barrett,Greg (2008). The Gospel of Father Joe:

Revolutions and Revelations in the Slums ofBangkok. San Francisco, CA: Jossey BassPublishers.

Carney and Dorothyann Strange, oblatesBloomington, IN

A teacher in Bangkok demonstrates a dance to her students with oblate Carney Strange.

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On March 11,2017, fiveDayton oblatesand aprospectiveoblate joinedwith alumni andfriends of SaintMeinrad fromthe

Dayton/Cincinnati area at the St.Vincent de Paul Gateway Shelter forWomen and Children in Dayton forthe annual Saint Meinrad Day ofService.

This was the first year theDayton/Cincinnati area participatedin the Day of Service, and we lookforward to it being an annual event inour area. Taking part were oblatesMarianna Neal, Pat O’Malley, Suzy

Kalmar, Ron Dallman and CandeeMackell, along with Laura Bridge.

We began the day by praying togetherthe prayer provided by ArchabbotKurt Stasiak, OSB. We then workedside by side with other volunteers andstaff members, sorting donated clothesand laundering bed linens andblankets. We were surprised by themagnitude of this daily task. Theopenness and friendliness with whichwe were received into their currenthome impressed us and served as abeautiful example of how to welcomeguests, no matter the circumstances.

We received a tour of the facility andinformation about the mission andservices provided. The staff memberwho accompanied us shared her story.She and her son lived there several

Dayton oblates join the Day of Serviceyears ago. Today, she and her husbandboth work at the shelter. He receivedhis college degree, and together theyare buying their first home.

This life story, together with learningjust how many clients are served bythe shelter, served to emphasize theneeds in our community andopportunities to serve our neighbors.

The Rule of St. Benedict (Prol. 21)states, “Let us set out on his path withthe Gospel as our guide.” Jesus hasmade known to us that we are to loveand serve each other. When we striveto live our lives with the Gospel as ourguide, that is what we are called to do.

Pat O’Malley, oblateDayton, OH

Pat O’Malley

Our programwas simple:Prayer, serviceand fellowship.

On Saturday,March 11, 2017,oblates and theirfamily membersfrom Louisville

and surrounding areas participated inthe Saint Meinrad Day of Service.Twelve adults and two teens tookadvantage of this first-time serviceopportunity at St. Anthony Church indowntown Louisville, KY.

Our day began in the sanctuary withprayer led by Deacon Rich and CherieZoldak. Next, Catholic Charities gavea brief presentation about theirmission to resettle refugees in theLouisville area. Because St. Anthony isno longer a working parish, the nave

of the church has been repurposed as acollection and distribution center forhousehold goods and clothing.

Here is a sampling of our service day.In the donation room, the Zornfamily (David, Anne and Izzie) helpedrestock toiletries. While RichardDrake folded clothing, Mary Drakeassisted with data input in the office.Mike Ziemianski multitasked betweenmoving storage bins and keeping trackof volunteer t-shirts and sign-in sheets.

Our day wrapped up with a picnic-style lunch and fellowship. Our first year as part of the SaintMeinrad Day of Service will hopefullykick off an annual tradition.

Saundra Duffee, oblateJeffersonville, IN

Louisville area oblates help Catholic Charities

Saundra Duffee

Catch the New SeasonAiring now

www.saintmeinrad.edu/echoes

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Photos, clockwise, from top left photo:

Members of the Louisville Oblate Chapter participated inthe Saint Meinrad Day of Service by assisting at CatholicCharities in the former St. Anthony Church. A story appearson Page 4.

The oblates from the Dayton Oblate Chapter volunteered atthe St. Vincent de Paul shelter for women and children onMarch 11. See story on Page 4.

The Zorn family – David, Anne and daughter Izzie –joined the Saint Meinrad Day of Service project withCatholic Charities on March 11.

Deacon Rich and Cheryl Zoldak, of the Louisville OblateChapter, helped to restock toiletries at acollection/distribution center.

Oblates join Saint Meinrad Day of Service

has been set forMarch 10, 2018.

Watch for more details!

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When I firstcontemplatedbecoming aBenedictineOblate, Iwondered howsomeone with ajob and littlekids wassupposed to pray

in silence five times a day. In ourhouse, silence comes only wheneveryone is too exhausted to speak.

My spiritual mentor said that if youtry to pray and a child comes alongwith a bloody nose, it is a sign fromGod that your prayer, right then, issupposed to take the form of wipingaway blood and tears. Taking care ofyour kids is prayer, and God will sendyou a messenger to remind you.

About a month ago, our house was inits usual state at about 7 p.m., withstress levels rising as the conflicts overhomework, bedtime and getting offthe computer were coming to a head.My wife Nina typically handles thesesituations, because she has morepatience with misbehaving boys. Yet Ilearned that day that her patience hasits limits.

You see when 7 p.m. arrived, itoccurred to me that it was time forVespers. I hadn’t said my EveningPrayer yet and so, in keeping with mypious commitment of fidelity to themonastic life, I retired to the masterbedroom to take refuge in the peaceand quiet conducive to a time ofmeditation and reflection.

Now, affairs elsewhere in thehousehold were becoming somewhatnoisy. Something about “Why does he

get to stay up and I have to go tobed?” “I’ve told you a million times tobrush between the braces, too.” “Ican’t get off the game; I need to finishthis match.” “I said, ‘Take a shower.’”

The volume had risen to the pointthat it was disturbing my peace ofmind – so necessary for prayer –therefore, I put a pair of plugs in myears. Ahhhh! Silence. A deep breath,and then I began, “O God, come tomy assistance ….”

About two minutes later, in thesecond Psalm, God sent me amessenger. It was my wife. Nina hadcome into the bedroom and waslooking at me with a face, well, I can’tquite describe it. But if you’re ahusband, you know it. I couldn’t makeout what she was saying, because I hadthe earplugs in.

The Busy Benedictine:When God says, ‘Hey! Stop praying!’

Edward Castronova

When I took them out, I learnedquite quickly that praying Vespers atthat particular moment was animprudent decision. Needless to say, Iset my Saint Meinrad prayer book tothe side (actually it flew off my lap asI bolted to attention) and went out tohelp with the boys.

When I try to reconcile oblatecommitments with life in the world, Itry to think of how a Benedictinemonk would handle things if he wereassigned to a hospital. I think hewould do his best to pray along withhis confreres, but he would give toppriority to the needs around him.

Edward (Ted) Castronova, oblateBloomington, IN

Benedictine Oblates Ted and Nina Castronova and their sons, Malcolm and Luca.

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Oblate life complements deacon service

One of the treasures of my life in theChurch is being a Eucharistic Minister inmy parish. In this role, I am able to loveand serve the Lord and his people.

I cherish being able to assist my pastor inthe distribution of the body, blood, souland divinity of Jesus at Mass and tobring Jesus to those unable to be withthe community. As the years have passed,my love for the Eucharist has deepened.

I’ve experienced joy, awe, consolation,real presence, strength for the journey,and an infinite ocean of grace and mercy.

Early this year, my friend MaryCampanelli, an oblate novice,and I were asked to work on theOblate Library at SaintMeinrad. St. Benedict says if hismonks have a craft, they are towork at them.

Mary and I are retiredlibrarians, with a combinedalmost half a century of publiclibrary service. We are bothexcited to “work at our craft” asa way of giving back to theoblate community.

We have begun the process ofupdating the library by weedingthe collection. Most of thebooks we weeded will be sent toAfrica, where, we are assured,they will be much appreciated.Some we hope to replace, andsome we have set aside for afuture book sale open tooblates. Weeding gave us shelfspace to display books we hopewill be checked out.

We plan to have an open housefor the library at the Decemberoblate retreat. Before then, wehave a long list of things to do:more weeding (an ongoingprocess, like washing dishes),create finding tools, set upadditional display area andgenerally spruce things up.

So if you’re at the monastery,take a peek at what we’ve doneso far – remembering this isonly the beginning. And whileyou’re peeking, check out abook. We have lots of goodones.

Ann Smith, oblateGahanna, OH

I made my oblatefinal profession onJune 18, 2008. Ayear later, Ienrolled in thepermanent deaconformation programfor the Diocese ofEvansville, IN. Iwas ordained by

Bishop Charles Thompson on August 2,2013. I am assigned to two parishes,where I assist at weekend Masses andpreach one weekend a month. I havebaptized, witnessed weddings and ledprayer services.

The most important aspect of being anoblate that supports my ministry as apermanent deacon is prayer. The dailyrhythm of Morning and Evening Prayerinstills in me a strong commitment tomaking prayer an integral part of mylife. The habit of daily prayerthroughout the changing liturgicalseasons of the Church year keeps me on

track, helps me to be open to the HolySpirit and God’s will, and enables me toface the daily challenges of life withgreater confidence and trust.

As a deacon, I also share a ministry withmy wife by bringing Communion to theresidents of a nursing home every Sunday.This includes making room-to-roomCommunion visits and gathering a largergroup to recite the rosary and conduct aCommunion service.

Being an oblate of Saint Meinrad hasbrought me to a closer understanding ofhow I can apply the Rule of St. Benedict ina practical way to my personal life. Whenoffering spiritual assistance to these elderlyseniors, the Rule helps guide me.Certainly, being an oblate and applyingthe Rule to my personal life supports andenhances my call to be a deacon.

Deacon John Huether, oblateJasper, IN

Deacon John Huether

Enhancing theOblate Library

‘Why I am a Benedictine Oblateof Saint Meinrad Archabbey’

Every Eucharist is a gift with endlessgratitude to a loving God.

Pat O’Malley, oblateDayton, OH

For more photos of Saint Meinrad events, visit: http://saintmeinrad.smugmug.com

Smugmug

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Retreat sheds light on Passionnarrative

The OblateLenten retreat atSaint MeinradArchabbey was afaith-filledexperience with90 oblates inattendance,representing 12oblate chapters

from six states. The serene andpeaceful setting, participation inconferences, prayers with the monksthroughout the day, and the goodfood and hospitality of the staff lentitself to an opportunity for rest,renewal and reflection on our Lentenjourney leading up to Easter.

The retreat on March 20-22 wasenriched by the sacraments ofEucharist, reconciliation, andanointing of the sick. Sally Beale andMichael Gavin made their oblationsduring the retreat.

On Tuesday, we celebrated Mass onSt. Benedict’s feast day in theArchabbey Church. The homilist, Br.Linus Klucsarits, OSB, of St. BernardAbbey in Cullman, AL, reminded usthat change in our lives and the waywe adapt to these changes should beviewed as a natural and necessary partof transformation in our faith journey.He pointed out that the Wrightbrothers did not invent aviation, butrather they learned how to fly by trialand error and making the necessarychanges and adaptations to facilitateflight.

This theme of change was furtherarticulated by our incoming oblatedirector, Janis Dopp, who, with ourprogram chaplain, Fr. Joseph Cox,OSB, addressed the oblates at theinvestiture and oblation ceremony.

They encouraged us, as a community,to adapt to this change by maintainingfidelity to the Rule and continuing togrow and develop the communitygiven to us by our beloved Fr.Meinrad Brune, OSB.

Fr. Eugene Hensell, OSB, was theretreat director, providing fiveinformative conferences shedding lighton the Passion of Christ fromMatthew’s point of view. Fr. Eugeneexplained the scenes of that time bydescribing the customs, the differentgospel writers’ perspectives, thefulfillment of prophecy and what thedifferent characters in the Gospel werethinking.

As he spoke, we were transported tothat time, giving us an opportunity forintrospection and to ask ourselveswhat we would have done if we werein the shoes of the different charactersin the scenes. Oblate Fr. Larry Jacksonremarked, “As a retired Episcopalclergyman, the Passion narratives ofSt. Matthew were opened to me like Ihad never seen before.”

Throughout the narrative, Fr. Eugeneexplained how Matthew was moreinterested in providing a story of faith,revealing who Jesus was and what Hedid, than a factual history, arguingthat “truth” is much broader than“facts.”

According to Fr. Eugene, the pivotalevent leading up to the Passion wasthe cleansing of the temple, asymbolic action by Jesus to make clearthat the days of the temple werecoming to an end. To the Jewishauthorities, this was blasphemy. Andto the Roman officials, this action andsubsequent repercussions were a threatto the public order. From this pointforward, Jesus was targeted as adangerous man.

Another more subtle, but equallyimportant, event was Jesus’ visit toSimon the Leper’s house. While Jesuswas at Simon’s house, a namelesswoman appeared with an alabaster jarof nard, and she promptly startedpouring the ointment on Jesus’ head.While this nameless woman waspraised by Jesus, his apostles reactedwith anger.

One of these apostles, Judas theIscariot, an ideologue, concluded thatJesus was not the Messiah that theJewish people were awaiting and heultimately betrayed Jesus.

Jesus shared one last Passover mealwith his disciples, commemorating theexodus and liberation of the chosenpeople and allowing participants toenter into the past. With this Passovermeal, Jesus was leaving, yet giving hisfollowers a way to be with Him alwaysthrough the sacrament of theEucharist.

Throughout his Passion, Jesus wasfaithful and obedient to God theFather. This faithfulness is a majortheme in Matthew’s gospel, and yet,even with these earth-shaking eventsand the resurrection of Jesus, theapostles still had doubts, just as weoften do today.

Fortunately, Fr. Eugene assured us thatour faith will always have an elementof doubt, but the nature of faith is notto provide certitude. We need to beable to accept our doubt if we aregoing to be followers of Christ.

Ed Karas, oblateBloomington, IN

Oblates celebrate 50th Anniversary

Congratulations to oblate John andJudy Lehner of South Bend, IN. Theycelebrated their 50th weddinganniversary on July 1, 2017.

Oblate News

Ed Karas

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Chapter NotesBloomington Chapter

Fr. Meinrad presented a finalconference to the BloomingtonChapter on April 6, 2017. He stressedthat each of us is called to be holy.Holiness consists of being faithful tothe ordinary, everyday tasks andaspects of our vocation. That vocationincludes our state in life as married orsingle, our household responsibilities,and our responsibilities to family,colleagues and Christ.

The chapter continues to expand itsministry to the homebound chaptermembers, with more requests for visitscoming in.

In February, the chapter beganreciting Vespers every Wednesday at5:30 p.m. in St. Charles Church,encouraging regular shared prayer as acommunity. So far, it has been a smallbut faithful group, with someparishioners joining in the prayer.

Our planned gatherings include:

July 11: A carpool trip to SaintMeinrad for the feast day of St.Benedict

Date in July TBD: A July social at co-coordinator Diane Rivera’s home.

August 24: Annual chapter evaluationmeeting, including a mini-refreshercourse on chanting Vespers in themanner of Saint Meinrad Archabbey

September 7: Regular chapter meeting

October 5: “Invite a Friend” chaptermeeting

November 2: Chapter meeting, withremembrance of deceased chapteroblates and monks who died duringthe current year

Ongoing activities: Quarterly groupmeetings of novice mentor Susan

McNamara with novices, plusindividual meetings if requested.

Cincinnati Chapter

The Cincinnati Chapter hosted theOhio Day of Recollection at theMilford Spiritual Center on Saturday,May 20. The presenter was Br. Francisde Sales Wagner, OSB, speaking on“The Heart of BenedictineSpirituality.”

Louisville Chapter

The Louisville Chapter will holdmeetings at the following locations:

September 17: Little Sisters of thePoor

October 15: Little Sisters of the Poor

November 19: Potluck at the Zoldaks

January 21: Usually the Epiphanygathering, possibly at an oblate’s house

February 18: Little Sisters of the Poor

April 14: Day of Recollection on“Reading the Bible” at Little Sisters ofthe Poor

May 20: Little Sisters of the Poor

Oblate Advisory Council hears aboutleadership transition

The OblateAdvisoryCouncil held its37th meeting onApril 20. Themeeting beganas a combinedmeeting with theOblate FinanceCouncil.

Archabbot Kurt Stasiak, OSB, joinedthe meeting and greeted the members;the abbot offered some remarks andentered into some discussion with thecouncils before leaving to participatein the deacon ordinations in theArchabbey Church.

Discussions during the meeting weresignificant because of the transition ofthe oblate director. It was the lastcouncil meeting under the leadershipof Fr. Meinrad Brune, OSB, who hasserved as oblate director for 22 years.Since January 2017 and theappointment of Janis Dopp as theoblate director, the past months havebeen a transition of responsibilities.

Janis assumes full responsibility asoblate director in June 2017. Fr.Meinrad and Janis have been visitingall of the chapters together sinceJanuary. Fr. Joseph Cox, OSB, waswelcomed to the council as a newmember upon his appointment by thearchabbot as oblate chaplain. BeckyBoyle of Bloomington, IN, also waswelcomed as a new member of thecouncil.

Bill Wilson was named the newchairperson of the council by theoblate director and archabbot. Hesucceeds Janis Dopp, who had beenchairperson since the council wasestablished in 2004. In Bill’s absenceat this meeting, Pat Phillips chairedthe meeting as Bill participated byphone.

Financial reports were presented byMike Reffett; appreciation was sharedfor the support of the oblates and thegood work done by Mike and themembers of the Finance Council.Major work and discussion during themeeting focused on plans for the 2017Meeting of Chapter Coordinators(MCC 2017) to be held June 23-25.

The theme of the meeting is “On theGood Zeal of the Chapter: BuildingBenedictine Community.” JennieLatta, who chairs the planning team,and other team members outlined theschedule. The council asked questionsand discussed the logistics for themeeting.

William H. Wilson

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Fr. Meinrad expressed his gratitude forthe wonderful transition; Janis Doppshared some of her vision for the SaintMeinrad Archabbey oblatecommunity; and Fr. Joseph, who hasbeen associate director for 15 years,expressed his appreciation for thesharing of talent among the oblatesand said he looks forward to workingwith the council and the oblatecommunity as chaplain.

Other areas of discussion andplanning at the meeting includedfuture investitures and oblations to bedone by the archabbot; leadershipdevelopment throughout the oblatecommunity; a process for formingnew chapters; establishment of aneditorial staff for the newsletter;editorial updates of our oblatehandbooks and manuals;establishment of a mission statementfor the Oblate Library; and oblatecommunity representation at theNorth American Association ofBenedictine Oblate Directors and theWorld Congress of BenedictineOblates.

William (Bill) H. Wilson, oblateHuntington, WV

Finance Committee reviewsyear-end results

The OblateFinanceCommittee meton April 21 toreview financialresults for the sixmonths endingDecember 31,2016. Revenuecontinued at the

same level as prior year giving.

Expenses were at customary levels,except for minor expenses associated

with a regional oblate meeting held atSaint Meinrad. This meeting involvedoblate communities from theMidwest.

Expenses will increase beginning withJanuary due to the naming of JanisDopp as oblate director. Ongoingrevenue should cover any additionalexpenses for this new position.

Fr. Meinrad Brune, OSB, and Janisexpressed their gratitude for thefinancial support of the oblates.

Mike Reffett, oblateEvansville, IN

INVESTITURES

February 18, 2017 – Martha Seibertof Chesterfield, MO

March 29, 2017 – Thomas J.Mehigan of McLean, VA

April 6, 2017 – Edward Eckerly ofColumbus, IN

April 7, 2017 – Constance Anders ofPendleton, IN

April 8, 2017 – Orval P. Schierholz ofFishers, IN

April 12, 2017 – Michael Speck ofWinona, WI

April 16, 2017 – Chaplain Robert S.Mortenson Jr. of Fort Wayne, IN

April 27, 2017 – Derek Abrajano ofReynoldsburg, OH; Marian Prenticeof Pataskala, OH; Abraham Reshadand Lisa Reshad, both of Lancaster,OH

April 29, 2017 – Margaret MaryMurphy-Koss of Memphis, TN

May 5, 2017 – Joseph T. Farrell ofBrandenburg, KY

May 10, 2017 – Deacon Stephen B.O’Connell of Salem, VA

May 13, 2017 – Jody Burks ofThorntown, IN; Anne F. Hall of NewPalestine, IN

May 20, 2017 – Terry Starr ofMemphis, TN �

OBLATIONS

February 25, 2017 – Ray AnthonyGambrel of Centerville, OH

March 3, 2017 – Nora Rose Frey andLorraine Bernadette Ruiz, both ofNew Providence, PA

March 21, 2017 – Sally Ann MaurusBeale of Muncie, IN; MichaelBoniface Gavin of Warsaw, IN

March 24, 2017 – Christine TeresaHoffer and Paul Pio Hoffer, both ofNew Franklin, OH

March 29, 2017 – Christopher JosephWolanski of Pocatello, ID

April 6, 2017 – Susan Mary GertrudeCampbell, Nina Maria DymphnaCastronova, Susan Francis Doorlay,and Mary Josephine Meinrad Sorrells,all of Bloomington, IN; CatherineMonica Funkhouser of Richmond, IN;Deacon Michael Stephen Checkley ofBimini, Bahamas

May 8, 2017 – Robert Rupert Bindleyof Newburgh, IN

May 9, 2017 – Michael GregoryNolen of Springfield, VA

May 13, 2017 – Bradley PolycarpMcDivitt of Indianapolis, IN; CherylAnnette Teresa Mullins of Noblesville,IN

May 20, 2017 – Evelyn Frances ofRome Googe of Farmingdale, NY �

DEATHS

February 13, 2017 – Jay Rush ofShelbyville, IN

February 14, 2017 – RacineO’Connell of Jasper, IN

Oblate News continued

Mike Reffett

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March 1, 2017 – James E. Robertsonof Ramsey, IN

March 7, 2017 – Elsie Jacobi of NewAlbany, IN

March 8, 2017 – Floyd Wiley of NewCastle, IN

March 18, 2017 – Helen Haggard ofCorydon, IN

March 29, 2017 – Ann Geraty of St.Louis, MO

April 7, 2017 – Larney Greenwood ofTell City, IN

April 29, 2017 – Mary AgnesGehlhausen of Jasper, IN (oblate for72 years)

May 10, 2017 – Fr. Bernard Head ofWest Terre Haute, IN (oblate since1945)

May 17, 2017 – Rosemary Conrad ofCincinnati, OH (co-coordinator ofCincinnati Oblate Chapter)

May 31, 2017 - Donald J. Becher ofMt. Vernon, IN �

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 1-3, 2017 – New YorkLabor Day weekend retreat with Fr.Raymond Studzinski, OSB

September 9, 2017 – Lancaster, PA,Day of Recollection with Fr. LukeWaugh, OSB �

VOLUNTEERS APPRECIATED

Recent volunteers in the Oblate Officeincluded Barbara Kammerlohr,Dennis Skelton, Peter Manninen,Mike Reffett, Mike Edwards, SaundraDuffee, Novice Joseph Wagner, OSB,Ed Wells, Elizabeth Wourms, AnnSmith, Mary Campanelli, PatReckelhoff, Maureen Reichardt, MarieKobos, Candidate Fr. Noel Zamora,Cathy Russell, Cathey Byers, JulieWilberding and Ed Karas. �

Saint Meinrad Archabbey hosted a retreat at the Guest House April 17-19 for eight retreatants from theIllinois Great Rivers Chapter of the Order of St. Luke in the United Methodist Church. The retreat wasled by Br. John Mark Falkenhain, OSB. Oblate Mick Laflin (far right) of Oblong, IL, serves as the sub-prior (vice-president) of the Illinois chapter.

Oblate Director Fr. Meinrad Brune, OSB, at the head of the table, gives a conference at the MemphisOblate Chapter meeting this spring, April 29, 2017.

Dan Richards reads a Scripture passage during the March Oblate Retreat at Saint Meinrad, where Fr.Eugene Hensell, OSB, talked about St. Matthew’s Gospel on the Passion.

Vigilance. Michael Edwards. Christian Faith Publishing,2016.

Vigilance is a beautiful collection ofpoetry and scripture. It parallelsmany of the challenges we face inour daily life with the teachings ofChrist found in scripture. It is thecreation of Michael Edwards, whofound the inspiration he needed towrite this book through thepractice of lectio divina, a deeperunderstanding of scripture through

four intentional steps: reading, meditation, prayer andcontemplation.

Edwards had written some poetry over the years, but itwasn’t until his relocation to southern Indiana and hisassociation with Saint Meinrad Archabbey that he wasmoved to write more extensively. The Archabbey wasextremely supportive of him at the time of his wifeRosemary’s death; therefore, he moved to be near theArchabbey.

Reading Room

NEWSLETTER

200 Hill DriveSt. Meinrad, IN 47577

During the last four years, he began to see a connectionbetween his poetry and some biblical references. Edwardsfound this spiritually helpful and thought others might aswell. In writing this book, Edwards poses an honestquestion, “Are you as vigilant about the condition of yoursoul as you are about the condition of your body, yourhouse, your bank account or a myriad of other earthlyconcerns?”

Vigilance contains many inspiring poems, provokingthoughtful contemplation by the reader. The sacred writingsfollowing each poem offer an opportunity to delve deeperinto scripture while relating it to tangible occurrences. Eachpoem has a message and a deeper meaning that is uncoveredby praying lectio divina with the scripture provided. Thisunique collection of poetry moves the reader to contemplatebeyond a variety of circumstances.

Oblates and others who enjoy poetry may find thisillustrated book to be an enjoyable addition to their library.

Michelle Blalock, oblateSt. Meinrad, IN

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