THANKSGIVING WEEK

Thanksgiving day is such a wonderful day and a day that gives us all a chance to take time to reflect on all we have to be thankful for. First of all of course all that God has given us and his many blessings but also all the love and good that others have done for us. Despite some difficult times I'm sure all of us have much to be grateful for in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones.

Most of the monks who are out in parishes or chaplaincies will be coming home this week. We will have a number of community meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thankgiving day we celebrate the jubilees of monks who have jubilees this year. This year we will be celebrating the following: Abbot James - 60 years professed. The following will be celebrating 50 years professed: Abbot Marcel, Father Roger, Father Reginald, Father Xavier, Father Joel. Finally celebrating 50 years ordained will be Father Augustine.

The students will be leaving for vacation tomorrow (Tuesday) and will return then on Sunday. Our monks who are away at school will not be returning for Thanksgiving as they will all be returning in just a few weeks for their Christmas break. That includes: Brother Pachomius, Brother Anselm, Brother Victor, Brother Guerric and Brother Macario.

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving... (psalm 147)

I will give thanks to you, O Lord.... (psalm 108)

And as they went, they were made clean. Then, one of them when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him... (Luke 17:15-16)

Monks residing in the infirmary

As most of you know one of my jobs now at the monastery is "Director of the infirmary." While I am not a nurse or in anyway officially a part of the medical profession, I am the supervisor, as it were, of the nurses and aides who work there and the members of the community who reside in the infirmary. As a result when there is a problem they usually first of all call me. Frequently I drive the older members to doctor appointments, sometimes in St. Joseph, MO and other times to Maryville, MO.

We presently have five members of the community who reside regularly in the infirmary. Father Joachim who is the oldest member of our community (89 years old) and will be 90 in January. He is able to take care of himself and takes very little assistance from the nursing staff. Abbot James is there. Abbot James is 84 years old and he is pretty well confined to a wheel chair. He requires for the most part, full nursing care. Father Roland resides there and is under hospice care. He is 81 years old and has a very bad heart condition. He requires quite a bit of nursing care and also has his meals in his room. He is on oxygen twenty four hours a day. Father Paschal is in the infirmary. He is partly able to take care of himself but needs supervision for his medicine etc. And Brother George is there. Brother George is a monk who transferred to Conception Abbey a few years ago when Corpus Christi Abbey in Texas was suppressed. He moves about in a mechanized wheel chair and needs supervision for his medicine. Father Hugh just left the infirmary after being here a few weeks following colon surgery. It is not unusual for us to have another one or two there after surgery or a rather serious illness. Father Regis was residing there when he died a week or two ago.

To take care of these confreres we have nine employees in the infirmary, including one who only comes in three days a week for four hours for housekeeping. Only four of the employees are full time, the remainder being part time employees. Mrs. Carol Madden is the only R.N. and she is in charge of the nursing staff. Four of the other nurses are L.P.N. We have to staff the infirmary of course seven days a week and twenty four hours a day so that means three shifts each day. All the residents eat their meals in a dining room in the infirmary. The meals are prepared in the central kitchen for the whole institution.

Finally I thought you might like to see a picture of the author of this blog after my skin cancer surgery a week ago. It is healing nicely and the stitches come out this Friday

Busy weekend

The picture with the windmills in the background shows part of the new soccer field which is being built this fall to accomodate more facilities for recreation. The other picture is just a scene from this fall. By now most of the color is gone from the trees but when this was taken on October 29, the trees were still in full color.

Last weekend was a very busy weekend here at Conception with, I believe, every bed in the guest houses filled. In fact they had to put some of the young men here for the "Encounter With God's Call" weekend in the student dorms with some of the students sleeping in the lounges on the floor.

It was also the weekend for the drama production by the seminary. This year they did a comedy called The Canterbury Tales, or...Geoffrey Chaucer's Flying Circus by Burton Bumgarner. The production was put on Friday evening, Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. It was delightful and filled with many laughs. It was directed by Brother Cyprian.

Tuesday of this week I spent all day in St. Joseph, MO. The dermatologist had discovered a skin cancer on my nose so she took that off surgically. She had to do it twice to make sure she had gotten all the cancer cells. Then she had me go to a plastic surgeon nearby to have the wound closed. So I left here at 7:30 AM and arrived back home about 7:00 PM. A pretty full day.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops this week at their meetings in Baltimore, approved the Revised Grail translation of the psalms for use in the liturgy in the United States. This translation was done right here at Conception Abbey, primarily by Abbot Gregory. The bishops approved it for use by a vote of 203 in favor and only 5 opposed.

We have had a lot of rainy and dreary weather this week with the temperatures fairly cold. Today the sun is shining again so that is great. Thanks be to God.

Have a good week and let us pray for one another.

November is here

To hear the beginning of the ringing of the Basilica tower bells for first vespers of the feast of All Saints play the short video above. We sang first vespers on Friday evening at 5:15 PM with the students and monks joining in the prayer. While this year the feast was not a holyday of obligation since it fell on a Saturday, we celebrated it as usual with ceremonies at both vespers and a solemn Mass at 10:30 AM on Saturday. Abbot Gregory was celebrant for the Mass.

The students had a Halloween party on Friday evening to which the monks were invited. I did not go myself as I was tired and wanted to go to bed early.

Father Hugh Tasch came through his colon surgery last Tuesday in fine shape and is due to return to the infirmary here at the Abbey, probably tomorrow (Monday). Father Norbert and I have been taking turns going to Savannah to take his place as chaplain for the Franciscan Sisters there.

Even though today is the 2nd of November, it is very warm and sunny. I think the temperature must be well up into the 70's and it was a nice afternoon to go for a good walk. I'm sure it will be changing soon.

This is an altar built and placed in the hallway outside the Basilica. It was built by the Hispanic students, a custom of theirs to honor the dead on this day -- All Souls Day.