Temporary Infirmary

This is the nurses station for the temporary infirmary
located on the first floor of the monastery.

This used to be the oblate office only. Now it is the
oblate office, my infirmary office and the office
for the head nurse in the infirmary.

This picture is looking back to the infirmary resident
rooms in their temporary quarters. Taken from the
nurses station area.

This has been a rather busy week as we moved everything from our infirmary into temporary quarters located on the first floor of the monastery. There was a lot of furniture and other things to be either moved or stored someplace until after we finish the renovation of the infirmary. The walls will be taken out, the rooms made larger, the bathrooms made larger and central air conditioning put in. On Friday of this week we moved the residents over to the new temporary quarters and now we are trying to get thing located and in some kind of order so we can find things.

Last weekend I was home to preside at the wedding of my grand niece Jamie and her husband John. It was a beautiful wedding and a very large crowd was present for the wedding. After the wedding there was a reception, dinner and dance. Since I was very tired I left before the dancing began.

Today, May 30, is my 50th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. I along with four other monks were ordained by Bishop John Cody on May 30, 1959. I am the only one of the five still living. Next Sunday, June 7, I will go to my hometown, Brunswick, Missouri to celebrate a Mass and dinner at St. Boniface Church. I was baptized there as well as made my first communion, was confirmed, celebrated my first solemn Mass there, went to eight years of grade school there, have buried my parents and three of my brothers from that parish and served numerous Masses there as a young person. So I have many ties to that parish and still have many relatives living there. I am grateful for all I have received from this parish as well as from the monastic community here at Conception and many relatives and friends. Please keep me in prayer as I will you.

Many monks are coming and going these days as is usual once school is out and we have made our annual retreat.

Busy Week

A picture taken at Pella, Iowa

This past week has been somewhat a busy week or at least it seems that way. On Sunday, May 3, Karen Ceckowski and I drove to Des Moines to attend an oblate meeting for the oblates in that area. We had about 50 or more oblates come to the meeting. At 5:30 PM we prayed vespers (evening prayer) in the Basilica of St. John. Then we went to the parish hall downstairs where we enjoyed a pot luck dinner together. We had so much delicious food and we enjoyed and gave thanks for all of it. Then we had a more or less informal meeting. We primarily wanted the oblates who have for many years been affiliated with Conception Abbey to get acquainted with 60 or so oblates who have transferred to Conception Abbey from St. Gabriel Priory in Des Moines. Father Aquinas, who was Prior of the Priory and also pastor of the parish, St. John's Basilica hosted the meeting. I stayed overnight at the rectory there at the Basilica and Karen stayed with some of our oblates there in Des Moines.

About mid-morning on Monday we left for Pella, Iowa. Marilyn Mutti, an oblate from Pella invited us to stop by for lunch. She served us a delicious lunch and then we went out to see some of the tulips for which Pella is famous. They were in full bloom and really beautiful. I have put some of the pictures that were taken by Karen on my smugmug photo site. To see them go to: http://kennethosb.smugmug.com/gallery/8161318_HNkDz/1 There are also a few pictures there of the oblates praying vespers together.

We returned home Monday evening and May Day was in full swing here at Conception. It was a beautiful day and the first nice day to have May Day. That is an old tradition at Conception. It was going on way back when I first entered Conception as a student in the 1940's.

A couple days last week I had to go to Maryville for physical therapy. Then on Thursday evening I went to the diocesan jubilee celebration in Kansas City. They always honor all the priest jubilarians at a special dinner at Hillcrest Country Club in Kansas City. Bishop Finn is kind and also invites the religious priests who are in the diocese to this celebration. Father Aidan (40 years ordained) and myself (50 years ordained) went and Father Frowin went along to drive.

This week is the last week of the school year. Next Sunday is graduation and then the students will be leaving.

I hope all of you will eventually have a chance to see a very good movie made about Conception Abbey entitled "The Rule of St. Benedict." It was made by an Episcopal priest from St. Louis. He does this as a hobby and is quite professional in his work. He has made a number of documentary films and has won a number of awards at film festivals. Eventually the Printery House is going to sell the film through the internet. At present it is available only in the Abbey gift shop. Keep checking the Printery House web site. www.printeryhouse.org

God bless you all.