HOLY WEEK AND SACRED TRIDUUM

About 38-40 oblates attended the oblate
retreat the weekend of April 8-10, 2011

It was directed by Brother Cyptian Langlois, O.S.B.
Click on picture to enlarge it.

Today is Palm Sunday. At 10:15 AM the monks, seminarians and guests assembled on the plaza area in front of St. Michael hall for the blessing of palms, the reading of the Gospel and then the procession to the Basilica for Mass. We also had many guests present, m0stly members of RCIA classes from a number of parishes in Missouri, Kansas and Iowa.

To give you an idea of the monastic schedule during the Triduum, on Holy Thursday we have a communal penance service at 11:00 AM for the monks, students and guests. Then on Thursday evening we have the Evening Mass of the Lord's supper, during which the Abbot washes the feet of twelve people. After Mass the Blessed Sacrament is placed at the altar of repose and adoration continues until midnight. However, at 7:00 PM we have a special meal something like a Seder meal for everyone who attends the Mass.

From Holy Thursday afternoon until after the Easter Vigil on Sunday we try to observe silence and encourage our guests to also keep silence, especially on Good Friday.

On Good Friday we have prayer at 7:50 AM which lasts about an hour. The seminarians and the guests join the monastic community for this. At 11:45 AM we have daytime prayer, at 3:00 PM we gather for solemn liturgical service with the reading of the passion, solemn prayers, adoration of the cross, and communion. At 7:15 PM we have compline.

On Holy Saturday we again have morning prayer at 7:50 AM, Daytime prayer at 11:45 AM and vespers or evening prayer at 5:35 PM.

On Easter Sunday we rise early for the Easter Vigil to begin at 4:30 AM. It is usually after 7:00 AM when it concludes. Daytime prayer is at 11:45 AM and Vespers at 5:00 PM.

The seminarians leave soon after the Easter Vigil and are gone for one week, returning on Sunday, May 1. This year with Easter so late in April they only two weeks of school after they return before the end of the school year.

God bless you and I wish each of you a very Blessed Triduum and Easter.

Some Great Days

Written on Sunday, April 3, Laetare Sunday.

So what has been going on here at Conception? First of all, after most of the week went by with chilly days and nights, the last two days have been great. Today the temperature is up in the mid 80's but storms are forecast for tonight as a cold front moves in and the temperature drops again.

This weekend has been an off-campus weekend for the students so most of the students are gone. They will return Sunday evening.

Toward the end of March the Seminary Board of Regents met here so we had a number of bishops, vocation directors and others here for that. Among the bishops here for this meeting were: Bishop Robert Finn, from our own diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Bishop James Johnston, Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Archbishop Joseph Naumann, Kansas City, Kansas, Bishop Michael Jackels, Wichita, Kansas, Archbishop Paul Coakley, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Bishop Will Dendinger, Grand Island, Nebraska, Archbishop George Lucas, Omaha, Nebraska, Bishop Richard Pates, Des Moines, Iowa, Bishop Walker Nickless, Sioux City, Iowa.

In March also we had Pastors Day for the seminary. For this event the pastors of the seminarians are invited to come to the seminary for a visit. They were here for the Feast of St. Benedict, on March 21.

During Lent the monastic community has been having conferences and discussions on the Post Synod document Verbum Domini, the Word of the Lord, by Pope Benedict XVI, which has been quite interesting. We are also reading the entire document at meals during this season of Lent.

This week I am at Clyde all week to celebrate Mass for the Sisters. I am assigned to celebrate the early morning Mass at 7:30 AM for the community. However, on Tuesday and Thursday I will celebrate the 11:00 AM for the retired Sisters living at Our Lady of Rickenbach.

I am including some pictures of the campus in this blog just to show you that spring really is here and flowers are starting to bloom.

Between the Health Care Center and the monastery

Trees in front of St. Maur Hall