FIRST SNOW OF THE YEAR, NOVEMBER 5, 2013

I have good news to pass on to you, all my friends, and readers of my blog.  Today we had our first snow since I came to Nebraska.  It really came down this morning then started snowing again this afternoon.  A big part of the snow melted right away but that's probably good the way it was falling.  I told a couple of the nurses over in the nursing home that "snow was not mentioned in my contract."  Actually, snow is beautiful as long as you don't have to go out in it. 

These two photos taken about noon on Tuesday, November 5, 2013

This photo taken about 3:00 PM on Tuesday, November 5

Last Sunday I went over to Stanton, Nebraska for a while.  The priest over there is the one I have been using as my confessor.  He is an alumnus.  When I came back I noticed that I needed to change the clock in the car back to standard time.  After I got back I eventually decided to go out and do that, after I checked the directions.  When I finished I guess I left the dome light on and so yesterday the battery was completely dead.  I called Terry Beckman, and his wife stopped by when they got off of work to jump start the car.  Terry and his wife live just across the street from the monastery and they own a garage.  Terry is a nephew of Father Martin Beckman who I remember well from my younger years.  He is a very good mechanic and very kind.   It was 8:00 PM or so when she came by and she said they usually are at the shop every night until that late or later. So obviously he has a lot of business.

This Thursday night, November 7,  is the Priests Appreciation Dinner put on by the local Serra Club.  They have asked me, soon after I got here, to give the keynote address at the dinner.  Archbishop Lucas will be here for the dinner so I hope all goes well.  I have been thinking about the talk and writing for quite a long time.  I want to keep it fairly brief since I doubt any of the priests want to hear a long winded talk. The dinner will be held at the Knights of Columbus hall on the east side of town.

Halloween:  Just a day or two before Halloween I went to HyVee and bought a big sack of candy.  Fortunately I did that as a lot of kids stopped here that evening.  Finally I ran out of candy so I simply turned off the porch light and closed the door.  No more then came to the door.  It was a nice evening and so I guess all the kids got out to celebrate.

That's about it for this week.  Hope you all have a good week. 

End of October, 2013

I thought I would add a little color to this blog.  After all it is fall and the trees are turning colors.  We have had a number of heavy frosts here but so far no snow, not even flurries.  Of course the farmers want more nice weather.  Evidently there is a rather good crop of corn in this area and, while many seem to have their beans out now, there is still a lot of corn out in the fields.  Being from a farm I know how they feel.

Another week has passed and I continue to enjoy my work here in Norfolk.  The Sisters are very good to me and I enjoy working with them.  The nursing home personnel are also very friendly and I find myself getting attached to some of the residents.  Like this morning I visited many of the patients, probably most of those who were awake.  Three of those I visited were 100 or more years old.  All three of them seem to have good use of their minds yet and can carry on a conversation.  One of them who is quite poorly just grabbed hold of my hand with both her hands and didn't want me to leave.  I told her "God loves you very much" and her response was "I love God too."  

On Thursday of this past week Father Tom Greisen took me out to dinner.  He has an assignment in the Archdiocese as "servant priest."   He goes around throughtout the diocese to visit the priests, listen to them and tries to help them.  He spent most of last week in the this part of the archdiocese.  It was very good to see him again  We had a nice dinner at a restaurant and then it was my bed time.

I still get up every morning about 4:30 AM.  Use that early morning time for prayer while having a good cup of coffee and then I go over to pray morning prayer with the Sisters, followed by Mass for the Sisters at 7:00 AM and then at the nursing home at 9:30 AM.

f

Two pictures of fall taken from the back door of my

house.  The sidewalk and steps you see lead to

and from my house and the Monastery.  You can click

on the picture to enlarge it.

Just today I received an e-mail from Paul Moser.  I had not had contact with him for a long time.  A few weeks ago he visited his sister Eva and her husband in Salisbury and I asked Lillian to send me his e-mail.  So I wrote to him and today I got a return with a lot of news in it.  He and I were classmates all through grade school and he is also 80 years old this year. Of course he is also a cousin.  His grandmother (Eva Reichert) and my grandfather (Matthew Reichert) were brother and sister, and his grandfather (Keida Moser) and my grandmother (Frances Moser Reichert) were brother and sister.  To quote a brief part of his e-mail:

I spent 2 1/2 years in college, 4 1/2 years as a Navy  pilot, 6 years as an air traffic controller, 23 years as a pilot for Pan American Airlines and 10 years as a  flight engineer for United Airlines.

 I have 5 children, 14 grandchildren and one great grand-daughter..

He said his oldest sister, Eulalia, is 94 years old and lives with her daughter in Illinois. 

It was so good to hear from him.

Hope you are all well.  Have a blessed feast of All Saints on Friday and remember all the faithful departed on Saturday.

Interesting Week

The past week has been a rather interesting week.  Seemed like there was a lot going on.  First of all, on Wednesday, October 16, my brother Harold arrived.  His son Steve and Mary brought him up here on Wednesday from Kansas City.  We had an enjoyable few days together visiting, walking, going places and even shopping.  On Thursday I took him to the Benedictine Missionary Benedictines at Schuyler, Nebraska.  That is only about an hour from here by car.  We went out to eat a couple times and other times fixed our own meals here at the house where I live.

Top row:  my Dad and Mother, then Raymond and Mary Jane,

Harold and Dee, Jim and Vera, Fr. Kenneth and Ed.

Harold and I are the only two still living, plus Vera, 

Jim's wife.

On Saturday Harold's daughter, Diane and Randy, drove up here.  We went out to eat and then visited here in the house.  They had arranged for a room at the Holiday Inn for the night.  This morning they all came to my 9:30 AM Mass at the Nursing Home and then left for Kansas City.  Harold called me this evening to tell me that they got home about 5:00 PM. 

On Friday evening Abbot Gregory arrived.  He had been in North Platte, NE to give a workshop.  When that ended about noon on Friday he drove on to Norfolk.  We went out to eat Friday evening, and then he left to drive back to Conception on Saturday morning after breakfast.  It was good to see him and visit with him.

Weather of course continues to go up and down.  The lowest I have seen it so far was a couple days this past week when it got down to the upper 20's and lower 30's.  

This coming week Fr. Tom Greisen, a priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha, is coming to visit a while and we plan to go out to dinner on Thursday.  Fr. Tom worked for a number of years in our seminary college as dean of students and vice-rector.  He had gone to school at Conception as a seminarian.

So much for this week.  Have a great week and may God bless each of you.

Fr. Kenneth
e-mail:  kenneth@conception.edu

COOL FALL WEATHER IS HERE

Finally had to turn the heat on in the house yesterday, October 5.  We have had rain off and on the past week and the weather, especially the last two or three days, has been very cool.  Saturday morning my thermometer had 39 degrees and this morning 40 degrees.  And I always thought that Conception had a lot of wind, but I am beginning to believe that Nebraska even has more windy days than we do at Conception.

At any rate all is still going well.  It seems that the days pass by very fast.  Of course I am pretty busy until about noon with two Masses and then visiting the residents in the nursing home.  Most days I get back here to my house between 11:00 and 11:30 AM.  The afternoons also seem to go fast as I spend the time reading, working on the computer, and preparing homilies.  I give a brief homily everyday at both Masses.

The abbot has informed me that he will be up in this area October 18-19.  He will be in Grand Island for a workshop and then stop by here on Friday afternoon, but has to leave again on Saturday morning.  My only living brother, Harold, who is now a widower, also plans to spend a few days with me beginning on October 16.  One of his children will drive him up and another one then come up to take him back home.  I am happy he is not trying to drive that distance all alone -- he will be 87 years old in December.

Many of you probably heard on the news about the tornado the other evening at Wayne, Nebraska.  That is not far from here but we had nothing at all that evening.  Two or three of the Sisters from here live and work in Wayne, but they were not in the tornado.  I guess there was a lot of damage. On the radar you could see how the storm went to the north of us.  We do get a few television stations from Sioux City and so they were giving full time to the storm and tornadoes that night

The days are certainly getting short.  When I first arrived here it was daylight when I left the house to go to the monastery about 6:00 AM.  Now it is still dark but fortunately there is plenty of lighting around so I can find my way.

Ever so often I like to put some older pictures on my blog site so here are a couple for this edition.

Back in the days when I was growing up we all did our own butchering.

The picture above shows my Dad (on the left) and two of

his brothers, Matthew and Otto helping to butcher a hog. 

This has always been one of my favorite old pictures of

the five boys in our family.  In our bib overalls and

straw hats.  Left to right:  Jim, Harold, Ed, Raymond and me.

My brother Harold and I are the only two still living.

Have a good week and God bless each of you.

My e-mail:  kenneth@conception.edu

My photo site:  http://http://kennethosb.smugmug.com/

Time for an Update

Already another week has gone by and already tomorrow (Tuesday) we enter the month of October.  Fall is here and yet we still have some fairly warm days.  They are predicting some pretty cool weather by the end of this week.

Well, the Kansas City Royals did not make it to the play offs but they sure got my attention this last part of the season.  They had a good year and I just hope they can keep all those young players they have coming along.  So now I guess we can turn our attention to the Chiefs.  They have won their first four games so certainly are off to a good start.  Hopefully that will continue.

This last weekend we had a large group here at the monastery.  The deacon candidates for the Archdiocese of Omaha come up here for their education and formation.  There were about seventy here this past weekend as a new class is beginning and an older class is still going on.  A good thing for me is that one of the deacons serves as deacon at the Sisters Mass on both Saturday and Sunday so they do the preaching. This past Sunday Deacon John Starman was deacon for me.  He is a brother of Sister Ruth Starman from Clyde.  

Yesterday evening on Sunday we had our first deanery meeting since I arrived here.  It was held at the church at Battle Creek which is only about 10-12 miles from Norfolk.  Father Ross Burkhalter is the dean of this deanery.  Ross is an alumnus of Conception.  Father Stan Schmit and Father Greg Carl are also members of this deanery and both are alumni.  After our meeting they evidently have the custom of going out to eat so we all came back to Norfolk and ate at the newly opened Perkins which just opened a week ago.  I love to eat breakfast there any time of the day so that is what I ordered.  The pastor of the parish where we meet pays for the meal.  

I really don't like to drive after dark anymore so I rode over with Father Greg Carl who is the associate pastor here in Norfolk.

The days are getting shorter and the nights longer.  I have started checking out books from the Norfolk Public Library.  They have a lot of large print books and I enjoy reading them very much.  I can also check out books for my kindle from the library.  I am not a big television watcher but do enjoy sports on t.v., the news and a few programs on the history channel.

Hope you are all enjoying the fall weather and I ask God's blessing on each of you.

Immculata Monastery at Norfolk

BENEDICTINE MISSIONARY SISTERS: 90th ANNIVERSARY

Today, on Sunday, September 22, the Benedictine Missionary Sisters here at Norfolk celebrated 90 years of being in Nebraska.  We had a beautiful celebration with Mass at 10:30 AM with Father Prior Mauritius, from Christ the King Priory, at Schuyler as celebrant.  After my 9:30 AM Mass at the nursing home I came back to the monastery and concelebrated the Mass.  We had a deacon here from Omaha and many guests.  The Mass was followed by a dinner for the Sisters and guests.

Father Mauritius and Father Kenneth and the deacon at 90th anniversary Mass.

Earlier this week, on Thursday, I went to Winnebago, NE for a visit to the Indian Reservation there.  Fathers David Korth and Father Dan Wittrock are both stationed there to take care of their spiritual needs.  Father Korth was gone but I had a nice visit with Father Wittrock.  The Benedictine Sisters from here have worked there since 1957.

 Some of the children eating lunch in the cafateria

Alumnus Father Dan Wittrock

The weather has been more like fall lately.  Yesterday it started off in the morning with a low of about 45.  Today was warmer again but who knows what tomorrow will bring.

In closing I would like to call attention to my modified Smugmug photo site.  Smugmug has changed a number things and I hope you will enjoy the new site.   http://kennethosb.smugmug.com/

Also, to remind you again, I am, for the most part now using my Conception e-mail address:  kenneth@conception.edu

My phone number is:  402-371-5657  or my cell phone:
402-750-9684

Have a good week and God bless you all.

More News from Norfolk, Nebraska

The Sisters here in Norfolk sometimes ask me if I get lonely here by myself.  I tell them that I do indeed miss Conception.  After being at Conception for about 65 years as a student and a monk, of course I miss it.  But, I am adapting.  In so many ways the Sisters have made me feel so welcome and  they welcome me to many of their activities.  I eat two meals a day with them and have many opportunities to share with them.  They encourage me much with their kind words and compliments.  I appreciate all of that.

And I have to say that the staff and residents of the St. Joseph Home, where I also serve as chaplain, have also received me so well. The residents seem to enjoy it when I stop in to see them.  One lady who is 100 years old, expresses her thanks to me again and again for stopping in and when I tell her goodbye, she will say "be sure to stop in again tomorrow."  She is not a Catholic but a very friendly person and her mind still seems to be perfect.  I try to visit all the patients at least a couple times each week.

The weather is now much more like it should be by this time in September.  About three or four days ago I turned off the air-conditioner and have the windows and doors open.  At night especially it gets quite cool.  Makes it hard to get out of bed but I long ago trained myself to get out of bed when the alarm goes off. 

The Sisters had a workshop this weekend.  It was given by two Mercy Sisters, although they go by a different name now.  Sister Pia, the Prioress here, had asked Abbot Marcel for some suggestions for the workshop and he suggested these Sisters.  They were formerly Mercy Sisters but left the order in the early 1970's.  There were eight of them at the time and now they number about 100 Sisters.  They wear a habit and a veil and are now located in Michigan, I believe.

This coming Thursday I plan to drive to Winnebago, NE.  The Sisters here have a mission and school there.  The two priests stationed there are Fr. Daniel Wittrock and Fr. David Korth.  Both are alumni of Conception Seminary College.  One of the Sisters here will go with me since I have never been there before.  

I continue to keep busy, especially in the mornings.  I have one more talk coming up in November when I will speak to the priests at the Norfolk Serra Club "Priests Appreciation Dinner."  

By the way, a week or so ago Archbishop Lucas was in Norfolk and I spoke with him a while.  He is a wonderful person and is very grateful we have a priest from Conception working here in Norfolk.

Conception Abbey and Seminary College

Picture taken from Fr. Paul's Facebook page.

Very Hot Again

As most of you know Nebraska won again yesterday.  This is really a football state.  It seems that just about everyone wears red on game days.  When you walk into HyVee there is a big display right inside the door for the Cornhuskers.  I don't get their games on my T.V. so haven't been watching them.  Also, cannot get the Missouri games on T.V. either. So I will just stick with the Royals.  

Today the parish here is having their big Festival.  I went down there for about an hour.  Very hot so I came on back home.  This evening they have a big barbecue contest so those people cooking outside, will have not trouble keeping warm for sure.  They seem to have a very big crowd.  Many of the things are indoors so that helps.  The beer garden was outside and I did have one beer.  In the beer garden I met a brother of Father Joe Hannappel, an alumnus and priest in the Grand Island diocese.  His brother and wife are both psychologists and live here in Norfolk.

Today, September 8, is actually the feast of the Nativity of Mary.  It was on this date in 1954 that seven of us made our temporary vows --- 59 years ago.  Hardly seems possible.  So next year I will celebrate sixty years as a Benedictine monk.

Here is a picture of our profession class:

Left to right:  Frater Shawn Ryan, Frater Alexis Saathoff, Frater  Damian Parker,

Frater Kenneth Reichert, Father Maur Burbach, novice and formation director,

Frater Virgil Mudd, Frater Owen Moran, Frater Paul Kelly.

Four of us made solemn profession in 1957 -- Paul Kelly, Damian Parker, Kenneth Reichert, and Alexis Saathoff.  Of the four I am the only one still living.  Joe Mudd was killed in an automobile accident, Ed Moran lives in the Kansas City area and Michael Ryan lives in the Washington DC area.

So much for this week.  Keep cool, take care of yourself and let us all pray for peace in our world and for one another.

Today it is three months that I have been at Norfolk

Sometimes the time just seems to fly by.  It was three months ago today, June 1,2013, that I arrived at Norfolk to become chaplain for the Missionary Benedictine Sisters as well as the St. Joseph Care Center which is just across the street from the monastery.  I enjoy my work here very much

This past week it has been so hot  Everyday it seemed to be way up in the 90's and the heat index up to 100 or more.  Oh well, we will soon enough have cold weather and we will be complaining about the cold weather.  After all I am in air-conditioning most of the day. My house has central air and does the monastery and the St. Joseph Care Center.

On Wednesday of this past week I went to the Norfolk Public Library to apply and pick up a library card.   They seem to have a really nice public library.  I was happy to see the large number of larger print books they have.  I sure appreciate that larger print at this stage of my life.  They have many computers there so I can go there if necessary to use a computer.  They also have wi-fi there so I can take my Kindle down there to load books etc.  

I guess they had an outbreak of scabies in the community during this past week.  The nursing home where I work put a "no visitors" sign on the doors and they treated all the residents, including the staff as a prevention.  No one of the residents picked it up.  I also had to go through the treatment since I am an employee of he Care Center as well as of the Sisters.  They gave me this tube of Permethrin which I was told to massage into my skin from head to the bottom of my feet.  The next morning I was told to take a shower.  Today, for the first day they are allowing visitors and outside people to come to Mass there. 

This coming Wednesday, September 4, I have been asked to give a talk to an adult education class at the local Catholic church. The title is "Our Catholic Heritage."  I have been working on it the last couple days so hope I will be able to offer them something worthwhile on Wednesday evening.

Tomorrow, Monday, is Labor Day.  I understand the Sisters are having a picnic meal both at noon and in the evening.  They told me to come to both if I want so I most likely will do so.

Some of you remember my friend Benjamin Darnell either from the seminary or other places.  He left the seminary after 2nd theology, is now married and has two children.  He has worked as a youth minister in Catholic parishes at Springfield, MO, Dayton,OH and Wea, KS.  He is now taking a job as Pastoral Associate at St. Charles parish, in Kansas City North.    

Benjamin and Alicia Darnell

with their two children Isaac and Anya Marie

My e-mail:  kenneth@conception.edu

My phone:  home - 402-371-5657

Cell phone:  402-750-9684

WELL WHAT DO YOU KNOW !! FR. KENNETH IS BACK ON HIS BLOG

Entrance to the monastery

\Considering my last blog goes back to May, 2013, and that at that time I wrote about my new assignment, and that I have now been at my new assignment at Norfolk, Nebraska for almost three months, I thought it was time I again start writing on this blog.  

Some of you have probably read some things that I have written on Facebook or maybe you even received an e-mail from me.  At any rate I am happy here at this assignment.  I don't have to overwork but I do keep busy most of the time.  Here is my, more or less daily schedule.   I actually arise (and my alarm set) for 5:40 AM.  I clean up and then use thirty or forty five minutes praying, doing lectio etc.  I also drink a couple cups of coffee at this time.  At about 6:00 AM I go out my back door and then about 50 or 60 yards to the back door of the monastery (Immaculata Monastery).  I pray morning prayer with the Sisters at 6:25 AM and then celebrate Mass for them almost immediately after morning prayer at 7:00 AM.  A number of lay people also come for this Mass on a daily basis.  

I then eat breakfast with the Sisters, go back to my residence and at about 8:45 AM walk over to the St. Joseph Care Center where I celebrate another Mass each day at 9:30 AM.  I go over early in order to pray the rosary with the residents and others at 9:05 AM.  After that Mass I take Communion with me and go around to visit patients.  Some of the Catholics in the home are able to come to daily Mass but others I take communion to in their rooms  I visit all the patients whether they are Catholic or not.

I am usually leaving the Care Center anytime from 10:45 to 11:15 AM.  At 11:55 AM I pray day prayer with the Sisters and then eat lunch with them.  My afternoons are for the most part rather free except for preparing a homily for the next day or doing computer work, preparing a talk for some group that has asked me to speak to them etc.  I pray vespers on my own and get my own evening meal.  
At night I read or watch the Kansas City Royals on T.V.  Thank 
God there is a Fox station that carries their games up here.  Around 9:00 PM I go to bed.  

I do get asked to do other things.  This past week on Wednesday evening I took the Safe Environment training for the archdiocese of Omaha.  They do not use the Virtus program but rather one that was developed by Boys Town I believe.  It is much like Virtus but the Archbishop wants all the priests to go through this program.  Then on Thursday evening I was asked to give the talk for the regular Norfolk Serra Club. Last night I helped the two diocesan priests who are stationed here:  Father Dan Andrews and Fr. Greg Carl, hear confessions for a Quest retreat.  About 90 freshmen and sophomores were either making or helping with the retreat.   

We have had more rain up here than you have had and it has not been too hot -- that is, until the last few days when it has been way up in the 90's and very high humidity.  

I live in a two bedroom house owned by the Sisters and located on the next street behind the monastery.  The Nursing Home is just across the street from the monastery.  I like the city of Norfolk.  Just about the right size with a population of around 25,000.  Has most things you need and yet it is not so large that I am forever getting lost. Everybody I meet is very friendly and I don't need to tell you the Sisters are very good to me. 

Sister Kevin on the left and Sister Pia Portmann

on the right.  Sister Pia is the prioress  She is from

Switzerland originally

If you would like to see more photos go to my Smugmug Photo Site

at http://kennethosb.smugmug.com/

and then look for the album called "Norfolk Nebraska photos."

My e-mail is still the same as when I was at Conception:  
kenneth@conception.edu and my phone number here at Norfolk is 402-371-5657

I hope to write on this blog about once a week but check back now and then to see if I have anything new.  God bless you all.

My New Assignment

By now I think most of you know that I have received a new assignment, beginning on June 1, 2013.  I will become chaplain for the Missionary Benedictine Sisters at Immaculata Monastery in Norfolk, Nebraska.  While it is difficult for me to leave Conception, I am still looking forward to this new assignment.  This summer I will be 80 years old in July.  So it makes me feel good that I can still begin a new assignment at this age and hopefully do a good job in serving these Sisters.  

I came here to Conception in September, 1948, as a sophomore in high school.  I entered the community as a novice in 1953 and made my first vows in September, 1954.  Being ordained a priest in 1959, I have since held many different jobs.  God has certainly blessed me in many different ways in the 65 years I have been at Conception.  

Abbot Gregory first spoke to me about the possibility of this job back before Lent.  He wanted to me to think about it and pray about it.  Well, I have tried to always do what the Abbot asked me to do so, I told him, I don't want to change that now.  Just last week the assignment the officially published.  

This spring I have been having to deal with arthritis.  I have had some arthritis in my back and knees for some time, but suddenly it really got bad in one knee.  I went to the orthopedic surgeon at Maryville and he gave me a cortisone shot and then started me on five shots of Hyalgan.  You get a shot a week in the knee for five weeks.  I have now completed these and it is surprising how well it now feels.  They say the shots will last six months or more and then they can repeat them.

Now you may not believe this but today it has been snowing most of the day. The date is May 2, 2013, and the snow has been coming down quite heavy.  Most of it is melting when it hits the ground but at this late date it has been quite a snowfall.

Once I get moved in and settled at Norfolk I hope to continue to write something on this blog as I have an opportunity.

Keep me in prayer and know you will be in mine everyday.
*****************************************************
List of events and work I have been assigned to as a monk.  This is posted, not in anyway to brag.  I well recognize that if I have done any good in life, it is due to the grace of God much more than to me.

FATHER KENNETH REICHERT, O.S.B.  

Monastic events and work assignments in my life as a monk up to June,, 2013

Born: July 7, 1933 to Joseph and Alice (Gladbach) Reichert, the 4th of five boys -- Raymond, Harold, Jim, Maurice (Fr. Kenneth) and Edward
Baptized: July 12, 1933 by Fr. Basil Odermatt, OSB
School: St. Boniface Grade school, then one year at Brunswick High School. September, 1948 entered Conception Seminary High School.
Entered Novitiate: September 7, 1953
First profession of vows: September 8, 1954
Master of Ceremonies II: 1954-1959
Solemn profession: September 8, 1957
Ordained to priesthood: May 30, 1959

Ottawa, Canada, St. Paul University: 1959-60
Secretary to Abbot Stephen: 1960-62 and then to Abbot Anselm for one year.
Master of Ceremonies I: 1960-66, 1970, 1972-99
Assistant Abbey Vocation Director: 1961-63
Prefect, St. Maur Hall: 1962-66 then in February, 1966 moved to Marian Hall.
Prefect: Latin summer school: 1963 and 1964
Director of Abbey Vocations: 1963-65
Director of Oblates: 1963-69

Loyola University, Chicago: summer, 1966
Instructor of Brothers: 1966-67
Counselor, St. Benedict Hall: 1967-68
Counselor, Marian Hall: 1968-69
Counselor, St. Joseph Hall: 1969-70
Clinical Pastoral Education, Tulsa, OK: Summer 1969

McLaughlin, S.D., Indian Missions: 1970-72
Spiritual Director of Seminary: 1972-85
River Forest, IL, Institute of Spirtuality: summer of 1976-77-78
Manager of Book and Supply Store: 1972-76, 1977-85
Subprior: 1975-79
Director of Postulants: 1976-77
Sabbatical, St. Louis University: 1985-86
Director of Apostolic Program: 1986-87
Special Programs and Guestmaster: 1987-90
Director of Recruitment (seminary): 1990-93
Director of Alumni: 1990-99
Chaplain, St. Joseph Hall: 1991-93

Prior: July 22, 1993-May, 2007

Associate Oblate Director: 2001-2003
Director of Oblates: April, 2003-June, 2013

Director of Infirmary:  February, 2007-May, 2013

Chaplain, Immaculata Monastery, Norfolk, NE

June, 2013-

HELLO EVERYBODY!

So what has been going on?  Well, we have had a lot of cold weather but then we have also had a lot of above normal temperatures this winter.  One thing for sure we have not had much snow.  Of course we don't necessarily want the big snows like they have had in some parts of the country but we do need moisture.  The ground is still very dry here in the mid-part of the country.

I have been out celebrating Masses on many of the weekends.  I do enjoy that work but do need a little extra rest when I get home.  I guess one of most interesting places I have helped out recently has been two  weekends at Red Oak, Iowa and Imogene, Iowa.  Red Oak has a rather modern church and a nice rectory.  But the little town of Imogene has a large church and it is absolutely beautiful.  The altar is marble and they have a replica of the Pieta in Rome.  It was made in Rome out of marble.  It weighs 2 1/2 tons so I can only hope it is on a good foundation since it is in the church itself.  

The main altar, all marble.  Of course they have a smaller altar

out in front now that is used for Mass

Lent is fast approaching.  As usual each of the monks write out what they intend to do for Lent this year.  That is presented to the Abbot and then we receive a blessing from the Abbot as we try to be faithful to what we say we are going to do.  Lent is a beautiful season of the year but obviously different from the Easter season and/or the Christmas season.  

REPENT AND BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL

OR

REMEMBER YOU ARE DUST, AND TO DUST YOU SHALL RETURN

Two options used when we receive the ashes.

What about the big news received this morning.  Pope Benedict XVI is stepping down as Pope because of his age and health.  I admire him.  In April, I believe, he will be 86 years old.  He has spent many years serving the Church and we can only express our gratitude for his service.  He deserves to have some time to rest before God calls him to the heavenly kingdom.  In the history of the Church four other Popes have resigned, the last one being Gregory XII in 1415.  However, this news certainly came as a surprise to most of us.

Work continues on the roof of the monastery.  All other buildings are completed.  They hope to have the monastery completed by April, 2013. 

 In the courtyard where scaffolding is still up and

work is still in progress.

The west or front side of the monastery where scaffolding

is set up but work has not yet begun.

Yesterday, February 10, was the feast of St. Scholastica, sister of St. Benedict.  Since it was on a Sunday, we monks did not celebrate the feast, but for the Benedictine Sisters it is a solemnity so it took the place of the regular Sunday Mass.  As is traditional now the Sisters at Clyde invited the monks over to pray vespers with them and to enjoy a meal together.  It was a very enjoyable evening.

I hope you all have a blessed Lenten season.  As the days are getting longer we will see more signs of spring and usually all of us are happy to see the return of spring weather with the flowers, birds, planting of crops etc. 

AFTER CHRISTMAS 2013

Here we are almost at the end of the Christmas        season.  Last Sunday we celebrated the feast of the Epiphany, this Sunday, January 13, we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of Jesus by St. John the Baptist.  That will officially conclude the Christmas season for this year.  Next Monday, January 14, we return to ordinary time.  

I hope all of you readers of this blog had a blessed Christmas season and that God will continue to bless you throughout the New Year, 2013.  As I mentioned in my last blog I went to Brookfield, Missouri to celebrate the Christmas Masses.  I had a Mass at 5:30 PM which was very crowded, then one at 10:00 PM and finally one on Christmas morning at 9:15 AM.  Then I drove on to Brunswick where I was born and raised and spent the day with my sister in law and her son and his family.  I returned on Wednesday morning, the day after Christmas.

I understand that Christmas here at Conception was also very beautiful with midnight Mass at midnight.  The church was pretty well filled for this.  The community then has another Mass on Christmas morning at 11:00 AM.  Most of the monks were home for the feasst and for Christmas week.  Those away at school were back home -- Brother Victor and Brother Macario from St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana and Brother Paul from St. Vincent Archabbey in Pennsylvania.  Of course those priests assigned as pastors in paishes were not able to be home for these days.

The New Year's retreat this year was quite successful.  It was given by Father Patrick and George and Barbara Appleby (oblates).  About twenty five were here for the retreat and all seemed to enjoy the days.

The students have returned for the 2nd semester.  Our enrollment is down some since a few graduated at the conclusion of the first semester and others made the decision not to return.  Continue to pray for vocations. 

The bridge between the monastery and the Health Care Center has been undergoing a renovation.  With the laying of new tile on the floor it is now completed.   It is used frequently as monks go back and forth from the monastery to the Health Care Center and vice versa.  The Sunday just before Christmas we had a communal anointing of the sick in the basilica.  All those who live in the Health Care Center, as well as some others who live in the monastery, were anointed with the entire community present.  The anointing was done by Abbot Gregory.

While decorations for Christmas are put up so early in stores and sometimes in homes, we do not do any decorating here until about 2-3 days before Christmas.  We have the tradition of the community gathering together to decorate the tree in the recreation room on the 2nd floor.  We have a social time with that.  This year this was done on Sunday evening after compline, on December 23.

Bridge with new windows, new floor, and
new heat and air conditioning

Fr. Anthony coming through the automatic door

 leading from the Health Care Center.

Manger in dining room of St. Stephen
Health Care Center

Tree in dining room of Health
Care Center

                                                                       

With the lakes frozen over Christmas, some
of the young monks went ice skating.
Above is Novice Jonathan enjoying
a free afternoon.  He is skating on Lake
Placid