AND SO LIFE GOES ON EVEN AFTER THE WORLD SERIES

Here we are already into the month of November.  The World Series is over -- even though it would have been great for the Royals to win, they have nothing to be ashamed of as they played good baseball, especially during the play-offs and the World Series. They provided many of us with many hours of entertainment in the recent weeks.  Not much good on television anymore so what else is their to watch other than sports.  The Chiefs are doing pretty well and hopefully they will continue throughout the remainder of the season.

High up in the upper deck at Kaufman Stadium for the first

game of the World Series.  A great evening even though

the Royals lost that first game.

The leaves are pretty well all gone from the trees but there are plenty of them still on the ground.  The men who take care of the grounds for the Sisters keep running their big lawn mower over the leaves until they are pretty well all in very small pieces.  It seems to me like we also did that at Conception.  The trees were not nearly as pretty up here as they usually are in the Conception area.  I saw a lot of good pictures taken at Conception and there was a lot of color there.  The wind is usually pretty strong up here so that means the leaves blow off pretty fast in the fall of the year.

Two photos taken at Conception Abbey by Father Paul, OSB

This past Saturday I went over to Stanton to celebrate the 5:30 PM Mass for Father Gerald Connealy, a friend and alumnus of Conception Seminary.  I noticed a lot of corn still out in the fields.  I guess there is a bumper crop fo corn and soybeans this year, at least here in the Midwest.  My little hometown of Brunswick MO has three elevators but I am told they are all full and a lot of grain is simply stored outdoors.  Hopefully we can get some of these good crops to areas of our world where people are still starving.   They must feed a lot of the corn grown in this area to fatten cattle.  There are many, many feed lots here in Nebraska and you can certainly smell them as you drive down the road.

I sure enjoyed the World Series this year.  I think the Royals did a great job and really showed the world that we have a good team here in our part of the country.  Hopefully this will continue next year.  With the players becoming free agents you never know where a player will be from year to year.  Not much of a sense of loyalty it seems to me.  People like Stan Musial, Ted Willians, George Brett and many others played with the same team their entire career.

Tomorrow is voting day in this country  I just hope we elect some good men and women and that we can get this country back on the right track.  Unfortunately I won't be voting.  I did not register in Nebraska and I forgot to get an absentee ballot in Missouri.  But, I will be watching the returns on Tuesday evening.

As usual we monks of Conception Abbey will be gathering at Conception over Thanksgiving week.  As many of you know it is on Thanksgiving day that we usually celebrate the jubilees of the year.  This year I will be celebrating sixty years of profession.  

God bless you all.    

WHAT A WEEK!

This past week has been quite a week, at least for a fan of the Kansas City Royals.  As I have mentioned many times before, I am generally an early to bed person and then also an early to rise person.  Some nights when the Royals were playing I would go to bed but then could not go to sleep so I would get up and watch more of the game.  After doing this two or three times I ended up having some short nights at least as far as sleep was concerned.  

Finally when they were about to win the American League championship -- having won the first three games, I decided before the fourth game that I was going to stay with it until the end.  What a game that was as the Royals won 2-1.  They did a lot of celebrating that night but, once the game was over, I went to bed to get some sleep.

And then I got a big surprise on Tuesday morning when I got down to the nursing home.  The administrator called me aside and presented me with two tickets to the first World Series game.  That game will be played in Kansas City this coming Tuesday evening, October 21.  I asked the associate pastor here in Norfolk, Father Greg Carl, to go with me.  I knew Father as a student at Conception and he is a big baseball fan.  So we will drive to Kansas City on Tuesday.  After the game we will drive up to Conception Abbey and spend the night there before driving back to Norfolk on Wednesday.  

No wonder my blood pressure has been running a little high.  I saw my primary care doctor up here, Dr. David Lux, this past week and he increased my medicine a little for now.  I have never seen a World Series game and probably never expected to see one.  But, I guess we never know what will come in our lives.  God is good and gives us so many gifts in our lives.  Give me, Lord, a grateful heart always.  

Weather has been really nice up here the last days.  Typical fall weather with daytime temperatures in the 60's or 70's and then cool nights.  

This photo is taken from section 433 in Kaufman stadium.  Our 

seats are in this section.

So if you are watching the game on t.v. and see someone waving from the upper deck in right field, that's me.  

God bless all you readers.  

BIG WEEK FOR KANSAS CITY ROYALS

This past week has been a difficult week for getting enough sleep.  The Royals have played three games in the play-offs in the American League and every game has gone more than the regular nine innings.  So most nights I have had to go to bed before the game was over.  I get up every morning about 4:30 AM so need to get some sleep.  Of course then when I wake up during the night I have to check on how the Royals did and then have to go back to sleep.  That is not always easy, especially considering the way the scores have turned out.  Tonight they again play the Angels and if they win they will then go on to the American League championship games.

Kaufman Stadium ready for tonight's game.

We have had some rather cool days and nights during the past week.  Friday I turned on the heat in the house.  It is a little warmer today but still only in the 60's  

I am now working on a new computer.  A good friend of mine gave me a new computer and it is really very nice.  My old one was just about full, very slow etc.   My new one has Windows 7 on and is working very nicely.  It was recommended to me by a company here in Norfolk, that I not get Windows 8.1 as that is evidently quite different and complicated.  They recommended Windows 7 and I am very happy with that.

New computer set up in my office at Norfolk.

This past Thursday I stayed home and did not go anyplace on this day off.  I did three or four loads of laundry and even did the chapel laundry from the St. Joseph Rehabilitation and Care Center.  We needed someone to wash the small linens and since I have a washer and dryer as well as an ironing board and iron, I decided go ahead and do it myself.  It was actually kind of fun.

As most of you know, besides this blog I also have a site where I have many photos posted.  I thought I would put all that information here on this blog once again.

Blog site: http://kennethosb.blogspot.com
Photo site:  http://kennethosb.smugmug.com/

FOUNDATION DAY FOR MISSIONARY BENEDICTINE SISTERS OF TUTZING.

Today (September 24) is FOUNDATION DAY for the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing.  So this morning we had a special Mass at 7:00 AM to celebrate the day and the Sisters are celebrating throughout the day.  At noon we had food prepared by various Sisters from various countries throughout the world.  The group of Sisters here at Norfolk is pretty much an international group with Sisters from Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand, South Korea, the Philippines etc.  The meal was very good and enjoyed by all. 

In order to understand more about this day I looked up the web site for the Sisters at http://www.osb-tutzing.it/
Here is a little introduction as to the beginning of this community of Benedictines.

Joseph Georg Amrhein was born on February 4, 1844, in Beromünster, Canton Luzern, Switzerland. He entered the Beuron Abbey in 1870 and received the religious name, Fr. Andreas.

Fr. Amrhein dreamed of founding a community that would live according to the Rule of St. Benedict and establish monasteries in the “foreign mission” to do apostolic work. His exemplars were the Anglo-Saxon Benedictine missionary Boniface and his companions who, with the support of Sts. Lioba, Thecla and Walburga, evangelized German-speaking northern Europe in the 8-10^th centuries.

In 1884 he founded a mission house in Reichenbach, Oberfalz, Diocese of Regensburg, and received the first brother candidates. From this beginning developed the Congregation of the Missionary Benedictines of St. Ottilien. 
(see also: http://www.ottilien.de )

On September 24, 1885, the first four women candidates, who came from Westphalia, entered in Reichenbach. This is the Foundation Day of the present Missionary Benedictine Sisters.

In 1887 the entire community moved from Reichenbach to Emming in Upper Bavaria, Diocese of Augsburg, later called “St. Ottilien”.

In 1904 the new motherhouse of the Sisters was finished in Tutzing. On July 29 the community of Missionary Benedictine Sisters, under the leadership of the first prioress general, M. Birgitta Korff, moved from St. Ottilien to Tutzing.

Today the Sisters are very happy as a young lady, college graduate from South Dakota is entering the community as a postulant.  She seems to be a very good candidate so all you readers pray for her and for the grace of perseverance.  

Last week Keith Jiron visited me again.  It is always good to see him.  He again had to speak to the teachers in the Catholic school here and then stopped by after the meeting. We had a little lunch here at the house.  I believe Keith is now in Colorado as his mother was having surgery on her back I believe.  He just sent me a picture of him and Father James Spahn out fishing.  I was Father Spahn's chaplain during his junior year in college at Conception.  Now he is pastor of a large parish in the Archdiocese of Denver

 Father James Spahn on the left with Keith Jiron

And look at that fish.

About three weeks ago I got a phone call from my very good friend Benjamin Darnell.  Ben was a seminarian at one time but left the seminary after discerning he was not called to the priesthood.  In 2008 he married Alicia and I presided at their wedding  About two or three weeks ago Alicia had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital.  They found a tumor in her brain.  The doctors are now watching it very closely and many of us are praying everyday for her and Ben and their family.  They have two small children -- about 3 and 5 years of age.  

Ben and Alicia with their two children.

Ever since Ben left the seminary he has worked for the Church -- as a youth minister in three parishes and now as Director of Faith Formation in a parish in Kansas City.  Please keep them in your prayers.

Fall is now here and some of the trees are now beginning to change color.  This is a beautiful time of the year, but unfortunately we all know that winter follows fall.  But, let's thank God for this time of the year and enjoy it as long as we can.  I am thinking of driving to Yankton, South Dakota tomorrow just to see the open country and how the crops are looking and trees that are changing color.  Yankton is a little over an hour drive from here.  

Finally I invite you to visit the Missionary Benedictine Sisters facebook page at:   https://www.facebook.com/MissionaryBenedictineSisters

Have a good week and God bless you all.

Reflections on 60 years as a Benedictine Monk of Conception Abbey

September 8, 2014, I celebrate being a professed monk of Conception Abbey for 60 years.  This is the feast of the Birth of Mary and it was on that day that seven of us made vows in 1954.

In September, 1948, I first came to Conception as a sophomore in high school, thinking I had a vocation to the priesthood and wanting to begin my studies for that goal.  I was 15 years old at that time and for the first couple months I was a very home sick boy.  Many times I wondered if this was the place for me.  When we came in September we did not go home again until Christmas vacation.  But, I stuck with it and then, after my 2nd year in college I petitioned to enter the novitiate of Conception Abbey.  Having been accepted I entered the novitiate on September 7, 1953.  At the end of the novitiate I petitioned to take vows for three years and, again being accepted, I took my vows along with six other young men on September 8, 1954.  Originally eight of us entered the novitiate but one left around Christmas time that year.

 My mother and Dad visited me for the first 

time in the novitiate at Easter, 1954.  My Dad is 

holding the first grandchild, Joe.

On Easter Sunday of 1954 my entire family 

came to see me.  My younger brother, Ed, who

died of cancer in May 1955, is holding our

first nephew.

The seven who made profession of vows on

September 8, 1954.  This is when I received

the name of Kenneth.  My baptismal and

birth name was Maurice Peter.  

Shown above from left to right (using their new

names and the title Frater which is what we

were called then -- simply is "Brother" in Latin.

Shawn Ryan, Alexis Saathoff, Damian Parker, Kenneth Reichert, Father Maur Burbach,

Novice Master, Virgil Mudd, Owen Moran and Paul Kelly.

On the day I took vows, September 8, 1954,

with my Dad and younger brother, Ed.

When I took vows the Mass and the entire profession rite was in Latin.  We wrote  our profession of vows and read it in Latin.  We were given our new name in Latin by the Abbot.  No one could figure out my name since the Latin for Kenneth is "Canicus."  Very few, if any, knew my name until after the ceremony.  The Mass at that time was celebrated with the celebrant having his back to the people.  The Prior was the celebrant for the Mass, but Abbot Stephen (our third Abbot) received our vows.

On September 8, 1957, four of us took our solemn and final vows.  Three left the monastery at that time.  Paul Kelly, Damian Parker, Alexis Saathoff and myself made our solemn and final vows that day, September 8, 1957.

Solemn profession, Setember 8, 1957

Left to right:  Paul Kelly, Damian Parker, Kenneth Reichert & Alexis Saathoff

Of the four of us who made solemn profession together, I am the only one still living.

And so as I reflect after sixty years as a Benedictine monk, I most of all feel a spirit of gratitude.  Obviously, there have been ups and downs in my life, as there are for most of us.  But, I have to say I have always felt a sense of peace in doing what the Abbot 
or other superior has asked me to do and persevering in what I promised on that day in 1954.  I have known many great men who have been members of Conception Abbey and are now in heaven.  Now that I have an assignment outside the monastery, I always try to make it a point to visit the cemetery when I go home.  Many, many of those buried there I knew in my life.  Some of them were very dear friends.  All of them were my brothers.  

I also think so frequently of my family and all they gave me.  I have come to realize that when a young son or daughter leave home, it is more difficult for our parents than it is for us.  But, my parents always encouraged me and helped me financially to go to the seminary and to go forward in the life God wanted me to follow.  

Living through the years in the 1960's and 1970's were sometimes difficult.  I remember at one time in those years thinking that I made a mistake and should have been a diocesan priest.  But, after prayer and reflection I stayed where I was.  God's grace, I know, helped me to continue to be faithful to the vows I made.  

The shooting event at Conception Abbey on June 10, 2002, was a major event in the life of the community and certainly in my own life.  I was critically injured and sometimes wonder why God left me here.  I'm sure God had a plan and I can only hope I am doing what he had in mind for me.  I am just grateful that I can continue to serve in some way even as I am now over 81 years of age.

At this time I can only hope that with God's help I can continue to serve the Church and my brothers and sisters as long as I am able to do so.  When my home parish at Brunswick, Missouri celebrated my 60th anniversary when i was home in June, I had a card printed and on it was this prayer:

"Lord, you have given me so much.  Please give me one thing more, A GRATEFUL HEART."

God bless you all.

NEWS FROM NORFOLK

It's time to write from my assignment at Norfolk again.  The past week or so we have had quite a bit of rain.  And we have had a lot of cloudy weather and a lot of humid weather.  Tomorrow already is the first of September and Labor Day so I suppose we will soon see the beginning fall.  Fall is a beautiful time of the year but we all know that winter follows soon after.  One morning it started raining during morning prayer and by noon we had received about 3 1/2 inches of rain.  The next night I didn't hear a thing but the rain gauge indicated almost another four inches of rain.  I hope the rivers south of here are not flooding.  All that water ends up in the Missouri river.

This past week another monk died at Conception Abbey.  Brother George Strohmeyer died at the age of 92.  In his last years, living in our infirmary at the abbey, he spent much of his time making rosaries.  I think we have enough rosaries to give them away for a long time.  

Brother George originally was a member of Corpus Christi Abbey in Texas but when that abbey was closed he transferred to Conception Abbey.  Now he is in the heavenly kingdom.

School has started at Conception with, I believe, about 95 students. Pray for vocations and for the perseverance of those who are in the seminary.  

 Abbot Gregory teaching a scripture course

 Archbishop Jerome Hanus, O.S.B. teaching a religion course.

I have been following the Kansas City Royals very closely. Fortunately they are on television up here and a lot of people in the area follow them.  Of course in Nebraska football is the big thng.  Just about everyone wears red when the Huskers are playing.  Someone even gave me a Husker cap.  The Royals have done well this year but right now seem to have a difficult time getting timely hits.  

It was good to see Keith Jiron when he was in Norfolk a couple weeks ago.  He and his family now live in Omaha.  He will again have to come to Norfolk, I think he said September 17.  So hopefully I will get to see him now and then.

And, keep in mind, that if any of you are up in this area or just going through the area, stop and see me.  It's always good to call first to make sure I am here but I would love to see you.  My phone number here in the house where I live is:  402-371-5657.  I also have a cell phone but do turn it off when I am visiting in the nursing home or celebrating Mass etc.  402-750-9684.  You can always leave a message if I am not home.  As for e-mail I continue to use the Conception e-mail -- kenneth@conception.edu

I am still eating a lot of fresh fruit and sweet corn and tomatoes.  I love this time of year and I can buy peaches, blueberries, raspberries and even black berries.  I put them in the freezer and take them out as I need them.  People have been very good in giving me tomatoes.

Must go for now.  Hope God continues to bless each of you.

Fr. Kenneth

Liver today for dinner. I love it.

It seems as though there are many who do not like liver today. When I was growing up on the farm the only time we got liver was when we butchered and we looked forward to having fresh liver that evening.  My mother would fry it with onions and then make a delightful gravy and then make real corn bread and how I liked to put that gravy and liver on the corn bread for a delightful meal.  O well, that was years ago but I still like liver and we do have it here at Norfolk now and then.  I usually eat the noon meal with the Sisters and then make my own meal for the evening. People have been giving me fresh tomatoes and sweet corn so it has been good eating at this time of the year.  I also have been buying fresh fruit at the grocery store -- strawberries, peaches, blue berries, plumes etc.  Good eating at this time of the year.

These days are auction days at Conception Abbey.  After all the cleaning out of the monastery in preparation for the renovation, there are three days of selling things that will not be going back into the monastery.  Hope they get rid of most of the things.  Good to have the sale before the students return. 

I have not been doing much traveling recently.  There have been a couple changes in schedule so I have stayed here even on my days off.  I did finally sign up for AAA, so I can call them if I am out on the road and have a flat tire or car trouble.  I honestly don't think I could change a tire today.  I have changed many of them in my life, but I kind of doubt that I could get the job done now so I thought I should sign up for AAA so I can call for help.

This coming Wednesday, August 20, I will be going to Humphrey, Nebraska for a 4th degree Knights of Columbus meeting.  I am now the chaplain for the 4th degree Knights in this area.  Most of the time we meet in Norfolk, but during the summer especially meetings are held in the various towns in the area.  

Keith Jiron, who now works for the Archdiocese of Omaha will be in Norfolk this coming Tuesday so we are planning to have lunch together.  Keith was a seminarian some years ago and then he worked for us at Conception as admissions director for a few years. He and his wife, Kate, now have four children -- all boys.  I haven't seen Keith for some time so am looking forward to seeing him.  

Pictured above are the two new novices who entered the novitiate at Conception on August 14.  Pictured with Abbot Gregory are Novice Eric on the left and Novice Joseph on the right.  We thank God for the new and younger members seeking to join our community.  Please keep them in prayer.

This is a picture of the old altar in the parish where I grew up -- St. Boniface Church at Brunswick, MO.  All that beautiful work is wood so it certainly took a lot of work.  This is where I celebrated my first solemn Mass in 1959 -- at the old altar above and in Latin. Now of course the newer smaller altar is used for Mass.  I served many Masses at this older altar when I was young.  I think I started serving when I was in the third grade.  

So much for now, let us all continue to pray for one another.  

Visitors and Trip to Mount Michael Abbey

Just a few words and some photos.  We have had some cool weather up here in Northeast Nebraska for the past week or so, but according to the weather forecast it is once again supposed to get hot with temperatures in the 90's for part of next week.  

Last weekend I was happy to have some friends here to visit as Brother Maximilian, his mother Debbie and his brother Mike were here for a couple days.  It was good to see them. Here are a couple pictures from their visit.

 The young man and the young lady were

not here visiting me but were guests.  The young man

is from Norfolk and goes to college at 

Benedictine College in Atchison.  The

young lady is from Germany and had been

an exchange student here.

On Wednesday of this week, July 29, I drove to Mount Michael Abbey at Elkhorn, NE to visit the monks there.  It was good to see them all, but I especially enjoyed seeing and visiting with Abbot Raphael and Abbot Theodore.  Both have served as abbot at Mount Michael and both originally came from Conception Abbey.  I could not believe all the changes that had taken place at Elkhorn.  Way back in the summer of 1956 Fr. Alexis and I were sent to Elkhorn to help get the place ready for school to begin that fall.  At that time they were pretty well out in the country, but, like most large cities Omaha has spread out in all directions.  I took highway 275 all the way down and then exited onto Maple Road.  That is now a four lane divided highway and of course the road that takes you to Mount Michael is only a couple miles after you exit on to Maple.  

I also had never seen the newest addition to their monastery.  It is very nice.  Not extravagant but comfortable with a bathroom in every room and the rooms are quite large.  It was an enjoyable visit for sure and I hope to go back sometime this fall.  They were very hospitable with their present abbot, Abbot Michael, just getting home Wednesday night but I had a chance to talk with him a while on Thursday.  I left shortly after lunch on Thursday to head back to Norfolk in time to take the 5:00 PM Mass for the Sisters.

 Abbot Theodore as he and I were visiting the cemetery.

The new wing of the monastery taken from over toward the high school building.

 Bell tower built on the campus since I was last at Mount Michael

View of the school.  This year they are expecting about
250 students.

When I was visiting my family in June the parish at Brunswick celebrated my 60th anniversary of profession.  At that time my sister in law, Vera, had put together a collage of part of my life.  I took it over to the Sisters and left it there for about a week or so.  They enjoyed very much looking at the photos.  Here is a picture of the pictures.

Collage put together by my sister in law for my 60th anniversary.

When I was at Elkhorn Abbot Theodore reminded me of photos of deceased monks at Conception that I formerly had on my computer.  Well I had removed them and he missed them.  Fortunately I kept a copy of them on a disc and was able to put them back on my photo site.  They are not complete as it only goes up to 2007.  They are also not in order but anyway here is the web site for them.

http://kennethosb.smugmug.com/Conception-Abbey/Deceased-monks-of-Conception/

God bless you all.  Today is the first day of August so soon schools will be opening for a new school year.  

21 YEARS AGO TODAY

It was on July 22, 1993, that I began my fourteen year term as Prior of Conception Abbey.  Abbot Marcel asked me in May of that year to serve as Prior, replacing Father Benedict, so he could go away for graduate school.  He told me that I would begin as Prior on July 22 of that year.  I remember it so well as this date is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene.  For some reason it struck as unusual to begin on this feast day.  But, it actually was a very good day.  St. Mary Magdalene is frequently called the "apostle to the apostles."  She is the first one to see the Risen Jesus and was the one who carried the news of his resurrection to the other apostles.  She was a devoted disciple of Jesus and stayed at the cross until Jesus died and was taken down and put in the tomb. 

Last week we had a rather cool week in most of the Midwest.  This week has brought a big change.  Monday especially was a very hot day with temperatures in the mid to upper 90's and high humidity.  It was so warm that today I started wearing a clergy shirt and collar for my work in the nursing home instead of my habit.  It is air-conditioned over there but most of the residents do not like it to be too cool and the chapel seems to get so warm when we celebrate Mass over there.

As many of you know I am a big baseball fan and especially follow the Kansas City Royals.  Fortunately they are on TV up here so I can watch the games, but have definitely become a little discouraged with them.  I thought this would be their year but right now they are about eight games out of first place and have lost their last four games.  They have some very good pitchers but just don't seem to be able to hit.  O well, it's only a sport.  When I was a kid I was always a fan of the old St. Louis Browns (Kansas City did not have a major league team yet at that time).  The Browns ended up in about last place year after year, but I stuck with them until they were moved to Baltimore and took on a new name. 

I have been enjoying pictures that have been put on Facebook or other sites as they work on the renovation of the monastery at Conception.  It is quite a big task but will be nice when it is completed. Here are some photos posted by Bro. Maximilian.

And how about this picture taken in my living room of the house where I live in Norfolk.

Skipper my dog.  But don't worry he is not a real dog.

Just something I picked up at the white elephant sale at

the local parish this past week.

ST, BENEDICT -- JULY 11

This past Friday, July 11, was the Solemnity of St. Benedict, at least here at Immaculata Monastery in Norfolk.  Benedictines have the choice of celebrating the solemnity either on March 21 or on July 11.  The other day then is celebrated as a feast.  At Conception we celebrate March 21 as a solemnity, but here at Norfolk the Sisters celebrate the July 11th day as a solemnity.  We had a beautiful liturgy that day, a special meal at noon and then about 3:30 PM we left for Schuyler, NE to celebrate with the monks there.  After praying vespers we had a delightful dinner and some entertainment. I rode down with a couple of the Sisters from here.

This morning on Sunday, July 13, I celebrated three Masses.  Besides my regular two Masses for the Sisters and the St. Joseph Nursing Home, I celebrated a special Mass at the nursing home at 11:00 AM for the Bergstrom family.  Mildred Bergstrom, who resides at the home, is celebrating her 99th birthday.  The family had asked me to do this some months ago.  After the Mass they invited me to a meal at the Knights of Columbus Hall here in Norfolk.  It was all delightful and an enjoyable day.  

I think I have pretty well finished writing "thank you" notes for my 60th anniversary celebration.  If I missed anyone, I am sorry, and you know I did not omit you on purpose.  Since some did give me monetary gifts I did purchase a Samsung Tablet.  I now have, I guess you could say, another toy to play with, although I do enjoy it for many purposes.  

Here is a picture of the famous pecan at Brunswick, MO, my home town.

It used to be out in the country but is now in this little park located in

the town itself.

I went out and experimented this afternoon with my new tablet 

and took this picture with it.  This is the house where I live.

I think that's about it for this time.  It suddenly has gotten very hot and humid here this afternoon.  Had a little rain and that only made it feel worse.  

God bless you all.

Fr. Kenneth

81 years old and 60 years as a monk

I returned to Norfolk last Thursday, July 3, after spending two weeks on vacation in Missouri.  While in Missouri I celebrated sixty years of being in vows as a Benedictine monk in my home parish, St Boniface at Brunswick, Missouri.  The actual date of my profession of vows was September 8, 1954, but since I could not be there at that time we celebrated it while I was home. On Saturday evening, June 21, our family all got together at my nephew's farm -- Kenny and Julie Reichert's farm. It was a great evening of visiting, eating and, yes, some drinking.  

Then on Sunday morning I celebrated the 10:00 AM Mass at the parish.  The church was filled to capacity and Diane Moser played the organ for the music.  Father Rob Fields, the pastor, concelebrated with me.  After the Mass all went to the Knights of Columbus Hall for a fried chicken dinner.  My thanks go to my family for all they did to prepare for this celebration.  It was much appreciated.  And special thanks to the Knights.

Here are some pictures from the celebration:
Saturday evening:    

From Sunday morning Mass and dinner

It was a wonderful celebration in the parish where I was baptized, made my first communion, was confirmed, served many Masses as a young person, attended all eight years of grade school, celebrated my first solemn Mass etc.  

I also spent some days in Kansas City with my brother Harold.  Last July, about one year ago, his wife of over 61 years died.  So he is still trying to adjust to living alone.  He has three living children and a number of grand children.  He will be 88 years old in December.

So now I am back at Norfolk and still enjoying my work here.  God has been good to me for sure. The card I had printed for this occasion includes this prayer:  "O Lord, you have given me so much, please give me one thing more, a grateful heart."

God bless you all and thank you for all you have done for me.

All photos taken by my nephew Mark Reichert.

Fr. Kenneth