COMMUNITY RETREAT NEXT WEEK

Next Sunday, May 25, I leave for Conception Abbey for our community retreat which will be from Monday evening until Friday morning.  I am looking forward to going home for this, although I do not particularly look forward to the drive and to and from there.  At least at this time of the year I should not have to worry about snow or ice. 

The monks at the abbey have all moved out of the monastery itself and into St. Joseph Hall where they will live during the renovation of the monastery building.  That means students who would usually live in St. Joseph Hall will take over one of the guesthouses next school year.  It must have been quite a big job for the monks to move out.  After all these years a lot of things had accumulated.  We monks who are living outside the monastery will stay, as we usually do when going home, in St. Gabriel guesthouse.  

Yesterday, on Tuesday, May 20, I was pleased to get a call from Greg Dolan's parents.  They were travelling from Wyoming to the Twin Cities and wanted to see if I was home and if they could stop to visit a while.  We had a great visit and many things to talk about.  Their son Greg was at Conception for his college work in the seminary but then decided to drop out of the seminary.  Just last year he graduated from medical school with his M.D. degree.  He is now in residency at Seattle Childrens Hospital. 

Charles and Mary Dolan

Tonight the 4th degree Knights of Columbus meets here in Norfolk so I will be going to the meeting.  Their meeting includes a meal and then a meeting.  On Saturday evening I will celebrate the regular Saturday evening Mass at Stanton, Nebraska.  Father Connealy who is the pastor there asked me if I could do that as he is taking some vacation time.  Another priest will be there for the Sunday morning Masses.  With two Masses here every day I cannot usually provide help on Sunday mornings.  

About forty Benedictine novice mistresses and novices are here this week for some classes and workshops.  Three are here from Clyde.  Always good to see some of the Clyde Sisters since I know most of them.  

Pray for safe travels this coming week.  And know you are all in my prayers.  

Coming of spring.

After a very cold and long winter it seems like spring is finally arriving, but even now winter tries to sneak back in now and then. I haven't seen any snow recently but after a very nice and warm week last week, on Sunday it turned colder again.  We still need rain up here but we seem to only get a little now and then -- about three tenths of an inch Sunday and Monday  Of course we can be thankful we missed the bad storms, with one hitting Omaha which is about a hundred miles south of here.  Western Nebraska and Colorado had snow again yesterday I am told.

I finally did make it to Brunswick, Nebraska a couple weeks ago.  This time I found it.  I like to get out when the weather is nice and drive around a bit.  For the most part I stayed home during the winter and tried to stay warm.  It seems as though Nebraska has wind even more than we do in Northwest Missouri and when the temperature is below zero and there is a strong wind it easily brings the temperature down to 20 or more below zero.  I am putting a couple pictures of Brunswick, Nebraska here.  It is smaller than Brunswick, Missouri but does still have a Catholic Church and a bank.  

I finally finished up all my work with the dentist here at Norfolk.  It's hard to believe how much money you can spend on your teeth just so you can eat.  I told someone I was not sure I would live long enough to get my moneys worth out of all the work they found needed to be done.  

Then this past Monday I saw a medical doctor here in town.  I thought I should have a primary care doctor while I am here.  They have a large and very nice hospital here in Norfolk.  There used to be two hospitals at Norfolk, one run by the Benedictine Sisters for whom I am now chaplain and one by the Lutherans.  Now they are combined into one and they built a new hospital with medical buildings etc.  The old Catholic hospital is just down the street from me and is now owned by the one hospital also and is now primarily a mental hospital.  The doctor I saw is a family practitioner and is in practice with some other doctors.  His name is David Lux, M.D., a good Catholic who comes to Mass everyday at 7:00 AM with the Sisters.  

Faith Regional Health Services, Norfolk, Nebraska

The Nursing Home where I am also chaplain is also now owned by this same medical center, called Faith Regional Health Services.  I have been to the hospital a couple times to visit a patient and it seems to be quite large and not an easy place to find your way around.  

In this blog I also wanted to let you know that I am going to be in Missouri twice these coming weeks.  On May 25-30 for our community retreat at Conception, and then June 19-July 3 on vacation.  On Sunday, June 22, I plan to celebrate the 10:00 AM Mass at Brunswick to celebrate 60 years as a professed Benedictine monk.  That's hard to believe, isn't it?  I first took vows on September 8, 1954, so that will be 60 years in September.  

Today and this week is moving day at Conception.  As most of you know we are preparing to do a major renovation of the monastery, the first wing of which was built in 1881.  The monks are  moving over to St. Joseph Hall and the students who live there during the school year will use one of the guest houses.  I am glad I moved everything out before I came up to Norfolk for this assignment.  I did not store anything at the abbey.  I either gave it away, threw it away or brought it with me.

Last Sunday, May 11, Mother's Day, I celebrated three Masses.  One for the Sisters at 7:00 AM, then at the nursing home at 9:30 AM, and then a third one in the Sisters Chapel at 11:00 AM as Raymond and Sally Moser celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.  They have a rather large family and had asked me many weeks ago if I could celebrate this Mass.  It was a very nice celebration and I enjoy people who celebrate such anniversaries.

This coming Sunday, May 18, I will host the Deanery Meeting for this deanery.  If all come it includes about ten priests.  We will meet here in my house.  We usually meet at 4:00 PM, and then at the end of the meeting pray vespers and then I will take them to Applebys for dinner.  

Better close this for now.  I hope to see some of you this summer and, remember, if you are in the Northeast Nebraska area, be sure to stop in to see me.  

Blessings and peace to all.