Note from the Editor: Happy Easter! I hope your celebration of our Lord’s resurrection has been filled with much joy and peace! That has certainly been the case for our celebration in the monastery. In fact, there’s been so much joy and peace that I completely forgot to write the About the House for March. Please accept my apologies, and enjoy this belated column and all the photos from Holy Week (photos taken by Krista Hall)!
Reader’s Question
A reader would like to know the history of the large crucifix hanging above the altar. Well, according to Br. Kim, the custos and sacristan for the Archabbey Church, the crucifix was purchased new and installed shortly after the abbatial election of Fr. Lambert. It was carved in Italy, and it is a copy of a very old Italian crucifix. Hope this helps!
March Happenings
March 1-15: On March 2nd, we celebrated Fr. Mel’s 93rd birthday. Ad multos annos! On March 7th, we had a Lenten community meeting about our current outreach and almsgiving to our neighbors in need. On March 11, the monastic community welcomed our seminarians at Vespers, and then we joined them for supper and Compline.
On March 12th, we celebrated a community penance service. Also that evening, Fr. Guerric and Brothers John Mark and Joel lent their musical talents, along with many seminarians, coworkers and friends of Saint Meinrad, to the “Harvest of Sorrows,” a Lenten cantata written by Joseph Martin and directed by seminarian Tim Pick of the Diocese of Sioux City. It was surely a moving and prayerful event for all in attendance.
On Thursday, March 15, three confreres professed their priesthood promises, and so we offer congratulations to and our prayers for our Brother Peduru, and to Brother Cassian Elkins of Subiaco Abbey and Brother Antony-Maria Minardi of Marmion Abbey.
March 16-24: On Friday, March 16, the National Players, a travelling theater company, presented William Shakespeare’s Othello and on Saturday, March 17, they presented the stage version of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Both plays were presented on the stage in St. Bede Hall.
The week of the 18th, we celebrated both the solemnities of St. Joseph and the Transitus of St. Benedict. Our celebration of the solemnity of St. Benedict is always made extra special by the attendance and participation of the seminarians, and many, many oblates, retreatants, and guests at the liturgy. On March 24th, the Archabbey church hosted the investiture and oblation of 10 oblate novices and three oblates. Our new oblates joined us in choir and were formally welcomed by the monastic community and blessed by Archabbot Kurt at Vespers the same evening.
March 25-31: We began our observance of Holy Week with the celebration of Palm Sunday. The monastic community also welcomed several young men as vocation visitors during the week. Continue to pray for monastic vocations!
On March 28th, we prayed the Stations of the Cross as a community, and that evening we had the anointing of the sick at vespers for our ill and aging confreres who requested the sacrament. We also welcomed many friends and guests to our celebration on Holy Thursday and the Triduum, which were as prayerful and beautiful as ever. Happy Easter!
As always, feel free to submit any questions you might have about our life here at Saint Meinrad to aboutthehouse@saintmeinrad.edu, and perhaps you will see one featured in next month's edition.