Library
Weekly Assignments
Each Saturday the Prior (Fr. Daniel) posts a new list of assignments goes on the monastery bulletin board. It lists anything from who is celebrating Mass during the week, to the bell ringer, to table waiters. There are “house” (monastery) assignments, and these assignments begin Saturday afternoon and continue throughout the week. Also, for the…
Companion Camp
The weekend of June 20-22, we host our 18th annual Companion Camp. The camp is for boys entering grades 6th-8th. I have been involved in the camp for about ten years and I have been Camp Director the past several years. It is a great experience for junior high boys to enjoy one another’s company,…
April Fool’s Caption Writing Results
I had an April Fool’s Photo of the Day and requested people to submit their captions on our Facebook page. Posted below are the picture and the comments. Boy, you break one chair and they never let you even step foot inside again. I was invited to a barbeque today after Mass. Um wait a…
Body and Soul: John Paul II Fitness Center
Tuesday evening is the only day of our monastic schedule that varies a little. I described our usual haustus practice in a previous post. This evening after Vespers, we had a community meeting to discuss certain plans in preparation for the renovation of the monastery. It is a significant project and we have many things to consider.…
Monastic Experience Retreat
It is the fourth Sunday of Lent, also known as “Laetare Sunday,” and we have much reason to rejoice. This weekend we invited three men for a Monastic Experience discernment retreat. The weekend began Friday evening with Vespers with the monastic community. Throughout the retreat, the participants heard talks by various monks and even had…
Fresh off the Press
Last week I finished the Spring 2014 issue of our publication, “Tower Topics,” and we sent it off to our Printery House on Monday. It is always a good feeling to have another issue of Tower Topics complete and ready to be printed. We are fortunately that the printing can be done here on campus,…
A Quiet Thursday
The seminarians departed yesterday after their last afternoon class for their “long off-campus weekend.” We wish them safe travels and a relaxing break. They will return Sunday evening. I am finding plenty to do in the office, after a high energy youth retreat last weekend. I am finishing the layout and design for the Encounter with…
Going Westward for Youth Ministry
I flew to Denver on Thursday to help out with a Discipleship Youth Retreat for the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming. I was immediately taken with the scenery and the mountains, even though I had had enough snow for the winter. Cameron Smith, a friend from seminary, is the youth minister and he invited me to…
Game Night with the Monks
Yesterday evening a group of us younger monks invited the four college students from Iowa State to play some games with us. We started out with the dice game, LCR (Left, Center, Right). Then, we shifted to some more high-energy games like Pit. Below: Fr. Jon watches the action, everyone trying to corner the market…
The Archbishop and the House of Cards
This week Fr. Jon Seda from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center on the campus of Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, brought four college students with him to stay at the Abbey for the week. They are on their Spring Break and are experiencing monastic life. On Monday, they prayed with the monks, met to discuss…