Conception Abbey
Sioux City Vocation Night
Fr. Guerric and I traveled to Sioux City, Iowa to speak to their youth group about consecrated life. Two Divine Mercy Sisters from Massachusetts were also there to talk about their life. The group had excellent questions for us and I wish we had more time to answer them all. The evening concluded with Adoration,…
In the Light of the Resurrection
Happy Easter! Alleluia! The seminarians are away on Easter Vacation and the monastic community is enjoying a peaceful and cheerful Easter Octave. Tonight the Benedictine Sisters from Clyde will join us for Evening Prayer and supper- a long held tradition. All week long the monks will have a 3:00pm gathering with appetizers and a time…
Easter Preparations
It takes the coordination and help of many people in order to put together one of the most beautiful Easter Vigils around. The Vigil at Conception Abbey begins in complete darkness and silence at 4:30am Easter Sunday. The Easter fire is lit outside in front of the Basilica. This afternoon the Sacristan, Br. Bernard, was…
Triduum
Today we begin the Paschal Triduum as we journey toward the joy of Easter. This year I will help out with the liturgies at the Newman Center at Northwest Missouri State. We have many people join us at the monastery for the Triduum. Guests are always welcome to join the monks for prayer. In fact,…
The Cornhusker State
This past weekend I traveled to Nebraska for a junior high and high school youth event. The event was in Kearney at the Catholic High School. The event was called “Going Bananas for Jesus.” I guess the title has some kind of history to it, which I only received part of the story. They did,…
Joyful News
It was a dreary and rainy day, but that didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. For the monks of Conception Abbey, it was a joyful day. Not only were we able to celebrate the Annunciation of the Lord, but this morning we also received a new member to our monastic community. Luke Downing (Wichita, Kansas) was received…
Monastic Humor
This past weekend we welcomed 3 men for our Monastic Experience Weekend. It was great to have these guests especially as we celebrated the Feast of St. Benedict on Saturday. Bishop Sis of the Diocese of San Angelo was the celebrant and homilist. Please continue to pray for vocations. Fr. Macario and I worked on…
Seminary Open-House
Every year on the respective Feast Days (or “Namesdays”) of their buildings, the seminarians have their open-house. Each building is named after a saint, so on the Feast of St. Michael (September 29), the freshmen and sophomores have open-house in St. Michael’s Hall. This year, the monks are occupying St. Joseph Hall, which is normally the…
March Madness
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all the Irish (and all who wish they were Irish). We have a nice line-up of great saints this week: St. Patrick, St. Joseph (March 19), and St. Benedict (March 21). We celebrate the “passing” or “transitus” of St. Benedict as our solemnity, which is this Saturday. Yesterday evening, even…
Coffee Shop Night
It is the middle of March. The seminarians put on their annual seminary talent night, also known as, “Coffee Shop Night.” The evening of entertainment featured a variety of acts featuring seminarians and monks: comedy skits, musical acts, and even videos. It is a nice time for the Abbey and Seminary community to gather and…