religious life
Christmas Blessings
May the Joy of Christ dwell in your heart this holy season and throughout the year! The monks had beautiful Christmas celebrations, beginning with First Vespers, followed by a banquet in the monastery refectory. A fun monastery tradition is that we ring all five bells in the tower for fifteen minutes before Christmas Vigils at…
Deck the Halls
Outside, the snow covers the rolling hills. If you were hoping for a white Christmas, you got it. Inside, the monks are preparing for the Nativity of the Lord. Much preparation from many hands goes into putting together a beautiful and festive Christmas celebration. It takes help from musicians (the organists and choir), monks to…
Braving the Weather
I woke up this morning to find 9 inches of snow had fallen. Snow is always nice to look at, but not so nice if you have to travel. That was the case for me this morning. I was assigned to celebrate Mass at two different parish in the St. Joseph area (normally a 45…
Be Joyful
The monastic life requires sacrifice. But, in the midst of the things that a monk offers up in order to follow Christ in our Benedictine way of life, there are many blessings. Everyone is susceptible to a myopic viewpoint only seeing the frustrations of life, and then falling into a habit of complaining and being…
Employee Christmas Party
Each year the employees of Conception Abbey, Conception Seminary College, and the Printery House gather together for a Christmas Luncheon. It is an enjoyable time to relax with good food, refreshments, and great company, and look back on how God has blessed our community. We are grateful to our employees for their hard work and…
With Gratitude
Cindy Staten, our faithful Associate Director of Development, is retiring this Friday after seventeen and a half years of service to the Abbey. Everyone who has worked with Cindy knows her to be hard working, dedicated, dependable, and just a pleasant person to be around. She has worked in the Development Office throughout the years…
O Antiphons
The monks gather in the Basilica five times a day to pray for the Church and the world. During this season of Advent, we have been preparing ourselves for Christ’s Coming at Christmas. As Christmas approaches, the monks take part in the Church’s long tradition of the “O Antiphons.” The O Antiphons are ancient liturgical…
Fr. Joachim Schieber passes away
Fr. Joachim Schieber, O.S.B., a Benedictine priest of Conception Abbey, died at 5:25 a.m. on Tuesday, December 17, 2013. Fr. Joachim was the oldest monk of the Abbey. He professed vows on August 30, 1939, and was ordained to the priesthood on September 23, 1944. He was the last monk to have ever met our…
What’s for dinner?
Many people are surprised when they find out that the monks eat almost all of their meals in silence. Okay, maybe they are just surprised to hear that I do not talk during meals. My experience has been that even when you are not talking with the people around you at meals, there is still…