January 2010 - St. Michael's Abbey

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Life at St. Michael’s Abbey Life Letters from Rome Dear Family and Friends, The winter months bring freezing temperatures and grey skies to Rome, but Advent, Christmas and New Year give the city a warmth and energy that radiates from its core. Colored lights illuminate the skyline in the center of the city and vendors roast chestnuts on busy street corners. Thousands huddle around the life-size nativity scene in the piazza at St. Peter’s Basilica in anticipation of the Christmas liturgies. The birth of the Christ Child draws pilgrims from our abbey and the family of confreres to fill the Norbertine Generalate House with a solace and joy proper to warmer climates. It has been a tradition and part of the curriculum at the abbey’s preparatory school to offer the junior class an opportunity to visit Rome over the Christmas vacation. Accompanied by Frs. Gabriel and Claude, headmaster and vice dean, the students’ religion, history and Latin classes are brought to life. Seated in St. Peter’s Basilica for Mass with the Holy Father, looking down upon the floor of the Coliseum and reading ancient Latin inscriptions on the Arch of Titus as they enter the Roman Forum give students a new appreciation and context for their long hours of study. I have been privileged to join the students over the past few years as they discover Rome for the first time and as I am reintroduced to her. It is an occasion to pass on to them the knowledge that I have received from others who have lived and studied here. At the same time, we few Americans are able to be caught up on events and happenings at the abbey as the students scrape the last drop of nutella (a chocolate spread that is a staple of the European diet) from the bottom of the jar at the breakfast table. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, fr. Brendan Hankins, O.Praem. Fr. Claude celebrates his first Sunday Mass During the weeks of Advent and especially at Christmas, there is a greater number of the faithful who join us in the abbey church for our prayers and Mass, all of which are open to the public. This is for you, our friends, the best way to experience that which we are involved with for several hours each day. And the only way to experience this transforming experience is to come to the abbey and join us. A Norbertine community can have many different apostolates – schools, retreat work, publishing – but the communal singing of the office and Mass are essential elements of the vocation, and these are what draw the faithful to abbeys. The prayers at the abbey begin each morning with Matins and Lauds (the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer) at 5:45 a.m., and the last notes are sung at the end of Holy Hour at 9:15 p.m. Between those two times, the entire day is punctuated with moments of sung prayer in the church, and this repetitive circular round of prayers each day gives a monastery its special character. Time itself is transformed for Christ. The theme of this year’s newsletters will be to strengthen the ties between the prayers in the abbey church and you, our friends. Why not join us at Sunday Mass (11:00 a.m.) often this year? Or make Vespers at 5:00 p.m. part of your monthly calendar. These treasures are available daily in our church, and it is our privilege to be able to share them with our friends. Processing for Vespers Photos: R. Belcher
The Pioneer Press News from St. Michael’s Preparatory School • www.StMichaelsPrep.org Joys of the Dorm Life The St. Michael’s Preparatory experience begins in students’ life the dorms. It is this life in common that helps to integrate faith, academics, and character. Through the common life that the students share from the desks in the classrooms up to the desks in their dorm room, these young men develop long lasting friendships as they aid each other in becoming “a man of God for others.” Over the course of 4 years, students endure difficulties together and celebrate victories as a team both on the field, in the classroom and in their dorm. Rising very early every morning, the students share pledges to the flag and to the Church. The reality of living in a dorm environment begins the formation of friendships: everyone knows everyone else. No one is unknown. From the incoming freshmen to returning sophomores, juniors and seniors, students grow to know one another in such a way that is not possible anywhere outside of the school gates. We the students share laughter and resolve arguments in a mature and friendly manner. We interact with our teachers not out of fear, but rather as though they were our very friends; friends that are there to direct us toward greater knowledge. Photo: R. Belcher Whether it is in a classroom studying for finals or up at the pool playing an active game of “barbarian ball,” students walk together, recreate together, and work together towards a common goal: success – a success measured in a way that is unique to a Catholic world-view. “Looking ahead from the Vantage Point,” students see true success each morning at the Mass they attend and each evening as they behold Him who is the Lord of Life at Holy Hour. It is a life blessed and one that we students hear alumni from each class missing when they come to visit. Photo: R. Belcher Photo: R. Belcher Matthew Brooks & Josh Aacker The level of singing on this program was uniformly high, and soloist Jay Hipolito (’10) distinguished himself with fine solo baritone singing in Thomas Morley’s setting of the Magnificat. Congratulations to Kathleen Winters and the choir for a job well done. Photos: R. Belcher Advent Lessons and Carols The school choir presented their annual “Advent Lessons and Carols” on December 13 th in the abbey church. Ms. Kathleen Winters, the current school music director, led the 18 man choir through a program of polyphonic works, and brought the choir to a high level of excellence. The group was accompanied on the organ by fr. Cyprian Fritz (’04) who also played the organ solos before and after the ceremony. The practice of an Advent Lessons and Carols ceremony, within the context of a Eucharistic Holy Hour and Benediction was first started about 10 years ago when Fr. Justin Ramos started the preparatory school choir. This practice was continued by subsequent choir directors, Ryan Tracy, Angela Rokpelne and most recently Fr. Jerome Molokie, who taught the choir from 2001-2009. Back row (left to right): Josh Aacker, Peter Goodwin, James Howard, Christopher Nguyen. Front row (left to right): Jay Hipolito, Michael Haeuser, Charles Sandoval Ms. Kathleen Winters
Page 1: January 2010 The St. Michael Messen
Page 5 and 6: St. Michael’s Development Photos:
Page 7 and 8: Lives of the Saints Norbertine Sain

January 2010 - St. Michael's Abbey

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