Monks and Students Meet the Monks - St. John's Abbey

Monks and Students
✙ Eight monks tell
why they teach in
“I Teach Because . . .”
page 6
✙ “You Gotta Play by
the Rules!” compares
student rules from
1898 to 2003, page 8
Meet the Monks
✙ Frank Kacmarcik,
OblSB, Artist
Extraordinaire, page 4
✙ Military Chaplains of
Saint John’s Abbey,
page 10
✙ Aaron Raverty,
OSB, Certified
Graphoanalyst,
page 15
Monks and students pose in the
honeycomb windows of the
abbey church.

Contents
Features
Pages 6-9
Cover Story
“I Teach Because . . .”
—Eight monks tell why teaching is more fun than work.
4
Frank Kacmarcik, OblSB, Artist
Extraordinaire
by Charlotte Zalot, OSB
—the faith journey of a pioneer in
liturgical consulting
10
The Military Chaplains of
Saint John’s
by David Klingeman, OSB
—Collegeville monks served
church and country well.
Departments
3
From Editor and Abbot
17
Vocation News
18
The Abbey Chronicle
The Abbey Banner
Magazine of
Saint John’s Abbey
Volume 3, Issue 2
Fall 2003
“You Gotta Play by the Rules!”
by Wilfred Theisen, OSB
—a century of student disciplinary regulations
12
Abbey Jubilarians
—Monks celebrate anniversaries of
profession and ordination.
13
Julius Beckermann, OSB, Is Ordained a
Priest
by Daniel Durken, OSB
—He learned Ojibwe instead of Latin!
20
Obituaries
22
Abbey Missions
24
Strengthening Foundations
Editor: Daniel Durken, OSB
Copy Editor and Proofreader:
Dolores Schuh, CHM
Designer: Pam Rolfes
Circulation: Ruth Athmann, Cathy Wieme,
Mary Gouge
Printer: Palmer Printing, St. Cloud, MN
Member Catholic Press Association
14
Aaron Raverty, OSB, Certified
Graphoanalyst
by Daniel Durken, OSB
—“Different strokes by different folks”
16
Two Brothers Profess Final Vows
by Daniel Durken, OSB
—Christopher and Xavier make lifelong
commitment.
25
Banner Bits
27
Spiritual Life
Back Cover
An Outstanding Autumn Event
The Abbey Banner is published three times annually
by the Benedictine monks of Saint John’s Abbey
for our relatives, friends and oblates.
The Abbey Banner is online at
www.sja.osb.org/AbbeyBanner
Saint John’s Abbey, Box 2015, Collegeville,
Minnesota 56321. 320-363-3875

Kudos for
Collegeville
by Daniel Durken, OSB
T
he Abbey Banner
received honorable
mention in the General
Excellence Award for religious
order magazines at the Catholic
Press Association (CPA) convention in Atlanta on May
28-30. Sharing this honor is our editorial and production
staff: Margaret Wethington Arnold, Pam Rolfes, Dolores
Schuh, CHM, and Gwen Spengler of Palmer Printing.
First Place Award for Best Essay in religious
order magazines was given to the article “The
Crucifixes of Collegeville” which I wrote in
the spring 2002 issue. I am grateful to Mary
Schaffer, curator of the Arca Artium collection,
Alan Reed, OSB, curator of abbey art and artifacts,
and Andra Van Kempen, photographer, for their contributions
in the preparation of this piece.
The CPA represents 215 newspapers, 242 magazines,
125 newsletters, and 44 foreign language publications,
all Catholic, in the United States and Canada for a total
circulation of almost 26.9 million.
The 2003 CPA convention was an inspiring blend
of workshops, panel discussions, speakers, exhibits
and conversations. I especially appreciated the magazine
design critiques of John Brady of Brady and Paul
Communications, Newburyport, MA.
Mr. Brady insisted that a magazine is published primarily
for the readers. To help maintain and improve
The Abbey Banner I need your input. When you have
read and reflected on this issue, please snail-mail or
e-mail me (ddurken@csbsju.edu) and tell me what you
like or do not like about the magazine.
For me the highlight of the convention was the performance
of “Cotton Patch Gospel” by co-author and lead
Tom Key together with an exuberant cast. They gave
a southern-fried version of Matthew’s Gospel in which
Jesus preaches that “man does not live by grits alone.”
The video of “Cotton Patch Gospel” is available from
www.Amazon.com. I am sure you will enjoy it.
May your autumn be colorful and gentle.
Jesus Our
Teacher
by Abbot John Klassen, OSB
FROM EDITOR AND ABBOT
Have you ever noticed that
when someone addresses
Jesus as “teacher,” wow,
do they get taught! Jesus is a
resourceful and skilled teacher.
He speaks in the simplest, most
intelligible terms about our deepest hopes as well as our
most painful shadows. Though he is the Word of God,
he never once uses words like “eschatology,” “prolegomenon,”
or “sitz im leben.” He is always grounded in
the world of those he is teaching.
Sometimes Jesus speaks in parables that refuse to
allow the listener to stand outside of the teaching, locked
in his/her own world. Sometimes he uses crisis language
so outrageous that it rocks the listener out of sleep: “If
your right eye is the problem, gouge it out! Better to
enter the reign of God with one eye than to have both
eyes and end up in Gehenna.”
Sometimes Jesus uses hyperbole: “I tell you it is easier
for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for
a rich person to enter the reign of God.” He often asks
hard questions: “What price can a man or woman pay
for his or her life?” Jesus teaches by example. He never
requires his hearer to do things that he himself has not
integrated into his own life. At every stage of our life,
Jesus is a compelling teacher.
_________________
I want to make you aware of two ways that can
enhance your connection to Saint John’s. If you send
your e-mail address to me at jklassen@csbsju.edu, I
will send you news of upcoming special events or of a
monk’s death and funeral schedule. Be assured that I
will communicate only relevant information and will not
stuff your e-mail box with junk mail.
Second, the monastic community is very willing to
pray for the special intentions of our readers. If you have
special prayer needs, please let us know by sending them
to my e-mail address above. We also provide space on
our contribution envelope for readers to request prayers
for special intentions. These intentions will be regularly
posted on our main bulletin board so that as we go to
prayer we hold you in prayer.
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 3

FEATURE
In a recent interview with
Frank Kacmarcik, OblSB,
a significant moment in his
life was revealed. When Brother
Frank asked his father for guidance
in choosing high school
courses, his father’s fifth grade
education failed him. With tearfilled
eyes Frank relayed his
father’s wisdom: “Son, I don’t
know how to direct you regarding
school studies but I do have
advice. No matter what you do
in life, the most important thing
is that you be a good Christian.”
Throughout his 83 years, Frank
has worked at being a good
Christian and faithful servant.
For him, this has meant being
honest and true: true to his relationship
with God, with his talents,
his vocation in life and the
journey that eventually led him
home to Saint John’s Abbey.
Frank’s journey, despite various
twists and turns, has always
page 4 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
had direction and purpose. His education
in art did not start until after he finished
high school, but he welcomed it with
fervor and became an expert. Desiring
to serve God as a brother-artist, he pursued
a religious vocation at Saint John’s
in 1941. Three years later he left the
abbey and served his country as a surgical
technician and then as a chaplain’s
assistant in the United States Army. As
a result, Frank visited churches, museums
and monasteries throughout Europe,
started collecting rare books and art, and
benefitted from study in Paris.
On his return to Saint John’s in 1950
Frank joined the art department faculty,
and was appointed art consultant for
the abbey church building project.
Beginning in 1955 he pioneered the
role of liturgical consultant, which he
continues today, serving the Church as
Frank pages through
an early book on architecture in his
Arca Artium collection.
photo by Greg Becker
Frank was the liturgical consultant for the
renovation of the Sacred Heart Chapel of
Saint Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, MN.
photo from the Kacmarcik archive
Frank Kacmarcik,
OblSB, Artist
Extraordinaire
By Charlotte Zalot, OSB
“He is clearly the most important American designer of
Catholic liturgical space in the second half of the twentieth century.”
designer and educator in liturgical space
and furnishings.
Frank is clearly the most important
American designer of Catholic liturgical
space in the second half of the twentieth
century. He designs covers for the journal
Worship and books for Benzinger
Brothers, Pueblo Press and Liturgical
Press. For all this he has won many
awards and recognitions.
Frank’s legacy, Arca Artium—a collection
of more than 30,000 reference
books, almost 5,000 rare books, many
manuscripts and art pieces, along with a
music collection of several hundred LPs

and CDs—was his gift to Saint
John’s University in 1995. Arca
Artium will serve students and
teachers, scholars and artists for
years to come as a “dynamic and
evolving witness to the vitality
of human creativity” as its web
site (www.csbsju.edu/library/
speccoll/sju/arca) says so well.
But all these accomplishments
are as nothing compared to
the sincerity and integrity with
which Frank has endeavored to
live his Christian life of service.
His honesty, brutal at times, is
never intended to wound but
Abbot Jerome Theisen gives Frank
the Rule of St. Benedict at his
oblation November 21, 1988.
photo by Robin Pierzina, OSB
always meant to challenge.
His confidence, overwhelming
at times, is never intended to
threaten but always meant to
comfort. His work, intense at times,
is never intended to be egotistic but
always meant to glorify God.
FEATURE
Frank and Charlotte examine an early architectural text
from the Arca Artium collection.
photo by Greg Becker
In 1988 Frank’s monastic heart found
its way home to Saint John’s where he
now resides as a claustral oblate (one
who lives in community under promises
made to the abbot). This Benedictine
brother is a man of single-minded
simplicity. His room in the Abbey
Retirement Center—with projects piled
high on his desk, overflowing bookcases,
2400 CDs neatly
catalogued on wall shelves,
new acquisitions for Arca
Artium on the floor—may
not attest to this, but if simplicity
is about being honest
as to who and what we
are rather than what we do
or do not have, then Frank
Kacmarcik surely practices
simplicity.
Frank is extremely selfpossessed
of who he is
and what he is able to
do. While this creates an
obstacle for some, one has only to scale
that hurdle to find a man whose spirit
is generous, whose heart is sensitive,
Frank reigned as King Neptune at his senior prom.
photo from personal collection
whose humor is original, whose care is
sincere, and whose gratitude is genuine.
An ordinary man of extraordinary
talent, Frank is an artistic genius, unique
and unparalleled. As a result of his
passion for quality and his wholehearted
response to an artistic vocation, he has
dominated ecclesiastical art and architecture
for more than sixty years. But
more importantly, he has attempted to
be a good Christian and faithful servant,
ceaselessly working to glorify God in all
things as Benedictines are wont to do.
Charlotte Zalot, OSB, is from Erie, PA, and
a Ph.D. candidate in liturgical studies at
Drew University in Madison, NJ. As a resident
scholar at the Institute for Ecumenical
and Cultural Research during spring, 2003,
she was able to work on her dissertation, the
focus of which is Brother Frank, visionary
liturgical artist and design consultant.
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 5

COVER STORY
Teaching occupies the
talents, time and energy
of many Saint John’s
monks. Ever since Saint Benedict
wrote in his Rule, “Therefore
we intend to establish a
school for the Lord’s service”
(Prologue 45), teachers and students
have been as much a part
of monastic life as an abbot and
the psalms.
The following comments
illustrate why the monks fi nd
teaching more fun than work.
page 6 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
Wilfred Theisen, OSB,
professor of physics
As a celibate monk I otherwise
would not have the opportunity
to play some part in
the mental and spiritual growth of
young people. A fi rst-year student
in my symposium class who would
panic whenever I called upon her later became a
teaching assistant in physics and could address a
whole class with perfect composure. In her fi nal
year I helped her decide to take a course in
painting. Her teacher discovered her great
potential as an artist! Two of her works
now hang in my room—a reminder
of a fl ower I helped to bloom.
“I Teach Because ...”
Eight monks complete this sentence to reveal
their lifelong love of teaching ... and learning.
Hilary Thimmesh, OSB,
professor of English
When I was a kid in a one-room
schoolhouse there was a wonderful
person called “the teacher,” who obviously
enjoyed helping children learn. The
value of learning was unquestioned. That
underlying trust in the value of learning is
why I teach. Ignorance is not usually bliss.
It is usually undeveloped potential, untrained
capacity to distinguish between strong
and weak arguments, unfamiliarity with
the amazing richness of other times and
places. I love to dispel ignorance, my
own included.
Rene McGraw, OSB,
associate professor of
philosophy
The search for truth is a disease
I caught many years ago from
some great teachers—Eleutherius
Winance, OSB, Michael Marx, OSB,
Immanuel Levinas, Paul Ricoeur—
and I want others to catch this
disease. That excites. I fi nd that what is hidden
in a text of a great thinker begins to emerge
for the students and for me. That excites.
I love being on the stage. That excites.
I teach because that is all I know
how to do.

John Patrick Earls,
OSB, associate
professor of English
When I was in the second grade
our teacher asked me to tutor
William S. in reading. William
was a kewpie-doll looking kid with
apple cheeks and lively eyes. He
came to school spotlessly dressed in
a khaki suit with suspenders and bow tie. Our
seven-year-old world did not have many words
for learning disabilities, but we sensed he
had them. I wasn’t successful in getting
William to recognize words. But I remember
liking the teacher-student
relationship. I still do.
Dale Launderville, OSB,
associate professor of
theology
David Paul Lange, OSB,
assistant professor of art
I have always been fascinated
by learning. I recall how engaging I
found my studies as an undergraduate
at Saint John’s. My teachers allowed
me to share in their search for God
and for meaning in life. Achieving specifi c outcomes
pales before the rewards of this
common effort to understand life. Saint
John’s introduced me to this love of
learning. I hope to do the same for
my students.
I love learning, and I love
igniting a passion for learning in my
students. I am at my best as a teacher,
I think, when I am mindful of what it
feels like to be learning something for the
fi rst time. One does not have to climb
Kilimanjaro to know the excitement of
discovery. Really, it’s a dream job.
Thomas Andert,
OSB, clinical education
supervisor and
instructor in the
education department
COVER STORY
I teach because I was well
taught! That’s a statement of
profound humility, not arrogance.
For me teaching is an experience of reaching into
students’ souls and empowering them to plumb the
depths of their deepest selves and then to give
that self away to others. Superior teaching
is good karma, a communion of curiosity
and confi dence, inspiring someone’s
self discovery for the service of
others. That’s how I was taught.
That’s why I still teach today.
Paul-Vincent Niebauer,
OSB, theatre director at
Saint John’s Preparatory
School
Teaching keeps me young and
is very challenging. It gives me
incredible hope for the future of
the world and humankind. I have
the privilege of exposing students to Benedictine
values such as taking care of each other, peace
and justice. The celibate has a need for
regeneration. Instead of having two
or three children I have two or three
hundred kids to help rear. What a
life!
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 7

COVER STORY
Leo Bettendorf, OSB, relaxes
with students.
photo from Abbey Archives
page 8 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
When a penalty is called against a visiting
athletic team, Johnny fans in the
stands often shout, “You gotta play by
the rules!” For 146 years the students
on the Collegeville campus have been
reminded that this same principle applies
to the larger game of life. But student
life has changed and so have the rules as
this article describes.
In 1898 Alexius Hoffman, OSB,
vice president of Saint John’s
University, wrote College Life: A
Manual for Students. Explaining the
intent of the manual, he wrote, “The
precepts of religion will impart the
requisites for citizenship in the visible
kingdom of God on earth; it is our
task to speak of the requirements of
college life.”
Those words echo that classic work
on education, “The Idea of a University”
by John Henry Newman who
wrote, “It is more correct to speak of a
University as a place of education, than
of instruction. Instruction has to do with
A century of student rule books
photo by Daniel Durken, OSB
“You Gotta Play
by the Rules!”
by Wilfred Theisen, OSB
A comparison of Saint John’s student disciplinary rules
in 1898, 1955 and 1997
externals and mechanical rules; education
implies an action on our mental
nature and the foundation of character.
Liberal education makes not the Christian,
not the Catholic, but the gentleman.”
Such were the thoughts of two educators
in the nineteenth century. Still
engaged in the work of educating young
men, the monks of Saint John’s Abbey
have to adapt to the students of the
twenty-fi rst century. No longer do the
students need to be reminded to change
their underwear regularly or to refrain
from tripping others or pulling their
chairs away from them when they are
about to sit down. On the other hand, the
advice of Alexius “not to disturb others
who are studying” has a timeless value.
It is in regard to the use of tobacco
and alcohol that one notices the greatest
evolution of concerns about student behavior.
In the 1898 College Life manual,
smoking and drinking are given scant
attention: “Avoid intoxicants as much

Peter Engel, OSB, fourth abbot of Saint John’s Abbey
(1894-1921), and a class of well dressed Johnnies
photo from Abbey Archives
as possible. If you know they will cause
you to do anything for which you would
disclaim responsibility, avoid them
altogether. Smoking is deemed a genteel
habit—very many men are addicted to
it. It is injurious to the system—especially
to the voice and nerves of young
people. If you cannot, or are unwilling
to abandon the habit entirely, practice it
moderately.”
In the current book of rules, the J-Book,
the regulations concerning the use of
tobacco and alcohol occupy seven full
pages, a total of more than 4000 words!
Other substances like cocaine, marijuana
and steroids—unheard of on college
campuses in the nineteenth century—require
specifi c attention for the student of
the twenty-fi rst century. Had you asked
the Johnny of 1898 his views on DWIs
and AIDS he would undoubtedly have
been speechless and violated Alexius’
admonition “not to stare at strangers
impertinently.”
In the manner of dress the current
Johnny would fi nd the rules laid down
in College Life too restricting. While the
1997 J-Book does not even mention how
students should dress, College Life offers
a great deal of advice on this matter such
as the following:
“Brush your hat frequently and wear
it properly. Do not distort its shape or
slouch the rim. Wear the hat on the top
of the head, not tilted into the neck or
perched over one ear. Always appear in
full dress publicly.”
The 1955 J-Book continued the concern
for appropriate wearing apparel
with its rule that “the wearing of T-shirts,
sweatshirts and dungarees is not permitted
in the chapel, dining room, classroom,
auditorium and library.” When
Bermuda shorts (or “Bemidji shorts” as a
Benedictine brother called them) became
popular, the effort to prohibit them was
energy wasted.
When the reader asks, “Has the Benedictine
character of Saint John’s changed
The halls were alive with the sound of music when monks and students struck up
the Saint John’s band. photo from Abbey Archives
COVER STORY
in the last 146 years?” you will fi nd
that both the nineteenth century
manual and the current J-Book
stress that a good Johnny is a good
member of the Saint John’s family.
The early Johnny was told, “Man
is not an isolated being; he is part
of a great community; he must have
regard for his fellowmen.” The
Johnny of the twenty-fi rst century
is greeted with, “What we do, what
we say, how we respect one another
impacts on the lives of each person
here, just as the same is true of our
relationship throughout the world.”
Wilfred Theisen, OSB, is professor of
physics at Saint John’s University and
occasionally plays golf.
More well dressed Johnnies
after the 2003 graduation
photo by Daniel Durken, OSB
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 9

FEATURE
Chaplain Harter and his army horse
page 10 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
First Lieutenant Chaplain Sylvester Harter served in WWI with
the 34th Division National Guard, 12th Machine Gun Battery.
Notice the spur on his boot.
photos from Abbey Archives
The Military Chaplains of
Saint John’s
by David Klingeman, OSB
Monks of Collegeville served church and country
during four wars of the twentieth century.
Twenty-two monks of Saint John’s
have served as chaplains in the
United States military from 1918
to 1982. Gerard Spielmann, while
never offi cially a military chaplain,
served Teddy Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders”
during the Spanish-American War
out of his Long Island, New York, parish
in 1898. He befriended Roosevelt, who
after the war commissioned him as a fi rst
lieutenant in the Army.
World War I
From France, in 1918, Sylvester Harter
wrote, “These soldiers are a great
bunch of lads. Oh, what these fellows
had to suffer in that hell of poison gas,
machine gun bullets, shrapnel and shell!”
Hildebrand Eickhoff said military
offi cers considered chaplains sort of
fl unkies. He helped care for four thousand
soldiers stricken with infl uenza, of
which 350 died, at Camp Sevier in South
Carolina in 1918.
World War II
Aubrey Zellner served in India.
Cosmas Dahlheimer served in North
Africa, India and Burma where a packing
crate or the hood of a jeep served as
an altar. Columban Kremer was on the
Susan B. Anthony troopship during the
D-Day invasion and accompanied troops
into northern France and the Rhineland.
Harold Fuchs served in the Philippines,
Okinawa and Korea.
Aidan Germain wrote his doctoral
dissertation at the Catholic University of
America on Catholic military chaplains
and then became a chaplain in the Army
Air Corps. He died of leukemia in Texas
in 1945 after three years of service.
Emeric Lawrence was an Air Force
chaplain on the Aleutian Islands and in
Alaska.

Cyprian Seitz served in Liverpool
and in France in 1944. He recounted
German planes fi ring upon his ship
crossing the English Channel and
a harrowing three-day box car ride
through France.
Casimir Plakut was in northern
France under General Patton. German
bombs were falling close by while he
celebrated Christmas midnight Mass
during a black-out. Bede Michel was
assigned to the Asiatic-Pacifi c theatre
in New Guinea. After the successful
invasion of Luzon, he went to Manila
and visited confreres Owen Tekippe
and Boniface Axtman, who had been
prisoners of the Japanese occupation.
Oliver Kapsner went to England and
the Normandy beachhead and was an
interpreter of German government
broadcasts. After the war he had a
front seat at the Nurenberg trials of
Goering and Hess.
Dunstan Tucker was
the only Navy chaplain
among the Saint
John’s Abbey
chaplains.
Dunstan
Tucker, the
abbey’s only
Navy chaplain,
served aboard the
U.S.S. Point Cruz
which landed in
Japan fi ve times
and transported
planes and pilots
for the invasion
of the Philippines
and Japan.
Aldrich Huhne
was sent to France
where he was
part of the march to Saarbrucken. He
visited Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest in Bavaria
and many Benedictine monasteries of
Germany.
Aloysius Michels, with the 7th Cavalry
Regiment in the invasion of Japan,
found the Japanese very open to learning
about Christianity. Two Benedictines,
Hildebrand Yaiser and Joseph Schmerbach,
were well established among the
native Japanese and Aloysius saw these
monks as a core upon which Saint John’s
could build a Benedictine monastery in
Japan. Athanase Fuchs, while in the
Philippines, began to evangelize the Japanese
prisoners and had the catechism
translated into Japanese.
Korea and Vietnam
With the outbreak of the Korean War,
Aelred Tegels served as an Air Force
chaplain in Japan. Malachy Murphy,
an Air Force chaplain, was assigned to
the Pentagon in Washington and then to
West Germany and England.
Stephen Wagman served in Korea,
Germany, Vietnam and the Panama
Canal. He was also stationed in seven
different bases in the United States and
was awarded numerous medals including
the Bronze Star.
Conan Mawhorr, serving in the Air
Force, was part of the pacifi cation program
in Vietnam. He called it “hustling
for the poor in Vietnam.” Conan served
in Korea, Alaska and Turkey as well as
state-side. He eventually left Saint John’s
Abbey to join the Diocese of Little Rock.
FEATURE
Chaplain Aubrey Zellner, l., with two Indian soldiers
and an American at an airbase in India during WWII.
Peregrin Berres, stationed with
a helicopter unit in Vietnam for
one year, received the Bronze Star
for his service there and completed
duty in South Carolina.
Stanley Roche, along with
Father Cosmas, is one of only
two living Saint John’s monks
who were military chaplains.
Father Stanley served eleven and
a half years in Korea, Germany,
Thailand, Vietnam and Holland.
He also served six various
camps within the United States.
He retired as lieutenant colonel
with many honors, including the
Bronze Star.
David Klingeman is the archivist of
Saint John’s Abbey and University.
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 11

FEATURE
Monastic Professions
This year fi ve monks of Saint
John’s Abbey celebrated
diamond and golden jubilees of
their initial commitment to the
Benedictine way of life, renewing
their vows on July 11, the
Feast of Saint Benedict. The
four golden jubilarians continued
the tradition of receiving
from the monastic community
a walking cane, symbol of the
support they will be given in the
years ahead.
60 YEARS
Gunther
Rolfson,
OSB
Father Gunther
has served a
kaleidoscope
of assignments:
teacher, faculty
resident,
registrar and
director of admissions, founder and
director of the university’s counseling
center, vice president for academic
affairs, associate director and
overseas director of the Hill Monastic
Manuscript Library, founder of
the university’s international studies
program, superior of the abbey’s junior
monks, pastor of St. Catherine’s
Church, Farming, MN.
50 YEARS
James
Reichert,
OSB
Pastoral ministry
has been
a major part of
Father James’
assignments
as associate
pastor of parishes in Grand Marais,
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Albany,
and pastor in New Munich and
Avon, MN. He taught Latin at Saint
John’s Preparatory School, directed
page 12 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
student aid, managed the campus bookstore
and assisted in the corporate business offi ce.
He also taught at Colegio San Antonio Abad,
Humacao, Puerto Rico. He is currently the
chaplain of St. Teresa Home, New Hope, MN.
Donald LeMay, OSB
Known as the “Grandfather
of Planned Giving,”
Father Don spent almost
three decades helping
hundreds with estate
planning. Previously
he was the university’s
director of admissions,
taught theology and
Gregorian chant, and
was a faculty resident. He received the 1999
Father Walter Reger Distinguished Alumnus
Award for service to students and alumni. He
still makes fi ve weekly visits to annuitants
and trust holders, taking them a loaf of Saint
John’s Bread and his good cheer.
Alberic Culhane, OSB
A unique feature of Father
Alberic’s contributions
is his involvement
in archaeology, having
served as fi eld supervisor
for excavations in Israel
and Jordan. He is the curator
of an Early Bronze
Age shaft tomb diorama
displayed in the Alcuin
Library. He taught
Scripture, edited Saint John’s Abbey Quarterly,
and was vice president of institutional
advancement. He is the executive assistant
to the president for university relations and a
faculty resident.
Gordon Tavis, OSB
Father Gordon’s lengthy
list of administrative
assignments includes
assistant corporate business
manager, university
bursar and director of
fi nancial aid, physical
plant manager, the
abbey’s director of planning,
vice-president for
administrative services, prior of the abbey and
corporate treasurer. Since 1998 he has been
president of Saint John’s Preparatory School.
He was named the 1999 “Outstanding
Administrator of the Year” and received the
prep school’s Armor of Light award in 2002.
Ordinations
This past summer two monks of Saint
John’s Abbey celebrated special
anniversaries of their ordination to the
priesthood. They were recognized by
the monastic community on June 4
during the annual retreat.
50 YEARS
John Patrick McDarby, OSB
The ministry of Father
Patrick has focused
on teaching English
in the prep school and
university. He added
service as a faculty
resident and a member
of various academic
committees that planned
programs affecting the
calendar and curriculum changes. He was
on the chaplains’ team for Saint Benedict’s
Monastery. He continues his work as the
abbey’s education facilitator and the editor
of Confrere, the monthly in-house newsletter
of the abbey.
25 YEARS
Dunstan Moorse, OSB
Liturgy, the offi cial public
prayer of the Church,
is a major concern of
Father Dunstan. For ten
years he served as the
abbey’s liturgy director,
involved in the day-today
celebration of the
community Eucharist
and the Liturgy of
the Hours. He is currently the editor of
two Liturgical Press publications, namely,
Celebrating the Eucharist (missalette) and
Loose-Leaf Lectionary. He is book review
editor of Worship magazine and managing
editor of the Monastic Liturgy Forum
newsletter.

The 1961 yearbook of Melrose
(MN) High School did not designate
Julius Beckermann as the
graduate most likely to become a priest.
This fi fth of the ten “Beckermann Boys”
in the Lake Wobegon-ish community
only twenty miles from Saint John’s Abbey
somewhat surprised himself. But as
Julius remarked on June 6, his ordination
day, “Anything can happen to a person
who is born on April 1, All Fools’ Day!”
It took not one but two car accidents
to get Julius’ attention and convince him
that he should accept the Lord’s invitation,
“Follow me!” He entered Saint
John’s Abbey as a brother candidate in
1962 and made his fi rst profession of
vows in 1964. For almost a decade Julius
did such tasks as pruning and spraying
the four hundred apple trees in the
abbey’s orchard, mowing the lawns and
hauling coal to the campus power house
from the Collegeville train station.
Priests impose hands on Father Julius for
the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Bishop John Kinney anoints the hands of Julius.
photos by Robin Pierzina, OSB
Julius Beckermann, OSB,
Is Ordained a Priest
“I never imagined I would be a priest”
(Deacon Julius Beckermann, OSB).
In 1973 Julius was assigned to serve
the Ojibwe people at the abbey’s mission
in Red Lake, MN, where he helped continue
the Benedictine presence that began
in 1858. He mowed lawns, plowed
snow, fi red the boilers and took care of
the mission’s 2,100 chickens. When
his mother became concerned about
his work he reassured her that since his
arrival the hens had been laying double
yolkers. As school bus driver he learned
that the better he knew the grade school
children the better they behaved. So
he memorized their names to convince
the students that each one was a distinct
individual.
To enhance his visiting the sick and the
elderly of the reservation he studied
the Ojibwe language and
learned to appreciate the
beauty of the people and
the uniqueness of their
culture. Their word for
the non-Indian or white
man is “Chi-Mokomaan”
which means “Big Knife”
and recalls the bayonets
of the cavalry troops.
The word for cancer is
“Asabikeshi” which also
means spiderweb because
of the way cancer spreads
through the body.
by Daniel Durken, OSB
FEATURE
Julius eventually took college
classes so he could become a
chemical dependence counselor.
He earned a bachelor’s degree
summa cum laude in applied
psychology and later entered the
theological program of the Diocese
of Crookston for the permanent
deaconate to which he was
ordained in 2000. His ordination
to the priesthood this year
gives new direction to the faith
journey of this monk-priest of
whom a pastoral co-worker said,
“Julius enters people’s lives with
gifts of faith and love of the
Lord. His very presence brings
life and healing and peace.”
The “Beckermann Boys”—now nine brothers and one
Father: 1st row, l.-r., Harvey, Pat, Julius, John, Hank
2nd row, l.-r., Joe, Pete, Fran, Jim, Vern
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 13

FEATURE
page 14 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
Aaron with one of his
Graphoanalysis textbooks
photo by Monica Bokinskie
Aaron Raverty, OSB,
Certified Graphoanalyst
by Daniel Durken, OSB
Graphoanalysis ® is the systematic study of the strokes
of writing to reveal the personality of the writer.
Brother Aaron sometimes
regrets that he did not
live 2000 years ago.
Then he might have made a
signifi cant contribution towards
understanding the personality
of Jesus Christ. Aaron wishes
he had been there the day the
scribes and Pharisees brought
to Jesus a woman caught in
adultery. Jesus’ response to this
accusation was to bend down
and write on the ground with his
fi nger (John 8:6).
That writing on the ground is
the key that Aaron would have
used to open a little wider the
head and heart of Jesus. Aaron
is a Certifi ed Graphoanalyst or
handwriting interpreter. He is
quick to point out, however, that
Graphoanalysis is not limited to
handwriting alone.
People lacking arms have mastered
cursive script using their
mouth or feet, but their writ-
ing still reveals their personality. Any
of our motor gestures yielding script is
really brainwriting since each person’s
unique neurophysiology governs his or
her expressive movements. This is why
individual writing is so distinctive and
diffi cult to be forged.
Graphoanalysis is the brainchild of
Milton N. Bunker (1892-1961), a teacher
of almost twenty different systems of
shorthand. He noticed that many of his
students added their own unique stroke
formations to standard shorthand characters.
Interviewing thousands of people,
Bunker began to correlate these unique
stroke formations with distinctive personality
traits. He gradually developed
a psychological projective technique
born of the marriage between the “frozen
gesture” of writing and trait theory in
personality psychology.
Aaron became interested in handwriting
analysis as a teenager in the 1960s
and read extensively on the topic. He
learned that the International Graphoanalysis
Society of Chicago offers a
correspondence course for obtaining
professional certifi cation. A thirty-lesson
course includes reading materials, exams
and access to a personal instructor.
The fi rst twenty lessons of the course
enable the student to identify standard
stroke formations and their correlation
with basic personality traits. The last ten
lessons teach multiple-trait evaluation
and how to construct Graphoanalysis client
reports. Aaron enjoyed the challenge
of this very focused, labor-intensive
process.
To interested clients Aaron stresses
that Graphoanalysis is not one hundred
percent accurate. It can only tap the
tendencies and potentials of the writer.
Nevertheless, vocational guidance counselors
use the system to help individuals
fi nd work for which they are intellectually
and temperamentally suited. Marriage
counselors employ the analysis to
spot potential incompatibilities between
spouses. Credit managers can apply the
technique for sizing up a likely credit
risk. Historians and archivists can use

Graphoanalysis to aid them in rounding
out the personality portrait of someone
long dead.
Aaron is available for lecture presentations
on Graphoanalysis and for providing
client analysis services. Readers
may contact him for a complete list-
ing of client services and fees at Brother
Aaron Raverty, OSB / Saint John’s Abbey/
Collegeville, MN 56321. Phone: Offi ce:
320-363-3089; Residence: 320-363-3898.
Email: araverty@csbsju.edu
Daniel Durken, OSB, is editor of
The Abbey Banner.
The following are several handwriting samples and Aaron’s brief analysis of each script:
SAMPLE ONE
Look at the Greek e (ε) formations in almost every lower-case r in this sample. Besides revealing a
desire for culture and refi nement, this structure also points to literary leanings.
SAMPLE TWO
The infl ated upper and lower loops in this sample reveal a very active imagination in both abstract
and material areas. Such an ability would support the sharp-pointed m and n’s and inverted v-formations
at the baseline that signal exploratory-analytical (research-oriented) thinking. Lack of slant
(vertical writing) signals poise and objectivity.
SAMPLE THREE
This writer has a commanding presence. Note the heavy, down-slanting upper-left to lower-left
t-bars in this sample. Described as a “projection of the will,” the writer displays the ability to mobilize
and direct others in fulfi llment of his own goals. The very rounded, open o’s reveal a candid and
tolerant nature and the inclination to listen to and welcome the ideas of others.
SAMPLE FOUR
Printed script is more diffi cult to analyze because it displays fewer strokes than cursive writing.
Nevertheless, notice how tightly the I-dots are placed just above their stems in this specimen. This
very careful attention to detail combined with rhythm and the long, straight and heavy downstrokes on
the y’s and the p reveal a determined and dependable individual who will fi nish with precision what he
starts.
FEATURE
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 15

FEATURE
Two Brothers Profess Final Vows
“Receive me, Lord, as you have promised,
and I shall live;
do not disappoint me in my hope”
(Psalm 119:116).
Brothers Christopher
Fair, OSB, and Xavier
Schermerhorn, OSB,
made their solemn, fi nal profession
of vows on July 11, the
Feast of Saint Benedict, in the
presence of the monastic community,
relatives and friends.
Christopher and Xavier began
their monastic life as novices
in September, 1999, and made
their original commitment to the
Benedictine way of worship and
work the following year.
Christopher, 34, the youngest
of the six children of Donald and
Joan Fair of Omaha, Nebraska,
attended Archbishop Daniel
J. Gross High School and the
page 16 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
University
of Nebraska.
He was active
in the
Knights of
Columbus
Squires Council and is a third-degree
member of the Belleville, Kansas,
Council.
Xavier Schermerhorn with his mother Beatrice and sister Susan
Stoughtenger, July 11, 2003
photos by Robin Pierzina, OSB
After college, Christopher worked as
an inventory supervisor for a heating
and air conditioning company in Omaha
and later in custom cattle operations in
western Nebraska and Kansas where, as
he puts it, “I learned both the business
and duty ends of a cow.”
Christopher serves the community
by assisting the director of novices in
assigning
work for the
abbey’s newest
members.
He also
continues his
work in the
woodworking
department.
His creativity
as a toymaker
was featured
in the winter
2002 issue
of The Abbey
Banner.
Christopher Fair with his mother Joan and
father Don, July 11, 2003
Xavier, 44, the son of William (deceased)
and Beatrice Schermerhorn
of Hammond, New York, earned a
bachelor’s degree in elementary education
from Plattsburgh State University in
New York. He worked as a bank teller
and as a cook at the rectory of Sacred
Heart Parish, Massena, NY. He moved
to Denver, did clerical and switchboard
work, and was a supervisor in the housekeeping
department at the Brown Palace
Hotel. While living in Denver he served
as sacristan, eucharistic minister, lector
and acolyte at the Cathedral of the Immaculate
Conception.
Continuing his work in the retirement
center of the abbey, Xavier also serves
as assistant sacristan and accompanies
Bishop John Kinney as master of ceremonies
for the conferral of confi rmation
throughout the Diocese of St. Cloud.
His care of a pair of parakeets in the
retirement center was noted in the spring
2003 issue of The Abbey Banner.

When I was growing up in
northern Wisconsin in the
1950s and 60s, if anyone,
Catholic or Protestant, mentioned the
term vocation, they were referring to a
young man’s call to the priesthood. One
did not have a vocation to heal the sick,
to teach or even to raise a family. Such
chosen professions were called just
that—professions or jobs. Happily my
idea of a vocation has expanded.
Recently a dozen vocation directors
attended a diocesan leadership committee
meeting. We discussed how we can
help to create a vocation’s culture. A
lively exchange ensued about vocation
fairs, web sites and advertising campaigns.
Then someone asked, “What
exactly are we talking about when we
mention vocation?”
Most agreed that parishioners hear the
term vocation as a call to priesthood or
vowed religious life. If the listener does
not feel called specifi cally to either, then
the message is not meant for them. If
we are to create a vocation’s culture, we
have to talk about God’s call to all of us.
Vocation is fi rst defi ned as “a particular
occupation, business or profession, a
calling”; secondly as “a strong impulse
or inclination to follow a particular activity
or career”; and fi nally as “a divine
call to God’s service or to the Christian
life.” All of us are called to follow a
“Our path in life is rightly called a vocation.”
photo by Fran Hoefgen, OSB
What Does the Word
Vocation Mean?
by Paul-Vincent Niebauer, OSB
Does vocation apply only to the call
to the priesthood or religious life?
particular path in
life and that path
is rightly called a
vocation. For the
Christian, however,
whatever
path we are drawn
toward must be
considered as a
vocation that will
also serve the
Lord.
As vocation
director at Saint
John’s Abbey, I
begin my conversation with an interested
person by asking how he is
experiencing the presence of God in his
life. I am a resource in discerning a vocation
to monastic life. But even more
importantly, I assist in the individual’s
discernment of a vocation to serve the
Lord in whatever way of life or profession
to which this person feels called.
Maybe you have never thought about
your profession as fi rst and foremost a
vocation to serve the Lord. You might
consider your present job as a means
to support a family or a relationship or
just yourself—certainly all very valid
reasons for going to work each day. But
try thinking that what you are doing in
life is also a call to serve the Lord.
VOCATION NEWS
Saint Benedict begins his
Rule,”Listen carefully, my son/
daughter, to the master’s instructions,
and attend to them with the
ear of your heart.” As a Christian
I need to ask myself, “What place
does God occupy in my present vocation?
What really energizes me?
Am I happy in my chosen pathway?
If so, could the Holy Spirit have
anything to do with the exuberance
I am experiencing? Can I see the
part that the Spirit has played in
leading me along the path I have
chosen?” We need to remember
that as Christians we all have a
religious vocation!
Paul-Vincent Niebauer is the abbey’s
vocation director and director of theatre
at Saint John’s Preparatory School.
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 17

THE ABBEY CHRONICLE
April 2003
■ The Easter Triduum was
celebrated at the abbey with its
special solemnity and reverence.
The Easter Candle, made
by Dunstan Moorse, OSB, was
a fi fty-day reminder of the new
light and life of the risen Jesus.
A small and motley group
of confreres continued the
tradition of the Emmaus Walk
(see Luke 24:13ff.) on Easter
Monday with a four-mile hike
to the rectory of St. Joseph’s
Church in St. Joseph. There
the pastor, Greg Miller, OSB,
page 18 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
The 2003 Easter Candle
photo by Daniel Durken, OSB
What’s Up?
The Abbey Chronicle
by Allen Tarlton, OSB
served pizza and refreshments. The
walkers rode back to the abbey.
■ On April 25, three hundred guests
attended Saint John’s Day in honor
of our benefactors. Jon Hassler,
alumnus, former faculty member and
internationally known author, received
the Colman J. Barry Award for
Distinguished Contributions to
Religion and Society. Dietrich
Reinhart, OSB, was recognized
for his twelve years as university
president and for his courage in
accepting another six-year term.
■ Abbot John Klassen made a
guest appearance on the
April 26 Prairie Home
Companion radio program
with Garrison Keillor. In a
skit that investigated French
infi ltration in Stearns Coun-
A review of major events at Saint John’s
The Emmaus Walk—l. to r., Jerome
Coller, Gregory Miller, Daniel Durken,
Fransiskus Pranci Gale-Ea, OCSO,
Xavier Schermerhorn, Christian
Breczinski
photo by Dolores Schuh, CHM
ty, Abbot John cautioned, “You get rid
of French and you lose the idea of the
femme fatale, the avant-garde, café au
lait, the gourmet, the gauche.” The
abbot thus joined an elite group of abbatial
entertainers. The Abbot Primate
of the Benedictine Order, Nokter Wolf,
OSB, plays guitar and fl ute with a jazz
band he organized in Germany.
Garrison Keillor (l.) and Abbot John read
their radio scripts.
photo by Melissa Christiansen

New college oblates: l. to r., Kathryn
Thompson, Thomas Reichert, Scott Crumb,
Erik Aschenbeck, Michael Kwatera, OSB,
director of oblates
photo by Robin Pierzina, OSB
■ On April 30 Abbot John received the
Final Oblation of three Saint John’s
University students and one from
the College of Saint Benedict. The
ceremony, held during Evening Prayer,
was followed by a reception hosted by
the abbot.
May 2003
■ On May 3-4,
the Institute for
Ecumenical and
Cultural Research
(IECR) and Saint
John’s Abbey
hosted Professor
Jaroslav Pelikan
as part of a national
lecture series
celebrating his
80th birthday. A
renowned theologian
and author of
more than thirty
books, Dr. Pelikan
was a charter member of the Board of
Directors of IECR and an early recipient
of Saint John’s highest honor, the
Pax Christi Award. His book, Jesus
Through the Centuries: His Place in
the History of Culture, is dedicated to
the monks of the abbey.
Jaroslav and Sylvia Pelikan
photo by Patrick Henry
■ Saint John’s University held its 146th
commencement ceremony on May
11. Mr. Ray Suarez, senior correspondent
for PBS’s The NewsHour with
Jim Lehrer and the commencement
speaker, led the
four hundred undergraduate
men and 36 School
of TheologySeminary
graduates in a public promise—“I
will never be bored.
I will never be boring.”
Dr. John Page, former
executive secretary of the
International Commission
on English in the Liturgy, received the
Pax Christi Award.
■ On May 18, Abbot John conferred
the sacrament of confi rmation on 52
young people from four faith communities—St.
John the Baptist Parish of
Collegeville, Saint John’s Preparatory
School, Saint James Parish of Jacob’s
Prairie and Sts. Peter
and Paul Parish of
Richmond.
■ Saint John’s Preparatory
School
graduated 63
students on May
24, including
ten from China,
Japan, Taiwan
and Poland.
June 2003
■ The monastic
community’s annual
retreat, June
2-6, began with
the abbot’s delivering the fi rst of
an annual “State of the Abbey Address.”
Included in his talk were
reports on the state of abbey fi nances,
vocations, plans for the upcoming
sesquicentennial celebration (2006-
07) and the status of Saint Augustine’s
Monastery and College in the Bahamas.
Conferences on various aspects
of celibacy and sexuality were given
by four visiting theologians.
The retreat concluded with the
ordination to the priesthood of Deacon
THE ABBEY CHRONICLE
Julius Beckermann, OSB. This
was the fi rst priestly ordination of
a Saint John’s monk in four years.
■ Five young men entered the
abbey’s annual Monastic Experience
Program on June 16. For a
month they lived the full monastic
routine of prayer and work.
■ The abbey’s 18th Annual Monastic
Institute was held June
28-July 2. Columba Stewart,
OSB, led 118 participants from
thirty Benedictine communities
in a study of the distinctive character
of monastic prayer. Topics
presented included “Liturgical
and Individual Prayer” and
“Psalmody and Lectio.”
The Feast of St. Benedict, July 11, 2003
front and center: Gunther Rolfson
second row: l. to r., Gordon Tavis, Alberic Culhane,
Abbot John Klassen, Don LeMay, James Reichert,
Christopher Fair, Xavier Schermerhorn
July 2003
photo by Robin Pierzina, OSB
■ This month’s highlight was the
celebration of the Feast of Saint
Benedict, July 11th. The diamond
and golden anniversaries
of monastic profession of fi ve
monks and the solemn profession
of two monks are described in
separate articles in this issue.
Allen Tarlton, OSB, is a monk of Saint
John’s Abbey.
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 19

OBITUARIES
The obituary of Omer Maus is an
excerpt of the tribute given at his
funeral by Joel Kelly, OSB, who
succeeded Omer as prison chaplain.
The other obituaries are
excerpts of the funeral homilies
given by Abbot John Klassen.
Omer Wendelin Maus, OSB
May 2, 1912 – March 14, 2003
Words that capture the character
of Father Omer are:
steady, consistent, reliable, generous,
contented, dedicated, happy,
slow to anger, not a gossip, witty.
It would be an understatement
to say he enjoyed his work at the
Corrections Facility of St. Cloud
and that he loved the inmates and
the people with whom he worked.
He was especially in his element
when he visited his troops at the
various shops of the prison. He
Mother Teresa meets Omer.
photos from Abbey Archives
page 20 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
was equally at home giving well prepared
homilies and putting out the more
than a thousand weekly bulletins during
his twenty-fi ve years of service.
Omer was imprisoned, we might say,
by his love for the people Jesus especially
loved. Inmates saw in his face
not the countenance of a judge but the
features of the Savior. The dignity of
the fallen individual was so much a part
of his own belief. Don’t we all need
to know that we are so much more than
the worst thing we have ever done?
Omer’s ministry reminded us all of that.
He expressed the touchstone of his life
when he said, “You give and you receive
so much more.”
Gervase Joseph Soukup, OSB
January 9, 1920 – March 16, 2003
From 1942, the fi rst year of his seminary
studies, through 2000, Father
Gervase worked in the business offi ce of
the corporation. His mathematical
talent and the experience of working
in his father’s grocery store
played a role in his being assigned
so early and for so long in that
offi ce.
No subject engaged Gervase
more readily than investments.
He taught generations of students
the patterns of market movement.
Under his guidance investment
policies for the university, prep
school and abbey were developed.
He helped establish the policy of a
mandatory annual fi nancial report
of each monastery in the American-
Cassinese Congregation of Benedictines.
Gervase tosses a frisbee.
He often noted that more monasteries
closed because of poor fi scal management
than from poor praying.
Gervase was a big, outgoing man
and there is no doubt that the men and
women in the business offi ce were very
important in his life. In the day-to-day
interactions there was a lot of affection,
banter about his colorful cardigan
sweaters, or the obvious superiority of
National League baseball. He enjoyed
weekend pastoral ministry. When asked,
“What do you hope for?” he replied with
conviction, “I hope to know God more
fully. That is all really.”
Aelred Hilary Tegels, OSB
April 6, 1922 – March 17, 2003
Father Aelred was a shy, learned
man, with a rich sense of humor.
In his “Chronicle” editorial in Worship
magazine he commented with irony and
wit on the progress of liturgical reform.
Who could forget Aelred’s roll of his
eyes, his look of bewildered disdain and
the wave of the hand to emphasize the
dismissal?

Aelred examines an early musical
manuscript.
As a community we owe Aelred a debt
of gratitude for his work on our Liturgy
of the Hours. He loved the nitty gritty
research on the use of the psalter in monastic
offi ces. He was always thoughtful,
respectful of the tradition and yet
willing to be creative. With his knowledge
of languages he was well equipped
to direct fi eld operations for the Hill
Monastic Manuscript Library. He microfi
lmed texts in Germany, Switzerland
and Sweden. He said to me, “I didn’t
know Swedish, but you just learn it.”
The day before he died I visited him
and prayed with him. I thanked him for
all that he had been and done for the community,
for caring about our life together.
I thanked him for the gift of his friendship.
He put up his hand to take mine, to
let me know the words were received.
Remember our loved ones
who have gone to their rest:
Catherine Hoppe, sister of the late Giles
Nathe, OSB, March 8
Agatha Lauer, oblate, March 24
Rev. Alphonse Volpe, oblate, March 26
Quay Ryan, brother of Kelly, OSB,
March 27
Leona Bentfi eld, sister of Gregory Eibensteiner,
OSB, April 20
Leonard James Chmelik, OSB
May 9, 1941 – April 8, 2003
In the fi lm Babette’s Feast a French
woman uses all the money she won in
a lottery to prepare a magnifi cent meal
for a community torn by the lack of
charity. The meal brings about reconciliation.
Brother Leonard was a Babette
fi gure in our monastery. Like her he
prepared many a feast for us. He loved
Christmas and creatively decorated the
Great Hall and
Sexton Commons.
His Christmas
Cookie Tree became
a tradition.
He spent hours
preparing special
menus. He will
surely raise the
overall quality
of the heavenly
banquet.
Leonard helped
us to make our
house a home. He
developed system-
Joseph Stein, brother of the late Benjamin,
OSB, April 21
Mary Ann Parisella, sister of Martin Rath,
OSB, April 21
Deacon Leviticus (“Lou”) Adderley, coach
and president of Saint Augustine’s College,
Nassau, Bahamas, May 24
Don Bruno, free lance artist and designer for
Liturgical Press, June 21
Lisa Walz, marketing designer for Liturgical
Press, June 23
OBITUARIES
atic ways to clean and maintain
this big place. He also worked
with Gregory Eibensteiner, OSB,
to care for, maintain and upgrade
our lake cabins. Every spring he
took a crew of monks to give each
place a thorough cleaning and
renewal.
We were grieved to see him go
through chemotherapy and radiation
for lung cancer. Leonard said
his cancer was a blessing in one
sense. He was overwhelmed by
the expression of love for him
by the community. He truly felt
blessed and affi rmed by his brothers.
We will sorely miss his loving
and generous care for us all.
Three gingerbread houses made by Leonard
Rev. Don Laux, brother of Michael,
OSB, June 28
Bernard Moorse, father of Dunstan,
OSB, July 4
Helen Ochs Berg, oblate, July 17
Michael Bader, painter, librarian,
coach at Saint John’s, July 29
Bring them and all the
departed into the light
of your presence,
O Lord.
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 21

ABBEY MISSIONS
January 3 of this year marked
the seventy-fi fth anniversary
of the death of Father
Chrysostom. For almost four
decades he labored to plant and
cultivate the seed of the Catholic
faith in the Bahamas.
Peter Schreiner was born in
1859 in Jordan, one hundred miles
south of the newly established
monastery in the Indianbush of
Stearns County. He studied at
Saint John’s, joined the community
as Chrysostom and was
ordained in 1884. A year later he
was appointed vice-president of
the fl edgling university. He established
discipline in the school,
was the fi rst to give students a
Christmas tree and founded the
school paper, The Record.
Chrysostom was assigned to
work in the Bahama Islands in
early 1891. He arrived in Nassau
on February 2 and soon wrote to
a St. Cloud newspaper:
“Here it is summer. Since
I have been here, windows
and doors have been continually
open. Oranges,
page 22 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
Young Chrysostom
photo from Abbey Archives
Chrysostom Schreiner, OSB
Apostle of the Bahamas
by Daniel Durken, OSB
“Father Chrysostom’s name does not die in the Bahamas.”
lemons, and other Southern fruits
are hanging ripe on the trees. I
fi nd the people as agreeable as the
weather.”
Two months later Chrysostom chartered
the schooner Rebecca to visit a
number of the islands of the archipelago
and to further his research into the landfall
of Christopher Columbus. During the
night of April 4 the boat struck a rock and
sank. He later wrote of the experience:
“I vowed that if God would spare
my life and be pleased to use me as
an instrument, though an unworthy
one, for the conversion of souls to
Him, I would devote my life and
energies to the conversion of the
Bahamas. God accepted the offering
and saved not only my life, but
made me an instrument in saving
seven others [aboard the ship].
Hence, my life, strength, and energies
now belong to the Bahamas.”
The rest is history—the inspiring story
of the missionary efforts of Chrysostom
and his many Benedictine confreres who
eventually served to bring in the spiritual
harvest that proved so plentiful in the
Bahamas.
Chrysostom, at age 69, quietly slept
away on January 3, 1928, on the island
of San Salvador which he felt was the
site of Columbus’ landfall. Following
the custom of this isolated island, he was
buried the same day on the spot he had
chosen, his mortal remains facing the
sea where the Columbus expedition fi rst
encountered the new world.
_____________
The full history of Catholics in the
Bahamas is found in Upon These Rocks
by Colman Barry, OSB (St. John’s Abbey
Press, 1973, 582 pages). The book
is available by contacting Mel Taylor,
OSB, at St. Augustine’s Priory / P.O. Box
N3940 / Nassau, Bahamas, or
monastery @coralwave.com. The price is
$30 by check, payable to St. Augustine’s
Priory.
The grave of Chrysostom on San Salvador
Island, Bahamas, overlooking a bay that
may have been the landfall of Christopher
Columbus photo by Daniel Durken, OSB

Missionaries must learn to
speak the local language not
only to announce the Good
News but also to listen and learn from
people. Mastering the language is a
real challenge for missionaries in Japan.
Even the pioneer of Christianity in that
country, St. Francis Xavier, referred to
Japanese as “the devil’s tongue.”
How long does it take to learn Japanese?
Because of the lack of commonality
in grammatical structure and
vocabulary, a Westerner needs two full
years to begin to maneuver in Japanese.
After fi ve years one begins to “get the
gist.” After ten one fi nally “feels at
home” with it. But it is really a lifetime
process.
A fundamental challenge is the writing
system, based on the ancient set of Chinese
characters called kanji in Japanese.
The language of the East is built upon
ideographical representations of the
most basic things in life. By combining
representations like sun, earth and moon,
the most complex scientifi c theories are
encoded. Those who think visually learn
much faster.
For example, the word for “meaning,”
as in the meaning of a word, is , pronounced
imi. It combines two symbols
Edward studies a Japanese Bible atlas.
photo by Nicholas Thelen, OSB
The Challenge of the
Japanese Language
The fi rst steps are the hardest!
by Edward Vebelun, OSB
What does it mean?
(mind) and (taste). Therefore,
one can induce that “meaning” is “the
taste left in the mind.”
One can break down those two symbols
even further and arrive at the earthy
core of these characters. is a combination
of three basic “radicals.” The fi rst
two are (to stand/rise) and (the
sun). When combined in ancient Chinese
logic one can imagine the “sound”
is from the bell heard at sunrise.
The third is (the heart or emotion).
Thus, pictorially one induces that
means “the sound of the heart.”
The second character, , is a simpler
combination of (not yet) and
(mouth) for an ideographical representation
of taste as something that has not yet
passed beyond the mouth. Once students
understand the roots of a given symbol
they can recognize it when reading, and
even with a great deal of practice can
write it accurately.
To grasp the beauty of this writing
system is like solving a puzzle. But even
the most diligent learner will run into
moments of despair. There are theoretically
limitless and in actuality tens of
thousands of characters to learn. But
Japanese students take hope. In practice
one thousand characters make up about
ABBEY MISSIONS
95 percent of those used in an average
piece of writing. An offi cial
two thousand are set as a mark by
the department of education. One
can begin by simply mastering
their multiple uses and pronunciations.
It is safe to say that a student
of Japanese learns more than language.
A good lesson in perseverance
is also acquired.
Edward Vebelun, OSB, a monk of Saint
John’s Abbey and member of Holy
Trinity Benedictine Monastery, Fujimi,
Japan, is completing his third year of
theology at a Franciscan seminary in
Tokyo.
The Glory Be . . .
by Toshihiro Takamura
eiko-wa, chichi-to, ko-to, seirei-ni.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
Hajime-no-you-ni, ima-mo,
itsu-mo-yoyo-ni.
As it was in the beginning,
and is now, and will be forever.
Ámen.
Amen.
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 23

STRENGTHENING FOUNDATIONS
Generous Donors Contribute
to Abbey Guest House
“These gifts signifi cantly
advance our fundraising
campaign for the
Guest House.”
– Abbot John Klassen
Family Honors
Colman Barry, OSB
Father Colman left an
enormous legacy at Saint
John’s, serving for nearly
fi fty years as professor, author,
president and visionary. Now
nearly ten years after his death
on January 7, 1994, he is being
remembered in a signifi cant
gift to the abbey from his late
brother Richard and sister-inlaw
Irene. When Irene died last
fall she and her deceased husband
left the abbey $500,000
in their will, designated for the
monastic hospitality program
and Guest House.
“Richard and Irene knew
the signifi cant contributions
Colman made to Saint John’s,”
said Abbot John. “He was a
creative genius, who had the
gift of attracting others to his
impossible dreams. It is fi tting
that this gift in his memory will
help make possible a long-held
dream of the abbey.”
page 24 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
by Rob Culligan
Construction of the Saint John’s
Abbey Guest House moves
closer to reality, thanks to three
substantial gifts and pledges totaling
$1.2 million. The commitments were
made by the late Richard and Irene
Barry, relatives of Colman Barry, OSB,
and by two members of the Saint John’s
University Board of Regents: Diane
Liemandt-Reimann and her husband Ron
Reimann, and Lois and John Rogers,
SJU ’63.
Commenting on the gifts, Abbot John
Klassen said, “Hospitality is at the heart
of Benedictine life. For more than twenty
years the abbey has aspired to build a
Guest House, and these gifts signifi cantly
advance our fund raising campaign for
the Guest House. I am deeply grateful to
the Barry family and our Regents, Diane
and Ron and Lois and John, for their
generous support of our efforts.”
The monastic community is working
with Japanese architect Tadao Ando to
design the new building. Considered
one of the premiere architects in the
world, Ando’s works have been called
“shelters for the spirit.” His participation
in this project continues Saint John’s
dedication to world-class architecture
in the tradition of renowned architect
Marcel Breuer who designed eleven
buildings on the Collegeville campus,
including the abbey church.
Rob Culligan is vice president of
Institutional Advancement for Saint John’s
University.
Diane Liemandt-Reimann and
Ron Reimann
“The new Abbey Guest House will
extend the grace of Benedictine spirituality,
intellectual stimulation and
hospitality to many more visitors who
recognize, as we have, the power, peace
and dignity of the sacred traditions and
creative abilities that characterize Saint
John’s Abbey.”
Lois and John Rogers
“The sense of place at Saint John’s is a
combination of its spiritual dynamics
and remarkable architecture, both past
and present. Combining this with the
Benedictine mission of hospitality gives
us strong reason to support and encourage
the monastery’s commitment to the
proposed Guest House. We are moved
by Tadao Ando’s design.”

Three New Master
Monks
The following monks of Saint John’s
received their Master’s degree this past
summer:
Simon-Hoa Phan, OSB, Master of Fine
Arts (MFA) in fi lm and video from the
California Institute of Arts, Valencia,
California. His thesis fi lm, “Mother
Tongue, Fatherland,” is a feature length
documentary on the plight of Vietnamese
Amerasians (children of American servicemen
and Vietnamese women) born
during the Vietnam War who immigrated
to the United States.
People had diffi culty, Brother Simon-
Hoa observed, trying to understand the
meaning of a monk studying to be a fi lmmaker
in a progressive secular art school
until they realized that he is not making
a Hollywood movie full of sex, violence
and clichés. However, he wouldn’t mind
working with a Hollywood budget.
September 12, 2003
The Cross
October 24, 2003
A Harvest of Holiness
November 21, 2003
Advancing to Advent
While teaching at Saint John’s he hopes
to make small, personal and meaningful
fi lms that inform and inspire people.
Paul-Vincent Niebauer, OSB,
Master’s Degree (MA) in theatre directing
from the Chicago School of Performing
Arts, Roosevelt University. His fi nal
project was researching and directing the
Saint John’s Preparatory School’s March,
2003, production of “Oklahoma!” by
Rodgers and Hammerstein. The production
was evaluated by the director of the
Roosevelt University program, Mr. Jerry
Proffi t.
Brother Paul-Vincent, newly appointed
vocation director of the abbey,
will continue as a theatre director at the
prep school. He will direct “Jesus Christ
Superstar” by Andrew Lloyd Webber and
Tim Rice from March 19-April 3, 2004,
at the prep school and the Paramount
Theatre in St. Cloud.
Spiritual Life Autumn Schedule
Each retreat begins with Monastic
Morning Prayer at 7 a.m., includes teachings
and discussion on faith topics in
relation to prayer and spirituality, times
for group and private prayer and ends at
3:30 p.m. There is always guidance on
lectio divina, the ancient, Benedictine
practice of prayer-fi lled reading of God’s
Word.
BANNER BITS
John-Bede Pauley, OSB, Master
of Music (MM) in vocal pedagogy
(the teaching of singing) from
Westminster Choir College of Rider
University, Princeton, NJ. His
thesis was a study of the correlation
between the Listening Curves
of French Otorhinolaryngoloist,
Alfred Tomatis, and the Singer’s
Formant.
Brother John-Bede, a countertenor,
sang a graduate recital that
included two selections from Henry
Purcell’s Harmonia Sacra, Four
Songs of Edmund Rubbra for harp
accompaniment and Benjamin
Britten’s Canticle II: Abraham and
Isaac.
We welcome men and women
of all faiths. The $50 fee
includes breakfast, lunch, the
retreat program and materials.
Call 320-363-3929 or
register online for the date of
your choice! www.saintjohns-
abbey.org/slp/register
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 25

BANNER BITS
Abbot John Klassen made the
following appointments to abbey
administrative positions:
Paul Richards, subprior, replaces
Douglas Mullin. The subprior
is the third person in the abbey’s
chain of command after the abbot
and prior. Brother Paul is the
founder and executive director of
the Saint John’s Boys’ Choir. He
also directs the abbey schola and
the All College Choir of Saint
John’s University and the College
of Saint Benedict and coordinates
the Campus Cultural Events program.
Douglas Mullin completes his
term as subprior. He is associate
professor in the education department
of Saint John’s University.
Brother Douglas will spend this fall
semester on a research project to
identify and learn from teachers of
promise. He will continue theological
studies leading to ordination
to the priesthood and will resume
teaching in the education department.
John Patrick Earls, novice
master, replaces Columba Stewart.
He will oversee the monastic formation
of men seeking admission
into the abbey. Father John Patrick
is associate professor of English
page 26 The Abbey Banner Fall 2003
and earlier served as Vice President of
Student Affairs of the university. Next
June he becomes the Director of Formation
of the abbey’s junior monks who
have not yet made their solemn vows.
Columba Stewart completes his term
as novice master. He is professor of
theology, teaches monastic studies,
works with rare books as Curator of Research
Collections and chairs the Abbey
Liturgy Committee. Father Columba is
also Senior Research Fellow in Eastern
Christianity at Hill Monastic Manuscript
Library where he oversees the
photographing of Christian manuscripts
in Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Armenia.
John Kulas becomes the legal liaison
for the abbey, replacing Rene McGraw
who held this position for the past
decade.
Bradley Jenniges becomes personnel
director in the business offi ce in addition
to his work as assistant corporate
treasurer.
John Patrick Earls (l.),
novice master, and
Columba Stewart
photo by Daniel Durken, OSB
Paul Richards (l.), subprior, and
Douglas Mullin
photo by David Paul Lange, OSB
Administrative and
Pastoral Assignments
Abbot John made the following pastoral
appointments:
Stephen Beauclair, pastor of SS. Peter
and Paul Parish in Richmond
Julius Beckermann, associate pastor of
Sacred Heart Parish, Freeport, St. Rose
Parish of St. Rosa and Immaculate Conception
Parish, New Munich
Joseph Feders, associate pastor of Holy
Name Parish, Medina
Eugene McGlothlin, pastor of St. John
the Baptist Parish, Collegeville
Dominic Ruiz, participant in the Hispanic
Ministry program at the Mexican-
American Culture Center, San Antonio
Blane Wasnie, pastor of St. Benedict
Parish, Avon
Arnold Weber, retiring as pastor of
Holy Name Parish, Medina, and returning
to the abbey

When Saint Benedict wrote his
Rule, he didn’t use footnotes,
but he never claimed to be
original. In the fi nal chapter of the Rule,
he refers to “the Conferences of the Fathers,
their Institutes and Lives, and the
Rule of our holy father Basil” (RB 73).
Benedict assumed that everyone knew
he was talking about John Cassian’s
Conferences and Institutes, the most
extensive collection of monastic teaching
available in sixth-century Italy, and
indeed, today.
John Cassian was born about 365. He
spent several years in Bethlehem in a
cenobitic (communal) monastery before
visiting Egypt. There he learned the essential
monastic wisdom about prayer,
distracting thoughts, temptations and
reading the Bible.
Cassian ended up in the port city of
Massilia, modern-day Marseilles, in
southern Gaul. There he established
monasteries for men and women and
wrote his great summary of monastic
A color lithograph based on a fi fteenth century
French miniature entitled “Calligrapher,” from
the Arca Artium collection,
courtesy of Mary Schaffer, curator
John Cassian:
Early Spiritual Writer
by Columba Stewart, OSB
Introducing one of the major sources of
St. Benedict’s monastic teaching.
teaching, the Institutes and Conferences.
Their infl uence on later Latin monastic
authors, including Benedict, would be
enormous. He provided one-stop shopping
for the monastic seeker.
From this massive work we fi nd two
useful themes. First, Cassian knew that
every way of life needs a clear sense
of purpose, a goal. For the monk, that
goal is purity of heart, which enables us
to “see God” in the Bible, the creation
around us and in one another. Cassian explores
this goal in its many aspects of unceasing
prayer, chastity and insight into
Scripture. To be “pure of heart” is to be
focused, to live in the peace that comes
from a sure sense of one’s vocation.
Second, Cassian knew that coming
to such maturity is a lifetime process,
requiring awareness of all the attractions
and distractions that hold us back from
SPIRITUAL LIFE
living as we should. His emphasis
on a developmental understanding
of the Christian life, and his
sharing of a traditional Egyptian diagnostic
system of “eight thoughts”
that subvert our intentions, have
helped many Christians today take
stock and move forward.
The eight are: gluttony, lust,
avarice, anger, sadness, listlessness
(accidie), vainglory and pride. If
you think you’ve seen something
like this list before, you have:
Cassian’s model inspired the medieval
notion of the Seven Deadly
Sins, just one of his many marks on
later Christian spirituality.
Columba Stewart, OSB, associate
professor of theology, specializes in
monastic studies.
The Abbey Banner Fall 2003 page 27

An Outstanding
Autumn Event
The annual Dignitas Humana
Award will be presented to the
Taizé Community at 8 p.m. on
October 22 in the Saint John’s Abbey
Church. Presented by the Saint John’s School of
TheologySeminary, the award honors those who
strive to advance the human dignity of all persons.
Recipients of the award exemplify the Benedictine
values of service, respect, kindness and compassion.
Brother Roger (members do not use last names) is
the founder of the Taizé Community. Born in Switzerland,
Roger settled in this southern French village in
1940 and began to welcome refugees fl eeing the war.
After the war a few brothers joined him and helped
take care of boys orphaned by the war and German
prisoners of war interned nearby.
On Easter Day, 1949, the fi rst brothers committed
themselves to celibacy, material and spiritual sharing
and simplicity of life. Today the Taizé Community
numbers over one hundred brothers of various religious
denominations and from more than twenty-fi ve
nations.
PO Box 2015
Collegeville, MN 56321-2015
www.saintjohnsabbey.org
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Above: The brothers of
Taizé and their guests pray
in silence and song.
Right: Brother Roger,
founder of Taizé
Some weeks in the summer more than fi ve thousand
young people from seventy-fi ve different countries
join with the Community to pray together, study the
Bible, and discuss with other youths from around the
world in a climate of openness and listening. Participants
discover that roads to unity can be opened
amid the diversity of cultures and Christian traditions
as they become creators of trust and peace in a world
wounded by divisions, violence and isolation.
This event is free and open to the public.
Nonprofit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Saint John’s Abbey