Winter 2011 - Mount Michael Benedictine School

Letter from the Abbot
…there
is a peace
and quiet
associated
with the
Marian
shrine…
A couple of years ago this fall, we spent time
in one of the suburbs of Minneapolis-St. Paul
to meet with alumni in the area. Among the
alumni joining us for our get-together were
Thomas Roman and his wife Stella. Tom was a
student at St. John Seminary (the predecessor
of Mount Michael Benedictine) from 1956
through 1960. While sharing stories of his time
at St. John’s, Tom asked whether the Marian
shrine was still standing. The short answer is yes,
and very much so.
The Marian shrine is located just to the
north and to the west of the school building,
about halfway down the bluff. At the end of the
track north of the school, there is a path that
leads down the bluff to the Marian shrine. Few
casual visitors see the shrine. You have to know
where the path begins. It takes some effort to
reach it. According to Br. Mel Tichota, who is
our resident historian for that era, the Marian
shrine was built about 1960. Some enterprising
students led by Michael Guevara went to a good
deal of effort to build the shrine, because it has
survived in wonderful condition for fifty years.
Over the years, a variety of classes worked
around the shrine or helped maintain the
pathway leading to it. In the early 1980s, Fr.
Thomas Allen used to mow the entire hill on
foot with a push mower. Given Fr. Thomas’s
advanced age, it was a remarkable feat of
stamina. Fr. Thomas went through several
mowers keeping the grass and the weeds cut
down on the hillside, much to the chagrin of Fr.
Nathanael Foshage who was business manager
at the time.
Due to its relatively isolated location, the
Marian shrine has always proved a popular
spot with students who have a desire to get
away from the hustle and bustle of school or
the watchful eyes of a prefect or dean. There is
a peace and quiet associated with the Marian
shrine, in addition to a beautiful view of the
Elkhorn valley below.
Having worked on the shrine and having a
devotion to Mary, Tom Roman was naturally
curious to learn if the shrine still existed. I told
him that indeed, the Marian shrine very much
still existed and is still a treasured, if somewhat
unknown, feature of the campus. We promised
to send him some photos of the shrine. Good
intentions sometimes get lost in the swirl of
responsibilities. Some days ago, I received a
letter from Tom. He asked again about the
shrine and wondered if there are any photos
of the shrine. In his letter, he also encouraged
us to remind the students of the advantages to
interceding with Mary in prayer. So I sent a
letter back to Tom. This time I promised Tom
I would not forget his requests. So the abbot’s
letter in this issue of the Michaeleen is a thankyou
to all the students who helped make the
Marian shrine the special place it was and
remains to this day. And of course, a reminder
to not forget the value of turning to Christ’s
Mother in prayer.
~ Rt. Rev. Michael Liebl, O.S.B.
Christmas & New Year’s Mass Schedule
Christmas Eve Mass • December 24th - 8:00 p.m.
Christmas Day Mass • December 25th - 11:00 a.m.
New Year’s Day Mass • January 1st - 9:30 a.m.
2