Winter 2010 - Mount Michael Benedictine School

VOCATION QUESTBy Brother August Schaefer, O.S.B.Featuring Rev. Mr. Gary Hennessey, Archbishop George Lucas, Brother Gregory Congote, O.S.B.,Mr. Zach Tucker (’08), and Brother James Pope, O.S.B.Volume 56, Issue 10Winter 2010This semester at seminary I am in anintroductory course on pastoral ministry.In this course we have been using a bookthat was just written by one of the otherfaculty members, Kathleen Cahalan’s bookIntroducing the Practice of Ministry. I wantto share just a few brief thoughts fromthis book because it has challenged someof the ways in which I think about thetopic of vocation. (Oddly enough, in theprocess of writing the book Cahalan wasalso challenged and intrigued by the topicof vocation so much that she has developeda whole course on that topic which I willbe enrolled in next semester—she’s alreadygiven me the readings and told me I havea lot of work to do.) Anyway, in the secondchapter of her book, Cahalan expands theCelebrating 25 Years in Service to God25 years in the Order of Saint Benedict:Father Louis Sojka, O.S.B. ’81traditional notion of vocation so as to beable to apply it to all those who ministerin the church. Her definition of vocation islong and detailed, but I believe it is helpfulfor all people to consider: vocation is “theresponse to God’s call and the Spirit’scharisms manifest in adult life commitmentsin relationship to three aspects of the self:(1) how I live, particularly in relationshipto permanent post-baptism commitments;(2) what I do, the service I offer to God inand for a community; and (3) who I am,the sense of self as it relates to my personal,historical, cultural, and social contexts. Ourbaptismal identity and call to be a Christiandisciple is lived out in and through theparticular callings that constitute ourvocation.” That’s a lot to digest.Story continues on page 725 years in the Priesthood:Father Daniel Lenz, O.S.B. ’76Page6

Letter from the Abbot…In anextendedsense, weare allwaiting forrescue…2We have been fortunate this fall to haveenjoyed spectacular weather throughout themonth of October. The cool, crisp, clear dayshave allowed area farmers to move ahead withtheir harvest at a comfortable pace. No worryabout rain. No worry about excessively coldweather. Just a time to appreciate God’s bountyin fields of corn and soybeans.Of course harvests don’t happen of their ownaccord. Someone has to make sure combines andtrucks are ready to go. Someone has to makesure storage facilities are prepared to hold thecrops that are brought in. Someone has to makethe effort to keep machinery running. None of ithappens without considerable effort.At the same time Midwesterners werefocusing on an agricultural harvest, miners inSouth America were trying to reap a differentharvest from the deep in the recesses of theAndes mountains. On August 5, the San Josegold and copper mine near Copiapo, Chile,collapsed, trapping 33 miners some 2,300 feetbelow ground. The miners were without contactwith the surface for 17 days, barely survivingon a few tins of food below. Once a small borehole reached the miners, food and water wassent below. Though it did not receive muchattention in the media, the miners survivednot just because food and water reached them.They also survived because of their faith.Once contact was made withthe miners at the endof that first 17 days,Christmasand New Year’sMass ScheduleChristmas Eve MassDecember 24th • 8:00pmChristmas Day MassDecember 25th • 11:00amNew Year’s Day MassJanuary 1st • 9:30amamong items theyrequested besent belowwerereligiousarticles.Someonehad totake therole of leadingthe miners intheir devotions.They chose one oftheir own to lead themin their prayers. They were finally rescued about70 days later.In an extended sense, we are all waiting forrescue. We are all trying to respond to God’sinvitation to eternal life. God’s call to holinessextends to everyone — to people who are young,and people who are old; to people who arehappy, and people who are sad; to people whohave too much to do, and people who do nothave enough to do; to people in love, and topeople who are lonely. The harvest is ready, butsomeone has to make the effort to ensure thatthe harvest is brought home. Those harvestersare individuals with whom God entrustsa special vocation, especially as priests andreligious. No one in the church is unaware thatthere are fewer vocations to the priesthood andto the religious way of life than there have beenin the past. But the need for priests and religioushas not abated. In many ways, it has grown.What might we do? The first obvious answeris that we can intercede with God to inspiremore young men and women to consider thecall to the priesthood and to the religious life.Every Thursday and Sunday, the monks in themonastery make a special prayer to God forvocations. A second answer is to encourageyoung men and women to consider servingGod and God’s people in the priesthood andthe religious life. We can draw attention tothe unique opportunities that are possible inthe service of God’s people. We try to do thatwith our students in our classrooms. We alsotry by the example of the lives which we leadin the monastery to show that service to Godand service to God’s people is an especiallyennobling way of life. A third answer is todemonstrate by our own lives how much weappreciate and are grateful for those whose livesmake it possible for us to find our way to Godmore readily.The harvest is great and laborers are few.But with prayer, encouragement and effort wecan try to increase the number of laborers whodevote themselves to a truly unique and specialway of life.Rt. Rev. Michael Liebl, O.S.B.

Letter from the PRESIDENT…Godfeeds thebirds ofthe air, butHe doesnot put theworm inthe nest…This year two of our monks celebratejubilees—Father Daniel Lenz, twenty-five yearsas a priest, and Father Louis Sojka, twentyfiveyears’ profession as a monk. This is a goodopportunity to reflect on vocations, not just topriesthood and religious life but on all of ourvocations. At our Baptism we all received a callto serve the Lord as Christians—some as singleChristians, some as married couples and some aspriests or religious.Since we are celebrating these two jubileesI mentioned I would like to reflect with you atthis time on vocations to the priesthood and thereligious life. No doubt a vocation to this way oflife has a divine element—a call from God. Butthere is also a human element to vocations. Asthe saying goes, “God feeds the birds of the air,but He does not put the worm in the nest.” Wehave a part in vocation.So what about the human element? Thereare so many obstacles to a religious vocationtoday, so many opportunities for young peoplethat a religious vocation does not seem to enterinto their choices. Then there is the matter ofcelibacy. When I was teaching I always asked mystudents how many would consider a vocationto priesthood or religious life. Not many handswould go up. Then I would ask “Why not?”and almost invariably the answers was “I wantto get married.” That is most understandable.And I would not want a young person topursue a religious vocation if he/she did nothave a healthy respect and love for marriage asa vocation. But the advantages of celibacy as aservice gives an opportunity to give and receivelove that cannot be appreciated until it is lived.No doubt there are many other reasons for ashortage of vocations today. I would like toconcentrate on only one reason—family life.When I was growing up I was told a vocationbegins with the grandmother. That is worththinking about. But family is under siege today.Everyone is too busy, despite all the technologywe have that is supposed to save us time. Sports,with all the good they do, are hard on the familylife and the time that is supposed to be spenttogether.But we cannot overlook another fundamentalreason. There are a growing number of coupleswho are living together without the intention ofgetting married civilly or having their marriageblessed by the Church. That is a fundamentalflaw that certainly does not bode well for avocation to come from that kind of union. Somaybe all I am asking is that husbands andwives take a look at their family life and seehow it may be made more conducive to havinga religious vocation come from it. And I willcontinue to ask all of our students to at leastconsider whether or not the Lord may be callingthem to this kind of life.Here at Mount Michael we celebratethe jubilees occurring during the year onThanksgiving Day, so we invite you to thankGod with us for our two who are celebratingjubilees this year as we pray to the Lord for evenmore vocations.Abbot Raphael Walsh, O.S.B.Breakfast with Santa4Sunday, December 19th, 2010, mark your calendars for Breakfast with Santa!Make this experience a new family tradition in your family! Mass will be heldat 9:30am in the Mount Michael Chapel and continental breakfast will beserved in the Armory to follow. Bring the whole family for this chance to meetSanta and tell him all the things you want for Christmas this year. Guests willbe able to sit on Santa’s lap, take pictures and decorate cookies!This event is free to all who attend. Current families, Alumni families andfriends of Mount Michael are welcome to attend. Please RSVP to Amanda at402-253-0950 so we know how many cookies to prepare in advance.~ This event is brought to you by the Mount Michael Alumni Association

FIRST QUARTER DEAN’S LIST 2010-2011SENIORSFIRST HONORSSang-won BahngAdam BehrAlex BittlesMichael BohnhoffDarren ChewJacob ConnealyPatrick DeWaldAlex EngelkampRyan FuxaJoshua HankinsJoel HotovyBryce HowePaul HussJin Su ImJae Hoon JungKyung Mo KangConnor KeeganMichael KellarGunhwan KimKevin KochPeter KritenbrinkZachary LoeffelholzGrant ParrJake RauterkusEddie RidderClayton TaylorIan TaylorBobby ThomasDean TiwaldJoshua TuckerVincent Van HauteDylan VenteicherSungha YimYuan ZhouSECOND HONORSJames BensonBata DumbaLucas HollowayGabe KarstromTae Hoon KimJoshua MittenNoah KenneyGraham WillerJUNIORSFIRST HONORSMarty AndersonTyler BoldenJared BourekJohn ByrneNicholas CairneyNeal ColaricMichael CollinsMichael DuceTommy FeichtingerJun Haeng HoHyo Bin ImJacob KenneyTaylor KorenskySean KrugerEvan MurraySonga RugangaziJoe StellatoGeorge TownsendNathan Van HauteSECOND HONORSTrevor AndersonJoe BastianLukas BuehlerMatt DentonJoe ErnstAlex GassTea Hyun HwangYoon Jea ImGraham JewellByong Wook KimNico MarascoZachary MurphyJack PapeKeenan ReillyGarret SehnIan SheetsDaniel SjostedtJoe SobczykMichael SojkaConnor SpiegelIan ThomasThomas WalterRichard WoodsSOPHOMORESFIRST HONORSMichael BudlerPeter DeWaldGarrett FrazellHunter HottovyBenet KinghornJoe KucirekYun Sik OhGrant RammJimmy SteierRandy SpeerSECOND HONORSGabe CohenJ.T. CroninYutong GaoVincent HarveyAndrew KarstromCory KeeganYoonho KimMark LoeffelholzDavid WootenTommy MaliszewskiConnor MoynihanElliot PrusaJoshua RauterkusJacob ReckerWill WatsonFRESHMENFIRST HONORSEd BerryMatthew BohnhoffJarrett CrnkoCameron EngelWill ErnstRowan GruberAlex HynesCharles JarosikKevin JewellAndrew JohannesTom KalilLucas LanphierJustin LytleJohn MikuliczMatthew OkaleboAustin RamaekersWilhelm SleddensJackson TaylorScott TownsendKyle SilkeGriffin WillerSECOND HONORSSpencer ConnorsCollin DonahueZach DrahotaGarrison EmsickJacob EythPreston HendricksJared JamrogElliott SpennerSteffen WellsCongratulationsMount Michael Knights!MM Wins at UNL Math Day2010 B-1 District Cross Country Champions2010 B-2 District Tennis Champions12 Knights named by the College Board asAP Scholars5

MOUNT MICHAEL JUBILARIANSFather Louis Sojka,O.S.B. ’8125 Years Professed1984 - Entered Novitiate Year1985 - Made First Vows1988 - Made Final Vows /SolemnProfession1990 - Ordained to PriesthoodFather Daniel Lenz,O.S.B. ’7625 Years Ordained1979 - Made First Vows1982 - Made Final Vows1985 - Ordained to PriesthoodFaculties in Eastern CatholicRiteHelps with Spanish Mass andConfessionsWhat are your primary duties here at MountMichael?Subprior, Business Manager, Liturgist, OrganistWhat led you to monastic life here at MountMichael?I experienced the witness of a number of religiousgrowing up: the Franciscans in grade school; theBenedictines in high school; the Dominicans and Jesuitsin college. While attending Creighton University Irenewed contact with younger members of the MountMichael community who were also studying atCreighton. Mount Michael accepted me as an “Affiliate”after my second year of college, whereby I lived with thecommunity and continued with classes. I entered thenovitiate between my third and fourth years, professingmy first vows on July 28th, 1985. Graduation fromCreighton followed the next year with a degree inGerman. I completed four years of theology studies atSaint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota,with ordination to the priesthood in 1990.What is one monastic memory you would like toshare?Monastic life has given me great support andopportunities. It has brought out gifts and talentsI did not know I had. An example in this regard ishow it came to be that I am organist at daily Massand monastic prayer. Abbot Raphael was seekingan organist for monastic prayer and he asked thatI consider playing. I had twelve years of pianoinstruction from Miss Isabelle Micek and the organwas unfamiliar to me. Abbot Raphael “firmly” askedthat I consider this new instrument and when Ihesitated he replied, “They both [the piano and theorgan] have black and white keys. You’ll do fine!” I havebeen playing—and learning—the organ ever since.How do you best express your spirituality?I would say that I have a deeply profound love forand interest in religious artwork. My priestly studyinfluences my artwork. I have studied 15 plus yearsspirituality in paintings and sculptures. I not only lookat the subject, but at the life and spiritual influencein each piece. I write icons and do Byzantine-stylestonework, as well as teach art to Mount Michaelstudents using stone, wood, metal and other art media.Jesus himself was a carpenter; he made beautiful piecesfrom wood that he learned from Saint Joseph. Myfavorite confirmation retreat story is “Jeremiah and thepotter;” God is the potter and weare His clay.What has been your greatest challenge?For me, I had many questions before entering thePriesthood about family and being a father. Everyonewants to be a father and raise a family. Often Iwondered, “How can I be a dad if I become a priest?”and “How will I deal with not having a family?” AsI progressed in my studies and began meeting newpeople and entering parishes, I looked all around meto discover I was surrounded by family and my familyreached farther than I had ever imagined. And justlike Saint Joseph, I act as a foster-father, guiding andteaching students skills and scripture.What are your aspirations as a priest?I want to continue my spiritual education. I wantto keep studying early church fathers and saints.Renewing my energy, always learning and growing infaith and ministry. Keeping with me always, The JesusPrayer ~ “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy onme, a sinner.”6

VOCATIONSVOCATION QUEST Continued from page 1I think an example of this might be useful. I’mgoing to use Br. Gregory (or Gregorio as we knowhim up here at Collegeville) because his vocation isin the process of being shaped in a particular waythat is unique to him at the moment. First, part1—how he lives. He is a solemnly professed memberof the monastic community. His post-baptismalcommitment is to Mount Michael Abbey. Then,part 2—what he does. Right now he’s a transitionaldeacon finishing his studies in preparation for priestlyordination. In December he will return to Nebraska tobegin serving in a parish to complete his preparation;there he will serve our community by serving thelocal parish in which he is placed. He will practice theskills he needs to function as a priest in community.Finally, part 3—who he is. Gregory is from Colombia;he was formed in that country and now lives in theMidwest. This unique combination of his birthplaceand current residence makes him uniquely suited toserve some of the local communities in Nebraska thathave large Hispanic populations. More than that,however, are the parts of his being that are the gifts ofdiscipleship that he was given by the Spirit in baptism.Cahalan identified seven features of discipleship thatare bestowed in varying degrees at baptism—follower,worshiper, witness, forgiver, neighbor, prophet, andsteward. I see traces of all of these in Br. Gregory,but I have especially seen him develop three of thesein his studies here at Seminary. He is a worshiperand has learned many skills in planning and leadingcommunal worship. He has developed the skillsof forgiver and neighbor in his work as a hospitalchaplain. Those are the three aspects of discipleshipthat I believe will drive and mold his work in a parishstarting in December.One of the features of Cahalan’s definition ofvocation is that it is manifest in adult life. Does thismean that children do not have a vocation? Of coursethey do. All of the baptized do. That is why so many ofthe vocational programs that we work with are aimedtoward younger people—programs such as the sixthgradevocation rally that Fr. Louis attended on Oct. 22with all the students from the urban Omaha CatholicSchools and Archbishop Lucas. A program such asthis aims to show students how some of their gifts canbe used in a particular way in serving the community.All of this is a very long way of saying that you toocan help with vocation work here for Mount Michael.Each of the monks have been given the seven aspectsof discipleship in various ways, and I’m sure that yousee some monks displaying more of one aspect whileanother monk displays more of another. You may alsosee some aspects that we as a community may wantto develop, and along with that you may see someyoung person who has the potential for growing intothat aspect. If you do, I would ask that you considersuggesting that they should look into developing thataspect of discipleship for a service to the church—andespecially remembering Mount Michael in thatsuggestion. I’m sure I’ll have more to relate on thisissue in the next Michaeleen. I will also be working onexplaining some of the new programs that we will beworking on as a community in order to continue togrow our vocations and service to the church. Thankyou, and as always please pray for us and for myselfand Br. Gregory as we continue our seminary studies.We will continue to offer our thanks to God for yourcontinued support.Brother August Schaefer, O.S.B.Bring Home Father John’s Jams and Jellies for the Holidays!All Quarts and Pints $5.00Jam and Jelly Flavors:Grape • JalapeñoChokecherry • Apple ButterZucchini/PeachRhubarb/StrawberryCall 402-253-0950Kosher Dill Pickles: $5.00Salsa: $5.00Pumpkin Bread (call in advance)Small Loaves: $3.007

FATHER JOHN HAGEMANN, O.S.B. ’67Father John Hagemann, O.S.B., Teacher of the Year Acceptance SpeechFather JohnHagemann,O.S.B.; Centerwith ArchbishopGeorge LucasIn 1995, December 8th, the Feast of theImmaculate Conception fell on a Friday.Our area here in Nebraska was brewing oneof those typical Nebraska snow blizzards. In1995, December 8th, the Feast of ImmaculateConception, Mount Michael (believe it or not)decided to call a snow day. Oh, I should qualifythat – it was actually snow hours.If any of you know anything about MountMichael, you know that we hardly EVERhave snow days—hardly EVER. But…it wasa Friday!!We scheduled Mass the period after lunchand the administration decided to allow thestudents to go home early so that we wouldnot be stuck with them over the weekend. Thiswas on a day before we had 7-day boarders!Of course, we could not announce this newsin a public way to the students. They go a little“crazy” with such freedom. Instead we justdecided that the celebrant of the day wouldannounce the “good” news at the end of theEucharist. Fr. Louis Sojka was celebrant thatday—I remember it distinctly!Having already celebrated the Eucharistearlier in the day with the monks, I got right toit—I got my snow gear on and headed for theparking lot to get it cleared so the students couldget out. Then I also started clearing the students’cars of snow—especially their windshields. I justwent from car to car as fast as I could. There wasalready a four-inch layer of snow to deal with.Since the chapel is so close to the parkinglot, I could hear the joyous reaction to the newsabout getting out of classes the rest of the dayand getting a longer weekend. Soon the studentswere like ants—running everywhere—outside inthe snow. They were happy—they were grabbingtheir laundry baskets of dirty clothes andheading for their cars. One of the seniors—itwas Jon King—noticed that his car was clearedof snow and his windshield was clean. To thisday, Jon always remembers this little act ofkindness—(I guess you might say). Little did Iknow that such a little thing would remain withthis boy for the rest of his life.Students remember—they remember—trustme—they remember. Sometimes they remembertoo much—but they do remember.Each of the honorees here tonight is herebecause he or she is being remembered formany things. I truly believe that all teachers areremembered for one reason or another, but itjust so happens that the honorees tonight havefloated to the top.It is indeed an honor to celebrate and enjoybeing remembered this evening with: PeggyGrennan, Carolyn Jaworski, Scott Olson, Sr.Anita Rolenc, Laurie Majerus, Tina Schofield,Sara Jorgensen, and Patty Rezek.However, I am sure that all of the honoreeswould admit that they would like the spotlighttaken off of them tonight and turned aroundand put on those who helped them, as teachersPhotos Courtesy of The Archbishop Dinner Photographer8The Hagemann Family: Lois Dohmen, George Dohmen, Lyle Hoppe, John Noble (’86), Judy Hoppe, Alan Hagemann (’83),Fr. John (’67), Ruth Hagemann, Jim Hageman, Joyce Dohmen, Jerry Hagemann, and Paul Dohmen.

Named Teacher of the yearThe honored educators are shown with Omaha Archbishop George Lucas, center. From left: Peggy Grennan, Laurie Majerus,Tina Schofield, Father John Hagemann, O.S.B., Archbishop Lucas, Scott Olson, Sara Jorgensen, Carolyn Jaworski, SisterAnita Rolenc and Patty Rezek.in their lives. So I ask all of you tonight toremember, to remember, the teachers in yourlives. Many of us owe a lot to those who formedus, trained and influenced us. I want to takethis opportunity to mention a few teachers inmy life who did this for me. They would be: myMom and Dad—Sally and Al—all my brothersand sisters, their wives and husbands, and mostcertainly my nieces and nephews and nowtheir children—most recently it would be twingirls—miracle babies in lots of ways—GraceChristiana and Hope Celestine (one is never tooold to learn and never too young to teach), theBenedictine sisters of Sacred Heart Monasteryin Yankton, SD—Sr. Adelaide, Sr. Matthiasand Sr. Leonilla—a great uncle whom I neverhad in the classroom, but he taught well—Br.Adrian Borer a Franciscan Friar—all themonks of Mount Michael Abbey, especiallyFr. Nathanael Foshage and Killer Kane – oh!!!Killer Kane—also Miss Jean Troy—thenthe professors at Creighton University—Iwill always have a soft spot in my heart forCreighton U—then the professors of St. John’sUniversity, Collegeville, Minnesota—the monksof St. John’s and the professors in Israel—thenthe professors of UNO—especially Dr. GlennNewkirk—in music I owe much to AbbotGregory of Conception Abbey and MarilynThies, our organist at Mount Michael, and CinaCrisara when I was with the Omaha SymphonicChorus—and in actuality, I must say all theMount Michael students in the history of theschool. A teacher learns much from his orher students.To you, Archbishop George Lucas—I reallydo not know how to explain this, but every timeI mention your name in the Eucharistic prayer,it seems like I know you well. I have hardlyhad a conversation with you since you haveassumed your duties here in the Archdioceseof Omaha. You are GREAT—you ARE theman—you ARE the priest—the fullness of thepriesthood—you are the Archbishop and a greatleader. I don’t want you to get a big head now,but the feeling I have when I mention yourname in the Eucharistic prayer is how I feltwhen I came back from Mexico in 1996.I did not get much news there in those dayswhere I lived and it was a bit shocking to me tofind out that both Henri Nouwen and JosephCardinal Bernardin had died. I never met thosetwo men, but I felt I really did know themvery well. I have the same feeling about you,Archbishop George!The Latin word for educate is educare—toliterally - lead out—you are leading us out ofour ignorance and darkness—into knowledgeand light—you are giving us life—the Spanishspeakingworld has a wonderful expression—Educaion es la jave de la vida—Education isthe key to life. You are our leader, educating usin the light of Christ!!All of us, as Christians, have been markedwith the sign of the cross—let us be who we are.Let us teach by example and acts of kindness toone another.Amen, Alleluia! Let’s go home and teach!‘Educaiones la javede le vida’Educationis the keyto life9

NIGHTHAWKS“…Thehighlightof myentireyear wasvisitingthe kidsin theirsection andseeing howmuch theyenjoyedtheirnight…”Mount Michael Night at the NighthawksZach Nelson (’79), owner of the Nighthawks, with Mount Michael students.Photo by Brother LukeWant tosee morepictures?Students of Mount Michael BenedictineSchool experienced the Omaha NighthawksUFL game Thursday, October 28th, 2010,courtesy of Alumnus Zach Nelson (’79),CEO of NetSuite and owner of the OmahaNighthawks. Before the game, Mr. Nelson cohosteda tailgate fundraiser for Mount Michaelfamilies, Alumni and their families, and schoolsupporters. As a featured part of the evening,Mr. Nelson hosted 10 guests in his Owner’sSuite. Over $6,000 was raised from ticket salesand the tailgate; all funds go directly back toMount Michael Benedictine School.“The highlight of my entire year was visitingthe kids in their section and seeing how muchthey enjoyed their night at the Nighthawks!” Mr.Nelson was quoted at the end of the evening.As guests of Mr. Nelson, students had their ownsection to cheer for the Nighthawks. “Whata surprising atmosphere brought to Omaha”said senior Alex Engelkamp, “It was excitingto see all the energy and sportsmanship in thestadium.” Principal Tom Ridder had this tosay, “It was a very enjoyable evening for all ouryoung men. All of the boys had a great time andwe are very thankful to Zach Nelson, class of1979, for making it happen.” In addition to theTo see more pictures taken at Mount Michael Night at theNighthawks, as well as pictures from the Kickoff Party,visit www.mountmichael.com.great seats, two students were awarded passes towatch the game from the sidelines.Mount Michael faculty, staff and the monasticcommunity were quick to jump at the chance toattend this game. With the game sold out, Mr.Nelson gave an additional 250 tickets to MountMichael Development Team to sell as a schoolfundraiser. All tickets were quickly purchased bycurrent parents, Alumni and their families, andmembers of the Mount Michael community.Excitement consumed the pre-game tailgate, cohostedby Mr. Nelson and the Mount MichaelAlumni Association, in the VIP section of theparking lot before the game. Guests were treatedto a cocktail and buffet reception, a visit andautographs from the Nighthawk cheerleadingsquad, as well as a meet and greet with Mr.Nelson before the game. Proceeds reachedover $6,000 from ticket sales and tailgatesales; everything was given to Mount MichaelBenedictine School’s Annual Appeal Campaign.This annual campaign provides over $430,000in scholarships each year for students to attendMount Michael.Mount Michael Benedictine School is acatholic college preparatory residential/dayschool, located in Elkhorn, for young mencommitted to academic excellence. Currentenrollment is 196 students, student to teacherratio is 8:1, and the average ACT score is 27.6in the class of 2010.10

22nd Annual Knights In TuscanyContinuing the tradition…event co-chairsDr. Bill and Mrs. Deb Thomas, along with Mr.Brian and Mrs. Cindy Engel, announced the themeof the 22nd Annual Night of Knights, Knights inTuscany, to be held Saturday, April 9th, 2011, onMount Michael’s campus. Current parents, schoolboard members, alumni and their families attendedthe Kickoff Party at the Millard Plaza Ballroom,Thursday, November 11th. In conjunction with thisyear’s theme, the Kickoff Party was designed as a winetasting featuring Tuscan wines paired with Italianfoods. Wines were provided by WineStyles ownerand current parent Bob Bolden. Introduced in theevening’s program were the 2011 Guest of Honor,Judge Lyle E. Strom, and Honorary Chairs,Dr. Robert and Mrs. Susan Recker.The Night of Knights Dinner and Silent Auctionwas started nearly 22 years ago, by Mount Michaelparents, as a way to raise money for the school’simprovements, tuition assistance, and operatingbudget. Since then, this small cocktail party hasgrown into an elegant occasion set to a distinctivetheme including dinner and live auction. Currentparents volunteer their time and talents all throughthe winter to prepare for this event. Their hardwork in past years has paid off with an end resultfundraising over $385,000 in 2010.In addition to this event, parents have created a“Kickoff ” party to announce the theme and start theplanning process for the entire event. In January,the co-chairs will host an Italian-themed lunchfor all Mount Michael students to hear the officialannouncement as well as sign up to work the event asbid runners.Tuscany is known for its beautiful landscapes, itsrich artistic legacy and its vast cultural influence.Mount Michael, like Tuscany, is known for itspicturesque 400 acres, its formation of ChristianCommunity, and commitment to academicexcellence. Mount Michael chose Tuscany as theirtheme for its 22nd Annual Night of Knights dinnerand silent auction to showcase the timeless charm andalluring splendor of Mount Michael, Nebraska’s bestkept secret. Night of Knights, Knights in Tuscany, isset for Saturday, April 9th, 2011. Guests can expect tobe transported to the Tuscan countryside right hereon Mount Michael’s campus.Co-chairs Dr. Bill and Mrs. Deb Thomas, Abbot Michael Liebl, O.S.B., HonoraryChairs Dr. Robert and Mrs. Susan Recker, Director of Development Mrs. KimberlyVolpone, School Board President Ms. Mary KayMiller, Abbot Raphael Walsh, O.S.B., andCo-chair Mrs. Cindy Engel.Knights22nd AnnualTuscanyinPhotos by Father DanSave the Dates!December 201019 Breakfast with SantaApril 20119 22nd Annual Nightof KnightsCheck our website for updates!www.mountmichael.com.Abbot Raphael Walsh,O.S.B., Co-Chairs Mr.Brian and Mrs. CindyEngel and Dr. Bill andMrs. Deb ThomasJune 20113 DJ Sokol Memorial AlumniGolf Classic4 Alumni ReunionJuly 20119-10 Mount Michael AlumniService Retreat11

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGEP A I DMAIL U.S.A.A Quarterly Publication ofMOUNT Mount Michael MICHAEL Benedictine BENEDICTINE Abbey ABBEY & SCHOOL22520 Mount Michael Road • Elkhorn, NE 68022-3400Phone 402-289-2541Abbot Rt. Rev. Michael Liebl, O.S.B.School PresidentAbbot Raphael Walsh, O.S.B.Director of DevelopmentKimberly Volpone A. VolponeSchool PrincipalTom RidderDirector of AdmissionsEric CrawfordMICHAELEEN Michaeleen StaffEditorAmanda ErwinMonastic EditorRev. Richard Thell, O.S.B.Publishing EditorsMary Cormier, Michele WhitakerFather John Hagemann, O.S.B.Brother Luke Clinton, O.S.B.Brother August Schaefer, O.S.B.Mount Michael DirectoryMount Michael ChapelAlumni AssociationVisitors are always welcomeFor information about meetings/events or toDaily Mass 7:15am • Sunday Mass 9:30amreport news: 402-253-0953Saturday 8:00amalumni@mountmichael.orgLiturgy of the Hours (Monday-Saturday) World Wide WebMorning Praise 6:30amwww.mountmichael.org (Abbey)Noon Day Prayer 11:45amwww.mountmichael.com www.mountmichaelhs.org (School)Vespers 5:15pmwww.mountmichael.net (Alumni)Night Prayer (In the Abbey) 7:00pmPrayer Needs and Spiritual DirectionSt. Benedict Guest HouseAbbot Theodore, O.S.B., 402-206-2089Gift Shop/Lunches/Teas/DessertSchool AdmissionsDay RetreatsEric Crawford, 402-253-0946Br. Jerome Kmiecik, 402-206-2069admissions@mountmichael.orgVocation MinistryDevelopment OfficeFor information about monastic life:Kimberly Volpone, A. Volpone, 402-253-0964 402-253-0964Brother August, vocations@mountmichael.orgkvolpone@mountmichael.orgOblates of St. BenedictBr. Prior Jerome Richard Kmiecik, Thell, O.S.B., 402-289-2541 402-206-2069 x1002oblates@mountmichael.orgBOARD Board OF of DirectorsDIRECTORSWilliam J. BehrendtJude Beller ’92Eric Crawford ’00Robert D. GoldsmithLaura HickmanSara York Kenny, Ph.D.Thomas McKnight, M.D.Robert LanikRt. Rev. Michael Liebl, O.S.B. ’68Mary Kay MillerBrian Morrissey ’84Ravi Nath, Ph.D.Br. James Pope, O.S.B.Thomas RidderTodd RohwederRev. Louis Sojka, O.S.B. ’81Audrey SuingRev. Richard Thell, O.S.B.Kimberly A. VolponeRt. Rev. Raphael Walsh, O.S.B.Bernard J. Wilson, Jr. M.D. ’84Emeritus Peggy SokolIn thisIssue…6 8 10 11Jubilarians Teacher of the Year Nighthawks Knights in Tuscany