Dear Friends,
Twenty-five years ago, St. Benedict Center opened its doors! The first overnight groups and private retreatants came in June. On July 11, 1997, the Feast of Saint Benedict, the center, and its chapel was solemnly dedicated. Later in July, Sr. Rosann Ocken, the current prioress of our Missionary Benedictine Sisters in Norfolk, NE, offered the first sponsored one-day retreat titled, Anger: Changing Curse into Blessing. Milestones since then were an addition with 16 single guest rooms, three spiritual direction rooms, and an exercise room in 2005, and the completion of our new permanent displays of The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition and on our worldwide missionary work in 2020.
This anniversary fills my heart with much gratitude. The Lord has done such great things at this place in the hearts of so many throughout these years! As a retreat leader, spiritual director, and confessor, I have been privileged to experience the goodness of so many people, their sincere seeking of God, their perseverance in their faith and their strength in dealing with numerous challenges.
At the dedication, our abbot at the time from our German motherhouse, Fr. Fidelis Ruppert, Ph.D., spoke in his keynote address about Benedictine hospitality. Saint Benedict writes in his Rule: “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ for he himself will say, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” The dignity of the guest is the dignity of Christ. The guests are to be offered food and drink, but they also need nourishment for soul and spirit, which satisfies their hunger for love and acceptance, their hunger for God and peace of heart, their hunger and longing for orientation, and a deeper understanding of life and love. Fr. Fidelis continued, “Saint Benedict’s hospitality should be like an oasis in the desert of life, where people can find spring waters of new life and a place of rest and relaxation in the shadow of God’s presence.”
In St. Benedict Center’s kitchen, we have a very good new team under the leadership of Bradley Weber and Andrew Janousek. Brad worked even as a schoolboy in the kitchen of Mark and Patty who have now retired. – Plus, excellent food for the soul continues to be available here on the hill. Among our upcoming sponsored retreat offerings, I’d like to point you, especially to the weekend about mindfulness, sobriety, and mercy on July 29 – 31 with our former prior Fr. Mauritius Wilde, OSB, Ph.D., who comes to us from Rome, Italy. – I am looking forward to seeing you again soon!
Fr. Thomas Leitner
OSB, Administrator