News Release: Retreat with Father Larry Gillick

The Rev. Larry Gillick, SJ, will present a retreat titled, We Live by Faith, but not by Insight at Saint Benedict Center, four miles north of Schuyler, on April 29 – May 2, 2021. This Ignatian Silent Retreat will offer those participating the invitation to intimate prayer. There will be scripture-based conferences with plenty of time for hearing and listening. The presentations will not be a workshop or lecture series, rather encouragements for being available to the Risen Jesus seeking to comfort his friends. Reverent silence will surround us while we allow God to pray around and within us. 

Jesuit Father Larry Gillick was ordained a priest in 1972. His former assignments include Spiritual Director for the younger Jesuits, Rector of the Jesuit Community at Creighton Prep in Omaha, and Superior of Mulumba House.  He currently serves as Director of the Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality at Creighton University.  He is a sought after retreat master around the country and spiritual director of students, faculty, alumni at Creighton University, and people from far and wide.

The retreat begins on Thursday, at 5:45 p.m. and ends on Sunday after Lunch.The program fee is $80; room and board charges are additional.

Spring Newsletter

Dear Friends,

“Lord, teach us to pray.” The disciples of Jesus had seen him pray at deserted places and even during his ministry. Thus, the wish grew in them that Jesus would instruct them on what to say in prayer and on how to pray. In response, Jesus teaches them the Our Father and he tells them the parable of the friend who will be sure to fulfill the request of his friend even if he has to rouse the whole family at midnight (Luke 11:5-8). He also tells them to pray to God as a Father who will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:9-13). 

Life in Community, Donald Jackson and Aidan Hart, Copyright 2002 The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA.

Thus, we, too, can courageously present all our petitions to God. We do not have to be afraid to impose on God. We can urge God to fulfill our requests. That is what the story of the two friends tells us. We can pray to God with great trust because he is our Father who gives us good gifts, who fills us with his Holy Spirit and with his love.

This illumination of The Saint John’s Bible shows the early Christian community at prayer. We see Mary and the apostles gathered in the Upper Room where they awaited the gift of the Holy Spirit. We also see an altar with God’s Word and the Eucharistic Gifts, plus a table set for a meal. Folks of our time have joined the early Christian community.

We need one another in prayer and on our spiritual journey, especially after the past twelve months, which were so different and in many ways difficult for us. St. Benedict Center is open and we have scheduled new retreats. I would like to point out especially the one-day retreat on June 5 titled, Prayer in the Cave of the Heart: The Universal Call to Contemplation. The presenter is Prior Cyprian Consiglio from New Camaldoli Heritage in Big Sur, CA, who will show connections and differences between the contemplative traditions of the East and the West. 

For those on retreat, our new interactive state-of-the art displays are available. One features The Saint John’s Bible, the first hand written bible, commissioned by a Benedictine monastery in more than 500 years on approximately 1,150 pages and including 160 stunning illuminations. A second new display tells the story of our Missionary Benedictines monks and their work in four continents in evangelization, education and care for the people. On our website, you can have a first impression of the displays.

Saint Johns Bible Display

Benedictine Missionary Work Display

Monastic Way of Life Display (Not open to the public yet)

I am looking forward to seeing you again soon!

Fr. Thomas Leitner, OSB, Administrator    

Retreat on The Saint John’s Bible

The Rev. Michael Patella, OSB, will present a retreat titled, Encountering the Gospels in The Saint John’s Bible at Saint Benedict Center, four miles north of Schuyler, on Sunday, October 11, 2020. The images in the Gospel books of The Saint John’s Bible invite us to meet Christ and follow him in discipleship. With prayer and reflection, and by using the Bible’s calligraphy and illuminations, this retreat will guide participants to view new ways of understanding Christ’s call.

Fr. Michael Patella is a monk of St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, MN. He holds a license in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and a doctorate in Sacred Scripture from the École biblique et archéologique française in Jerusalem. Fr. Michael is a professor of New Testament at Saint John’s University and teaches in its School of Theology and Seminary, where he also serves as the seminary rector and director of the Holy Land Studies program. Fr. Michael has written in the area of Luke-Acts, Paul, Mark, and angelology. His work, Word and Image: the Hermeneutics of The Saint John’s Bible (Liturgical Press), addresses the theology, art, and interpretation of The Saint John’s Bible. Father Michael has numerous publications, and is currently writing on the Gospel of Luke for the New Jerome Biblical Commentary. He has also supplied many reflections for Give Us This Day, a daily prayer book published by the Liturgical Press. Father Michael is a member of the Catholic Biblical Association and the Society of Biblical Literature. He chaired the Committee on Illumination and Text, a group of artists, theologians and biblical scholars, which guided the planning and production of The Saint John’s Bible, together with Donald Jackson, its artistic director.

The retreat begins with Mass and blessing of The Saint John’s Bible display at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m.

News Release: Retreat with Father Volker Futter, OSB

The Rev. Volker Futter, OSB, will present a retreat titled, How Can We Live a Balanced Life in the Midst of the Manifold Demands of Everyday Living? at Saint Benedict Center, four miles north of Schuyler, on September 17 – 20, 2020. In his Rule, St. Benedict gives us some helpful hints for how to find the right balance between prayer, work, human relationships and rest. Benedict encourages us to move from working without stopping to praying without ceasing and to the experience of God’s presence in all things.

Father Volker Futter, a Missionary Benedictine monk at Christ the King Priory, brings rich experience from pastoral ministry in numerous parishes around the country and in South Africa to his retreat work. He is the subprior and Oblate Director of Christ the King Priory.

The retreat begins on Thursday, at 6:00 p.m. and ends on Sunday after Lunch. The program fee is $80; room and board charges are additional.

Retreat for Health Care Providers and First Responders at St. Benedict Center

Deborah Sheehan, M.A., from Omaha and Patrick Davis, M.A., from­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ North Carolina will offer A Time Away for Health Care Providers and First Responders at St. Benedict Center, four miles north of Schuyler, on September 8 – 9, 2020. Health care providers and first responders are on the front line of care in dealing with the coronavirus. Long work hours, the suffering of patients and families, potential threat to their own life and family, uncertainty and little relief can take a toll on them in body, soul and spirit!

If you are a healthcare provider or first responder, we invite you to give yourself the gift of rest, relaxation and respite, a time to consider what these last months have meant for you. This retreat will be a space for paying deeper attention to what has happened beyond the surface details. What it has meant for you? What would be helpful for you going forward? Have there been blessings in the midst of this? This retreat will be a time to renew and recharge for the days ahead.

This retreat has been designed with your needs in mind. We have put together a team of very competent presenters. Plus, we found donors who will support this retreat financially so that we can offer it very reasonably for the total price of $50!   

Deborah Sheehan, M.A., is an adjunct lecturer in the Creighton University Christian Spirituality Program, as well as an experienced spiritual director and retreat director. She has worked in a variety of settings to help young people and adults deepen their understanding of embodied spirituality, including teaching and practicing BioSpiritual Focusing for over two decades.

Patrick Davis, M.A., is an adjunct teacher for emerging professionals in community colleges and has worked in a variety of health care settings. He has a private practice as a leadership and career coach for individuals in transition and is an experienced retreat leader with training in various forms of holistic health and bodywork. 

The Rev. Sally Carlson, Jane King, M.A., and Marisa Gilbert, M.A., will also be available for spiritual direction.

The program begins on Tuesday, 9:00 a.m., and closes on Wednesday after lunch. Attendance is limited to fifteen participants! Please register here or call St. Benedict Center at 402-352-8819 for more information.

Summer Newsletter

Dear Friends,

It is nice that St. Benedict Center is open again and can serve its purpose of being an oasis of peace, prayer, reflection and renewal for many. It is still quieter than it usually is when we are open. This gives us much time to attend to all that is needed for keeping everyone safe.

Among the upcoming programs, I would like point you especially once again to the retreat on July 10 – 12, which Wil Hernandez, Ph.D., a spiritual author, Benedictine Oblate and expert on Henri Nouwen’s writings from California, will direct on Zoom. You can attend the retreat either while staying at St. Benedict Center or from your own home.

Also, I would like to point out the one-day retreat on August 1 with our prior, Fr. Joel Macul, OSB, S.T.L. The topic is the message of the Prophet Amos which is so topical at a time when in this country we are reminded in a painful way of our original sin of racism and injustice. Amos can help us, Fr. Joel says, “to name where God wants his mercy to work justice.”      

For your inspiration and reflection about the human relationships in your life I would like to offer you another podcast by Fr. Mauritius Wilde, OSB, in which he speaks about Encountering Foreign Worlds with The Little Prince. Fr Mauritius was the prior at our monastery till 2016. – I am looking forward to seeing you again soon!

Fr. Thomas

St. Benedict Center is Now Open

Dear Friends,

St. Benedict Center reopened yesterday and I am happy that we will see many of you again before long. We have been busy getting ready for reopening by rearranging furniture for social distancing, reorganizing the food service and more. We will continue and step up our disinfection practices throughout the facility. Everyone’s safety is our top priority. Please click here for more information.

Besides the retreats that take place in the traditional fashion, we will offer occasionally now also retreats and programs via the Internet through Zoom. The first one of them will take place on July 12-14, 2020. Wil Hernandez will not come to Schuyler. Instead, he will conduct his retreat on Henri Nouwen on Zoom (see below). You have the option of either participating at the Center or joining it via Zoom anywhere you are in the world in your own home. Zoom Capacity is limited to 50 participants (first come, first served basis). All the best and many blessings during these summery days!

Fr. Thomas

St. Benedict Center Reopening

Dear Friends,

“When will you open your doors at St. Benedict Center again?” – “I truly missed this retreat which I have attended annually for many years.” Questions and Comments like these were frequent in your letters and messages during the past weeks. It is nice to sense that you miss coming to this place; and we miss you! Here is the good news: Starting on June 1 we will be open again!

We will go about reopening with caution and great concern for everyone’s health and safety. We ask those who have a health problem or are older to wait for a while yet before coming. The number of the people in the conference rooms will be limited in keeping with the orders of the health department. You will be required to wear a mask when you are indoors and around other people as a sign of respect for your health and the health of others. Six foot social distancing will be observed in conference rooms and throughout the facility. We are continuing and stepping up our disinfection practices. Meals will be served by the kitchen personnel. In the dining area, tables and seating will be in conformity with social distancing and number allowed.

Even after June 1, we will continue to live stream our Masses and some of the Liturgy of the Hours at the priory. Please join us. – Also, please share your prayer intentions with us on our website. We read them and make them our own. – For your inspiration and reflection about the human relationships in your life, I would like to offer you a podcast by Fr. Mauritius Wilde, OSB, in which he speaks about Encountering Foreign Worlds with The Little Prince. Fr Mauritius was the prior at our monastery till 2016. – I am looking forward to seeing you again soon!

Fr. Thomas

Updates from St. Benedict Center

Dear Friends,

“I believe that God can bring forth good out of evil, even out of the greatest evil” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer). The coronavirus crisis is stressful and challenging for most of us professionally, economically, in regard of human relationships… However, we can also find good in this situation. Overall I have more time for prayer and spiritual reading at the moment. We learn how to work with others and to stay in touch with them though Zoom, Skype, and Facebook Messenger. Parents say they are spending more quality time with their children. Watching a live streamed Mass together at home and praying together in the family creates an atmosphere of domestic church that some have not known before.

During the Easter Season, the readings at Mass are frequently taken from the Acts of the Apostles. One illumination of The Saint John’s Bible titled, Life in Community depicts the early Christian church in Jerusalem as described in Acts 4:32-35. On top it shows Christ in the mandorla, the overlap area of two circles, as so often in early Christianity. In him the divine and the human circle overlap and are at one. He, the Risen One is with us consoling us, bestowing His peace upon us and guiding us. In the semicircle around the table we see Mary, the apostles and other folks, including a man in a Middle Eastern tunic and vest to the left and a woman wearing a Guatemalan skirt on the right. All are welcome in his company. There is food and drink on the table. At the center, there is an altar with of bread and wine and also with a book representing Holy Scripture. When we are gathered in his name, Christ can feed us with the Eucharistic gifts, but also with his living word.

Last Friday we received the good news from Governor Ricketts that starting next Monday many of you will be able to go to church again. The requirement of social distancing will continue, however, which will limit the number of people who can be in a particular church space. And not everybody is advised to go to Mass, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions better stay at home. Here at the priory we will continue to life stream our Masses and some of the Liturgy of the Hours. Please join us. On our website, you can share your prayer intentions with us. We read them and make them our own. I wish all of us may experience the presence of the Risen Lord when we are gathered with others in his name, in person or remotely, and that we can, like the early apostles, give witness to the power of the Resurrection, of His new life, within us and among us.

I wish you could be here and see everything in bloom around the lake at St. Benedict Center. We will let you know when we are ready to re-open this facility! I am looking forward to seeing you again soon!

Fr. Thomas

A Spring Prayer from Fr. Thomas

Spring Newsletter

Dear Friends,

I wish all of you a blessed and joyful Easter, in spite of and in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic! Easter Sunday morning was stormy here on the hill. We ignited a fire in the monastery courtyard and from it were able to light a little candle in a lantern with which our prior, Fr. Joel, carried the Easter light inside, to the Easter Candle. There Fr. Adam sang the Lumen Christi three times and we monks lit our own candles from the Easter Candle. The light of Christ dispelled the darkness, also in our hearts.

To me one of the most touching Easter stories is the encounter of Mary Magdalene with Jesus. Magdalene had experienced more strongly than others what St. Paul would later describe: “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus had driven seven demons out of her (Luke 8:2). She had become a completely new person through his word and his company. She and Mary, the mother of Jesus, had been among the few who had remained close to Jesus even during his passion and death. Now, according to the Gospel of John (20:11-18), she is the first to meet the Risen One. At first she does not recognize him in his risen, transformed body. Then he addresses her by name: Mary!

This moment is captured in this illumination of The Saint John’s Bible. We see Jesus from behind, robed in royal purple. His light is reflected on her face. Her hand that reaches out to him has become translucent. Her response, Rabbouni, ‘Teacher,’ is written besides her in its Aramaic form. Fading into the background, we see the three crosses of the crucifixion on the left and the empty tomb with the two angels on the right. Jesus’ words to Mary are written above: “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to my Father.”

I wish all of us may experience during this Easter Season the light, the closeness, the joy and the peace of the Risen Jesus. May we, like Mary Magdalene, the Apostle of the Apostles, become witnesses of the Resurrection and of God’s New Life in us, through who we are and through what we do – even though, as it was with Magdalene, physical touch has to be replaced these days often by different gestures of affection, love and caring for others!

At St. Benedict Center, our work on our new displays continues. In this picture you see how we are putting power and data cables into the floor which will be needed at the interactive globe in the current seating area of the Center’s lobby. There a person will be able to learn about our Missionary Benedictine work of evangelization and service all-over the world.

I am looking forward to seeing you again soon when we can re-open this facility!

Fr. Thomas Leitner, OSB

St. Benedict Center Updates

Dear Friends,

St. Benedict Center has been closed now for about two weeks due to COVID-19. We miss you here and also at the monastery where you cannot physically be present with us right now for the celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours. However, there are ways for us to stay connected. Most importantly, we can pray for one another. We monks need your prayer; and we lift you up in prayer to God, all your joys and concerns, all the challenges that you are dealing with at the moment. On our website, you can share your prayer intentions with us. We read them and make them our own. 

We also live stream most of our Masses, Evening Prayer (Vespers) and occasionally other prayer times on Facebook. Mass on Sundays is at 9:00 a.m., on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 11:15 a.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. in conjunction with Vespers. Vespers on Sundays is at 5:00 p.m., on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 6:00 p.m. Here you can find a printable version of the Liturgy of the Hour’s most current prayer time.

Another way of staying connected with us is through praying with the arts:  The art pieces at St. Benedict Center and the monastery invite you to an online tour on our website. Little reflections are given there as well that can guide you in your prayer. Please visit our oblate blog on this topic, too. While you are on the website you can also, if you have not done so yet, check out the new videos on the homepage. 

During times of suffering and uncertainty, it can help to hold something in hand that makes God’s faithful love and protection from the power of evil tangible and palpable for us. On our website we offer the St. Benedict Medal, which is a Sacramental of the Church. The medals are blessed according to the prescribed prayers and ritual. We provide medals as a ministry to promote the devotion to Saint Benedict. All medals are blessed by a Benedictine priest prior to shipping.

I’d like to update you on our display project. We have begun to prepare the space. The photo shows the area in which the seven volumes of The Saint John’s Bible’s Heritage Edition will be on permanent display for prayer and meditation and where one will also be able to learn about copying the bible by hand and illuminating it in the monastic tradition. Along with that, we are preparing new permanent displays on our Benedictine missionary work and on our Benedictine way of life. Installation is slated for June. This is the plan at least. We will keep you posted.

A last point: St. Benedict Center has no income during this time of closure. You can help us with our cash flow either by a donation to the Center or by purchasing a gift certificate for somebody to use at St. Benedict Center and so treating your spouse, parent, relative, friend or co-worker with a retreat or just time for themselves. We can list on the gift certificate whether it is for overnight accommodation(s), meals, and/or attendance at one or more of our sponsored programs. Or we can put a $$ amount on it for the recipient to use.

I am looking forward to seeing you again soon!  

Fr. Thomas Leitner, OSB 

Retreat with Father Mauritius Wilde

The Rev. Mauritius Wilde, OSB, Ph.D., will present a retreat titled, Sober and Merciful: Saint Benedict’s Journey of Mindfulness at Saint Benedict Center, four miles north of Schuyler, on March 27 – 29, 2020. [Please note: This retreat has now been rescheduled for January 29-31, 2021!] Saint Benedict suggests a way on which we will be able to let go of our “ego” – at least a little bit – and become open to the fullness of life. What he recommends to the Abbot of the monastery, is helpful for all: Sobriety not only of the stomach, but as a basic attitude of mindfulness. How can we courageously let go of thoughts, desires, and emotions, in order to face our own truth? How can we accept the reality of ourselves and become merciful to others? This retreat is an invitation to discover what God has in store for us every day.

Father Mauritius has been a Benedictine monk of Muensterschwarzach Abbey, Germany, since 1985. He studied Philosophy and Theology, and then earned his Ph.D. at Tuebingen University with a thesis on Meister Eckhart. He worked as teacher and educator at the abbey’s high school and, for eleven years, was the director of the abbey’s publishing house, Vier Tuerme Verlag. For five years he was the prior of Christ the King Priory near Schuyler. Currently he serves as prior at Sant’ Anselmo, the Benedictine study house in Rome, Italy. Fr. Mauritius is the author of several books, including Be Yourself: The Call of a Christian (Paulist), and directs retreats regularly. His blog can be found at wildemonk.net/about-mauritius-wilde. For his reflections on the Holy Rule of St. Benedict, listen to Spirit Catholic Radio or visit DiscerningHearts.com.

The retreat begins on Friday, at 7:30 p.m. and ends on Sunday after Lunch. The program fee is $70; room and board charges are additional.

News Release: Retreat with Father Larry Gillick

The Rev. Larry Gillick, SJ, will present a retreat titled, Listening in the Gardens at Saint Benedict Center, four miles north of Schuyler, on February 27 – March 1, 2020.

During these early days of Lent, we will pray with the three gardens of our Redemptive History. Lent is the time for personal and communal preparation for the renewal of our baptismal ordinations and life orientation. On this Ignatian Silent Retreat, there will be scripture-based conferences with plenty of time for hearing, listening and comforting of spirit. Reverent silence will surround us while we allow God to pray around and within us.

Fr. Larry Gillick, SJ

Jesuit Father Larry Gillick was ordained a priest in 1972. His former assignments include Spiritual Director for the younger Jesuits, Rector of the Jesuit Community at Creighton Prep in Omaha, and Superior of Mulumba House. He currently serves as Director of the Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality at Creighton University. He is a sought after retreat master around the country and spiritual director of students, faculty, alumni at Creighton University, and people from far and wide.

The retreat begins on Thursday, at 6:00 p.m. and ends on Sunday after Lunch. The program fee is $80; room and board charges are additional.

News Release: Retreat with The Saint John's Bible

Retreat with The Saint John’s Bible

Sower and the Seed, Aidan Hart, Copyright 2002, The Saint John's Bible, Saint John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA.

Brad Neary, M.A. from Seattle, WA, and Fr. Thomas Leitner, OSB, will present a retreat titled, Praying with The Saint John’s Bible at Saint Benedict Center, four miles north of Schuyler, on October 19 – 20, 2019. The Saint John’s Bible is the first handwritten, hand illuminated Bible in more than five hundred years, on approximately 1,150 pages and including 160 major illuminations. The Heritage Edition is a limited edition, fine art reproduction of the original and has engaged the world’s finest printing experts and binders to ensure faithful representation of the original manuscript. A copy of it had been donated to St. Benedict Center where it will be on perpetual display starting in 2020. On this weekend, you will get to know The Saint John’s Bible and receive help with practicing lectio divina with the text and visio divina with the stunning and inspiring images.

Brad Neary is the director of The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Program. He is responsible for collaborating with institutions in the western region of North America who express an interest in acquiring one of the 299 sets of the 7-volume Heritage Edition. Mr. Neary also serves as senior development officer for St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota. He holds a Master’s in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota and resides in Seattle, WA. Listen to one of his captivating presentations here.

Fr. Thomas Leitner, OSB holds a Master’s of Religious Studies from St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO, and serves as administrator of St. Benedict Center.

The retreat begins on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and ends on Sunday after lunch. The program fee is $ 50; room and board are additional. For more information call St. Benedict Center 402-352-8819 or register here.

Fall Newsletter from Fr. Thomas, OSB

Dear Friends,

A French diplomat, who had close contact with Pope John XXIII, was asked what impressed him the most with this pope. His witty and humorous response: “It is his big ears!” Pope John XXIII was a good listener.

Mary and Martha, Donald Jackson, Copyright 2002, The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA

So was Saint Benedict. He begins his Rule with a call to listening. We are meant to hear Christ when he speaks to us. We are meant to listen to him, not only with our physical ears, but with our hearts: “Incline the ear of your heart,” Benedict advises (Prologue 1). According to the Father of Western Monasticism, the voice of the Lord reaches us through Holy Scripture—and through people as well, each of whom could be a messenger of Christ to us. Benedict devotes his long Chapter 53 to hospitality: “All guests who present themselves should be received like Christ, for he himself will say: ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’” (Rule 53:1; Matthew 25:35). All guests: Openness to all people is characteristic for Benedictine hospitality, without selection, without social, political or religious prejudices. Benedict does, however, show a special fondness for the poor. “In them more particularly Christ is received” (53:15).

Part of hospitality is inviting the guests to prayer. The guests are taken into the Liturgy of the Hours, which is the center of the monks’ community life. Also, the monks are meant to show the guests every kindness, to make time for them, to sit down with them and to read Holy Scripture with them. This is an encounter at eye level. It is about exchanging experiences, not about instruction; it is about listening and sharing.

The guest is, according to Benedict, a gift of God to the community. He makes this point by having the community, in the presence of the guest, pray the Psalm verse: “God, we have received your mercy in the midst of your temple” (53:14; Psalm 47:10). A contemporary of Benedict, Cassiodorus, writes in an explanation of this verse: “We call Christ, the Lord, ‘mercy;’ in him, God has shown mercy to an orphaned world.” In the guest Christ, the mercy of God, comes and remains in the monastery. – At St. Benedict Center we are grateful to you, our guests; we try to listen to you and to serve you in the spirit of St. Benedict.

Among the upcoming programs I would like to point out to you especially those related to our permanent exhibit of The Saint John’s Bible’s Heritage Edition which will open early next year: the presentation by Tim Ternes from Collegeville, MN, on September 10, and the retreat on Praying with the Saint John’s Bible on October 19 – 20. – I am looking forward to seeing you again soon!

Fr. Thomas Leitner, OSB, Administrator

News Release: Marriage Enrichment Retreat at Saint Benedict Center

On September 7 – 8, 2019, Jim and Maureen Otremba will come to St. Benedict Center, four miles north of Schuyler, and present a retreat for married couples titled, Gifts and Fruits: Cultivating a Spirit-Filled Marriage. Come join these veteran facilitators as they examine the transformation which comes when couples accept and live out the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Each couple will be empowered with tools and practices that will bless their marriage with new and abundant fruit. Includes talks, personal and couple reflection time, Mass and Reconciliation.

Jim and Maureen Otremba have been married since 1995 and have been part-time stay-at-home parents since 1999. They are the parents of 10 children, 7 in Heaven and three on earth. They are frequent presenters of retreats and workshops for couples, deacons and their wives, and lay ministers around the U.S. Both hold Master’s degrees in Catholic theology and have appeared on EWTN. Maureen is an adjunct instructor in theology at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, MN. She has held a variety of Catholic ministry positions including working with youth and adults. Jim also holds a Master of Science in Applied Psychology, is finishing his doctorate in psychology, and is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in Minnesota. He is the owner of a state licensed mental health clinic in MN. Jim is a regular guest on national Catholic Radio (Relevant Radio). Together they bring their personal and professional teachings to thousands of Catholics each year throughout the U.S. through workshops, Catholic workbooks, and retreats. They created www.catholicfamilyresources.com to empower and equip Catholic families to live out their baptismal calling to holiness.

The retreat runs from Saturday 9:00 a.m. to Sunday after lunch. The program fee is $ 70 per couple. Room and board are additional. Register at www.StBenedictCenter.com or call St. Benedict Center 402-352-8819.

Kathleen Norris to Speak at Saint Benedict Center

On June 28 - 29, 2019, award-winning poet, writer, and best-selling author Kathleen Norriswill come to St. Benedict Center, four miles north of Schuyler, and speak on the topic of Seeking God Together.On Friday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m. she will give an evening presentation, followed by discussion and sharing.  On Saturday, June 29, she will present from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

“Whether he truly seeks God”—this is the criterion in the Rule of Saint Benedict (58:7) for the novice master in regard of a person who wants to become a monk. Seeking God leads all of us beyond superficiality to what matters. Seeking God is not only an individual pursuit, but must be anchored in one’s local community. This means a constant struggle between freedom and obedience, listening and asserting oneself, possessing and letting go, clinging to stability and embracing change. Kathleen Norris will present stories of her own seeking God, as well as those of monastics, and invite participants to bring their own stories to share. Some reviewers have compared Norris’ portrait of the world of the monastics to the writings of Thomas Merton. Her presentations will be at once intimate and historical, rich in poetry and meditations, brimming with exasperation and reverence, deeply grounded in both nature and spirit, sometimes funny, often provocative and always important.

Norris is the author of The New York Timesbestsellers, Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith,Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, The Cloister Walk, Acedia and Me: A Marriage, Monks and a Writer’s Life, and The Virgin of Bennington.  Shealso has published seven books of poetry.  Norris also appears on the DVD and companion book project titled Embracing a Life of Meaning: Kathleen Norris on Discovering What Matters. Kathleen Norris is a Benedictine Oblate of Assumption Abbey in Richardton, North Dakota. Widowed in 2003, she resides in Hawaii. She travels to the mainland regularly for speaking engagements.    

The program fee is $ 60, for Friday only it is $ 20; for Saturday only it is $ 40. On Saturday, lunch is available at the Center for $ 10.76 (includes tax), if you pay for it BEFORE the program starts.  Guest rooms are available at St. Benedict Center for the night from Friday to Saturday.  Room and board charges will be added to the program fee. Register at www.StBenedictCenter.comor call 402-352-8819.

St. Benedict Center Summer Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Throughout the Easter Season, the Liturgy offers us readings from the Acts of the Apostles. Hearing these I marvel ever anew about how these apostles, without much education and not trained in public speaking, gave their witness to Christ who had suffered the terrible death on the cross but who lives and who is for us the "leader to life" (Act 3:15). That's perhaps the best translation of the Greek archegon tes zoes in the speech that Peter gave in the temple after he had healed the blind beggar in Jesus' name. Dangers and persecution cannot stop the apostles! Their own personal prayer supports them, as well as the prayer of the Christian community.

The starting point of this amazing and wonderful dynamism was the experience of Pentecost when the live-giving force of the Holy Spirit had transformed their hearts. We, too, need the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is not sufficient to pray for it once a year only. We need it daily in order for us to learn how to love as Jesus loved and to keep his commandments and his word as he desires.

Pope Paul VI once asked the question: "What is the greatest need of the Church?" He answered: "The Church's first and greatest need is to live Pentecost. The Spirit is the Church's mystery and life. It is he who animates and sanctifies the Church. The Spirit is her divine breath, the wind in her sails, the inner font of her light and strength. The Holy Spirit is her source of charism and song, her peace and joy. The Church needs her perennial Pentecost. She needs fire in her heart, words on her lips, and prophecy in her outlook. If we really love the Church the main thing we must do is to foster in her a new outpouring of the Divine Spirit."

Our greatest need as a Christian people, especially at this challenging time for our Church, is a continual Pentecost, an interior Pentecost. We need to live Pentecost. The Fire still falls. The Breath of God is still given. The Living Water is still poured out. Come, Spirit of God!

Throughout the year, St. Benedict Center is a good place where we can pray in this sense, like Mary and the disciples in the upper room, for the promised and always surprising gift of the Holy Spirit. Often people tell me that they experienced the presence and the working of the Holy Spirit in one of the many retreats that take place at St. Benedict Center. - I wish you blessed summer months and am looking forward to seeing you again soon!

Fr. Thomas Leitner, OSB, Administrator

Kathleen Norris to Speak at Saint Benedict Center

On June 28 - 29, 2019, award-winning poet, writer, and best-selling author Kathleen Norriswill come to St. Benedict Center, four miles north of Schuyler, and speak on the topic of Seeking God Together. On Friday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m., she will give an evening presentation, followed by discussion and sharing. On Saturday, June 29, she will present from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Genuine spirituality is not an individual pursuit, but must be anchored in one’s local community. This means a constant struggle between freedom and obedience, listening and asserting oneself, possessing and letting go, clinging to stability and embracing change. Spiritual formation is part of life, not only for monastics but for married couples, parents, children, members of faith communities. But formation is difficult, and demands that we be accountable to others. Kathleen Norris believes that one reason many people resist joining groups is that they fear losing their individual freedom. Such freedom is illusory, however, and leaves us susceptible to narcissism and materialism. Norris will be bringing stories of her own formation, as well as those of monastic people, and invite participants to bring their own stories to share. Her presentations will be at once intimate and historical, rich in poetry and meditations, brimming with exasperation and reverence, deeply grounded in both nature and spirit, sometimes funny, often provocative and always important.

Norris is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, The Cloister Walk, Acedia and Me: A Marriage, Monks and a Writer’s Life, Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith and The Virgin of Bennington. She also has published seven books of poetry. Some reviewers have compared her portrait of the world of the monastics in The Cloister Walk to the writings of Thomas Merton. Norris also appears on the DVD and companion book project titled, Embracing a Life of Meaning: Kathleen Norris on Discovering What Matters. Kathleen Norris is a Benedictine Oblate of Assumption Abbey in Richardton, North Dakota. Widowed in 2003, she resides in Hawaii. She travels to the mainland regularly for speaking engagements.

The program fee is $ 60, for Friday only it is $ 20; for Saturday only it is $ 40. Early bird rate for bothFriday and Saturday (register before May 24) is $ 55. On Saturday, lunch is available at the Center for $ 10.76 (includes tax), if you pay for it BEFORE the program starts. Guest rooms are available at St. Benedict Center for the night from Friday to Saturday. Room and board charges will be added to the program fee. Register at www.StBenedictCenter.com or call 402-352-8819.