Dear Oblates,

The figure of Saint Scholastica is invariably associated with the one instance in the Book II of the Dialogues of Gregory the Great, where she is able through her intense prayer to bring on the torrents of rain that kept her brother Benedict from returning to his monastery for the night and instead engaging in spiritual dialogue. This story does help us to recognize how intertwined the life of Scholastica was with that of her brother.  It seems that she accompanied him from their home in Norcia to the monasteries at Subiaco and then on to Monte Cassino, where we know she was superior of a house of religious women. For me, it shows the complementarity of the male and female and, for all of St. Benedict’s withdrawal from worldly pursuits, his faithful contact with family and the fusion of their spiritual call to serve God alone.  May we celebrate Scholastica’s feast with gratitude for how she fills out the call we all have from God.

On the subject of St. Benedict, I would like to remind you that we will have our next Oblate meeting on Sunday, February 15, at 3:30 pm in the Abbey Day Room. I would like to speak on the Rule of Benedict and how it continues to serve as a reliable guide for not only professed Benedictines, but all followers of Christ.  This will be in conjunction with a series of reflections I am giving that will appear weekly on YouTube and Facebook on Marmion Abbey’s website.  I need to add that I will have copies of the Lenten Bona Opera available at that meeting.  I will also have an attachment to this e-mail for all who cannot attend the meeting for the Bona Opera.

Continuing on the track of St. Benedict, I am pleased to report that there will be a special Oblate Summer Studium Program at the Benedictine Abbey of Sant’Anselmo in Rome this summer from July 5-25.  This program is run by our Fr. Eusebius.  Anyone who may be interested can contact me and I can provide further details.

I was fortunate to have been in attendance this past week at the annual Abbots workshop, held this year for the first time in the Abbey of Tepeyac in Mexico City. One of the talks given at the meeting was by Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder.  Abbot Jeremias let us know of the extensive plans for the upcoming Jubilee of St. Benedict in 2029, one that will commemorate the 1500th anniversary of Benedict coming to Monte Cassino and writing his Rule there.  I will have further information on different events that are in place in advance of that jubilee celebration. Abbot Primate Jeremias also announced that there is now a designated Office of Benedictine Oblates in Rome that will coordinate events and resources and that will appear on the Confederation website.

Speaking of websites, I encourage you to go to www.facebook.com/marmionvocations to check out the recent videos of Jesse Weiler on the Marmion monks and their work.  I can also put in a plug for our Spanish language school in Guatemala.  We have a varietyof people from the States who will be there this summer for the study of Spanish. If you are interested, you can find information on our Abbey website www.marmionabbey.orgunder Apostolates and Guatemala.

Your prayers are requested for our Fr. Frederick. In addition to undergoing dialysis, he has had two hospital visits in the last weeks.  One was to remove some growths from his thyroid and the most recent was to cauterize two ulcers in the area of his esophagus and stomach.  He is still seeking a kidney donor. I ask that you remember the soul of Oblate Patricia Poss, who died in Rockford on Jan. 15. Pat was Secretary to several Heads of School at the Academy, from Fr. Joseph through Fr. Basil, for over forty years. Prayers go out too for Oblate Don DeVale, who suffered a severe stroke on Sunday, Feb. 8. I anointed him on Monday, Feb. 9.  He is at Edwards Hospital in Naperville. Please pray for him and for all the oblates who carry health problems.

We are anticipating an Oblate meeting for Sunday, March 15.  For those who are looking for a Lenten space for prayer and quiet that day, I invite you to come and spend the time after Mass and through the meeting and Vespers at the Abbey.  Our next meetings will be on April 19 and May 17, the third Sundays of both months.  Please reserve that May Sunday as the one that will serve as Oblate profession and renewal of oblation.

I want to take this opportunity to express thanks to those oblates who have faithfully served as lectors, Tom Stanfa, Nick Gordon and Jim L’Allier; to Jodi Patel and her husband Jay for their help with the Sunday collection, and for those who have generously offered livery service to monks.

May the Lord keep us in his care and have us enter the Lenten season with hearts and minds renewed.

In Christ,

Abbot Joel, O.S.B.
Oblate Director   

Abbey Historical Dates: On Feb. 14, 1970, the Abbey Chapter votes to close the Lake Street Campus of the Academy and merge with the Resident Campus on Butterfield Rd.

Baptism of the Lord

Dear Oblates,

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord that closes the liturgical season of Christmas is not only a turning point in our liturgical year as we pass to Ordinary Time, but also an appropriate time for us to consider our own baptism and its meaning for our life of faith and our call.  The Prologue to the Rule of Benedict is based upon a baptismal homily whose purpose is to enliven and reinforce the baptismal promises that we all make and renew each year.  I am especially pleased this year that at our Academy a number of our students (nine at last count!) have asked to be received into the Church at the Easter Vigil.  This is of a piece with reports we have received from throughout the world of rising numbers of young people seeking to receive the sacraments of initiation.  This reflects, I think, the unmistakable desire of so many to have a central core of spiritual commitment in their lives.  May those of us who have received those sacraments of initiation give evidence of our gratefulness for our solidarity of faith and firmness of commitment as we live out our baptismal promises. 

The Abbey was blessed with a quiet and unified celebration of the Christmas Octave and the remainder of the Christmas liturgical season.  Brother Bruno was back from Conception Abbey for that time.  He returned to Conception yesterday.  The monks were also blessed with no major illnesses or medical emergencies. Perhaps the most notable change for people wanting news of the Abbey is the appearance of our new website (to be found at marmionabbey.org) just before Christmas.  There is an oblate section on the Abbey webpage. Alumnus Jesse Weiler, who has assisted the Abbey these past months in producing videos for social media and for  promoting vocations, will be the principal overseer of this site and is already improving it from its original “redo” by the Maclyn Marketing Agency.

Since I mention Jesse Weiler, I am pleased to announce that Jesse has agreed to give a presentation at the next Oblate meeting on Sunday, JANUARY 18^th, at 3:30 pm in the Abbey Library. Jesse will talk about the response he has received to the various videos of monastic life at Marmion and his plan to use social media.  I hope to have a Zoom invite for those who cannot attend.  Looking ahead, we can anticipate our February meeting for the third Sunday, Feb. 15.

It seems that this winter is a time of bringing a lot of the infrastructure of the abbey in an aging building up to code.  We have replaced our dishwasher, which has been operating since 1987.  We have a generator that is on its last legs (it has been with us since 1994) and will soon have a new one installed.  We have decided to close a walk-in freezer used by our kitchen for 75 years with two upright refrigerators and expect to have big savings in our electricity bill as a result.  We are also in the process this spring of replacing our HVAC system in the rooms of the monastery.  The present system is over thirty years old and to make any repairs has become prohibitive.  Lastly, our Alarm Detection System for fire, installed in the early 90s, is also outdated and needs an entirely new panel and wiring.  Fortunately, we have been able to undertake these ventures because of the recent sale of our properties, and we hope that they will last for a long time.  I should mention how invaluable Tim O’Brien, our Abbey Project Manager, has been in all this. He has steered us through much of the planning and paperwork. 

I can tell you Abbot Primate Jeremias Schroeder is planning another World Congress of Oblates in Rome in the near future. Once those plans are fixed I, will communicate them to you. 

Congratulations go to Oblate Jeana Bicknell, who took part in the latest Kairos Retreat in the Academy.  Each retreat has room for several adults, so in the future let me know if there are oblates who would be interested in making a Kairos retreat.

As always, there are prayers needed for various oblates.  Please keep Oblate Rich Phelan in prayer.  He had a lung transplant in August at Northwestern Hospital.  Since then he has dealt with a series of medical problems, the latest being a stress fracture in his back. He is presently at Marianjoy in Wheaton doing rehab.  Please keep him and his family in prayer. 

One of the regular boosts of support for me the last weeks has been spending time with the homilies and reflections of our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV.  His insights and exhortations on the Church and the world have been most compelling.  I encourage you to spend some time with him and also with the Word of the Lord in lectio divina as we enter this new year.

In Christ,

Abbot Joel, OSB

Dates in Marmion History: January 14, 1947: The St. Meinrad Abbey Chapter votes to make Marmion an independent Abbey

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Dear Oblates,

The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception evokes many connections with the Abbey.

As members of the Swiss-American Congregation, we recognize Mary in her Immaculate Conception, as the Patroness of our Congregation. We also recognize her as the Patroness of the Rockford Diocese and the United Sates of America. Those of you who have visited the National Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., know of how prominent a symbol that is.  I should add that Marmion Abbey has had symbols of Marian devotion throughout our campus.  At the Abbey we have in the Lady Chapel of the Abbey Church the statue of Our Lady of Einsiedeln, along with our stained-glass windows with episodes of Mary’s life. Northeast of the Abbey, we have a statue of Our Lady of Fatima that came from our Lake Street Campus.  Just east of the Nagel Emporium we have a statue of Our Lady of the Rosary with a path for a walking rosary.  At the Academy we have an outdoor Marian statue at the entrance to Yender Hall. Over the years the Abbey has promoted devotion to Mary, as have so many other Benedictine monasteries throughout the world.  Along with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12, may we give thanks for the presence and power of the Blessed Virgin in our life of faith as model and guide. 

Winter always seems to increase the number of people with illness that we commend to God.  At the Abbey we have had several monks in need of surgery.  December 1, Fr. Vincent received a pacemaker that was recommended by his cardiologist.  The surgery was successful.  On Dec. 2, Fr. Frederick underwent an emergency hernia surgery that was also successful.  On Dec. 16 and 17 Fr. Nathanael will undergo two surgeries, one to remove two stones in his bile duct and one to remove his gall bladder.  Please pray for the success of these surgeries. 

I also want to commend to prayer some of our oblates: After a number of physical setbacks, Don and Bonita DeVale are moving to an elder care facility in Woodridge.  Please pray for a smooth transition.  We will miss having them close by.  Ophelia Hernandez has had a bad case of bronchitis the past week and is improving.  We need her “at her post” and healthy as the Academy receptionist.  Jim L’Allier has been dealing with a bad case of sciatica and Anne Stanfa continues to try and manage multiple medical problems that continue from long Covid. 

There is sad news with respect to the passing of three oblates of the Abbey within ten days in November.  Joseph Croce, a former monk of the Abbey, and one of our oldest oblates, died in his apartment in New York City November 20 at the age of 94.  Joe lived in Aurora for most of his adult life and has left the Abbey a trove of his professional photographs of the Abbey Church.  Alice White, a mother of several Marmion Academy graduates and a close friend of many at the Abbey, died in Aurora on November 12, at the age of 90.  The final death recorded was that of Peter Koehler. Pete was a 1969 graduate of the Academy and a very active oblate.  He had a series of serious health issues in recent years.  He died on November 20 at the age of 74.  His funeral liturgy was at the Abbey on December 3 and he was buried in the Abbey cemetery next to his wife and fellow oblate, Grace. May the Lord welcome them all into His kingdom.

I want to remind you of our upcoming Gaudete Sunday dinner with the monks. We will have an oblate meeting at 4:15 pm this Sunday, Dec. 14.  You are reminded that we you and your spouse are welcome to join us for Vespers, Benediction and dinner. If you have not yet relayed to me your intention to come, please do so ASAP. Recall that you are invited to bring either a salad or dessert in a disposable dish.  Those can be dropped off in the Abbey kitchen just inside the north entrance to the Abbey between 3:45-4:15 on Sunday afternoon.

Some oblates have asked about our Christmas schedule.  Mass on Christmas Eve will be at 9:00 pm, with a carol service beginning at 8:30.  Mass on January 1 will be at 11:00 am.  The time for all other Masses will be at 11:20 for weekdays, 8:30 for Saturdays, and 11:00 for the Sunday within the Octave. 

I want to take this opportunity to send my wishes and that of the entire Marmion Abbey community for an Advent and Christmas season that is filled with God’s blessings and that you will celebrate the Lord’s coming with the same joy and peace that were in the greeting of the angels to the shepherds at the birth of Jesus.

In Christ,

 +Joel

Dates in Abbey History: December 9, 1969 – Fr. Mark Hogan is elected as the second abbot of Marmion Abbey