Volume 38 Number 9 September 9, 2009
News of Members
Father Brendan Rolling, director of Benedictine College Mission and Ministry, was celebrant of a Mass in the Abbey church, at the conclusion of new student arrival day in August. The head count at that Mass was 1,120 persons, perhaps a record tally. When David Sedeno returned home, he wrote a column for the Texas Catholic, reflecting on his experience at this Mass. This text, offering compliment to BC and Father Brendan in particular, is published in the Sept. 8 issue, at http://www.texascatholic.com/default.asp?IsDev=False&NodeId=820
Father Joaquim Carlos Carvalho, Business Manager of St. Joseph Priory in Mineiros, Goiás, Brazil, received Aug. 20, in an extraordinary session of the State Legislative Assembly (State of Goiás in Central Brazil), the highest distinction of this House. The distinction is called The Pedro Ludovico Teixeira Medal, created by the Governor of Goiás in 1997 to award civil, military and church leaders for outstanding service in society. Pedro Ludovico Teixeira is the founder of the capital city of Goiânia. Father Joaquim Carlos was the only church leader to receive this distinction at this session. Approximately 10 police and military men and women and rescue workers were awarded also. In the same session another priest, pastor of Sorrowful Mother Parish in Rio Verde, Goiás, Diocese of Jatai, received homage as Honorary Citizen of the State of Goiás. The following Benedictine Monks were present for the late afternoon event in the State Legislative Assembly in Goiânia: Prior Josias Dias da Costa, Fathers Duane Roy, Rodrigo Perissinotto, Vinícius de Queiroz Rezende and Brothers Kaio José Silva Maluf, Haroldo Carvalho Ferreira and Diego Neves Oliveira, and Postulant Lucas. Some brothers and sisters of Father Joaquim Carlos were present. The mayor of Mineiros made a special effort to be present also.
The City of Jefferson City, Mo., asked Father Aaron Peters through the Topeka-Jefferson City Base of USSVI, to serve as Chaplain for the Submarine Ball being hosted by the Missouri Navy League, honoring the World War II Submarine Veterans Saturday, Aug. 22 in Jefferson City, Mo. Father Aaron gave an Invocation to start evening. Following the dinner, he gave a Preamble to the Calling of the Roll, a traditional Formal Submarine Veteran ‘Tolling of the Bell.’ This was followed by a Benediction. This ritual is a ceremony where the 65 submarines and their crews lost at sea during war time and peace time are honored by calling out the names of the boats and the number of men lost with the ringing of a ship’s bell. There is also a snuffing of a lighted candle for each boat and crew. Rebecca Gates, wife of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and sponsor of the USS Missouri SSN780, was keynote speaker. Congressman Ike Skelton, Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer and Captain Robert Hennegan, USN, representing Vice Admiral John Donnelly, Commander Submarine Forces, USA, were among the dignitaries present. Friday evening a picnic honored The Commanding Officers and some of crew members of USS Jefferson City SSN759, USS Columbia SSN771, and the new USS Missouri SSN780, still under construction. Saturday there was a luncheon in the Jefferson City capitol building with Congressman Ike Skelton as speaker. Father Aaron is a 10-year submarine veteran, 1957-67, on five submarines, prior to his entry into monastic life.
Father Kieran McInerney will be in the States through the month of October, visiting with the monks, his family and friends, and his doctors. His presence with the young Brazilian monks and candidates is very helpful to the group living at the monastery of San Bento in Goiania, Goias, Brazil.
Abbot Barnabas Senecal and Brother Martin Burkhard were present for the funeral service of Raymond Adams at the Old Stone Church in Maple Hill, Kan., September 7. Brother Martin had been prefect of Junior Class boarding students at Maur Hill when Clay and Charles, sons of Raymond, were in school. Today, Charles is a member of the Board of Directors of Maur Hill Mount Academy, and a commercial real estate business man in Topeka. Clay is owner and operator of the Adams Cattle Co., living in Knowles, Okla.
Father Matthew Habiger will give four talks at Toronto’s 7th Life and Family Awareness Event, Sept. 11-13. He will conduct an NFP weekend in San Pedro, Calif., Sept. 27 and present a Humanae Vitae Conference for Priests and Deacons at Tustin, Calif., Sept. 29.
Father Marion Charboneau gave a day of recollection to the faculty and staff of Maur Hill Mount Academy on Aug. 12; the Abbey hosted the group for the noon meal. The freshman class of MHMA was on retreat at the Abbey on Sept. 4.
Brother Lawrence Bradford underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his colon. Dr. Tayiem of Atachison was the surgeon. Brother Lawrence is recovering and welcomes visits at the Abbey. He is residing in the room next to the nurse’s station. He was not able to teach his Benedictine College microbiology class in the fall semester.
Father Maurice Haefling will be in Colorado, Sept. 14-20 for meetings regarding Holy Cross Abbey. He will attend the annual meeting of the Congregational auditors and the President’s Council, at St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, IL, Nov. 2-8. He and Archabbot Douglas have accepted service as the Visitators for St. Procopius, Jan. 18-22, 2010.
Abbot Barnabas Senecal and Father Meinrad Miller took part in the Corbett Family Classic XXXI in Wichita, Sept. 5-6. The gathering of the eight children of Vincent (SBC ‘41) and Betty Ann (Pierik) (MSSC ’42) is an annual event; this year they celebrated the 65th wedding anniversary of their parents. Vince was hospitalized with a cyst on the liver and cardiac arrest during the week prior to the gathering, but was alert and greeting folks from his hospital bed on Sunday. Betty Ann suffers from Alzheimer’s and is given wonderful care by her family and the staff at the Catholic Care Center in Wichita.
Abbot Owen Purcell, residing at the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth, is offering Mass at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, enabling USM students to celebrate the Eucharist each day of the week.
Father Gerard Senecal is secretary for the Atchison Area Ministerial Alliance and for the Atchison Hunger Task Force. Officers for the AAMA are Sister Mary Palarino, O.S.B., President; Al Zimmerman, Vice President, Lee Hendon, Treasurer, and Father Gerard, Secretary. Two services of the AAMA are the Atchison City Commission meeting prayers and a monthly ministry at Santa Fe Place, a retirement center. Seven Alliance members are Board members of the HTF: Ken Watkins, Al Zimmerman, Sr. Gabrielle Kocour, OSB, Father Gerard, Rev. Lee Hendon, Ben Wilson, and Rev. Andrew Grosso. Five non-Alliance members are on the HTF Board, also: Bridget Lutz, Debbie McGuire, Candi Hale, Sandy Dunn and Larry Wisely. The operating income and expense on an annual basis is about $26,000. This provides food orders, medicine, housing, transportation and miscellaneous costs. Twenty local groups and funds give support to HTF.
Community News
Abbey Community Calendar Items
Tuesday, September 15, 4:00 PM Chapter Meeting
Brazil Priory Request
Tuesday, October 20, Abbey Hosts Priests Working in the Archdiocese
Vespers, Evening Meal
Sunday, October 25 Abbey Employee Dinner 5:20 PM
Tuesday, October 27, 3:00 PM Community Meeting
Annual Audit Review, Investment Report
Sunday, November 29
Abbey Hosts Sisters of Mt. St. Scholastica
Vespers, Evening Meal
Tuesday, December 29 Serra Clubs of Archdiocese
Host Seminarians, Families in Lawrence
Homecoming Weekends
Maur Hill Mount Academy September 11-12
Benedictine College October 22-23
The Abbey received two used pickup trucks in August. Paul Westerman of Plano, Tex., donated these. The Westerman family owns and operates J-W Operating Company. Excell Services Inc., is a subsidiary. The two trucks we received were in use by Excell in its Wray, CO, office. One is a 2003 Ford 250, a 4×4 diesel V-8, with 211,000 miles registered. The second truck is a 2001 Ford 150 4×4 V-8 with 174,000 miles registered. Both are in excellent condition. Excell has been in the drilling industry for over 25 years, providing work-over services, well site construction, waterhauling and hydro-test services, well plugging and abandonment, and pipe recovery services in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico and Utah.
St. Benedict’s Abbey welcomes Humam Mukhtar to Benedictine College. He is a participant in the Iraqi Student Project, a grass-roots effort to help young people who have studied in Iraq acquire the education they need to participate in rebuilding their country. Universities in the United States are accepting these students tuition-free, and a support group in the city where each is studying assists with other financial costs. Humam arrived in Atchison Aug. 18, interested in studying telecommunications or computer science. He is the youngest of four children in his family, and has arrived here from Damascus, Syria. Michael O’Hare and Sister Thomasita Homan OSB, are coordinators of the local IRS support group. The Abbey contributes to this group.
