Catholic Cabin

CATHOLIC CABIN Published Since 1994 Family Building the Body of Christ April 2019 Inside: Empty Bowls Event Raises $1,930.00! B y P eggy O ’R ei ll y Growing Up in 2 The 3rd Annual and regained Conway Empty Bowls Event custody of her What are you willing sponsored by the St. son. to give up? 4 Joseph's Mission Committee was held Demetrius Are you Called? Are 5 on Wednesday, lives in his you Gifted? February 6th at the own home, Chapel Talk 8 Spiritan Center. A recently graduated from UCA, and will meal prepared by be working on an advanced degree this Youth Ministry 9 Ron Gatto and fall. These are just a few of the many Pancake Breakfast TEAM brought in over 200 people and success stories which surface yearly raised $1,930 for Bethlehem House. from Bethlehem House. Praying for Priests 9 School Endowment 10 Bethlehem House is a transitional This event was made possible due to housing shelter located in Conway. numerous volunteers within our church Men’s Retreat 12 These funds will assist with operating family who assisted with set-up, serving, St. Joseph Mission expenses when monthly donations fall clean-up and those who attended and Committee 13 short. Proceeds help to change life purchased a meal. Mausoleum & situations and break the cycle of Columbarium 14 poverty. The journey for those without a Giving of your whole self. I don’t want home or living in extreme poverty, can you to give to us from your abundance. Growing Up in be lonely and difficult. Bethlehem I don’t need money from your abun- Conway 15 House provides residents a home dance. Instead, I ask that you share in environment while teaching Christian our work. I ask that you lend your Change for Life 19 values. hands in understanding. Come and help care for our needy. Come and see. Literacy Night at During the event two quest speakers, –Saint Teresa of Calcutta SJES 19 Tracy Fisher and Demetrius Jordan, Jim Banks Award 19 spoke to those in attendance about how Thank you living at Bethlehem House had altered for Father James 19 the course of their lives. Tracy left a life generously Beagan Award of drug abuse, owns a home, has a job, supporting us so we Stations of the Cross 19 can serve Missionary Work in others. Greenbrier 20 Parish Council 22 The St. Joseph’s Mission Committee Page 2 2 Abbot Paul Nahlen—The Savior of Subiaco Growing Up in Conway, By Nancy Breeden Mitchell Martin Paul Nahlen was were not sufficient and I was too afraid to ask for more. I born on November 20, 1882 just lay there and froze…” to Frederick and Catherine Selborn Nahlen. The The Nahlen boy soon made a name for himself at the Nahlens had come to abbey. The monks were impressed by the amount of work Arkansas in 1880 from the he did, not only at his studies but also on student work Rhineland in Germany, crews. A new abbey was being constructed and Martin was having been drawn by usually assigned to the cart hauling stones because of his advertisements sent out by ability to get a lot of work out of a yoke of oxen. railroad companies. Later in life he remarked, “The In 1903 he became a monk and received the name of land agents promised my Paul. Having completed his studies in theology, he was parents a land flowing with ordained in 1908. Less than a month afterward, he was milk and honey but before sent to a commercial college in Louisville, Kentucky and the first year was out my upon his return to Subiaco, he was placed in charge of the parents were grateful for a Father Paul Nahlen, April 10, commercial department of the school and became assistant little cornbread and molas- 1908, on the day he celebrated prefect of discipline. Many of his commercial students ses.” At the age of four- his first Mass. became business leaders in their localities without further teen, his parents, poor, hard- training in the field. He was made head prefect and working farmers, sent him to Subiaco where he graduated treasurer of the school in 1917. During the school year he in 1900. He entered the monastery, taking the name Paul, was with the students throughout their waking hours and and was ordained to the priesthood in 1908. With his ordi- during the summer he traveled to contact perspective nation he became the first young man to become a priest students and parents. In 1927 he from St. Joseph Catholic Church in Conway. The Nahlens, was assigned to serve as the pas- parents and children, knew little except hard work, strict tor of a church in Corpus Chris- economizing, and frugal living. This was training which ti, Texas. would mold the future monk. Abbot Edward Burgert, the “My coming to Subiaco was practically a matter of second abbot of Subiaco, drawing straws. My father wanted one of his sons to study resigned his post amid mounting for the priesthood. Both my brother and I were willing to debt incurred during his tenure. try. Somehow, I got the nod. Strangely enough, my father The debt of $110,000 in 1927 planned to send me to the Josephinum, the seminary for had risen to $222,000 by 1937. German-speaking priests in Columbus, Ohio. He was a “Everyone knows and will admit great admirer of that institution’s publication, The Ohio that I am a zero in financial Weisenfreund and had his heart set on my going there. matters”, he wrote to Abbot Then one day my parents went to Dixie, Arkansas in the Columban Thuis, the president next county to attend a celebration of that parish’s saint’s of the Swiss-American day, the feast of St. Boniface. There they met Father Benedictine Congregation Matthew Saettele, O.S.B. who bluntly asked them if they Father Paul Nahlen in consulting him with reasons for didn’t have a son for the priesthood. Why send him to the work clothes in Corpus his own resignation. Josephinum when Subiaco Abbey is in Arkansas. That Christi, TX night my parents came home and I found that I was going Father Paul was, in the mind to the Benedictines at Subiaco. On December 13, 1896, my of the community at father and I started out for my new home. It took us 12 Subiaco, an administrator, a hard worker, and a capable hours on the road in our wagon. Brother Benedict received finance man which he proved in his duties at Subiaco and us at the door of the monastery about 9 p.m. that night. I in Corpus Christi. He was a rugged individualist who had drank a huge bowl of hot tea at supper which he prepared stepped on some monastic toes, but no one could deny his for us. I had never had much tea before and when I had, it talent for hard work, nor fault him in devotion to duty or had always made me sick. That night I went to bed a very religious observances. When it was time to elect a third sick boy. My spirits were already low and now with abbot, Father Paul was seen, in the mind of many voters, tea-sickness, they struck bottom. The dormitory to which I the best one fitted to save the abbey from its financial was taken was in the attic and I could see the stars through crisis. At the age of 56 at the time of his election, he had the roof. I slept very little the first week. The bedcovers already lived a full life as a monk and was extremely CATHOLIC CABIN CABIN PagePage 3 single-minded when it came to the abbey church was to be the crowning work of Abbot his devotion to his monastery. Paul, although he would not live to see its completion. For Father Paul had spent more than almost 10 years before construction began he had procured 30 years in various phases and funds, generated enthusiasm and rallied resources of the fields of school work, public community as never before. The Church Fund grew with relations, and construction numerous fund-raising efforts of alumni, Subiaco Academy projects with small budgets. His students, the St. Benedict Parish, and other benefactors. past had qualified him to take On October 19, 1952 Abbot Paul up the burden of the financially broke ground on the church that plagued abbey. Four bishops, six would not be completed and abbots as well as 75 priests and consecrated until March 27, representatives of all religious 1959. orders in the diocese were present on June 23, 1939 for the Abbot Paul died in August of solemn blessing by Bishop John 1957. In ending the funeral Morris of Little Rock. sermon delivered on September Official photograph of 5, 1957, Abbot Columban Thuis Abbot Paul Once Abbot Paul accepted his stated, “Dear Abbot Paul: at this responsibility, he never shirked moment we salute you as the the demands. One of his favorite themes was “devotion to savior of Subiaco Abbey. Many duty.” When a duty was determined, he went into action. have been the trials you have He was also a man of deep faith and spiritual devotion. He suffered; many the agonies you loved real and everyday piety and his own religious life endured; many the was easily discernible but never showy. He had a zeal for self-reproaches at your own Abbot Paul shortly the Divine Office and was notorious for being the first in failings and infirmities.

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