A Message from the Office of the President Dear Dear Friends, May God’s peace be with you as we prepare to celebrate our Savior’s birth this Christmas. On behalf of the monks and all of us here at Marmion, I wish you and your loved MARMION ones a very Blessed and Merry Christmas! The News Magazine of Marmion Abbey Our faith teaches us that God became man in Jesus Christ and Academy for our salvation so that we could share in God’s own life through Christ. The opening prayer for Christmas Mass December 2019 | Vol. 70, No. 1 during the day states this truth succinctly: “O God, who wonderfully created the dignity of human nature and still more wonderfully restored it, grant we pray, that we may share in the divinity of Christ, MARMION is published three who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” In his book, Becoming Christ, Father Wulstan Mork, times a year (December, April, O.S.B. (+1986) of our abbey, reminded his readers in his own unique way of this fundamental August) by Marmion, 1000 Butterfield Road, Aurora IL, truth: “We need a mental shaking up. Christ is alive and living and with each one of us who are living by 60502. his life. He is alive because he is life and Christianity is Christ giving his life to the human race.” (p. 10) St. Benedict in his Rule for monks teaches that prayer is an absolutely foundational aspect of our Publisher: daily faith lives. Prayer helps us to grow in our life in Christ and expand our hearts and minds Rt. Rev. John Brahill OSB ‘67 so that we have an ever-greater capacity to receive our Lord’s life and love. “Indeed, nothing is to be preferred to the Work of God.” (Rule of St. Benedict Ch. 43:3). Editor: Terri Rios Such an effort to pray daily requires of each of us much Contributing Writers: sacrifice and discipline, or what the ancient monks called BeNedictiNe Rt. Rev. John Brahill OSB ’67 the ascetical life or ascesis – a life of turning away from sin HallMarKs Paul Chabura and turning towards God and a life of faith and virtue. In Bill Fox ’74 love Nancy E. Hansen other words, it is a life of daily conversion and of accepting Love of Christ and neighbor the invitation of Jesus to take up the cross and follow in his Kathleen Hausmann Prayer Olivia O’Connor footsteps. The Benedictine Hallmarks banner shown here, A life marked by liturgy, lectio Fr. Charles Reichenbacher OSB ’59 which is at Marmion Academy, lists prayer and discipline as and mindfulness Terri Rios two important fundamental Benedictine values. Of course, Stability Anthony Tinerella ’84 Commitment to the daily life these are above all Gospel values taught by Jesus. As a part of of this place Trenton Turner ’21 our spiritual, faith formation program, the practice of prayer and discipline are being emphasized this year at Marmion Conversatio Photographers: The way of formation Academy with our students, faculty and staff. I would also and transformation Nancy Baker, Brian Cole ’81, encourage you to an ever-deeper life of serious prayer and Bill Fox ’74, Mark Malkowski, Obedience Terri Rios discipline as a good resolution for this Christmas season and A commitment to listening and in the new year. consequent action Cover Photo by Terri Rios As you will see in the pages of this edition of the Marmion Discipline Andrew Heeg ’21 and Emilio A way toward Filippo ’21 enjoy the activities of Magazine, Marmion is a place with a lot going on – at the learning and MARMATHON 2019. Abbey, Academy, Abbey Farms and our Guatemala mission. freedom I ask for your prayers for all of us here at Marmion during Humility Send address changes to: Knowledge of self this coming Christmas season, in particular for our Guatemala in relation to God, MARMION Magazine Editor mission. The article on the Guatemala mission in this edition others and creation Marmion Academy discusses the difficult decision we have made to close our 1000 Butterfield Road Stewardship minor seminary, Colegio Seminario San José, at the end of this Responsible use of Aurora, IL 60502 creation, culture year and to open a retreat center. and the arts Phone: (630) 897-6936 Hospitality FAX: (630) 723-3072 In closing, I thank you for being a part of our “Marmion Call to Openness E-mail: [email protected] family”, for your prayers and your support. You remain in Community Web Site: marmion.org our prayers. May the Christ Child bless you and your family. Call to serve the Merry Christmas! common good and respect for the individual Sincerely, 2 - President’s Letter Abbot John Brahill, O.S.B. ’67 A New Direction for Marmion’s Guatemala Mission by Abbot John Brahill OSB ’67 Since 1966, Marmion’s Guatemala mission has educated known, operating a private, Catholic school is very expensive. young men for the priesthood and other professions in According to the website, WorldData.info, in Guatemala, its minor seminary, Colegio Seminario San José. Over the “during the period from 1979 to 2018, the average inflation rate years some 140 young men have been ordained as priests to was 9.9% per year. Overall, the price increase was 3,481.00 %.”1 serve the Church of Guatemala, most of whom are actively serving in various dioceses throughout the country. Many Over the years our many good friends and benefactors others of our graduates have gone on to further studies and have very generously supported our school and priory in professional careers. Guatemala. On behalf of Marmion Abbey and our Guatemala mission, I wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of you. Due to ongoing financial constraints, the very difficult Your support has been indispensable to our school’s success. decision has been made by the Marmion Abbey Chapter of Without your help the past 54 years, the education of many monks to close the Guatemala seminary as of the end of the young men in our seminary would not have been possible. academic year of 2019. The academic year ends in November. The decision to close the seminary brings to an end 54 years Nevertheless, the Guatemala mission Benedictine priory will of educating thousands of young men. This decision was remain open. There are six Guatemalan Benedictine monks made only after much prayer, study and discussion. But the in the priory. After much shared discussion, they have been decision came down to the fact that, due to the ongoing poverty given permission to operate a Benedictine retreat center using of Guatemala and a rather high inflation rate in Guatemala the seminary buildings. The retreat center, named the Saint over the past 50 years, it is simply no longer financially Benedict Retreat Center (Centro de Retiros San Benito), actually possible to continue to operate the seminary. As is well opened its doors in early 2019, anticipating the closing of the seminary. The retreat center will especially focus on retreats for young people, but will also serve as a place for both small and large retreats for adults. In this way the educational and spiritual apostolic work of the mission will continue to serve the needs of the Catholic Church in Guatemala, albeit in a different manner. In addition to our mission’s self-sustaining Spanish school that opened eight years ago, the retreat center will also be a financially self-sustaining apostolic work. Although our goal is for the retreat center to be self-sustaining, the Benedictine monks at San José Priory will still rely on the generosity of our friends in order to minister to the people of Guatemala. As we begin this new chapter and a new ministry at our Guatemala mission, I ask for your continued prayers and support for its success. Thank you and may God bless you. 1 www.worlddata.info/america/guatemala/inflation-rates Priory of San José, Guatemala - 3 Farmstead Emporium Online Store Open Daily AbbeyFarms.org/Store · Jams, Sauces, Seasonings and other Specialty Foods · Lotions, Soaps and other Bath items · Home & Kitchen, Toys, Apparel & More! Every year at the holidays, between Thanksgiving and Aurora. His passion, however, has always been food — and Christmas, countless families come to Abbey Farms to his relatives came to know him as the family gourmet. So celebrate the season by finding the perfect tree, wreath when an opportunity arose to put together a special café or garland to decorate their home. Many of our custom- menu for Abbey Farms, Dave jumped at the chance. ers shop at our Holiday Store at the Farmstead Empori- um for seasonings and spices, holiday gifts and stocking Calling upon family recipes that have been passed down stuffers, or for baked goods and our famous apple crisp. and, in some cases, brought to America from relatives This year, our brand-new Marmion Abbey Quadruple Ale prior to their immigration here, Chef Dave has pulled out is all the talk among our regulars — in part because it’s so all his favorites and put them together on a menu that delicious! This is a special craft beer developed with the truly harkens back to the Old Country. Stop by Abbey monks of Marmion Abbey, in association with local Farms any day through December 23, and enjoy a sweet brewers Energy City Brewing and Church Street Brew- or savory treat that is sure to please! ery. It is ranking highly among beer afficionados online, and we’re quite proud of it! One of the best-kept secrets for Abbey Farms at the holidays, however, is our Pine Tree Café.