ABA Monastic Researchers Newsletter June 2016

Current Projects

Hugh Feiss, OSB, re- dictine monastic values in ports: “The reader in Bene- daily life. dictine History, 530-1530, Judith was interviewed May edited by Hugh Feiss, 21 on Relevant Radio in Chi- OSB, Maureen O’Brien, cago about her book and Ron Pepin, with trans- Atchison Blue: A Search for lations by several members Silence, a Spiritual Home of ABA, should be ready to and a Living Faith, a memoir submit to the publisher of her frequent visits to (Cistercian Publications) by Mount St. Scholastica Mon- August. We used print-outs astery in Atchison, KS. of the contents in a Road Jacob Riyeff, OblSB, Scholar Program on South Bend, IN, reports: “My “Medieval Benedictine Life, introduction to and transla- INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Literature and Culture,” tion of the Rule of St. Bene- conducted at the Monas- of the Abbey Banner, the dict as translated and re- Newsletter of St. John’s Current Projects 1-2 tery of the Ascension. The worked by St. Æthelwold of five-day program went very Abbey. The article is enti- Winchester is currently in tled “Saint John’s Stone well. Next year we hope to the editing phase with Cis- Publications 2-3 use the book itself.” Walls and Stone Buildings” tercian Publications and is and “explores the history, Rev. Donald Rich- scheduled to appear next functional utility, and aes- Apple Presentations 3 mond, OblSB, year. I am also currently ed- thetic appeal of the decora- Valley, CA, continues to iting and translating two ap- tive stone architecture provide a weekly column parently-unique Latin texts gracing the grounds of for his local newspaper on Notices 4 for novices in the fourteenth- Saint John’s Abbey and the Christian faith and spiritual- century Bury St. Edmunds campus of Saint John’s ity, contributes regularly to manuscript, Oxford, Bodlei- University in Collegeville, Forward in Christ: The An- an Library, Bodley 240. Minnesota.” 3) While una- glo-Catholic Voice in the Aaron Raverty, OSB, St. ble to attend the ABA Americas, and has re- John’s Abbey, Collegeville, meeting in July, he is cur- leased a major work on reports on several works in rently constructing “an aca- "Mercy" for Our Sunday progress: 1) An article ac- demic poster display that  Visitor. He is currently Contributors cepted for Cistercian Studies will complement the theme working on a piece that Quarterly to appear in the of the conference that was emphasizes the "self-help"  Hugh Feiss late summer/early fall issue, OK’d by ABA president orientation of the RB as entitled “Phenomenological Susan Quaintance, OSB, found in the Prologue.  Donald Richmond Timing in the Rule of Bene- and the ABA board. The Judith Valente, dict.” He writes: “In addition poster display is entitled  Judith Valente OblSB, Normal, IL, was to a dismantling probe of St. “Ancestor Veneration in named one of her commu- Benedict’s perspective on Benedictine Monasticism,”  Jacob Riyeff nity's "Women of Distinc- time and timing in his Rule, and will be on display at tion" in May, 2016, an the monastic charter docu-  Aaron Raverty the Convention for all to award given by the YWCA ment of the Benedictine Or- view. The poster/posters to women whose efforts  Laura Dunham der (OSB), this article also will summarize the inquiry promote greater under- queries whether ‘age and goals of a comparative standing and community  Cyril Drnjevic grades’ as described by cul- research project I hope to service. Judith was cited tural anthropologists charac- complete that will combine for her work as a journalist  Daniel McCarthy terize monastic generational my training as a cultural covering minority issues as succession.” anthropologist with an em-  Thomas Piazza well as her frequent talks 2) An article which will ap- pirical investigation of mo- on how to practice Bene- pear in the upcoming issue nastic practices in commu-

Current Projects c o n t .

nities of Benedictine men Catholics in general and Liturgy, Canterbury Press, and women. Here is a Benedictines in particular. Norwich 2016“Generative brief summary: How do She will be working on this Communities: Roadmaps for Benedictine monasteries project in Studium at Saint Critical Junctures in a Bene- of men and women hon- Benedict’s Monastery, St. dictine Community,” third or their members who Joseph, MN, from Septem- Atchison conversation, was have died? What com- ber 21-28, 2016. sponsored by Abbot James memorative rituals and Br. Cyril Drnjevic, OSB Albers, OSB, and hosted by shrines illustrate Bene- is “looking for a suitable au- both St. Benedict’s Abbey dictine monastic ancestor thor with whom he could col- and Mount St. Scholastica veneration? Ancestors laborate on a centennial his- Monastery on January 5th populate monasteries tory of Mount Angel Abbey. and 6th, 2016. Papers were even though those ties He will attend the 2016 ABA given by Professor Wim that bind the dead to the Convention, where he hopes Vandewiele (Leuven); Mary living are not (usually) this prayer intention will be Collins, OSB; Irene Nowell, those of blood relation- answered. He would appre- OSB; James Leachman, ship. In fact, every mo- ciate any substantive help OSB (Ealing Abbey); Edith nastic community of men you could provide for this Bogue, OSB; Daniel McCar- and women has ways— project.” thy, OSB; and Mark Ship- formal and informal—of Daniel McCarthy, OSB perlee, OSB (Ealing). recalling their predeces- reports the following: Thomas Piazza, Rich- sors to mind. Thus, “Monastic communities wish- mond, CA, and S. Felicitas stretching the anthropo- ing to renovate or build a Seisenberger, OSB (Munich) logical notion of ‘ancestor chapel, or desiring to devel- are continuing with their pro- veneration’ a bit allows op their ritual celebration of ject to digitize and analyze us to explore the various liturgy are invited to partici- the Catalogus information on methods monastics use pate in the First Liturgy Benedictine women. They to recall earlier communi- Week: Architecture for Litur- have recently added data for ty members, and make gy I, given by Daniel McCar- another monastery of the them tangible and dy- thy, OSB, January, 16-20, Bavarian Congregation and namic once again in their 2017, Spiritual Life Center, will complete the analysis of midst. This research spe- Wichita, Kansas. Daniel that congregation this New Stanbrook Abbey Church cifically addresses the served as the liturgical con- summer. The analysis will and Monastery, Wass, variety characteristic of sultant for the new church of show interesting member- practices of ancestor Yorkshire, England Stanbrook Abbey in the ship trends by years of age veneration in monaster- UK.” http:// and of profession that are ies.” architectureforliturgy.org/ probably applicable to Amer- Laura Dunham, liturgy-week-1/ ican congregations as OblSB, now residing in Several monastic churches well. The results will be Riverside, CA, has be- are featured in the forthcom- made available through the gun a research and writ- ing publication due out June ABA monastic research ing project aimed at the 30: McCarthy D.P., Come section. meaning of stability for into the Light: Church interi- Publications

Carruth, Shawn, OSB. Book Review: Studies on the Gospel of John by John Kurichianil, O.S.B. (Kappadu, Kerala, India: St. Thomas Abbey, 2014) in ABR 67:1 (March 2016) 119-120. Feiss, Hugh, OSB. Book Review: Gregory the Great, Ascetic, Pastor, and First Man of Rome, by George E. Demacopoulos (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2015) in ABR 67:2 (June 2016) 231-232. Fox, Ruth, OSB. Book Review: The Mystery of Suffering: A Spiritual Classic on Trust in Divine Providence by Hubert van Zeller, OSB (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2015) in ABR 67:1 (March 2016) 120-121. Joyce, Timothy, OSB. Book Review: Thomas Merton, Early Essays 1947-1952, ed. by Patrick F. O’Connell (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2015) in ABR 67:2 (June 2016) 217-219.

3 Publications c o n t .

McCarthy, Daniel, OSB. Come into the Light: Church Interiors for the Celebration of Liturgy, Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2016. ______Poem: “New Wine,” Benedictines 69:1 ((Spring/Summer 2016) 26-27. Peters, Greg, OblSB. “A ‘pretensed and counterfeit holiness ’ or Sowers of ‘spiritual things’?: John Jewel and Thomas Harding on Monasticism,” Downside Review (Spring) 2016. ______“The Journey of Our Life: Dante as a Spiritual Theologian of Grace,” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care (Spring) 2016. ______Book Review: Ecclesia in medio nationis: Reflections on the Study of Monasticism in the Central Middle Ages, edited by Steven Vanderputten and Brigitte Meijus (Ithaca, NY: Cornell, 2009) in ABR 67:2 (June 2016) 228-231. Riyeff, Jacob, OblSB. "'Tenlvmyne' the Laetabundus: John Lydgate as Benedictine Poet," Journal of English and Germanic Philology 115:3 (July 2016) 370-93 Rippinger, Joel, OSB. "Thomas Merton And Damasus Winzen: Pathfinders, Companions and Prophets in American Monasticism." Cistercian Studies Quarterly (August) 2016 .

Presentations

Bogue Edith, OSB, “Change in Family Life and Its Impact on Children,” at the third Atchison Conversation hosted by St. Benedict’s Abbey and Mount St. Scholastica Monastery, on the topic “Generative Communities: Roadmaps for Critical Junctures in a Benedictine Community,” Atchison, KS, January 5-6, 2016. Daniel McCarthy, OSB, “Two-Crisis Community,” at the third Atchison Conversation hosted by St. Benedict’s Abbey and Mount St. Scholastica Monastery, on the topic “Generative Communities: Roadmaps for Critical Junctures in a Benedictine Community”, Atchison, KS, January 5-6, 2016. Hollermann, Ephrem, OSB, “Benedictine Foundresses in North America: Source of Hope and Inspiration for the Twenty-first Century,” Novice and Director Institute, Saint Benedict’s Monastery, St.Joseph, MN, May 20, 2016. Peters, Greg, OblSB, “No, Really, God is Love: A Medieval Theology of Love and Its Implications,” at Biola University's Center for Christian Thought, May, 2016. ______“Whither the Monks? Spiritual Formation in Christian Community,” Ancient Evangelical Future Conference, Robert E. Webber Center at Trinity School for Ministry, June. 2016 ______"Christian Monasticism: An Outdated Institution or the Way Forward?" Pepperdine University, March, 2016. Valente Judith, OblSB, Two reflections on the day’s theme, "Designing Women: Re-imagining Monastic Life in the 21st Century," Community Day, St. Scholastica Monastery, Fort Smith, AR, April 7, 2016.

International Congress on Medieval Studies May 11-14, 2017 Western Michigan University

The theme for the 2017 ABA Session is “Authority among Medieval Benedictines: The Interplay of Bible, Rule, Customaries, and Tradition.” Approval of the session is still pending, but if you are in- terested in giving a paper related to that topic please contact Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB. Email: [email protected].

51st International Congress on Medieval Studies

Hugh Feiss, OSB, the faithful convener of ABA’s session at the Kalamazoo Congress, has provided summaries of the papers given at the 2016 Congress, held from May 12-15 at Western Michigan University.

Shana Thompson, a doctoral student in art history at the University of Texas, Austin, discussed a well-known portrait of Hugh of St. Victor found in a 12th-century manuscript from the Benedictine Abbey of St. Alban’s, which had close ties with the canons regular of St. Victor in Paris. In the portrait Hugh is shown in the foreground larger than the three students sitting on a bench and looking up at him. Hugh himself gaz- es upward at a lamp suspended from the roof, above which is depicted the heavenly Jerusalem. Hugh thus mediates heavenly wisdom to his disciples. Hugh holds a book or tablet divided into four parts by horizontal lines, perhaps signifying the four senses of Scripture. One of his students holds a small version of the same book. Hugh himself, in his role as teacher, embodies the Victorine conviction that they had a responsibility to share the fruits of their study and contemplation with others.

Colmán Ó Clabaigh, OSB, of Glenstal Abbey, currently a visiting professor at Boston College, discussed a manuscript from St. Thomas Abbey, Dublin, a Victorine community. The manuscript contains 30 different works. It seems to have been designed for the instruction of novices. Among the texts included are the Rule of St. Benedict and the Speculum monachorum of the Cistercian, Arnulf de Boeriis. This interspersing of Benedictine and Victorine texts ran both ways. As Grover Zinn observed, many Benedictine manuscripts include both the Rule of Benedict and Hugh of St. Victor’s, On the Instruction of Novices, just as this manuscript does.

A. Compton Reeves, emeritus professor at Ohio University, described a long poem on St. George written by Alexander Barclay, while he was a monk at Ely Abbey. He was ordained a diocesan priest in 1508 in Devonshire, and then entered the Benedictine community at Ely. In the 1520s he became a Franciscan. At first he resisted Henry VIII’s break with Rome, but he reappears in the 1540s at a priest of the Church of England. His life of St. George is based on a Latin life written in Italy. It presents St. George as an ideal chiv- alrous knight. He rescues a princess by charging and spearing a dragon with a lance. He converts the princess’s town, turns down an offer to marry her, and rides off into the sunset to Palestine, where he is instruct- ed by Carmelites, and then to Persia where he is martyred.

2016 ABA Convention Notice July 21-23 Next MR Newsletter, October 2016 Benedict Inn Compiled and edited Beech Grave, Indiana by Ephrem Hollermann, OSB Saint Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, MN “Keep Death Comments/suggestions welcomed Daily Before Your Eyes” [email protected]