December 2008
12/30/08
Christmas Time!
As has become the custom, our community welcomed those who wanted to join us for the Liturgies celebrated the birth of our Savior. Over 140 people endure the cold winter night and ice-covered roads to join us for the Vigil Mass at 8 p.m. on Christmas eve night. The following day, we celebrated the Eucharist with approximately 50 of our neighbors and friends. We wish all our website visitors a happy season as we recall the mystery of the incarnation and its meaning in the lives of all Christians.
12/06/08
Another Year for Br. Benedict
On Saturday, December 13th, Br. Benedict Giuliani, the eldest member of our congregation achieved his 95th year of life! Our community in Oxford has been blessed with his wise and inspiring presence. Br. Benedict came to the United States at the relatively young age of 18 to help our community at St. Sylvester Monastery in Detroit. Later he moved to Oxford in 1959 where he became known for his work in our garden and tending a small herd of cattle. Although Br. Benedict is no longer capable of the work that he used to do, his wise presence and perseverance in the “work” of prayer continues to make him an integral part of our congregation.
12/09/08
At Home in Australia
Fr. John Martin Shimkus, returned last week from a two week trip to Australia. This was Father’s second trip “Down Under”. The first was for World Youth Day when he traveled with as spiritual director with a group of young adults sponsored by Genesis Ministries of Auburn Hills, Michigan. While Fr. John Martin was abroad in July he was asked to conduct the annual retreat of our Benedictine Community in Arcadia, New South Wales. And thus, with the permission and encouragement of our Prior Fr. Dan Homan, Fr. John Martin has become an “international” retreat director!
St. Benedict Monastery in Arcadia is located at about an hour’s driving distance from Sydney. It not only bears the same name as our community here in Oxford, but there are several other connections as well. Many of the monks who originally founded the Australian monastery first served or were trained here in the Detroit area. Also, the two communities are similar in the number of monks.
Fr. John Martin reported that the retreat went extremely well and the monks were extraordinarily open and appreciative. The two conferences each day of the six-day retreat provided the retreatants with a healthy review of the significance and implications of our Benedictine spirituality. There was ample time for prayer and reflection and several of the monks did a little manual labor to stay active.
Fr. John Martin gratefully described this latest visit to Australia as “a real experience of fraternal sharing and community across the miles” and hopes that opportunities like this will foster the bond between our monasteries.
At last month’s meeting, our Prior, Fr. Dan Homan, received the Oblation of Steve Nickles, the most recent member of our Oblate group. Steve is a pastor in the Free Methodist Church and resides with his family in Dearborn, Michigan. We enthusiastically welcome Steve into our Benedictine family as we continue to live and promote the spirituality of St. Benedict both in the monastery and in the world!