March
2009
Welcoming Young Adults
This past Saturday, our St. Scholastica Parish
in Detroit hosted the third annual Michigan Catholic Young Adult
Conference. This day-long event was a cooperative effort between
the Detroit and Lansing Dioceses and was attended by over 100 young men
and women from this region of Michigan. The gathering featured
talks from Detroit auxiliary bishop, Daniel Flores, and Detroit
seminary professor, Sr. Mary Finn, HVM, as well as other presenters who
helped the participants reflect on the conference theme, “Abundant
Life”. The young people were also able to celebrate the Sacrament
of Reconciliation or spend time in adoration of Blessed Sacrament.
The Benedictine presence during the conference
was evident. Fr. Michael Green, pastor of St. Scholastica's
offered a tour of the parish church which highlighted the Stations of
the Cross designed by the late pastor, Fr. Livius Paoli. Our Frs.
Damien Gjonaj and John Martin Shimkus were also available for
confession. The closing Mass was presided over by Fr. John
Martin, who also gave a presentation on forgiveness and reconciliation
as the pathway to abundant life. Hosting the Catholic Young Adult
Conference was a great privilege for us as Benedictines and an
opportunity to accompany young adults on their journey of faith as they
seek to grow into a deeper and more life-giving relationship with the
Lord Jesus.
03/23/09
Helping Young People Walk with Christ
During the past several weeks our Prior, Fr. Dan Homan, and other members of our veteran Retreat House staff (Mrs. Mary Cummings, Br. Antony Maldonado and Br. Marty Singer) took advantage of a couple of local opportunities to stay “up to date” in their ministry to young people. In February they attended the annual “Rainbow” conference, held at Detroit’s Renaissance Center Marriott. There, over 2,000 teens and their adult leaders gathered to grow in faith and the sense of God’s presence in their lives. This year’s theme was “See His Path: Make the Journey” and featured a variety of presenters, workshops and other activities, including Eucharist with Detroit’s new Archbishop, Allen Vigneron, presiding.
Shortly after “Rainbow” weekend, our retreat house staff traveled to Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit for a day long session on adolescent catechesis, sponsored by the Center of Ministry Development. This workshop was geared toward those who serve in the area of religious education and youth ministry. The presentations focused on understanding the ways today’s young people learn and how best to convey to them the meaning and experience of our Catholic Christian faith. Fr. Dan found many points to draw from in continuing to refine and strengthen the youth retreat ministry here at St. Benedict’s.
03/17/09
Following the Way of Benedict
Recently our Benedictine Oblates began a
communal book study. The way this process works is that after a
book is selected each participant reads the assigned pages, reflecting
on how the reading applies to his or her life and experiences.
The group has begun “Seeking God: the Way of St. Benedict”, a thorough
and insightful examination of the spiritual principles of St.
Benedict’s Rule. The book is authored by the English spiritual
writer and Oblate, Esther De Waal, who has numerous other works on
monastic spirituality to her credit.
Our book study group gathers at the monastery
every other month, as part of the regular Oblate meeting, and we
discuss and share with one another our thoughts about what we have
read. Our initial exchange of ideas was very stimulating as we
considered how God is active in our world today, even in the midst of
troubling and chaotic times. The attendance level was also very
healthy: well over twenty of our Oblates participated. We look
forward to this continued opportunity to grow in the wisdom of St.
Benedict as he points out to us the essential path of prayer and gospel
living.
“Our Father’s House”
Over the weekend, our Fr. John Martin Shimkus was a guest at a very
special dinner. It took place at what is popularly called a
“halfway house” near the campus of Eastern Michigan University and
included heartfelt sharing with a group of men who are in the process
of rebuilding their lives.
“Our Father’s House” is a newly formed “transitional” residence for men
leaving jail, prison or a long-standing habit of drug or alcohol
abuse. The house was started a group of Catholic laymen in the
diocese of Lansing that ministers to incarcerated men and helps them
find a productive and meaningful life once they are free.
Although not directly affiliated with St. Benedict Monastery, Our
Father’s House is organized around the Benedictine principles of
prayer, service, community and hospitality. To that end its
founders have been in consultation with our community over the past
year or so and most have begun initial formation as Oblates of St
Benedict.
The present house manager of Our Father’s House is David Rose, himself
a former prison inmate. David describes the house as a dream come
true, a reflection of the fact that it is possible with God’s help to
turn one’s life around and begin living for Jesus, within his Body, the
Church. Indeed, the residence, which can house up to eight men,
radiates a spirit of peace, healing and mutual respect. It has
been Fr. John Martin’s particular joy as our monastery’s Oblate
Director to have an active role in fostering the bond of fraternity
with this group. And he looks forward to a practical and
prayerful association with Our Father’s House for years to come.
Lent: the Call
to Conversion
Certainly
most of our readers are aware that the forty-day season of penance we
call “Lent” just began last Wednesday. Lent opens with services
far and wide, from Rome to New York to little old Oxford,
Michigan. Ashes are traced on the foreheads of Christians to
remind us that we are “dust” and to “dust” we shall return! But
between the drama of Ash Wednesday and the “Alleluias” of Easter Sunday
lies the real work of discipleship.
St.
Benedict observes that the life of any monk should be “a continuous
Lent”. Then he concedes that “few have the strength for
this”. And so Lent becomes that brief but irreplaceable moment in
the church year when Christians in and out of monasteries focus on
conversion: prayer puts us back in touch with our love for God and
God’s love for us; fasting highlights the necessity for sacrifice; and
works of charity remind us who stands in need of our loving sacrifice.
Here at
St. Benedict’s we assemble a modest collection of communal penances: a
little more devotion and study, a little less in the way of food and
drink, sharing our resources with those in need. But God’s call
to conversion is really being answered in the heart of each individual
monk and Christian. In our openness to grace, God works with each
of us to discover the meaning of this Lent and to prepare us to
celebrate Easter with a joyous and renewed response to His love.