Celebrating our Jubilarians

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Every Thanksgiving we honor our monks who are celebrating special anniversaries. This year our confrere Fr. Rene Guesnier celebrates 60 years of monastic profession. Fr. Daniel Petsche celebrates 50 years ordained a priest.

Fr. René professed vows on September 3, 1957, and was ordained by Bishop John P. Cody on September 21, 1961. His life of monastic labora began as associate editor of Altar and Home, Conception’s liturgical review for the laity (1961–63); during those years he also served as the abbey’s assistant Guestmaster. But his life in the Spirit had a decidedly pastoral inclination. He was soon assigned to assist at St. Joseph’s Church in Springfield MO (1963-64), and then at St. Aloysius in Kansas City MO (1964–67). In 1967 he became a military chaplain for the U.S. Army, serving there for 20 years. His army years took him to far-flung locales, including tours of duty in Vietnam, Thailand and Germany.

Below: Fr. Rene served as a US Army Chaplain in Vietnam. Fr. Rene gives First Communion to Scott J. Bailey from a makeshift altar (the hood of a jeep) in 1969. Sadly, three days later Scott was killed in an ambush at this very site.

Originally from Harlan, Iowa, Fr. Daniel learned the value of hard work growing up on a farm. He attended St. Michael’s Grade School in Harlan and went to high school at Conception Seminary High School and St. John’s Seminary in Elkhorn, Nebraska. He went on to join Conception Abbey and professed First Vows on September 1, 1962. He then went on to receive his Undergraduate and Theology degrees both from Conception Seminary College and was ordained to Holy Orders on the Solemnity of the Assumption on August 15, 1967. On that day he began his golden tenure of fifty years of priestly service.

Above and Below: Fr. Daniel (left) still enjoys playing the accordion after all these years.

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Br. Etienne Ordained a Priest

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Conception Abbey, Conception Seminary College, monastic life, monks, Ordination, priest, priesthood, seminary, theology, vocations

Our confrere, Brother Etienne, was ordained a priest Thursday evening. His family, friends, and monastic brothers were present for the joyful occasion. Fr. Etienne had studied theology at St. Vincent Seminary (Latrobe, PA) these past four years. Now that he has completed his studies, he will be assigned as the Kitchen Master and as a chaplain in the seminary to the freshmen class. We are very excited for Fr. Etienne and grateful to have him back among us full-time.

Congratulations, Fr. Etienne!

Crozier Complete

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bishop, Bishop Johnston, Conception Abbey, crozier, Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, monastic life, monks, Ordination, wood work

Once Bishop Johnston was named the new bishop of our diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, I decided to work on a wooden crozier for him. When he was ordained bishop in 2008 for the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, I made him a crozier which was gifted to him on behalf of our seminary college. Unfortunately, after a few years of use, while Bishop Johnston was celebrating Mass in his diocese, the crozier was leaned up against a wall by the emcee and it plummeted to the ground, thus breaking the crook of the crozier.

Bishop Johnston said he got a lot of use out of the four piece wooden travel crozier, so we decided to present him with the new one that I finished during the middle of last week. Abbot Gregory presented the crozier to Bishop Johnston shortly before the diaconate ordination of Br. Etienne last Thursday evening. Bishop Johnston used the crozier for the first time at the ordination that evening.

  
  

Br. Etienne Ordained Deacon

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Br. Etienne Huard, O.S.B. was ordained a deacon Thursday evening. Bishop Johnston, our local ordinary of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, was the ordaining bishop. Family, friends, and the monastic community gathered in the Basilica church for this joyful occasion.

Br. Etienne will complete his final year of theological studies at St. Vincent Seminary (Latrobe, PA) in preparation for his ordination to the priesthood next May.

We offer our heartfelt thanks to God and ask His blessing upon Br. Etienne as he begins his life as an ordained minister.    
  
  
  
  

Blog: 1 Year Anniversary

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50 years, 60 years, celebration, community, Conception Abbey, jubilarian, jubilarians, jubilee, meetings, monastic life, monastic profession, novices, Ordination, priesthood, profession, Thanksgiving, vows

The blog started on this day in 2013. And, here we are, one year later.

These days are ideal for a blog about the monastery and monastic life, because there are certainly plenty of activities going on.  The seminarians leave for Thanksgiving vacation after their last morning class.  I’m certain they are excited to get home and enjoy restful time away and probably a few good meals.

The monastic community, on the other hand, remains here, holding down the fort, business as usual.  Our Monks on Mission have returned these last couple of days, and it is always good to see them.  They are those in the community who serve in parishes or chaplaincies on a full-time basis.  We have numerous communities meetings and various business issues and updates to discuss, matters best sorted for when the entire community can be home.

Additionally, it is at Thanksgiving time that we honor and recognize our Jubilarians, those monks who are celebrating special anniversaries of monastic profession or ordination.  This year we have four Jubilarians.  They are:

60 Years Ordained- Fr. Donald Grabner (July 31)
60 Years Professed- Fr. Kenneth Reichert (Sept. 8)
50 Years Ordained- Fr. Anthony Shidler (May 22)
50 Years Ordained- Fr. Timothy Schoen (Dec. 16)

The novices and I have put together a special presentation to honor the Jubilarians.  This will take place Wednesday evening during our social and appetizer hour.  In past years we have organized quiz or gameshows and various audio/visual presentations to entertain the community and make the evening enjoyable, especially for these men who have served the Church for so many years (220 years total).

I post more information (and pictures) about what we do to celebrate the Jubilarians this year.

Br. Macario Ordained to the Priesthood

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On Thursday evening, our confrere, Br. Macario, was ordained to the priesthood.  Br. Macario spent four years preparing for the priesthood at St. Meinrad Seminary.  It was a joyous occasion for our monastic community to gather in celebration and in thanksgiving to God as Br. Macario was consecrated to the Lord as a priest.  He was ordained by Archbishop Jerome Hanus, OSB, the former Archbishop of Dubuque and former Abbot of Conception Abbey.  It is with grateful hearts that we give thanks to Almighty God for calling Fr. Macario Martinez-Arjona.

Conception Abbey has had four of its monks ordained to the priesthood in the last three years.

Alumni Ordinations

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alumni, catholic, church, Conception Abbey, Conception Seminary College, deacon, diaconate, Diocese, Jesus Christ, Ordination, priesthood, priests, religion, religious life, religious order, seminarian

May and June are busy times for alumni of Conception Seminary College to be ordained to the diaconate and priesthood in their respective dioceses. It is obviously a joy and blessing to the Church to see men who studied at our seminary come to this great moment in their life.

During the year 2014, Conception Seminary will have 20 of its alumni ordained to the priesthood, and 26 ordained to the diaconate. In addition, two classes of a total of 18 permanent deacons from the Dioceses of Kansas City-St. Joseph and Des Moines will be ordained. Conception Abbey and Conception Seminary College continue to contribute in a significant way to the future of the Catholic Church.

Here is a list of the alumni ordinations in May and June.  Please pray for these men!

Date	Name	Diocese/Religious Order	Ordination
10-May-14	Smith, Martin	Springfield, IL	deacon
17-May-14	Anicama, Cesar	Jefferson City	deacon
17-May-14	Amthor, Bryan	Kansas City-St. Joseph	deacon
17-May-14	Barlett, Joshua	Kansas City-St. Joseph	deacon
17-May-14	Koster, Ryan	Kansas City-St. Joseph	deacon
17-May-14	Moreno, Jorge Andres	Kansas City-St. Joseph	deacon
17-May-14	Vogel, Curt	Kansas City-St. Joseph	deacon
23-May-14	Bina, Andrew	Wichita	deacon
23-May-14	Burns, Devin	Wichita	deacon
23-May-14	Voegeli, Philip (PJ)	Wichita	deacon
24-May-14	Zarse, Jaime	Kansas City, Kansas	priest
24-May-14	Fitzpatrick, John	Kansas City-St. Joseph	priest
24-May-14	Arisman, Steven	Springfield, IL	priest
24-May-14	Walsh, Andrew	Wichita	priest
29-May-14	Br. Macario Martinez	Conception Abbey	priest
31-May-14	Looney, Edward	Green Bay	deacon
7-Jun-14	Anstey, Kevin	Davenport	priest
7-Jun-14	Trevino, Guillermo	Davenport	deacon
7-Jun-14	Aubuchon, Christopher	Jefferson City	priest
7-Jun-14	Grover, Daniel	Oklahoma City	deacon
7-Jun-14	Boyd, Benjamin	Omaha	priest
7-Jun-14	Capadano, Matthew	Omaha	priest
8-Jun-14	Dinh, Br. Tuyen	CMC	priest
8-Jun-14	Do, Br. Ba Van	CMC	priest
8-Jun-14	Ta, Br. Francis Tan	CMC	priest
8-Jun-14	Truong, Br. Martin	CMC	priest
20-Jun-14	Hess, Brian	Cheyenne	priest
20-Jun-14	Rodgers, Robert	Cheyenne	priest
27-Jun-14	Urena, Alejandro	Las Cruces	deacon
28-Jun-14	Brashears, Christopher	Oklahoma City	priest
28-Jun-14	Bui, Linh	Oklahoma City	priest
28-Jun-14	Deloera, Cristobal	Oklahoma City	priest
28-Jun-14	Krittenbrink, Carson	Oklahoma City	priest
28-Jun-14	Ruckel, Timothy	Oklahoma City	priest

First Anniversary of Priestly Ordination

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It was one year ago today that Fr. Victor and I were ordained to the priesthood. It was a whirlwind of events that lead up to my ordination, including running in the Pittsburgh Marathon Relay, taking final exams, graduating from St. Vincent Seminary (Latrobe, PA), preaching all the weekend Masses at Sts. John and Paul Church (Wexford, PA), flying back to Missouri, welcoming guests, and finally the ordination ceremony itself. All of those events took place in about 10 day’s time.

One year later, here we are. The year has definitely gone by quickly, filled with too many experiences and blessings to recount in entirety. The feelings of excitement have long faded, which is to be expected, but the deeper and more profound experiences of joy and gratitude remain strong. Thanks to my family, my friends, my monastic community, St. Vincent Seminary and Archabbey, Fr. Mac and the parishioners at Sts. John and Paul, and all who have supported me before and after ordination. God bless you all!

Below: The group of parishioners from Sts. John and Paul who traveled the 900+ miles to attend my ordination. I am forever grateful for their support and encouragement.

I was able to celebrate Mass every single day of my first year of ordination. In addition, I celebrated Mass in the following 11 states that I colored in below.

Encounter Weekend

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abbey, basketball, Benedictine, catholic, church, Conception Abbey, Conception Seminary College, discernment, God, Jesus, Monastery, monastic life, monks, Ordination, Prayer, priesthood, retreat, seminarians, seminary, vocation story

Conception Seminary College hosts a come and see weekend for young men discerning a vocation to the priesthood.  Encounter with God’s Call weekend occurs once in the fall semester and once in the spring.  The participants hear a variety of talks about the joys and challenges of discernment and share their experiences in following Christ.  They provide insight about seminary life and answer any questions the participants might have.  There were close to 80 participants and over 100 total guests.

I was asked to hear confessions from 8:30pm-9:30pm on Saturday evening.  Additionally, the young men had the option on Sunday afternoon of hearing my talk on “Monastic Life.”  There were about 15 men who attended the talk and there was the opportunity for questions afterwards.

Below:  Pictures from the different talks and speakers in a room full of participants, priests, and vocation directors.

  
Below:  Opportunity for small group discussion with the seminarians.

Below:  It would not be the complete Conception Seminary experience without athletics.  Seminarians and retreat participants play basketball late into Saturday evening.

Goodbye 2013

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benedictine monks, Conception Abbey, holy hour, Mary, Monastery, New Year, Ordination, Pope Francis, priesthood, Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, vocations, World Day of Peace

The monks spent the past 24 hours on a Day of Recollection.  For me, the end of the calendar year is a time to reflect upon the blessings of 2013, and there were many.  I am grateful for the friends and family who have shown me such great kindness and support throughout the year.  I will share a few big events for which I am grateful:

• Graduation from St. Vincent Seminary on May 10, 2013
• My ordination to the priesthood on May 16, 2013
• Celebrating Mass at my home parish on Pentecost Sunday
• Returning to St. John and Paul Parish (Wexford, PA) to celebrate Masses of Thanksgiving in on September 14-15

Above:  Archbishop anoints my hands during the ordination ceremony.

The monks assembled this afternoon for a Holy Hour to pray for World Peace.  We read from Pope Francis’ message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace (1 January 2014).  Our Holy Father focuses on the topic of “Fraternity,” especially as the means to end disputes, conflict, war, and alleviate poverty.  He writes, “Fraternity needs to be discovered, loved, experienced, proclaimed and witnessed to. But only love, bestowed as a gift from God, enables us to accept and fully experience fraternity.”

The monks will gather again to celebrate First Vespers of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.  Pope Francis fittingly concludes his message, saying, “May Mary, the Mother of Jesus, help us to understand and live every day the fraternity that springs up from the heart of her Son, so as to bring peace to each person on this our beloved earth.”

As we conclude 2013 and embark on a New Year, may we reflect back upon the blessings of this past year.  May God bless you and your loved ones in abundance with peace, joy, and good health!