Reflection for the Solemnity of the Passing of Our Holy Father Benedict, Abbot (March 21) - Prayer at Midday

Sirach 51:13-18  

In my youth, before I set out on my travels, I openly sought wisdom in prayer; before the Temple I asked for her and I will pursue her to the end of my days.  While she blossomed like a ripening cluster, my heart was delighted in her; my feet followed the right path, because from my youth I searched for her.  As soon as I began listening to her she was given to me, and with her, much instruction.  With her help I made progress and I will glorify him who gives me wisdom, for I decided to put it into practice and ardently seek what is good. I shall not regret it.  (Christian Community Bible)

Reflection

We like to think of Lent as being a time of somber reflection and prayer.  But in reality, I think that many of us find ourselves in a time of panic.  Our liturgists and musicians are starting to panic as they strive to put the final touches on the services of Holy Week.  As students and teachers, we find ourselves beginning to panic with the realization that we only have seven weeks left in the semester – And that brings a whole new level of panic – Will I be ready for comps?  What should I do for the summer?  What am I supposed to do with my life anyways?

Both Ben Sira and St. Benedict were great teachers who were highly sought after because of their wisdom.  But they didn’t get there overnight.  They both gradually came to understand that gaining real wisdom involves a combination of incessant prayer, the hard work of study, and listening.

While all three of these steps are important, it’s the step of listening that’s most easily dismissed.  It’s obvious that we have to pray and study if we want to acquire the kind of wisdom that scripture talks about – but listening?  I don’t have time for that!  I’m too busy praying and studying! 

The reason that we’re so eager to dismiss the act of listening in our pursuit of wisdom is because what we hear when we listen is completely out of our control.  And that’s a scary thing!  So we consciously (or unconsciously) fill our lives with so many things that we simply don’t have the time to listen.

When we live deadline to deadline with our assignments… do we really listen to what the material is saying to us?  When we get so wrapped up in our own interests that we completely ignore the community around us… do we really listen to the person of Christ in others?

What do we hear from Ben Sira?  “As soon as I began listening to her, wisdom was given to me…”  What do we hear from St. Benedict as the first word of his rule?  “Listen.”  We might get close to finding wisdom by frantically searching high and low, but it’s in listening that wisdom is given to us.

When we truly begin to listen, we can hear what is being said – of course.  But we can also pick up on the more subtle things – what is being left unsaid or only vaguely hinted at.  And that holds true whether we’re listening to others, to ourselves or to God.  And it’s these subtle things that are the difference between knowing facts in gaining wisdom. 

If we want to be wise, we have to be attentive to the ear of our hearts.  What we hear may challenge us or make us uneasy, but if we’re truly listening to what God is saying to us, we shall not regret it. 

Lecture: Designing a Cathedral in a Time of Liturgical Transition

Next Thursday, January 31, 2013 I will be presenting a lecture on the first cathedral in the United States to be dedicated following the promulgation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy at the Second Vatican Council.  This lecture will be presented as a part of the ongoing Thursday Forum series hosted by the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University. The presentation will begin at 4:15 p.m. in Room 264 of the Quad building at Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota.  I warmly invite any local readers to attend.

The abstract for this lecture is available below:

Liturgical space is formative of our faith experience. This project will examine the art and architectural design of the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln, Nebraska as a manifestation of the liturgical and theological changes wrought by the constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium and the spirit of the Second Vatican Council.

The process of planning the new Cathedral began in approximately 1958 and culminated with its dedication on August 18, 1965. This time span represents an era of incredible change in the Roman Catholic liturgy. This project seeks to understand the evolution in the design of the Cathedral and its interplay with the activity of the Second Vatican Council in the area of liturgy.

This study will involve an examination of the evolution of the cathedral's design and placement of the liturgical furnishings as well as the development and execution of its artistic schema. I hope to further investigate Bishop James V. Casey's role in the design as he participated in the deliberations of the Second Vatican Council.

Even today, this Cathedral still stands as a witness and embodies the principles firmly held by the Second Vatican Council, particularly in the areas of liturgy, art, and architecture. By a thorough examination of the cathedral's planning and design, I hope to bring forward the value of Conciliar-era art and architecture as a commentary on liturgical life and worship in the Church today, so that these spaces may continue to be a formative element within our faith experience.

A Great Historical Loss in Freeport, Minnesota

(Photo Source)

As I was scrolling through my regular glut of news items in Google Reader today, I noticed something about the Swany Flour Mill in Freeport, Minnesota. Freeport is about 15 miles down the road, west of Collegeville. Since I began school, I've traveled regularly to Freeport to have my truck serviced.

As I looked closer at the news story, I learned with great dismay that that the Swany Four Mill had burned to the ground yesterday. I was just in Freeport about a week ago, and I found myself looking at the mill building and thinking to myself "I should photograph this place come spring." I really should have gotten around to it sooner.

I'm not a Freeport resident, nor even a Minnesota native, but I realize how significant this landmark was, architecturally, historically, and as a thriving business in a rural community. I'm not sure what there is to do now - the building is gone, nothing is salvageable, and it will not reopen. I suppose for both the lifelong local and the casual passerby, there's nothing to do but remember and reminisce.

(Photo Source)

Below are a compilation of news articles relating to the mill and the fire:

Swany White Mill: A history
SLIDESHOW: Historic Freeport Flour Mill
Fire destroys iconic Freeport flour mill (with video)
Fire destroys flour mill in Freeport (with video)
Fire Devastates Historic Freeport Flour Company (with video)
Century-Old Mill Destroyed by Fire in Freeport (with video)
Freeport flour mill fire probe begins
Flour mill fire probe begins in Freeport (with video)
Investigation begins into cause of Swany White flour mill in Freeport
Flour mill fire was one of biggest for small fire departments
Freeport mourns loss of landmark flour mill
Old mill won't be rising again

Change & Transition

I must apologize for the severe lack of posts as of late. My life has undergone quite the transition in the past few months!


I've always wondered if I could potentially direct my interests in ecclesiastical architecture, art, and history toward a more professional route. In early June, I began to investigate what educational qualifications it might take to become a liturgical design consultant. I never expected much to come of this research. I was mainly interested in seeing what was involved, if I ever wanted to make such a jump. I was happy with my work at KTIC and I loved the community of West Point. God had other plans.


After exchanges with several professionals within the liturgical consulting field, it became apparent that I would need an advanced degree in liturgy and/or design. One of the liturgy schools recommended to me was St. John's School of Theology in Collegeville, Minnesota. Oddly enough, I've had a relationship with Collegeville for about the past ten years. My first experience with the campus was in high school as a member of the National Catholic Youth Choir, and I returned every year thereafter to celebrate the feast of St. Benedict with the monastic community. I later became an Oblate candidate of the monastery in 2006.


I would be making my annual retreat at Collegeville in July and I figured that I might as well look at the liturgy program while I was there. Long story short, things fell into place in a way that I never could have imagined. It became apparent that I was meant to study liturgy at St. John's right now! I made the decision to enroll in the program and was accepted about a month before classes were to start!

It was stressful to work through the process of leaving behind dear friends, a job, a community, and a home in less than a month's time. I got through it all somehow, though it wasn't easy to say goodbye to the people and organizations that had so warmly welcomed me as a newcomer four years earlier. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the West Point, Nebraska community, and especially the West Point Community Theatre for welcoming me with such open arms. West Point has fostered a spirit and enthusiasm within me that has allowed me to arrive at where I am now. God willing, I will return there!


I arrived at St. John's on August 30th and classes began September 6th. I'm happy to be here. It's been an adjustment, to be sure. It has taken me a while to get back into the routine of "school," but I'm getting there. The classes are fascinating and it's truly a privilege to worship daily with the monastic community in Marcel Breuer's iconic Abbey Church. I still can't believe how fortunate I am to be studying liturgy here at St. John's, especially at this point in the church's history.


I was also fortunate to secure a graduate assistantship with the Seeing the Word project. Basically, we are working to develop curriculum around the now-complete Saint John's Bible. Primarily, we are focusing on the practice of Visio Divina and how the art of the Saint John's Bible can serve as an aid to prayer and an illumination of the Sacred Scriptures. I'm also in the very early stages of exploring how the notion of Vision Divina can be applied within the context of the historic preservation of religious buildings. Obviously, this assistantship is an excellent fit for me!

So, what's the future of this blog? I intend to keep posting about various churches, hopefully with more frequency than I have in the past. Since I'm living in Minnesota for the time being, I will probably begin posting more on the architecture of this area. However, I have a large photo archive of Nebraska churches that I still want to write about. I anticipate future posts to be an even balance between Nebraska and Minnesota locales. Also look for occasional posts dealing with my current studies, research, and some personal reflections.


If you have any suggestions or comments, you're always welcome to contact me by clicking the "Correspondence" box on the left side of the blog. I greatly appreciate your readership and interest. I hope you'll join me as I begin down this new path. Peace!