Abbey Needs and Priorities
Saint John's unique sense of place is anchored by the monks of Saint John's Abbey. Since arriving in Minnesota in 1856, the monks have drawn strength from praying together each day, reflecting and meditating on the scriptures, living in community and responding to the spiritual needs of people they encountered in parishes, chaplaincies and missions across the prairies and oceans and in the classrooms of Collegeville. These practices — taken together and shared with others — deepened the purpose of Saint John's and extended its horizons.
The abbey has given priests, educators, craftsmen, administrators, scholars, artists and writers to the service of God and the human family. Monks of Saint John's have been leaders in education, liturgical renewal, religious publishing and ecumenism. The abbey is known worldwide for its theological and monastic resources and for fostering dialogue across religious boundaries.
This tradition of monastic witness, generous service and hospitality has emerged from countless initiatives, large and small. And from the very beginning it has gained strength from the generous and inventive collaboration of a great number of people who never would have predicted that their lives would be so enriched by contact with a Catholic, Benedictine monastic community.
In order to continue its mission of service and work, the monks of Saint John's Abbey wish to invite its friends and supporters to share in their work by responding to the following sets of needs.
Abbey Guesthouse — A Place of Spiritual Renewal
All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.
— Rule of Benedict, Chapter 53
There is a growing desire in our world for time apart to pray, to reflect and to experience the wonder of God in nature. Saint John's draws increasing numbers of people who immerse themselves in the daily round of monastic prayer, the beauty of the place and the rich array of cultural resources. After many years of exploration and discussion and the generous help of friends and alumni, the monks have managed finally to build an Abbey Guesthouse. They have created a building of quiet beauty located above Lake Sagatagan between the abbey church and the Preparatory School.
The Guesthouse includes 30 guestrooms and suites, a library, dining facilities, a chapel, meeting rooms and places to gather for conversation and spiritual direction. The Guesthouse offers a monastic living environment for lay people, allowing them to drink deeply of the tradition and practices that sustain the monastery. Since early December 2006, guests benefit emotionally and spiritually from spending times of renewal in the shadow of the Abbey.
To help with this important spiritual outreach, Saint John's Abbey seeks assistance to:
• Endow the facility to help with its upkeep and the added expense of this new venture
• Endow the program so that the cost of staying in this facility can be kept affordable to all
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Vocations: Recruiting New Monks
The novice promises stability in the community, conversion through a monastic manner of life, and obedience.
— Rule of Benedict, Chapter 58
Because the abbey is the heart of Saint John's, increased efforts to cultivate new monastic vocations will be essential for the future of the University, Preparatory School, Liturgical Press, missions, parishes, and other apostolates. The abbey has been blessed with a steady stream of new members over the past century and a half. However, smaller families and an increasingly secular society make the recruitment of new members especially challenging today. The value of a monastic vocation must be communicated widely and effectively.
The monastery's facilities for the housing and preparation of young monks must be adequate and inviting. And newcomers must continue to receive excellent spiritual and theological training that will enable them to serve with the generosity of spirit that is Saint John's tradition.
To foster vocations, Saint John's Abbey seeks assistance to:
• Expand vocational outreach and cultivation of prospective monks
• Train monks for leadership roles in vocation and monastic formation
• Renovate the Formation floor of the Abbey, currently the oldest and least modernized area of the monastery
• Educate new monks for educational, administrative and professional service
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Caring for the Sick and Elderly
Care of the sick must come before all else.
— Rule of Benedict, Chapter 36
As monks retire, their health needs must be met even as a new generation of monks is trained to take their places in the educational, pastoral and spiritual work of the Abbey. Operational cash flow can no longer cover the erratic and unpredictable escalations associated with quality health care. The abbey must establish an endowment for the long-term stabilization of health care and retirement costs.
To provide for the health and retirement needs of monks, Saint John's Abbey seeks endowment to:
• Enhance the care of elderly and sick monks
• Provide continuing and emergency medical care
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Benedictine Service
The monks of Saint John's Abbey seek to deepen and strengthen their commitment to its traditional apostolates -- the University, the Prep School, and the Liturgical Press. In addition, the monks seek to maintain pastoral ministry in parishes, chaplaincies and missions, as well as to develop new forms of pastoral outreach to serve the emerging needs of this new century.
Programming for retreats and the ministry of spiritual direction at Saint John's continue to develop as people today feel a deeper hunger for prayer and guidance.
To ensure the vitality of on-campus apostolates as well as pastoral outreach, Saint John's Abbey seeks endowments to:
• Prepare monks for service to the University, Preparatory School and Liturgical Press
• Prepare monks for pastoral ministry as priests, spiritual directors and retreat leaders
• Educate pastoral ministers for the Church and monasteries in Asia, Africa and South America
• Support expanded on-campus and off-campus retreat programs
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Trinity Benedictine Monastery — Fujimi
For about sixty years, the Benedictines have served the Church of Japan, modeling Catholic faith and offering Benedictine hospitality. Trinity Benedictine Monastery is a symbol of faith in a country where Catholics are a fraction of one percent of the total population. The daily rhythm of prayer and work in the community of eight monks is a witness to the Gospel.
ResidenceIn the Benedictine tradition of interfaith and intercultural hospitality all guests are received as Christ. Within the monastery, guests are offered a prayerful setting in private rooms for retreat, spiritual direction, Bible study, and brief lessons on Christian and monastic themes.
Monks participate in the ministry of local parishes to provide pastoral outreach to Japanese and Philippine migrant communities. They also connect with larger regions of Japan through the Monastery's quarterly newsletter. However, due to the very nature of the population dynamics in Japan, participation and remuneration is relatively small, so there is a need for financial assistance to sustain our monastic life and witness.
To assure the vitality of Trinity Benedictine Monastery, Saint John's Abbey seeks assistance for:
• Publishing the monastery's informational brochure as well as its quarterly newsletter
• Formation and continuing education of monks
• Translations into Japanese language and publication on the Web of pastoral pamphlets
• Library acquisitions of current works in scripture, spirituality, and Benedictine studies for use by monks and guests
• Promoting the Benedictine presence and mission to the general population through select media
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Abbey Church and Pavilion
The abbey church is widely recognized as one of the finest pieces of church architecture built within the country in the twentieth century. Here the monks come four times daily for the Liturgy of the Hours and the Eucharist. The parish of Saint John the Baptist and the students of the University gather for their liturgies, and major events such as Preparatory School and University Commencements occur.
The abbey church dominates the skyline and central campus green, bearing its mission Cross high above the woods and lakes of Saint John's to remind all who come here of the centrality of the Benedictine mission to proclaim the Good News and to serve those in need.
The abbey church is in need of renovation to meet today's liturgical and devotional needs as well as to make it easily accessible to the elderly and physically challenged. Since the Council, changing liturgical practices have made it difficult to find a reverent location for the Blessed Sacrament, and the many small chapels in the lower church intended for private Masses are now largely unused. These chapels contain significant works of art, but are currently inaccessible to the general public.
The abbey church Pavilion will address the following needs:
• Reorient and refurbish the current Blessed Sacrament Chapel so that it opens into the church proper, allowing for easier access and fewer distractions
• Install an elevator to improve access to the lower church
• Expand restrooms to accommodate the large groups who use the church
• Add a two-level addition to the chapter house to accommodate a new entry, the elevator and a bride's room
• Renovate the chapter house to make it accessible, flexible and better equipped for presentations, meetings and other uses
• Add a tunnel connection between the church and the guesthouse
• Improve lighting for the upper church and upgrade heating and ventilations systems
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