Elders of the Benedictines:
A Portrait and Interview Project
Father Placid Pientek, O.S.B., b. 1918
Father
Placid is a member of the Benedictine community at Saint Andrew Svorad Abbey
in Cleveland, Ohio.
Q: How does the Benedictine tradition serve as a foundation for the way you live your spiritual life?
A: When I came here at the age of fourteen I automatically became part of the spiritual practices of the Benedictines and I have been part of that practice for the last sixty-six years. I began the Divine Office as a novice. The Office creates the rhythm of life with the seasons, the psalms, and the readings. It grows on you over the years. Even the changes from Latin to English didn't upset me. It seemed a normal growth. The Office is living. Even during the Easter season when some reading might have as many as nine "Alleluias" you might think one or two would have been enough but I like it with all nine. Some days we sing the Office rather than recite it. You're happy with the embellishment, for the Office never gets boring.