What's New

April, May, and June 2013

Rev. 18 May 2013

May 2013

Honorary Doctorate for P. Georg Braulik OSB

Abbot Primate Dr. Notker Wolf OSB, Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Athenæum Sant'Anselmo, awarded an honary doctorate, 9 May 2013, to Professor Emeritus DDr. Dr. hc. P. Georg Braulik OSB. Father Georg is a monk of Schotten Abbey, Vienna. The award honors Father Georg's academic work as a biblical scholar who specialized in the Book of Deuteronomy. Until 2004 he served as the Ordinary for Old Testament Biblical Studies at the Univesity of Vienna. Father Georg was also passionately involved with the biblical underpinngs of the liturgy. He was co-translator of the widely used Münsterschwarzer Psalter. Father Georg served in his abbey as novicemaster and librarian as well as the founder and patron of a student living group that participates in the life of the monastery. The faculty of the Jesuits' St. Georgen in Frankfurt am Main awarded Father Georg an honorary doctorate in 2006.

April 2013

+ Rev. Kevin Seasoltz OSB

Father Kevin Seasoltz OSB, JCD, died Saturday, 27 April 2013, at Collegeville. Father Kevin was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 29 December 1930. He became a priest of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, 3 June 1956. After earning a licentiate in theology from The Catholic University of America and a licentiate in canon law from the Lateran University, he professed vows as a monk of Saint Anselm's Abbey, Washington, DC, 13 November 1960. For many years Father Kevin served as editor of Worship magazine. Funeral arrangements at Saint John's Abbey, Minnesota, are as follows: The reception of the body will be Wednesday, 1 May 2013, 7 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday, 2 May, 3:30 p.m. May he rest in peace.

+ Abbot Charles Massoth OSB

Rt. Rev. Charles Damian Massoth OSB, 89, died peacefully at St. Gregory's Abbey, 21 April 2013. He had completed 67 years as a monk and served for 63 years as a priest. The monks elected him eighth abbot, 3 January 1989. He resigned, 3 January 1994, having reached the age for retirement in the American-Cassinese Congregation. The community celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial in the Abbey Church, Shawnee, Oklahoma, on Friday, 26 April.

World Day of Prayer for Vocations

The Fourth Sunday of Easter, 21 April 2013, is the 50th World Day of Prayer for Vocations. The Pope Emeritus reflected on the theme of "Vocations as a sign of hope founded in faith."

"Dear Brothers and Sisters, what exactly is God's faithfulness, to which we adhere with unwavering hope? It is his love! He, the Father, pours His love into our innermost self through the Holy Spirit. And this love, fully manifested in Jesus Christ, engages with our existence and demands a response in terms of what each individual wants to do with his or her life, and what he or she is prepared to offer in order to live it to the full" -- Read the full message in English (PDF) or in Spanish (Vatican website).

Pope Francis Visits St. Paul Outside the Walls

Abbot Edmund Power OSB and the Benedictine monks of St. Paul's Abbey eagerly await the visit of Pope Francis, Sunday, 14 April 2013, to one of the seven major basilicas of Rome. Abbot Edmund spoke to Vatican Radio about the special bond between St. Ignatius, Founder of the Jesuits, and the basilica. Paul Zalonski OblSB offers more details about the event in his informative blog, Communio.

Franciscan Named Secretary of CICLSAL

On Saturday, 6 April, the Holy Father appointed Fr. José Rodriguez Carballo OFM, as secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop and assigning him the titular see of Bellicastrum. The archbishop-elect was born in Lodoselo, Spain, in 1953 and was ordained a priest in 1977. Father José is the Minister General of the Franciscan Friars.

Interview with the Abbot Primate

Markus Hinterberger reports on his interview with Abbot Primate Dr. Notker Wolf OSB. "Die Verlockung ist groß" (The Temptation is Great) appeared 5 April 2013 at Börse Online. The report covers four topics: Pope Francis and the religious practice of poverty; the Vatican Bank; what Europe can learn from the Benedictines; and executive salaries.

Collegeville Monastic Institute 2013

The School of Theology · Seminary of Saint John's University hosts the 28th annual Monastic Institue, 30 June - 4 July 2013. Four speakers will address the topic, "The Monastic Imaginary and the Common Life." It is possible to register online at the website. For more information contact Cindy Maile at 320-353-2612 or <monsticinstitute@csbsju.edu>.

The Order of Saint Benedict