From the Inside

Bowl-a-thon

2012-02-14T14:35:00.000-06:00

Dear Family & Friends,

I hope that this note finds you well. I am doing great here in Kansas as we are in the midst of an unusually mild winter (by Midwestern standards)! But after the last 2 cold and snowy winters, I am not complaining.

Our monastery (St. Benedict’s Abbey) is in the midst of a ($3.2 M) Capital Campaign (www.ShareOurMission.org) to repair the roof and replace the windows in our 83-year-old home. Our students (at Benedictine College) have decided to assist us by hosting a bowl-a-thon (Benedict’s Bowling Bonanza) on March 31st (bowl.kansasmonks.org). I am going to bowl and I would like for you to consider sponsoring me! Donors can give a one-time gift or sponsor a bowler (like me!) a certain amount of money per pin. We will bowl two games and will count the highest single game score in the calculation of the pledge totals (my goal is to bowl a 200 game, but I am hoping for even higher).

To make a pledge (or a donation), go to bowl.kansasmonks.org and click on the “Sponsor a Bowler” tab at the top of the page and follow the instructions. Or if you prefer, you can just respond to this e-mail with your pledge and I will do the rest! All gifts to this good cause are tax deductible. And please send this request to anyone whom you think would be interested in helping our monastery!

Thanks for your consideration (and generosity).

In Christ,

Father Justin Damien Dean, OSB

PROTEST the HHS contraception mandate

2012-01-30T08:53:00.002-06:00

"The Amish do not carry health insurance. The government respects their principles. Christian Scientists want to heal by prayer alone, and the new health-care reform law respects that. Quakers and others object to killing even in wartime, and the government respects that principle for conscientious objectors. By its decision, the Obama administration has failed to show the same respect for the consciences of Catholics and others who object to treating pregnancy as a disease."
- Archbishop Dolan of NYC in response to the contraception mandate

Sign a petition to stop this travesty of justice and usurpation of Religious Freedom!!

http://stopthebirthcontrolmandate.org/

Mary Christ-Mass (octave)

2011-12-30T09:22:00.002-06:00

It has been a couple of months (Oct 21) since my last update so this is long overdue!

Between my work at Benedictine College (Masses, confessions, spiritual direction, occasional teaching [Apologetics, RCIA, BC sub], etc.) and the Abbey Development Office (Capital Campaign), things have been humming!

Significant happenings:

1. Curtis Martin (who was recently appointed to the Vatican advisory board on the New Evangelization) visited our campus (always good to see him even if I have to hear about LSU)

2. I got to preach for the feast of one of my favorite saints while at EWTN (http://www.youtube.com/user/EWTN#p/search/0/2XYHv7nm7RI) with Sarah Swafford who was the guest for the Life on the Rock episode which aired on December 15th (http://www.youtube.com/user/EWTN#p/search/0/S_DaY5XcPE8). Check out Sarah's episode - it was fantastic!!

3. I am on a BC search committee for a new professor of Youth Ministry/Catechetics. It has been interesting to see the process... and the good men seeking the position!

4. I made many trips for the Capital Campaign. I flew to: DC/Maryland, San Antonio, Denver and Dallas (in one month) and I drove all around Missouri and Kansas. I got to see some good friends along the way: Fr. Ed Hathaway (my classmate) in Arlington, VA, the Alexanders in San Antonio, Craig and Melissa Miller and tons of FOCUS personnel in Denver and the Cory family in Dallas! And I got to make some new friends!!

5. I had the blessing of attending the Solemn Profession (into the Religious Order of: Sisters in Jesus the Lord, www.cjd.cc/) of Sr. Catherine Marie of the Crucified Lord of Love, CJD. I have known her for about 10-12 years, since her first visit to Alabama with some of her relatives whom I know.

6. We had 3 novices enter our monastery on December 7th (which is great news, of course)!! They took the names: Br. Luke (formerly Jeff) Turner, Br. Timothy (formerly Cameron) McMillan and Br. Victor (formerly Branson) Stephens. More are thinking about it - please keep them in your prayers!!

7. I made a short home visit in mid-Dec and it was great to see my family (though I did not have enough time to see everyone I would like to have seen).

8. One of our BC students though up the idea of sponsoring a Bowl-a-thon to support the Abbey's Capital Campaign. You will hear more on that in the future!!

Many more things going on, but those are some of the ones I can think of right now. Maybe I should update my blog more often... or NOT!

I hope and pray that God continues to pour out his manifold blessings upon each of you, now and through out the coming year!

In Christ, our newborn King,

Fr. Justin Damien Dean. OSB

St. Padre Pio's Christmas Meditation

2011-12-24T08:58:00.002-06:00

Saint Padre Pio’s Christmas Meditation

Translated by Frank M. Rega, December of 2005.

Taken from: Sanpadrepio.com

Far into the night, at the coldest time of the year, in a chilly grotto, more suitable for a flock of beasts than for humans, the promised Messiah – Jesus – the savior of mankind, comes into the world in the fullness of time.

There are none who clamor around him: only an ox and an ass lending their warmth to the newborn infant; with a humble woman, and a poor and tired man, in adoration beside him.

Nothing can be heard except the sobs and whimpers of the infant God. And by means of his crying and weeping he offers to the Divine justice the first ransom for our redemption.

He had been expected for forty centuries; with longing sighs the ancient Fathers had implored his arrival. The sacred scriptures clearly prophesy the time and the place of his birth, and yet the world is silent and no one seems aware of the great event. Only some shepherds, who had been busy watching over their sheep in the meadows, come to visit him. Heavenly visitors had alerted them to the wondrous event, inviting them to approach his cave.

So plentiful, O Christians, are the lessons that shine forth from the grotto of Bethlehem! Oh how our hearts should be on fire with love for the one who with such tenderness was made flesh for our sakes! Oh how we should burn with desire to lead the whole world to this lowly cave, refuge of the King of kings, greater than any worldly palace, because it is the throne and dwelling place of God! Let us ask this Divine child to clothe us with humility, because only by means of this virtue can we taste the fullness of this mystery of Divine tenderness.

Glittering were the palaces of the proud Hebrews. Yet, the light of the world did not appear in one of them. Ostentatious with worldly grandeur, swimming in gold and in delights, were the great ones of the Hebrew nation; filled with vain knowledge and pride were the priests of the sanctuary. In opposition to the true meaning of Divine revelation, they awaited an officious savoir, who would come into the world with human renown and power.

But God, always ready to confound the wisdom of the world, shatters their plans. Contrary to the expectations of those lacking in Divine wisdom, he appears among us in the greatest abjection, renouncing even birth in St. Joseph’s humble home, denying himself a modest abode among relatives and friends in a city of Palestine. Refused lodging among men, he seeks refuge and comfort among mere animals, choosing their habitation as the place of his birth, allowing their breath to give warmth to his tender body. He permits simple and rustic shepherds to be the first to pay their respects to him, after he himself informed them, by means of his angels, of the wonderful mystery.

Oh wisdom and power of God, we are constrained to exclaim – enraptured along with your Apostle – how incomprehensible are your judgments and unsearchable your ways! Poverty, humility, abjection, contempt, all surround the Word made flesh. But we, out of the darkness that envelops the incarnate Word, understand one thing, hear one voice, perceive one sublime truth: you have done everything out of love, you invite us to nothing else but love, speak of nothing except love, give us naught except proofs of love.

The heavenly babe suffers and cries in the crib so that for us suffering would be sweet, meritorious and accepted. He deprives himself of everything, in order that we may learn from him the renunciation of worldly goods and comforts. He is satisfied with humble and poor adorers, to encourage us to love poverty, and to prefer the company of the little and simple rather than the great ones of the world.

This celestial child, all meekness and sweetness, wishes to impress in our hearts by his example these sublime virtues, so that from a world that is torn and devastated an era of peace and love may spring forth. Even from the moment of his birth he reveals to us our mission, which is to scorn that which the world loves and seeks.

Oh let us prostrate ourselves before the manger, and along with the great St. Jerome, who was enflamed with the love of the infant Jesus, let us offer him all our hearts without reserve. Let us promise to follow the precepts which come to us from the grotto of Bethlehem, which teach us that everything here below is vanity of vanities, nothing but vanity.

Update...

2011-10-21T00:10:00.003-05:00

It has been a busy month and a half! I visited Alabama recently (Oct 7-16). I saw my mom who just had quadruple by-pass surgery right before I arrived (Oct 6). It was a success and she is back at her assisted living home now. I just happened to be there as I was scheduled to record a series for EWTN. Our crew was on EWTN Live last Wednesday (http://www.youtube.com/EWTN#p/u/3/XqDKpI7oiPg). While at home I attended the Auburn-Florida game festivities. I could only stay for the first half so I just tailgated (for about 10 hours) and then watched the first half with some tailgating friends before heading to Montgomery then B'ham (where I had to fly out of the next morning).

Our football team (Benedictine) is undefeated and ranked 7th in the nation (NAIA). We defeated the #4 team last week and this Saturday we play #5... Auburn is 5-2 and about to play powerful LS-Zoo...

Campus Ministry is keeping me busy (2+ days a week) as is Development for the Abbey (a couple short trips for our Capital Campaign). In my spare time I have been doing a little teaching (a monthly Apologetics class on campus, a Postulancy class [twice this week and twice next week], subbed once in the Christian Marriage class at BC).

Other than that, not much is going on!!

Oremus Pro invicem!!

God bless,

Fr. Justin Damien Dean, OSB

Latest update

2011-09-09T14:58:00.002-05:00

Sorry that it has been so long. Not much of note during July - except my 50th birthday. Then it cranked up and I've not take time to type out an update, so here goes...

June 27-July 1 - LifeTeen Leadership Camp was held on our campus. I helped out a little with it for the Abbey and BCM.

July 6th - celebrated Mass at the Archdiocesan youth camp - Camp Tekekwitha!

July 9 - Attended (and preached) a nice weeding between one of our BC FOCUS missionaries (Abigail Searle) and one of our RCIA Catholics from last year (Timothy Thomas), both of which are FOCUS missionaries this year!! Wonderful couple who will be great things as missionaries on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.

July 11 - Feast of St. Benedict, traveled to Manhattan, Kansas to celebrate Mass for a group of BC alumni and incoming students... a great group of people.

July 19 - Our annual monastic outing to a Royals game... which the Royals won (for the 2nd year in a row - that is called a streak in reference to the Royals!).

July 25-26 - Development trip to Salina & Dodge City, Kansas. All of the fans of Gunsmoke will remember the name of Dodge City! I had lunch with the relatively new bishop of that diocese and toured some of the old west stuff.

Exciting news for August - Br. Leven made his solemn/final/permanent vows on August 6th. That was great news for our community and we had a very nice celebration surrounding the ceremony!

On the same night of August 6th a donor provided us with 6 very nice tickets (in a dugout suite) to the Royals home game against Detroit. We joined his family as we saw this year's AL Cy Young (Justin Verlander) barely beat the Royals, 4-3!!

I substituted in a few parishes when needed through out July and early August.

The next 2 1/2 weeks were a blur... much College Ministry and FOCUS training. Fantastic time and great formation to prepare for the upcoming year!

It was during this time that I found out that our BC biology department has a Burmese Python! I asked the biology professor if I could play with her and he gave me permission to do so any time. She is 8 foot long (with the potential to get to about 20 feet) and just received the name Bella. You may hear me talk about her more in the future.

Our Abbey picnic for the college faculty/staff and their families drew about 400 people on August 17. Bella made an appearance and the kids loved her... many of the parents were not so enthusiastic about her!

Classes started at BC on August 24th and there has been a flood of activity with them individually and communally.

Along with this we have just started the silent phase of our Abbey Capital Campaign with is for the purpose of fixing our roof and windows and increasing our endowment.

Sports wise, our BC football team and soccer teams started off with some convincing wins. Football is 2-0 and has not been scored on (45-0, 14-0) and soccer is also 2-0 and has not ben scored on!!

And I could not mention sports without a shout-out for my AU TIGERS!! What a finish against a mighty Utah State!! I had to get that in before they face Miss State this weekend and put the longest BSC winning streak on the line. I am planning to be at the AU-Florida game in Jordan-Hare on October 15th!!

Other good things which have happened in recent days here: Nice opening school Mass with Bishop Brungardt (of Dodge City), Dr. Ted Sri gave some great talks at BC and the BC new student retreat went very well (run by my compadre, Br. Christopher).

Ongoing - My brother Barry's creation, the association of Catholic Coaches (A of CC), is going well. It was a great idea and (sadly) has no competition in it arena (it would be great to have one in ever state!). It is receiving some good support. And Barry's birthday is coming up soon - 9/11! People will be pausing to think on that day... not only about him...

Many things coming up - please keep them in your prayers: Justice For All training at BC tomorrow (Sept 10) followed by some campus pro-life work at Univ. of Kansas the following Monday/Tuesday, my new monthly Catholic Apologetics class has its first session on the evening of Sept 18th, Msgr. Michael Magee comes to visit for less than 24 hours and will give 4 talks here (3 on the new translation of the Mass), the EWTN series (hard to believe that it is about 1 month away!) and many more less glamorous things!

Anyway... I have to run... Excuse any typos in this post (I will check it later).

God bless you all,

Father Justin Damien Dean, OSB

Overdue Update...

2011-06-27T09:36:00.005-05:00

It has been a while since my last update (May 10)... and a lot has been going on...

We had a Junior monk outing on May 11 - Dinner and Movie (There be Dragons). Decent movie but not as much focus on St. Josemaria as I would have liked.

Benedictine College (BC) graduation activities were May 13-14... nice Mass and Graduation ceremony... and now a few hundred more young people in the world to help transform it into the Kingdom of God that it is supposed to reflect!

Visits to Philly (May 17-19) and home (May 19-23) provided a welcome break from the monastic life. My class celebrated its 20th priestly anniversary in Philly at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary (my ordination date was June 1, but my Philadelphia classmates were ordained on May 18). And it was great to see my family and a few friends in Montgomery and Birmingham (where I attended the diaconate ordinations of Br. Patrick and Br. Leonard at EWTN).

Part of my visit to Montgomery was attending the inaugural meeting of the Association of Catholic Coaches (A of CC). It is the creation of my brother Barry (so I am on the initial Board of Directors) and its purpose is to assist Catholic coaches in actively living their faith in the "workplace" of sports. It has great impact potential and I have high hopes that it will flourish!

One of our fellow monks, Fr. Hugh Keefer, passed away on June 1. He had not been well for a while... may his soul Rest In Peace!

We had our annual Abbey retreat from June 6-9 with Fr. Justin Matro, OSB as our Retreat Master. It was a good retreat and everyone seemed to enjoy the time together.

We had a Development meeting where the results of the recent Feasibility Study were presented and we were encouraged us to start a Capital Campaign in the very near future. More on that as it "develops"!

I assisted with the annual FOCUS Staff Summer Training in Champaign, Illinois (at the U. of Ill Newman Center) from June 10-24. It was a joy and a blessing to be with so many young, enthusiastic, orthodox, evangelistic Catholic young adults. In their first 13 years, 286 FOCUS young men and women (students and missionaries) have entered the seminary and/or religious life! And hundreds have entered faith-filled Catholic marriages. That says it all!!

I attended the wedding of Justin Kraft (former FOCUS missionary) and Sara Carlson in St. Joseph, MO on June 25th. It was blessed Nuptial Mass (with 7 priests concelebrating) and it was good to see some of the former FOCUS missionaries who attended.

The annual LifeTeen Leadership Conference (LTLC) starts today at BC. We will be inundated with about 500 people during this week (approximately 450 high schoolers [going into 12th grade] and 50 chaperones).

That is about all for now. I am just getting the hang of the blogging world. I changed the setting so you should be able to post comments easier now. And I found a lot of past comments saved in a particular place which I never knew were there.

Anyway... back to work. God bless you all and please keep me and our Abbey in your prayers!

In Christ,

Fr. Justin Damien Dean, OSB

Update...

2011-05-10T15:07:00.000-05:00

Not exactly a "monthly" update, but an update nonetheless!

The last day of exams at Benedictine College (BC) is today as the students begin to trickle out of town. Baccalaureate Mass this Friday and Graduation on Saturday will see most of the remaining students pack their bags. It was been a great first semester for me at BC and I look forward to more in the Fall!

I was privileged to teach the 2nd half of the RCIA class.... we saw 8 come into the Church and 4 Catholics get confirmed. As always, it was a great blessing to see the Catholic faith through the "new eyes" of those becoming Catholic!

I am busy with Abbey Development also. I was involved in the Feasibility Study that is the precursor to a possible (and needed) Capital Campaign to repair our leaky roof and replace our antiquated windows (some 885 of them!). Say a prayer for its success!!

That's the big picture - and about all I have time for...

God bless,

FrJDD

HE IS RISEN!!

2011-04-26T13:55:00.001-05:00

He is risen, indeed!!

Just a short post to wish everyone a Blessed Easter!!

And to ask if anyone is still reading this blog? If so, let me know (Father.JDD@gamil.com) and I will update it shortly...

God bless you all,

FrJDD

Monthly Update...

2011-03-14T07:42:00.000-05:00

It is the first weekday of our Spring Break... and it is SNOWING! It is a beautiful snow - as it is sticking on the ground, but NOT on the pavement!! It won't be around long because it is supposed to hit 44 today, 54 tomorrow, 67 and 70 the next two days. And after the snow/rain mix today the forecast is for a clear week. It should be a nice.

Campus Ministry at BC has been hopping. Lots of great students and a lot of work to do. Just more of the same as reported before - RCIA, Masses, Confessions, Spiritual Direction, Knights of Columbus, FOCUS, etc... all great stuff.

One note - BCM has been sponsoring a series of classes entitled "How to Pray Like a Saint". How could someone not be interested in that?!? The teacher is Dr. Matthew Ramage and the classes are excellent. I wish you were all here so you could take advantage of them... but, wait! You are in luck, as they are available on our website: http://www.bcsmc.org/index.cfm?load=news&newsarticle=19&page=1

I highly recommend that you print the notes and listen to these classes.

The KCCSC (organized by BC) went very well in mid-Feb. Dr. Thomas Woods did a great job among the many good speakers. Archbishop Joseph Naumann did an outstanding job on the Sunday Mass & homily. We are very blessed to have him here.

On to Development... my training in the process of interviewing people for a feasibility study for a future monastery capital campaign begins today! I will watch a training video this afternoon and go with a professional on 4 interviews tomorrow, 1 on Wednesday and probably 1 more during the week. Next week, I go solo!! PRAY for me!!

I recently bought my airline ticket for a week vacation in May. I will be in Philly for a couple of days to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the priestly ordination of my seminary class. Then on to Montgomery for the rest of the vacation.

Not much else to report for now...

Oremus Pro Invicem!! (Let us pray for one another)

God bless,

Fr. Justin Damien Dean, OSB

FINALLY...

2011-01-30T09:05:00.000-06:00

My monthly update (slightly late).

Where to begin... WARRRRRR EAGLE! Of course!! It is great to be an Auburn Tiger!!

Lots going on in the monastery and outside of it.

I am busy in Campus Ministry at Benedictine College (BCM) and with Development at the Abbey.

BCM:

- I attended the FOCUS conference in Denver with about 175 of our students... a great conference which had a significant effect on many of our students. Most were strengthened in their practice of the faith which was already central in their lives. Some were brought back. Success stories abound!! Praise God!!

- It is a pleasure to once again be the main celebrant and preach at Masses. I am scheduled to celebrate Mass at our campus chapel twice a week (and I am usually blessed with a third time when a sub is needed). And I am on the rotating schedule at the Abbey. I celebrated Mass at the latter yesterday and got to wear my Marian vestment (which is my First Mass vestment given to me by my family) as we celebrated the votive Mass of Mary, Pillar of Faith.

- I am teaching RCIA and we have a good crew... about 10-12 attended last week...

- Many students seeking spiritual direction is encouraging. These are not your ordinary college students!!

- Kansas Catholic College Student Conference (KCCSC) coming up Feb 11-13. We (BC) are hosting it - Please keep that in your prayers.

- It is just great be on this wonderful Catholic campus.

Development:

- I have been calling to thank donors and meeting the members of the Friends of St. Benedict's Abbey to get their ideas of how to improve our fundraising efforts. A great group of people with some GREAT ideas!

- I recently brought to the Development Board the idea of a Donor Newsletter. They were receptive and open to the idea and now I have to run with it to provide a sample issue for their approval (keep that in your prayers and if you have any suggestions, please send them to me!!).

Monastic Life:

It is great to be active in my priestly ministry while living in the monastery. The monastic life gives me some camaraderie, structure and discipline (though I can always use more of the latter!). It is a blessing to be around men striving for holiness and challenging me to keep up!!

Future Developments:

- Following an invitation from FOCUS, I have received permission to help out at FOCUS Summer Training for 2 weeks this summer. What a blessing it will be for me to be around so much young, dynamic, Catholic energy!! And it will hopefully be a good opportunity to make our monastery better known among the young men of FOCUS and the young men on the campuses where they will be serving next year! With God's grace (and YOUR prayers), it could lead a couple of men to seek entrance into our monastery!!

- I was approved by my superiors to host another series on marriage for EWTN with the wonderful Greg & Julie Alexander (of Alexander House fame!)! It will be taped in mid-Oct of this year. This series will focus on Marriage Enrichment.

Have you had enough yet?!? I have... and I have to go concelebrate our Sunday Mass!

God bless you all,

Father Justin Damien Dean. OSB(!)

Overdue Update...

2010-12-26T08:45:00.000-06:00

I got a couple of questions via e-mail that have prompted me to write this much overdue update!

Now that I am back at the monastery, I have received a couple of work assignments. I am now the Assistant Director of Development at the Abbey and I will assist in Campus Ministry at Benedictine College (BC) (Masses, confessions, spiritual direction, teach RCIA, chaplain of the KofC, assist with FOCUS leaders, etc.).

Since BC is on their Christmas break right now, my time has been primarily focused on development. I am currently engaging our 13-member Development Board through individual meetings with each person (learning our history and getting ideas for the future - BE AFRAID, be very afraid!), reading some books on fundraising, meeting with development personnel at other institutions, attending in-house meetings here at the Abbey, etc... whatever I can do to catch up in this field. It has been enlightening, educational and somewhat daunting to learn what can be done in this endeavor and, indeed, what needs to be done for it to work well. Please keep me and the Abbey in your prayers!!

Mom is doing well for her condition (early stages of dementia). Though she forgets things on occasion, her memory is still intact for the most part. She gets around with the help of Barry, Richard & Laura and her wonderful siblings. I talk to her frequently and look forward to getting home on a more regular basis with not so much time between visits.

Richard & Laura and their kids are doing well... really getting into good shape (well, except for Richard!). Barry is no longer dating his previous girlfriend, Alyson. Say a prayer for each of them - that they will find God's will and peace in their lives.

As for me, I am settled into my new room - Out of the Novitiate and onto the main hall on the 3rd floor of the monastery!! A little more room which is now pretty full with my books, files, computer, etc. (oh yeah, and my bed - as it doubles as my bedroom and my working office). Christmas has brought many celebrations (as usual), liturgically and socially (in the monastery and outside). I am just trying to get ready for the onslaught which will begin when the students get back to school.

That's about it for now... Oremus Pro Invicem (Let us pray for one another).

In Christ, our infant King,

Father Justin Damien Dean

P.S. And there is the matter of a little college football game on January 10th, but that is a long way away from my thoughts right now...

Vows and Home Visit...

2010-12-13T08:27:00.000-06:00

For the Mass of my first monastic vows, my mom made surprise visit with Richard, Barry and Ann Marie (Richard's daughter). Everything went well with the vows Mass on December 8th. We had a nice dinner reception afterwards and I left for Montgomery the next morning at 5:00 AM, dropping mom, Richard and Ann Marie off at the KC airport on my way to Montgomery. (Thanks for the many prayers for my trip home - they worked!!)

I am now in Montgomery for my 5-day Home Visit. I had a few gatherings (in Montgomery, Troy & Auburn) so that I could see a lot of friends and former parishioners. They concluded yesterday at Queen of Mercy. It was great to see everyone.

Right now (Monday morning) I am sorting through stuff and putting it into 3 piles - (1) take to Kansas, (2) leave at home and (3) get rid of! It is a big job and I am glad that I started it 2 days before I return to Kansas. I drove a van to Montgomery so that I can take my books and other things back with me.

That's all for now. Thanks for the prayers and be assured of mine for all of you!

God bless,

FrJDD

WARRRRRR EAGLE!!!

2010-11-27T16:48:00.000-06:00

What can I say?!? Camback from 24-0 deficit to beat the evil empire 28-27 to stay undefeated!! It doesn't get any better than that!!

1 month to go...

2010-11-08T10:56:00.000-06:00

... until I make my first/temporary/simple profession of monastic vows on December 8th!

But the real reason for the update... is to say WARRRRR EAGLE!! Auburn remains undefeated (10-0) and on track for the National Championship game. I had to get that in before the situation changes. Hard road ahead - UGA, uat, SEC championship, National Championship... but this is a very good team with Cam at the helm!!

And UAT has lost *2* games since I last updated!! Whooo-hoooo!!

The Lord is Good!!

6 weeks to go..

2010-10-27T10:23:00.000-05:00

My first profession of monastic vows will take place at our community Mass on Wednesday, December 8th at 4:45 PM (6 weeks from today). Recently someone from out of town expressed interest in coming and was wondering if it was open to the public... IT IS!! And I would welcome anyone who would like to come.

Though you do not need to tell me if you are coming, out of town guests who would like a room in the Abbey Guest House need to let me know ASAP (space is limited)! And my guests who would like to join the monastic community for dinner after the Mass need to let me know at least a few days in advance.

Otherwise, please keep myself and Br. Christopher Start in your prayers as we prepare for this next step in our monastic journeys.

God bless,

FrJDD

50 days to go... and the votes are in...

2010-10-19T21:18:00.000-05:00

Today, with 50 days to go until my novitiate is over, our monastic community met to vote on the acceptance of the novices' request for entrance into the monastery as junior monks.

I was informed after the meeting that I was accepted! (As was Br. Christopher Start.)

Our profession of vows is scheduled for Wednesday, December 8, 2010 - the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception!

The next day (Dec 9th) I will begin my drive toward Montgomery for my 5-day home visit. More details on that in the future...

Thank you for all the prayers.

God bless,

FrJDD

2 months to go...

2010-10-08T08:40:00.000-05:00

...until my first profession of monastic vows! God willing and it is approved by the monks of St. Benedict's Abbey (they vote on Oct 19), I will become a Junior monk on December 8, 2010. Afterward I will get to make a 5-day Home Visit (more on that later).

Monthly Update:

1. Julie Alexander gave birth to her and Greg's 7th child on September 23... giving him the name Justin Damien! He will have some big shoes to fill (as I do) as those are 2 great saints!!

2. Along those lines, another a wonderful couple here in Atchison had their 4th child - Joe & Megan Wurtz. Sophia Marie Therese Wurtz was born on the Feast of St. Therese (Oct. 1). Joe is the dean of students at our college and I have known them for about 8-9 years.

3. On a somewhat sadder note, I entered the Novitiate with 2 young men, Br. Christopher & Br. Ulrich, and the latter (now back to Vincent Henningsgaard) has discerned that he is not called to be here at St. Benedict's Abbey at this time. He moved back to Minnesota on September 30th. He is a wonderful person who is already missed. May God continue to bless him as he seeks His will in his life!! And, as I told him, if God's will and mine ever coincide on this issue he will be back!!

4. One of our brothers here has started a Peanut Brittle business... and the novices (and others) are helping to make the brittle. Check it out on our website: www.kansasmonks.org - Click on "The Making of Benedict's Brittle" video to see me in action!

5. A few of us monks also participated in the annual Life Chain (which occurs on the first Sunday of October every year)... picture and blurb also on the website (for now).

6. Auburn football continues to roll... up to #8 in the nation. Troy had a significant victory last Tuesday night (Oct 5th on ESPN) over their main competition for their conference championship and subsequent bowl game invitation!! BC is now 3-2 after starting 3-0 and losing to a couple of good teams the past 2 weeks. And yes, the Evil Empire has won a few games too...

7. Little things going on all over the place... the novices have been helping one of our older priests (82 years old) move back to the monastery from a local parish where he will end his term as pastor on Oct 15th... Our recent Family Weekend at BC went well (Oct 1-3)... the Abbey hosted the Kansas City (Kansas) priests for our (135th?) annual Clergy Day (we prayed vespers together and had a delicious dinner) last Tuesday (Oct 5th)... Oktoberfest is tonight at BC (our roots are German and it is a good excuse for a campus-wide party!).

8. And saving the best for last... my brother Barry is now dating a wonderful Catholic girl!! The relationship looks like it has some good potential!! More on this as things develop... but a few prayers would be appreciated!!

That is all for now... and as you are praying for that last item, throw in one for me too (and be assured of mine for you)!!

God bless,

FrJDD

Monthly Update...

2010-09-14T21:45:00.000-05:00

13 months down (as of today)... less than 3 to go!!

Another good month... crops are almost all in (a few more tomatoes to gather)... grass is slowing down. A couple of projects to complete during these next 3 months will keep us novices busy.

Over the past month:

The monastery hosted its 16th annual college faculty/staff and their families for a beginning of the year picnic on August 18th. About 300 people were in attendance (not counting our monks).

A few visitors stopped by - the entire Francis family dropping of Zak for school (do I even miss them and especially their beautiful music at the OLQM Masses), Jeff & Rachael Slipke and family (some of my wonderful former parishioners from Auburn - Rachael came into the Church while I was in Auburn), the Estis family (Joann, Buddy and 4 of their children - the 3rd or 4th time they have been through with Buddy's work) and Andy Swartzer (a former student of mine at AU and parishioner in Montgomery) who spent a day and a half here before working a week in Omaha with the USAF. It was great to see them all!!

The day at the Lake (8/20), sponsored by Br. Leven Harton's parents was a blast (as expected). A couple of brief showers did not dampen our spirits. And, as oftentimes happens at the lake, there was way too much food - but we still tried our best to get it all down!!

Football has started... Benedictine College (BC) won its first 2 games (at home 21-0 and on the road 38-19). AU is 2-0 and rising in the national ranking!! (And yes, the evil empire is also 2-0.)

BC dedicated it's new Nursing & Health Education Building to Mother Teresa on her 100th birthday (8/26)!

Nothing else of monumental importance - a few side items: my brother Barry turned 45 on 9/11, mom is doing well, Richard (and his daughter Ann Marie - my goddaughter) are planning to come to my first profession (12/8/10) and the rest of his family is doing well.

That's about all for now... and its time for bed!!

God bless,

FrJDD

Hospital Implosion

2010-08-15T20:53:00.001-05:00

Here are some videos of the Hospital Implosion which I mentioned in my last update:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSmEbLiObcI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfMzo8Wegx4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3mBPey-mfo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i6EsXlKS8M&feature=related

One Year!!

2010-08-14T13:28:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe that I have lived at St. Benedict's Abbey for 1 year as of today. I got here a couple of days early - with my brother Barry - on Aug 12, but I became an official resident on the 14th. Less than 4 months remain in my Novitiate as first (simple/temporary) vows is scheduled for December 8th!

Report for the last month:

1. Picking... Picking... Picking... a couple of times each week we go out and get the fruit of our harvest - especially corn and tomatoes!! They are delicious. We planted 4 sets of corn and recently picked the last batch. The tomatoes are still flooding in - at a rate of about 12-15 boxes per week! When not bringing in the crops we have cut a lot of grass!!

2. Some of the monks (including me) attended the Amelia Earhart Festival Fireworks display on Saturday, July 17th. It last about 30 minutes, was synchronized to music on the radio and was very good (especially for a city of about 10,000 residents). During this annual festival the city gets about 50,000 visitors. It is a big to-do each year with a lot of events through out the weekend!!

3. During my Novitiate I have been viewing some A/V classes. I recently finished my third DVD home study course (one was on Salvation History [the Great Adventure], one on Pauline Literature [Augustine Institute] and one on Johannine Literature [Augustine Institute]) and a CD class (Epic, 20 hours on Church History). All of them were excellent and I look forward to putting them to use after my novitiate. I am now studying Matthew's Gospel (with a special emphasis on the Sermon on the Mount, which is chapters 5-7).

4. This morning we got to witness the implosion of the old Atchison Hospital (which is right across the street from our school. Sounded like a string of firecrackers which was followed by the falling of the building and a mushroom cloud of dust! It was cool!!

Coming events:

1. This Friday, August 20th, the parents of one of our junior monks is providing us with a day at the lake. I look forward to the swimming, water skiing and the relaxation!

2. The Benedictine College (BC) move-in date for new freshmen is Saturday, August 21. Two freshmen are former parishioners of mine - Zak Francis from Montgomery and Michael Farnet from Auburn. The Francis family is military and have lived in Montgomery for the past 6 years. And the Farnet family currently lives in KC. They left Auburn when Michael was 3 years old!

3. BC begins classes on Wed, Aug 25 and dedicates a new Nursing Facility (honoring Mother Teresa) on Aug 26.

4. Football season is right around the corner. There is not quite the excitement at BC over this sport as there is in the state of Alabama and the SEC. But we are surrounded by Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma - so I hear plenty of Big 12 talk... it almost made me happy UAT beat Texas last year! Another advantage of living in Kansas - I don't have to listen the redneck Bammers all season!!

That's all for now. God bless you all and please keep me in your prayers and be assured of mine for you!!

Father Justin Damien Dean

11 months...

2010-07-14T20:41:00.000-05:00

11 months ago today (Aug 14, 2009) I entered the Postulancy here at St. Benedict's Abbey. On December 7th I entered the Novitiate. I am doing well... as I anticipate making first vows and becoming a junior monk on December 8th - less than 5 months away!

Monthly update:

1. I actually remembered (with a little help from their godmother) my twin goddaughters birthdays on the day!! One more to go next week and I'm homefree for another year!!

2. We were the site of the LifeTeen Leadership Conference in late June/early July. There were about 450 first-class teens here (plus chaperones). They received some excellent talks and seemed to enjoy themselves very much. It was also a lift to many of the monks - seeing the vibrant faith of these youngsters!

3. A couple of visitors over the past month - Fr. Jack Riley (former classmate from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philly) spent a night as he passed through on his way to join the staff at the Augustine Institute in Denver (an excellent Catholic grad school!) and Julie & Greg Alexander (of Marriage Works in Christ fame) made their 2nd stopover and shared lunch with the monks (afterward we got a little time together before they had to move on toward their home in San Antonio).

4. Speaking of my alma mater in Philly, a classmate of mine, Fr. Shaun Mahoney, was recently named rector of that venerable institution! That was fantastic news - to me, if not to him! Please pray for him in this most important assignment!

5. We celebrated the Feast of St. Benedict last Sunday (July 11th) with some extra festivities - meaning "I ate more food than I needed"!

6. This weekend is the annual Amelia Earhart Festival in Atchison (her hometown). I have heard that our small town of 10,000 will balloon to about 50,000 for the festivities. The fireworks show on Friday night is one of the highlights. I hear that we watch it from on top of one of our buildings and I look forward to seeing it.

7. And finally, mom is holding steady. I talk to her regularly and look forward to seeing her when I get my home visit in December.

That is about it from here. Keep me in your prayers and be assured of mine for you!!

God bless,

FrJDD

Passing of Brother Martin

2010-06-21T00:04:00.001-05:00

Just a short note to say that our oldest monk passed away Sunday morning at about 2:30 AM. His name was Br. Martin Burkhard. He turned 94 years old less than a month ago and was a very kind hearted man. Please pray for the repose of his soul and all who will miss him (here and elsewhere).

God bless,

FrJDD

Update....

2010-06-16T20:17:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been here at St. Benedict's Abbey for over 10 months now and passed the 1/2 point of the Novitiate on June 8th!

Some things which have happened since my last update (in late April):

1. Thanks for the prayers for my mom. As I stated in my previous post, her heart stent operation was a great success, but her overall mental health (dementia) and physical health (not very active and doesn't feel like doing a lot) are still not good. So, please keep the prayers coming.

2. On Saturday, June 5th, one of our brothers (Fr. Jeremy Heppler) was ordained a priest at our monastic church! His first Mass of Thanksgiving followed the next day (on the feast of Corpus Christi). They were very nice celebrations for a great occasion!!

3. We had our annual monastic outing to a Royals game on Tuesday, June 1st. Every Tuesday home game at Kaufmann Stadium is "T-shirt Tuesday" and the first 20,000 fans get a free t-shirt. Ours was one commemorating the 1985 World Series Champion Royals! Of course, I applied for a credit card and got a free Royals hat also!

4. Six of us monks played in a golf tournament (scramble) that benefitted our High School (Maur Hill-Mount Academy) on Friday, May 7th. We actually did the best the monastery team has ever done - we finished at par!! Which is still really bad for a 6-man scramble, but we had a great time (partly because they had great Italian Sausage through out the course!!!). To show you how bad our team was, we used numerous shots of mine (it was my 4th time playing golf as a priest [3 of them in tournaments like this one] - which is over a 19 year span)!!

5. I continue to work on a couple of Bible Studies - one from the Augustine Institute on the literature of St. John (Gospel and Revelation so far) and one called the Great Adventure (which covers the 14 historical books of the Bible in an overview of Salvation History). Both are excellent and I would highly recommend them.

6. Fr. David Nix was ordained on May 15th for the Archdiocese of Denver. He was a FOCUS missionary for me when I was in Troy. We have kept in touch over the years and I was blessed to go to his diaconate ordination last September in Denver. He came by here to visit about a week after his priestly ordination. It was great to see him again.

7. Benedictine College broke ground for a fantastic new Academic Building on June 11th. You can check it out on their web site: www.benedictine.edu We have a GREAT college and one of my parishioners from Montgomery, Zak Francis, is going to be starting his freshman year in the fall. He and his dad (Chris) came for an orientation program June 11-12. It was good to see them and I look forward to their whole family coming when Zak enters in August!

8. A couple of priest-friends of mine celebrated jubilee anniversaries recently. Fr. Francis Lynch, CM (pastor of St. Vincent de Paul parish in Tallassee) celebrated his 60th anniversary as a priest on June 3rd! And Fr. Francis Butler, SSJ (now in Church Pointe, Louisiana) celebrated 25 years on May 25! Congrats to them both!!

9. And my home diocese of Mobile had 4 ordinations to the priesthood last weekend!! That is very good news after a 6 year drought! Now Fr. Driscoll is no longer the "baby priest" of the Archdiocese!!

10. In the clergy changes for the Archdiocese of Mobile, my cousin, Fr. Den Irwin, was assigned to my former parish (St. Martin of Tours) in Troy. It will be a great fit and I look forward to hearing some of the good stories that will come from his ministry there. And Auburn got a much needed 2nd priest (Fr. James Morrison), for which I am thankful.

11. We had our annual monastic retreat from June 7-10. It was very nice and we ended with a cookout at one of the parishes we founded 127 years ago, which we are about to give over to the Archdiocese of Kansas City, KS as one of our priests retires (who is 82 years old!).

I guess a few more things happened over the past month and a half. I will try to update more frequently in the future.

Thanks for the prayers and I look forward to seeing a lot of you during my home visit in December!!

God bless,

FrJDD

Quick update on my mother...

2010-06-03T09:02:00.000-05:00

The operation yesterday (Wed, June 2nd) was very successful. They put in 2 stents. My brother saw the before and after pictures and said it was "horrible" before and very good/clear with the stents. I hope that this new blood flow will be a lift to mom's body and spirit.

Thanks for all the prayers!

God bless,

FrJDD

Update and Prayer Request...

2010-06-02T09:45:00.000-05:00

I was recently granted permission to visit my sick mother (Dottie Dean) by Abbot Barnabas. I went home on Monday (May 31) and returned to Kansas the next day, spending approximately 24 hours in Montgomery. (I only told my family that I was coming as I did not want this to turn into a social trip where I tried to see the many people I love in Montgomery.)

When I arrived on Monday, my mother she was short of breath, felt a pressing pain in her chest, was nauseous and a little dizzy. We called an ambulance and she was taken to a local hospital. After tests, it was determined that she should go to the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) Hospital (90 miles north of Montgomery). A specialist there had already committed to putting a stent into the clogged arteries going to her heart (the same procedure that a Montgomery cardiologist said that he would not chance). The doctor in Birmingham does these procedures frequently and seemed to think that there is no extraordinary danger in this case. Mom was taken by ambulance to UAB Hospital on Tuesday afternoon and the procedure is scheduled for today, Wednesday, June 2^nd (it was originally scheduled for Monday, June 7^th).

I was blessed to have much quality time with my mother on my short visit and I ask your continued prayers while I thank you for the many prayers already offered!

God bless,

Fr. Justin Damien

Planting season...

2010-04-29T21:04:00.000-05:00

Lest I forget, we have been doing a lot of planting recently. Tomatoes, corn, beans, tomatoes, okra, onions, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, tomatoes, etc... Yep, lots of tomato plants - 231 planted so far, about 100 more to go... Last year we planted about 300 and (fortunately) we reaped what we sowed!! I learned to make salsa last year and am looking forward to the almost unlimited supply of tomatoes and peppers...

Monthly Update...

2010-04-28T05:34:00.000-05:00

I will try to remember to post at least once a month (someone just got on me for not posting more often - but we do a lot of the same things day-to-day here).

Lot going on at our school - Benedictine College (www.benedictine.edu). A new building was approved. It will be the signature building on campus. Check it out on the web site... and pray that the rest of the funds to come in to build it ($4.4 Million still needed!). It is going to be beautiful and have a great view of the river (as it will be on the bluff overlooking the Missouri River).

Holy Week was nice here at the Abbey. It was different not running around taking care of details and preparing for the beautiful liturgies of the Triduum (and being exhausted afterward!).

On Easter Monday, our monks went on an Emmaus walk to a local parish where we had a cook-out. Some monks rode in cars. I did not have the sense to do so and got a big blister to prove it!!

The Sunday after Easter, our Archbishop visited (Most Rev. Joseph Naumann of KC in Kansas) and celebrated our Mass where about 11 students received sacraments for the first time (varies ones receiving - full initiation (2), confirmation (5), first Communion and reception into the Church (4)). A very nice Mass and a feeling of completion to the Easter Vigil!

My niece (and goddaughter), Ann Marie Dean, was confirmed on my parent's anniversary (April 11). She took the confirmation name of Justin! I am very proud of her and edified at the choice of such a great saint's name, the same as I took at my entrance into the Novitiate.

I went to a softball and baseball game of our college. We won both of the ones I attended. I was tempted to grab a bat or a glove and go out on the field... but I wisely resisted.

Blood Drive yesterday at our college (yes, I reaching now)...

I am currently watching 2 Bible Study DVD series' (The Great Adventure - overview of the Bible timeline and a class from the Augustine Institute's class on the Gospel of John). Both are excellent.

Everything else is about the same - pray, work, study... Please keep me in your prayers!

God bless you all,

Fr. Justin Damien Dean

Spring?!?

2010-03-21T06:45:00.001-05:00

Spring came in disguise to Kansas yesterday (March 20th at 12:33 PM). The night before we received about 4.5 inches of snow and some areas around us were forecasted to receive much more than that (though I don't know what they actually got)! So on the first day of Spring I shoveled snow for 3 hours. Fortunately, it should not last long as the forecasted highs for the next few days are: 39 (today, Sunday), 50 (tomorrow) and 57 on Tuesday. And hopefully, it will be the last snow of the year.

God bless,

FrJD

I'm back...

2010-03-18T09:03:00.000-05:00

It's been more than a month since my last post because there is just not much to report! We have our regular routine - prayer, class/study and work (along with eating and sleeping, of course)... which is what we have been doing during these past 5 weeks.

I had a new experience yesterday. I've played golf maybe 15-20 times in my life. In golf you are supposed to replace/repair your divots (a divot being that chunk of ground that flies into the air after some shots in the fairway and the mark made by a ball landing on the green [I did not have to worry about them too often!]). Yesterday, we replaced the LARGE divots what were removed from our ground by the large machinery which pushed snow around on our property for the past 3 months. A unique and interesting experience for me!

Lent continues... 2 weeks from Holy Thursday and the beginning of the sacred Triduum (3 days - Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday)!! I hope that you had a spiritually profitable Lent. Not having parish duties (for the first time in 19 years) during this time has been a blessing, which I look forward to as Holy Week approaches!

God bless,

FrJD

Crazy weather...

2010-02-13T10:02:00.000-06:00

You know that the weather has gone crazy (at least for a day) when Montgomery is colder (by only 1 degree) and getting more snow (2 inches to zero) than Atchison, Kansas!! Have fun with the white stuff, Montgomery!!

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn's visit

2010-02-09T10:53:00.000-06:00

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna, visited us on Sunday, January 31, 2010. He offered the Mass, preached the homily, and gave a talk to a packed auditorium of students, faculty, newspaper reporters, etc. He was fantastic and his talks are on the BC website (www.benedictine.edu) - under the iTunesU menu on the sidebar.

Work...

2010-02-09T10:50:00.001-06:00

The main work that the other novices and myself are doing right now (along with the occasion shoveling of snow) is the renovation of some of the 3rd floor rooms, making them inhabitable for the future junior monks (of which, we 3 are hopefully progressing toward). We are painting them right now...

Vocation Guests

2010-02-09T10:47:00.000-06:00

We have had about a half dozen vocation guests recently... please pray for them. And we have a couple of more guests scheduled for the next month. Please pray for all of their continued discernment!!

A number of items...

2010-01-21T10:49:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday (January 14) was a day where many things happened:

1. We had our first monastic death since I entered the monastery. Br. Robert Heiman passed away at 9:30 AM. He was a wonderful, hard working brother who has spent 52 of his 72 years in the monastery. The tolling of the bell (one ring for every year of his life) was chilling. ("Ask not for whom the bell tolls".)

2. The funeral of one of my dear parishioners from Queen of Mercy (Carl Bruton) took place the same morning (at 9:00 AM). Carl was sick and fought hard for many months, assisted by his loving family and friends, but finally was relieved of his earthly struggle by our merciful Lord.

3. My mother entered an assisted living facility that afternoon. Her memory is starting to fail and her health is declining. After a life of service to her family and others (such as at the "City of St. Jude"), she is now getting waited on and served by others. She likes her new surroundings and is blessed to have my brothers, sister-in-law and her grandchildren in the area and visiting often. I talk to her most days and am looking forward to seeing her when I get my home visit in December. Please keep her in your prayers...

4. On Thursday, January 14th, I hit the 5 month mark in the monastery. Not a huge mile marker in itself, but it was the Vegas over/under line on my stay in the monastery (set by a certain priest in Montgomery[who will remain nameless but his initials are FrDC!]). So the "over" win that bet!!

That's all for now... keep me in your prayers and be assured of mine for all of you!

God bless,

FrJD

Catching up...

2010-01-03T14:14:00.000-06:00

Start down at the White Christmas post and work your way back up...

Another visitor...

2010-01-03T14:08:00.000-06:00

God has blessed me with a number of visitors since I arrived here. A good priest friend (Fr. David Carucci) arrived on the afternoon of Tuesday, December 29th and left yesterday morning (Sat, Jan 2). He came at the right time because on January 1st we have our annual Italian Feast and he helped prepare our festive lunch by making his now-famous and wildly popular [at St. Benedict's] Italian Wedding Soup. He had a good time and everyone enjoyed his visit.

Away in a Monastery...

2010-01-03T14:02:00.000-06:00

It was my FIRST Christmas away from home in my 48 years of celebrating this great feast of our faith! And I can't say that it was easy. I missed my family, especially my mom (who is not doing so well physically - please keep her in your prayers). But it was a growing experience also. (God is so good to me!) And thank God for video chat!!!

In a homily during the Christmas Season, one of the priests here quoted a sister whom he knows who said, "Home is where God is".

That help to put things in the proper perspective.

Best Gifts...

2010-01-03T13:59:00.000-06:00

THANK YOU to all of you who have kept me in your prayers - those are the BEST gifts I got this Christmas!!

But I got one outstanding material gift also (from my wonderful mother - who prays for me also): http://www.amazon.com/Auburn-Tigers-NCAA-Logo-Bag/dp/B0018OZZO8

Thanks all!!!

I'm SCREAMING of a White Christmas (Season)...

2010-01-03T13:58:00.001-06:00

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we got about 10 inches of snow... it has remained cold and added about 5 inches since. It is beautiful and for the most part enjoyable (since I don't have to drive in it)... but shoveling it is still not much fun!!

Christmas at St. Benedict's

2009-12-22T09:12:00.001-06:00

Someone asked - what is Christmas like in the Monastery?

Christmas is a very special time here (as you would expect). We are going to find and cut down a Christmas tree (from our property) this afternoon! We will decorate it tonight (Tues, Dec 22) during our community recreation (which we have every Tuesday night).

We will decorate the church on Thursday afternoon (Dec 24). And we will have our Christmas vigil Mass at 8:00 PM that night.

We will have a GREAT meal (dinner) on Christmas day in the monastery. It will be cooked by monks (to give the staff the day off)... and we have some very good cooks here! Lots of the monks who are in parishes will be home for the meal (which will be eaten in the evening to give everyone time to get home).

From December 17 until it is empty, there is a table just outside of the refectory (our dining room) which is affectionately called "The Gluttony Table" because it houses all the goodies given to us over the Christmas holidays. I have been somewhat tempered until now... but that dam could break at any time (as most of you know)... thankfully, there is no ice cream on that table!!

Those are some of the things we do. I am sure there are more which I will find out as we do them...

God bless you all and if I don't post again before the big day...

Have a very Mary Christ-Mass and a Blessed New Year!!

2 weeks into the Novitiate

2009-12-22T09:00:00.000-06:00

I entered the Novitiate 2 weeks ago and have been asked - how it is going? I must say that it is going GREAT! The accommodations are good (little bigger room than in the postulancy and I have a sink in my room)... the Novice Master is a solid teacher of the monastic way of life and the Rule of St. Benedict.

It reminds me of my first year in the seminary - and I have the same sense of peace that I had then. There is some good time to pray, reflect and grow in the possibility of a monastic vocation. The classes (M-F, 8:00-10:00 AM) are educational and challenging (not hard to understand, but to put into practice). The work remains about the same - approximately 15 hours a week.

If it gets much better, they may have to pry me out of the Novitiate next December! (Just kidding, I think that I will be ready to get back to active priestly ministry by then!)

God bless you all,

FrJD

Pictures from Novitiate Ceremony

2009-12-09T20:15:00.001-06:00

Check out the pictures: http://www.kansasmonks.org/index.php?option=com_phocagallery&view=category&id=7:novice&Itemid=77

And the Abbot's homily: http://www.kansasmonks.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=92:novices&catid=49:news

If you have trouble with the links above, go to: www.kansasmonks.org and click on "photos" on the menu bar. The Novitiate Ceremony is the last entry.

And the new names is.... DrummmmRolllllll....

2009-12-07T21:25:00.000-06:00

I received my first choice - Father Justin Damien

In my letter to the Abbot I asked for "Justin Damien" and I wrote that though officially (on the record) I would have the double name, I would simply go by “Father Justin” in house.

The names which I requested are in honor of the following saints:

St. Justin (Martyr) – St. Justin is an apologist and martyr – both of which appeal to me (especially as a Southerner). I love his First Apology (from the middle of the 2^nd century) with its defense of the Eucharist and exposé on the Mass. I was ordained to the priesthood on his feast day (June 1, 1991), which is another reason he is so special to me. Since the first time I started to think about religious life, Justin was the name I desired the most.

St. Damien (of Molokai [Hawaii]) – I have had a devotion to this wonderful, godly priest for years. His selfless service in very difficult circumstances (isolated on an island populated with lepers to the point of contracting leprosy himself) is an inspiration. In commemoration of his recent canonization (October 11, 2009), I am honored to have his name as part of my own.

Temperature...

2009-12-04T11:14:00.000-06:00

It's supposed to get up to 36 degrees today... we will see. It was 22 for most of the morning and its now only 24.

Just like Montgomery, Alabama!!

Priestly visitor...

2009-12-04T11:08:00.001-06:00

I was recently visited by a priest friend who is interested in the Benedictine life. He is not from Alabama, so stop guessing because you don't know him. Please pray for him and his discernment!

What's in a name?

2009-12-04T10:38:00.001-06:00

When I enter the novitiate on Monday evening (Dec 7th), I will receive my Benedictine habit and a new name. They go together. It will be the start of a new life as a Benedictine novice. New clothing covering the old self and a new name to be identified by - both are signs of a transition, a change and a reminder of the constant Christian calling to die to the old self to live a more faithful life in Christ (and in this case to live by the 1500 year old Rule of St. Benedict - one of the vows being conversion to the monastic way of life). There will be some changes in my lifestyle and the habit and new name will tangible be reminders of them.

When someone is given a name (or names) at birth, it is usually a compliment to the holder of the name. Parents are usually saying that I hope that my son/daughter has some of the good qualities of the person who shares the same name. I was named after people on both sides of my family (my godfather - Jimmy Azar, my Uncle Bud [James] and from my grandfather I got my middle name [Norman]).

A Catholic takes a Confirmation name (I took the Apostle, St. James, the son of Zebedee). In this case, the saint is to be a model to imitate and as an intercessor to pray for you, the confirmandi - especially as you become a soldier for Christ (and we are engaged in warfare in this world - with eternal casualties and eternal victories)!

In the Religious Life a greater change takes place as someone dedicates their entire life to God, especially by living the Evangelical Counsels of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. That requires a lot of grace and it is good to have friends in high places to intercede for you and to be a role model.

Of course, the name change does not change the person (no more than the clothing/habit does). As Shakespeare wrote (in Romeo and Juliet), "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet". It is just another incarnational way to help the Religious (aspirant in my case) to strive to allow God to work more fully in his life, to die to self and live more for God.

So PRAY for me - that God's will will be done in my life!!

One of the good things about being a diocesan priest for the past 18+ years and going by Fr. "last name" (which most diocesan priests do) is that the change is only the first name... so Fr. Dean will still be appropriate (or Fr. "newname").

(I will find out my new name on Monday evening!)

Spiritual Life...

2009-12-02T11:33:00.000-06:00

In my description of this blog I said I would keep everyone posted on my activities "inside" the monastery and inside me. I have posted numerous times about the manual labor of the postulant life here at St. Benedict's Abbey. Now a short word about me...

When I got here I lived as a diocesan priest for about a month and a half. Enjoying the community and praying together, the food, the classes and the many other good aspects of monastery life. But I really did not take advantage of the opportunities to grow spiritually nor exercise the the monastic practices of Lection Divina (Sacred Reading - primarily the Bible) and solitude/personal prayer. Around that point I decided I should make some changes. I have tried to get in bed earlier (but have not always been successful) and get up early. I am watching less TV, eating less and exercising more. And I have added some extra prayer time and spiritual reading to my morning activities.

It has truly been a blessing and I pray (and I hope that you are too) that the will of God for my life will become clear in the coming days... months... and years! The novitiate will surely be a time of grace and discernment.

Know that all of you are in my prayers!

Novitiate...

2009-12-02T11:25:00.000-06:00

I begin the Novitiate on the evening of December 7th (this Monday). By Canon Law it is required to last at least 1 year and 1 day - and that is how long it will last as it ends on Dec 8, 2010.

It has been called a Spiritual Boot Camp! In the old days, they would shave the heads of the men entering the novitiate (they were called "baldies"). They did that so that they would not leave at the first discouragement - they would want to stay at least until their hair grows back! ;-)

I will be making a short (2 1/2 day) silent retreat with my fellow postulants in preparation for Novitiate. We start tonight at 8:00 PM and it ends on Saturday morning. Please keep us in your prayers.

I plan to update this blog a few times in the coming week...

Let it...

2009-11-17T09:22:00.000-06:00

...SNOW!!

We had our first day of snow yesterday, Monday, November 16th. It was very nice to see. I had seen it many times before (having attended seminary in Philly for 4 years).

The only difference this time was that I had to shovel it!!

So my new mantra is "DON'T let it snow... let it snow... let it snow..."

The vote is in... and the winner is...

2009-11-06T11:49:00.000-06:00

This past Tuesday, November 3, 2009, the St. Benedict's Abbey community voted on the 3 postulant's requests to enter the Novitiate (the next step after the Postulancy). Mine was one of the requests, of course. All of us were accepted and the Novitiate will begin on December 7, 2009. Please keep me in your prayers!!

Fr. Fred Miller

2009-11-06T11:44:00.000-06:00

Fr. Frederick Miller visited St. Benedict's Abbey & Benedictine College over the weekend of October 31-November 1. We go way back... 22+ years. It was great to see him and he gave some great talks on (1) the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Louis de Montfort's consecration, (2) St. Therese of Lisieux and (3) St. John Vianney... along with an excellent All Saints Day homily. It was a very good visit and we will (hopefully) get him back in the future!

Homecoming at Benedictine College (BC)

2009-11-04T11:39:00.000-06:00

Homecoming week was October 19-25, 2009. There were many fun and entertaining wholesome activities during the week. It was very edifying. But not near as much as the Homecoming Court at the BC football game on Saturday. As each of the court was introduced, part of their bio was read. Each of their answers to the question "What is your favorite thing about BC?" was read as they walked to their spots in the court.

The guys said some pretty good things, but here were the girls' answers:

Freshman attendant: "Her favorite thing about BC is everything! The campus, the friendly people, the Catholic environment, personable professors and the class sizes."

Sophomore attendant: "She loves BC because of her amazing friends."

Junior attendant: "She loves Benedictine because she believes Christ is HERE, in everyone and He is very visible."

Senior attendant (1): "She loves the community life BC has and also the mandarin chicken salad and ice cream sundae bar in the cafeteria."

Senior attendant (2): "She loves BC because of the community where you can come and find unity."

Senior attendant (3): "Her favorite thing about BC is every day is an adventure in holiness."

Senior attendant (4): "She loves the dance parties at BC."

Queen: "She love BC because of the importance placed on relationships and the opportunities it provides to grow in faith."

Though I like the "ice cream sundae bar", I LOVE Senior #3's, "favorite thing about BC is every day is an adventure in holiness" and the Queen's "the opportunities it provides to grow in faith."

WHAT A GREAT SCHOOL!!!

Visitors!!

2009-10-07T15:48:00.000-05:00

My brother, Barry, arrived in Kansas shortly after I did and we spent a couple of days together. That was before I officially entered the monastery, so he was not a guest while I was in the abbey (though we spent a lot of time at the monastery).

My first actual guests while I was in the Abbey were... drummmm rolllll... Chris and Zak Francis from Montgomery. Chris and Zak came for a campus visit from September 24-25 (and stayed in the Abbey Guest House on Thursday night). On Friday, Sept. 25th Benedictine College (BC) hosted a "Raven Day" for perspective students. Zak & Chris liked what they saw and Zak is planning to attend BC next fall!!

Then on the morning of Sunday, October 4th, I got a call from Julie & Greg Alexander. They had given 2 presentations (on marriage, of course) in a KC suburb that previous Friday & Saturday and saw how close St. Benedict's was to them (a mere 1 hour away). They (with 5 of their 6 children in tow) visited that afternoon. We had a great time before they headed back to San Antonio that evening!

So the door is now open for visitors...

God bless you all,

FrJD

WARRRRRRR EAGLE!!

2009-10-05T11:03:00.000-05:00

Just had to get that in while AU is ranked #17... I hope that this coming weekend's trip to Arkansas does not ruin that (the Razorbacks crushed Texas A & M on the road last Saturday [go SEC]!)...

I must admit that I miss my tailgating in the Loveliest Village!!

Work...

2009-10-05T10:51:00.001-05:00

I keep getting new work experiences... worked my first chain saw... my first wood splitting apparatus... my first picking and shelling of chestnuts (with leather gloves, of course!)... first planting of (25) Christmas trees (which should be ready in about 5 years)... and I can't remember what else.

We took down the poles and strings which held up the 300 tomato plants last week (after picking the last of the tomatoes) . And we uprooted the (3) peanut patches last Friday.

Always something to do here... and good people to do it with.

Trip to Denver...

2009-10-05T10:41:00.000-05:00

I was blessed by being allowed to go to the Diaconate Ordination of 5 men in Denver, CO over the last weekend of September. God willing, they will all be ordained priests in May of 2010.

Dave Nix, one of my FOCUS missionaries in Troy, was one of the men ordained (CONGRATS, Dave!!). Archbishop Chaput officiated and did his usual superb job (very inspirational homily).

I stayed with the Companions of Christ in Denver - a fantastic group of young men studying for the diocesan priesthood (of Denver), who live in community. Very enjoyable.

I also got to see Chris & Elizabeth Kuetermeyer (and their 2 children) during my stay. Chris was another one of my missionaries in Troy and I spent Sunday afternoon with them. Great to see them and catch up.

It was a nice break away from the monastic life, but I was glad to return home on Sunday evening.

One month...

2009-09-16T22:30:00.001-05:00

Well, I have been here slightly over one month. So far, so good. More prayer and more work...

We had the Apostolic Nuncio (Archbishop Pietro Sambi) come for the opening school Mass and a talk to kick off the school year. He is the Vatican's representative to the United States (to the government as the Vatican is a sovereign country and to the Catholic Church also). A packed Church (900-1000) plus a simulcast in our full crypt Church also.

More later... God bless,

FrD.

Benedictine Football...

2009-09-16T22:22:00.000-05:00

Well... it wasn't exactly like AU football, but it was a good day on the gridiron. Benedictine won their first home football game (30-13), giving them a 2-0 record and a 17th ranking in the nation (NAIA)! The tailgating was fun, limited (though growing) and easily accessible (since I live about 100 yards from the field).

Getting Settled In...

2009-08-28T11:31:00.000-05:00

I am sorry that I did not write after 1 week of monastic life. Things have been a little busy so you get the 2 week update...

What is keeping me busy? Ora et Labora ("Prayer and Work" - the Benedictine Motto). The regular prayer schedule is: Office of Readings (Vigils) and Morning Prayer at 6:20 AM, Midday Prayer at 12:05 PM, Mass at 5:15 PM, Evening Prayer at 6:45 PM and Compline at 7:30 PM - on most days. The work detail includes chores on Monday through Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings (for about 3 hours on Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri, but only for about 1-1.5 hours on Wed & Sat). Work over the past 2 weeks - cutting grass, weed whacking, setting up and taking down for a picnic, kitchen cleaning, stairwell cleaning, picking tomatoes, etc... just whatever needs doing. We also have in house classes every weekday morning.

But it is not all work (& prayer) and no play... we have some recreation time also. We have official recreation time with the community a couple of times a week (Tuesday & Sunday evening), and less formal times everyday.

The novices take a class at our college (Benedictine College). I signed up for Natural Theology. What was I thinking?!? It started last Thursday and is going to be a handful!! The instructor is a great guy (and an excellent [though diligent] teacher by all accounts), but the upper level Philosophy class will take some serious effort from a lazy student who finished his philosophical studies more than 22 years ago! I am also auditing a class on the Synoptic (Matthew, Mark, Luke) Gospels. That one will be very enjoyable. With the start of classes we will have a shortened work schedule on those days (Tuesday & Thursday).

Football season is right around the corner... I am looking forward to seeing our NAIA team compete (we are picked to finish in the middle of our conference standings)... but I will definitely miss my trips to the Plains and the enjoyment of the massive tailgating at Auburn.

Until next time...

God bless you all,

FrD.

It is Official!!

2009-08-15T15:28:00.000-05:00

At a small ceremony before Evening Prayer last night (August 14), I entered the postulancy (with 2 young men - Chris & Vincent) at St. Benedict's Abbey. We were presented by the Vocation Director (Fr. James Albers, who is also the Prior [2nd in charge of the abbey]) to the Abbot, who prayed for us, blessed us and accepted us into the postulancy.

Today (Saturday, August 15), at the Mass for the solemnity of the Assumption, Br. Simon Baker completed his novitiate and made his first vows to the monastic life. It was my first experience of witnessing such a ceremony. It was very beautiful and powerful.

These 2 occurrences will be published in our "Kansas Monks" magazine and will probably be online (www.kansasmonks.org) in the not too distant future.

We will have our first meeting as postulants this Sunday. I am sure that it will be very informative.

God bless you all,

Fr. James Dean

Arrival

2009-08-15T15:01:00.000-05:00

I was relieved of my pastorate of Our Lady Queen of Mercy Catholic Church on August 1, 2009. I baptized the baby of a couple of my former students at AU (and later parishioners at OLQM) the next day (Sunday, Aug 2) and packed my bags. I left Montgomery on August 3rd and traveled to Philly for 3 days (to visit some priest friends) and then on to Honolulu for 5 days to visit a couple of families that I know (and have a LOT of fun on the island paradise - including scuba diving and sky diving). Both were great stops on the way to my new life.

I arrived at the Kansas City airport on Wednesday, August 12 at about 8:20 AM. My brother, Barry, arrived about 2 hours later. My mother was scheduled to come, but was having trouble with her back and could not make the trip. Barry and I did a few things in KC - delicious lunch at BD's Mongolian BBQ, visited the Jazz & Negro Baseball League Museums (2 separate entities in the same building) and toured (newly renovated) Kauffman Stadium (where the Royals play) - before driving to St. Benedict's Abbey.

At the monastery, after 5 visits to Wal-Mart and a little detailing of my room, I got settled in. Barry got to see much of the monastic lifestyle. He prayed with the monks (even getting up both days for the 6:20 AM prayers), ate in the dining room, recreated with them and had many conversations with different ones. At the end, they asked him if he wanted to stay too - being part of a 2-for-1 deal. He declined.... for now. The good thing is that he has "been there, done that" and if you have questions, he can answer some of them.

Next... the acceptance...

Postulancy & Novitiate

2009-06-29T16:19:00.001-05:00

Well, it looks like this blog is going to be active before I enter the monastery. Someone asked me the following questions by e-mail:

QUESTION: So, what does it mean to enter a postulancy? Are you going to be a monk? Is this a temporary change, while you are studying to become something, or a permanent change?

Postulant: "A person taking the first step in religious life before entering the novitiate and receiving the habit. The purpose of the postulancy is to acquire some knowledge of the religious life and of the particular institute through personal experience. It enables one to become better known to the superiors of the community, and to develop such virtue as will qualify the candidate for acceptance into the novitiate." (Fr. John Hardon, SJ, Modern Catholic Dictionary)

My postulancy will last from August 14 - December 7, 2009.

Novitiate: "The period of formal probation of a person in a religious community of secular institute. It follows the postulancy and precedes the first profession of vows." (ibid.)

My novitiate will last from December 7, 2009 - December 8, 2010.

If all goes well in the novitiate, I would then take first (or temporary) vows on December 8, 2010.

I would then spend 3 years as a "Junior Monk".

And if all goes well, I would take final (permanent) vows 3 years later.

A monk is a person who "lives a community life in a monastery, under the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, according to a specific rule." (ibid.)

St. Benedict's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery and lives by the Rule of St. Benedict.

And yes, I will be a monk... eventually... (I am not sure exactly when I will be technically qualified as a monk.)

If I make final vows (in about 4 1/2 years), it will be a permanent state... and my residence would be at St. Benedict's Abbey and I would serve the apostolate assignment which the Abbot would give me (currently the abbey has pastoral duties at their college [Benedictine College], their high school [Maur Hill-Mount Academy] and numerous parishes in Atchison and the surrounding area.

I hope that gives some insight into the monastic journey.

God bless,

FrD.

Welcome!!

2009-06-25T08:31:00.000-05:00

Hello! Welcome to my blog!

This will be active once I enter St. Benedict's Abbey on August 14, 2009.

Until then... keep me in your prayers!

God bless,

FrD.