Diaconate Ordination

Congratulations to Br. Maximilian and Br. Jeremiah who were ordained to the Diaconate by the Most Reverend Lawrence E. Brandt, Bishop of Greensburg, on Saturday, April 14, 2012. As Deacons, they will serve the Church as Ministers of the Word, of the Altar, and of Charity. Through their new duties, may they be recognized as disciples of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who came to serve, not to be served.

Come & See

Saint Vincent Archabbey will host an Easter Triduum "Come and See" discernment weekend for single Catholic men ages 21-40 on April 5 - 7, 2012. A "Come and See" weekend is a no-strings-attached chance to spend time learning about the life of Benedictine Monks of St. Vincent Archabbey. Come pray with us, talk with our junior monks, meet our older brethren, and most of all listen for the voice of Christ who continually calls men to a life of work and prayer in service to the Catholic Church. For more information about the weekend, life as a Benedictine monk, or to schedule another time to visit the Abbey please contact Fr. Bonaventure Curtis, OSB at 724-532-6655 or by email at: bonaventure.curtis@email.stvincent.edu

To read more on the Icon: www.comeandseeicons.com

The Importance of Silence

Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization

While the world continues to be immersed in a virtual dimension, Pope Benedict has called for striking a balance between silence, words, images, and sounds.

"By remaining silent, we allow the other person to speak, to express him or herself, and we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without the being adequately testes," he said.

He noted that sometimes the most authentic communication takes place in utter silence, "between people who are in love: gestures, facial expressions and body language are signs by which they reveal themselves to each other."

Silence also allows for greater discernment about what is really worth listening to. And of course, it allows for prayer, contemplation and silent conversation with God.

To read more from the message of silence from the Holy Father:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/communications/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20120124_46th-world-communications-day_en.html

St. Vincent Monks and Seminarians March For Life

On the Eve of the March for Life in Washington, the Monks and Seminarians from St. Vincent Archabbey joined Cardinal DiNardo and more than 20,000 pilgrims in celebrating the National Prayer Vigil for Life, held in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The Vigil included Mass, Confessions, the Rosary, Byzantine Rite Compline, and Adoration.

After spending the night in prayer, the St. Vincent Monks and Seminarians united with the thousands of pro-life activists on January 23 to participate in the 39th annual March for Life. Despite being one of the largest annual protests in Washington, it has largely been ignored by the mainstream media.

"A great prayer for life is urgently needed, a prayer which will rise up throughout the world. Through special initiatives and daily prayer, may an impassioned plea rise to God, the Creator and lover of life, from every Christian community, from every group and association, from every family and from the heart of every believer." - Pope John Paul II

For more information about the March for life visit: http://www.marchforlife.org

New Year's Message from Pope Benedict XVI

In the shadow of a year that has been marked with frustration and anxiety, Pope Benedict invites us to look to the New Year with an attitude of confident trust. In his 1 January 2012, World Day of Peace message, Pope Benedict emphasizes the importance of education: "Educating Young People in Justice and Peace, in the conviction that the young, with their enthusiasm and idealism, can offer new hope to the world". This is a primary duty of society as a whole, for the sake of building a future of justice and peace: "Peace is not a blessing already attained, but rather a goal to which each and all of us must aspire. Let us look with greater hope to the future; let us encourage one another on our journey; let us work together to give our world a more humane and fraternal face; and let us feel a common responsibility towards present and future generations, especially in the task of training them to be people of peace and builders of peace."

For the complete New Year's Message from Pope Benedict:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/peace/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20111208_xlv-world-day-peace_en.html

Saint Vincent College Founders' Day

Vision for the Future

In celebrating the mission of Archabbot Boniface Wimmer and the founders of Saint Vincent, Archabbot Douglas noted: “Fidelity does not mean simply to repeat the past. While celebrating the past with gratitude, the primary focus of our celebration will be on the future. Our annual observance of the founding of Saint Vincent by Boniface Wimmer is an important milestone because of the creative and energetic community that makes Saint Vincent. It is a community which can join fidelity to our heritage and vision for the future to the reality of the present.”

From the Program for Founders’ Day Vespers – 11/17/2011

Vocation Awareness Day at St. Benedict's Prep

St. Benedict’s Prep School, established by the monks of Newark Abbey in 1868, a daughter house of St. Vincent Archabbey, recently hosted a Vocation Awareness Day. Click on the link below to view more pictures!

http://www.framingthelight.com/Vocation-Awareness-Day/2011-Vocation-Awareness-Day-at/19987387_JQqgsc#1574789329_hwsMX95

Remembering our deceased monks of 2011

Fr. Wilfred: Fr. Wilfred, who died on 23 September 2011, was unselfishly committed to his students at Saint Vincent Prep and then for several decades at the Benedictine Military School in Savannah. Although a Pennsylvanian, he easily became an exemplary embodiment of generous Southern hospitality.

Br. Fred: Br. Fred died on 17 April 2011. He was a gentle soul with a quiet humor marked by a sly twinkle in his eye and a soft chuckle. After helping in our priory in Brazil, he worked behind the scenes for many years as purchasing agent in the Facilities Management Office on campus and was always ready to assist monks with computer questions.

Fr. Omer: Fr. Omer died on 17 January 2011. He was Professor of Homiletics in the Seminary for decades as well as subprior and archivist in the monastery for over a quarter century. He was an historian and storyteller by nature who relished recounting the humorous dimension of common human foibles.

We pray today for our brothers who have passed from death to life in company with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace.

Amen.

Alumni Day at St. Vincent Seminary

Cardinal Wuerl speaks about St. Vincent Seminary and the unchanging nature of the priesthood.

Alumni Day

Cardinal Wuerl speaks about St. Vincent Seminary and the unchanging nature of the priesthood.

Peace of Soul

The following selection comes from “Peace of Soul” by Fulton Sheen. This was the reading chosen by our own Br. Bruno as the second reading of our Morning Prayer Office on Monday, Oct. 3. It is a wonderful insight about why young men and women choose to serve God in a radical way through monastic lives and how their prayers and penance affects the world on an extremely profound level.

Why are there monasteries and convents? Why do so many young souls leave the lights and glamour of the world for the shades and shadows of the Cross where saints are made? The modern world so little understands their mission that, as soon as a newspaperman hears of a handsome young woman entering a cloister, he telephones the parents to ask, "Was she disappointed in love?" The answer, of course, is, "Yes, with the love of the world. She has fallen in love with God." These hidden dynamos of prayer, the cloistered men and women, are doing more for our country than all its politicians, its labor leaders, its army and navy put together; they are atoning for sins of us all. They are averting the just wrath of God, repairing the broken fences of those who sin and pray not, rebel and atone not. As ten just men would have saved Sodom and Gomorrah, so ten just saints can save a nation now. But so long as a citizenry is more impressed by what its cabinet does than by its chosen souls who are doing penance, the rebirth of the nation has not yet begun. The cloistered are the purest of patriots. They have not become less interested in the world since leaving it; indeed they have become more interested in the world than ever before. But they are not concerned with whether it will buy and sell more; they care-and desperately care-whether it will be more virtuous and love God more.

Fulton J. Sheen, Peace of Soul (New York: McGraw - Hill Book Co., 1949)