St. Meinrad sandstone. A Benedictine oblate blog

St. Leo Abbey

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Recently I found Bryan Sherwood's blog on which he writes about liturgy, monasticism, and Benedictine spirituality. He's a Benedictine oblate.

He is also a good photographer. Today I saw he had posted a picture of St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana, USA. Look at the entrance structures in the picture of St. Meinrad. What pretty yellow sandstone. It sure looks familiar. Alert blog readers will spot that St. Leo Abbey has the same St. Meinrad-quarried sandstone. St. Leo's yellow sandstone came from St. Meinrad.

In the 1940s when the St. Leo Abbey was building its Church of the Holy Cross, St. Meinrad trucked its sandstone down to Florida and in return, St. Leo Abbey sent back orange juice from its groves.

Bryan Sherwood's picture is the best example of the same stone used at St. Meinrad. Thanks!

Abbey’s Anniversary Mass. A Benedictine oblate blog

At the end of Mass

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My wife and I attended the 120th anniversary Mass at St. Leo Abbey in Florida, USA. The Abbey’s 60-year-old Church of the Holy Cross was packed to overflowing.

The music was wonderful. The new renovations of the church impressed everyone — and rightfully so. The simple elegance of the past still greets us, but now it is beautiful too. The various parts of the church are warmly linked with new colors and textures. Great job.

The wise abbot’s homily began by him reading part of the homily given about 60 years ago when the church was consecrated. The “old” homily’s assessment of a monastery’s place in the wider Church and a dark world still rang true which is not surprising — monasteries preserve truth and spiritual traditions. The essence of a lighthouse is not to transform itself into something that extinguishes the light.

Many elderly people were there today, I imagined that some may have attended the consecration of the church 60 years ago. I also saw many families with young children. My mind was drawn to think about the abbey’s 180th anniversary when those children of today will be in their sixties and seventies.

Although the abbey’s church may be renovated again by then, those future adults will be able to walk to the front of this church, bow, and be in the same light as today.

A Faithful Abbey. A Benedictine oblate blog

St. Leo Abbey’s monks are celebrating the abbey’s anniversary. This abbey is a 120-year-old link in a chain of monasteries dating back about 1,500 years — to right after the collapse of the Roman Empire. It is too easy for my "educated" mind to categorize the anniversary event and the monks by using a corporate model in which I focus on corporate or business measurements of progress.

I was reading about the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church which survived while being hidden during the time it was outlawed by the Soviets (1946 to 1989). It was that invisible, illegal, and crushed church that emerged as a light in the East upon the collapse of the USSR. All during those years of killings, imprisonments, and theft of the Church property, the church was doing the only thing Jesus asked if he would find when he returns.(1) They were being faithful.

When I visit St. Leo Abbey monks on their anniversary, (map) I want to make sure I see clearly what is significant. I will be seeing Benedictine monks who have made a vow of stability, conversatio morum (fidelity to monastic life) and obedience. They live according to the Rule of St. Benedict under the authority of an abbot. They pray the divine office four times a day. So?

Monasteries are places of spiritual, not corporate power. Few if any organizations have been able to outlast the wisdom required for sustainable living together that is found at a Benedictine monastery. Indeed, in terms of the sweep of the history that counts — what groups will be around in year 3509? — it might be better for me to see how my American life measures up using St. Leo Abbey's standards of success. Monks have a far better Quarterly Report than the modern models for human organizations taught at any university. Maybe that's the point, monks give Century Reports and the only stockholder's dividend is faithfulness.
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Footnotes:

Picture is AYP0721424 by miyukiutada.

(1) Luke 18:7-8 "Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"" NAB

New Church Interior, Near and Far. A Benedictine oblate blog. Part 3 of 3

Inside painting of the Church of the Holy Cross at St. Leo Abbey, Florida, USA, is nearly finished.

Materials originally used to build the Church of the Holy Cross came from near and far. Some materials remind me of Jesus as the chief cornerstone or of the great antiquity of Celtic monks. The recent remodeling project reminds me of what can be accomplished with one small paint brush.

This last of three blogs on the recent interior remodeling of the church describes where the church got some of its stone material to build the church (1936 to 1948). This blog begins with comments on the 2009 remodeling project’s most noticeable feature — painting of the inside.

The paint color is gold/yellow with highlights painted by one man using a 3" brush. I think the painting work has taken him about four months. During that time he has virtually painted the complete interior with that small little brush.

The textured/aged feel of the painting is one of the most striking effects of the several remodeling changes to the Church (see Part 1 and Part 2 of this series).

I think I will always remember the painter’s patience and attention to detail as I sit in the Church with its soft golden color. His work brings all of the Church’s beauty near to everyone who visits St. Leo Abbey.

Although the abbey was founded in 1889, construction of the Church of the Holy Cross began in 1936 and was completed in 1948. The builders were patient too through 12 long years and the second world war.

While most of the original construction materials came from Florida, St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana supplied Saint Leo Abbey with sandstone from St. Meinrad's quarry.

Saint Meinrad's sandstone began making the 850 mile one-way trip to Florida by truck in 1939.

St. Meinrad's quarried sandstone can be seen today as part of the Saint Leo Abbey Church's entrance archway, window settings, side altars and exterior stone trim. It’s a pretty golden/yellow color.

St. Meinrad also supplied Saint Leo with carved oak furnishings for the church interior as well.

In return for St. Meinrad's deep yellow sandstone and oak-wood furnishings, Saint Leo Abbey for many years trucked back to St. Meinrad loads of yellow oranges and sweet grapefruits picked from St. Leo Abbey's large groves of citrus trees.

My wife and I are among the abbey visitors who still take home bags of oranges and grapefruit and drop our bills in the honor-system box where the bags are set out unattended.

Although St. Leo trucked its "Abbey Brand" oranges and grapefruit to St. Meinrad as whole fruit, because of the unique barter arrangement between the two distant abbeys, stone for fruit, it is often said that the Church of the Holy Cross is the "church that orange juice built."

The cross referred to in the Church’s name is the massive crucifix with the carved image of Jesus (the face is the same as the face on the Shroud of Turin). But before I enter the church another smaller cross always catches my attention. When I arrive at the abbey I like to see the Celtic cross that greets visitors. It is on the top of the church. A picture of that Celtic cross is shown below.


A Celtic cross is one with a circle, loop, or disk at the cross arms. While it is common to hear many explanations for the symbolism of the Celtic cross, no one knows for sure what the circle/disk symbol means and any one explanation is perhaps no better than the others. If this is the "church that orange juice built" maybe it represents a golden Florida orange (I am kidding, of course).

Some people say the circle of a Celtic cross represents eternity, others say it is the sun which was incorporated from pagan times and whose meaning was transformed by Christianity, and some have said the circle was borrowed from the Egyptian crux ansata (Ankh).1

Regardless of any special meaning of the first Celtic Cross, I am pleased that the builders of the Church of Holy Cross wanted to show all passing visitors a symbol that might bring to mind those ancient Celtic monks who had such a profound impact on the spread of Christianity to a chaotic and pagan Europe.

The tradition of keeping the flame of Christianity amidst collapsing civilization and then bringing the good news of Jesus to a pagan society is a long tradition of the stable, resourceful, and spiritual-minded Benedictines.

The Benedictine monks of St. Leo Abbey preserve one of the most ancient spiritual practices — living by the Rule of St. Benedict and praying the divine office several times a day. They also welcome guests who are invited to join them in the divine office. Hospitality and welcoming guests has always been a major element of Benedictines. That’s what the Celtic cross at the church means to me.

If you have any interest in spiritual matters whether you are Protestant (like my wife and I were when we first visited the abbey in 2006), or follow other traditions, you may enjoy a visit to see the newly remodeled Church of the Holy Cross. You will be welcomed as Christ. Monasteries are "places of spiritual power."2

Most of my visits to the church involve some time sitting alone in the church. I watch the face of Jesus on the crucifix, the stained glass windows of sixteen saints, or the movement of light. I listen for the voice of God on the interior of my heart. “Listen” is the first word in the Rule of St. Benedict. A church is a good place for me to listen, not because of what happens quickly, but because of what happens slowly over time. Each visit to the Church of the Holy Cross changes me, little by little, much like that small brush applied with such patience.

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Footnotes:

Picture is Paint Brush by sandralise. Thank you.

1. History of the Celtic Cross. Reference to the Egyptian crux ansata (the Ankh) as a possible source for the Celtic cross is near the end of this Catholic New Advent article.

2. Pope Benedict in 2007 at HEILIGENKREUZ ABBEY



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New Church Interior, Same Romanesque Style. A Benedictine oblate blog. Part 2 of 3

Saint Leo Abbey, Saint Leo College, and Holy Name Convent are Catholic institutions founded in 1889 on some of the most beautiful land in Florida. They are located in one of the few places in Florida with low rolling hills. This year on Saturday, June 13, 2009, the abbey will celebrate its 120th anniversary. If you live in Florida, a good historical event to attend.

Saint Leo Abbey is part of American-Cassinese Congregation — a group of Benedictine abbeys founded from Metten, Bavaria (Germany). The Benedictines are monks who follow the Rule of St. Benedict written about 530 AD by St. Benedict as the Roman Empire was disintegrating.

Saint Leo Abbey’s Church is the Church of the Holy Cross which took 12 years to complete (1936 to 1948).

The church is in the massive, rounded-arch style known as Lombardic-Romanesque — a style that developed in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy about 850 AD.

Lombardic-Romanesque style is sometimes called First Romanesque because of its place in the development of the later Romanesque style appearing in the 1100s AD which in turn evolved into the well-known Gothic style — pointed arches, ribbed vault, and the flying buttress. Gothic style gives a feel of height and light.

The Church’s interior has been painted for the first time, but the color scheme used existing colors from the Church. The effect is to enhance all architectural features and tie all elements together.

The Church of Holy Cross's Lombardic-Romanesque style conveys stability, peace, stillness, and quiet — just what I want when going on a spiritual retreat for the weekend or just a few hours to pray the divine office with the Benedictine monks.

New Church Interior, Same Spirit. A Benedictine oblate blog. Part 1 of 3

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If you have not visited St. Leo Abbey in the last five months you have not seen the repainting and remodeling of the interior of its Church of the Holy Cross. Well, the work is almost finished! It looks great.

St. Leo Abbey is located in west central Florida, USA. This Catholic Benedictine monastery is located about 45 minutes north of Tampa. Benedictine monks welcome guests and you can join the monks in praying the divine office daily in the church.

The abbey’s church’s interior has been repainted with a soft gold/yellow color with highlights. It's beautiful.

The remodeling of the church included eliminating about half of the raised platform (chancel) where the choir stalls for monks and guests had been located.

Previously, the platform had four steps. Now, (top picture) the platform (chancel) of three steps begins much farther back (toward the crucifix) and the platform now contains only the altar, chair, oil lamps, and the ambo (speakers’ podium) and organ, both the ambo and organ are on the left side and out of view in the first picture above. I read a New Advent article on altar steps indicating that there should be an odd number of steps leading to the altar. Now that St. Leo has three direct steps to the altar, the church is more in step with that tradition as well.

The overall platform’s first step still begins where the four-step platform used to begin, so there is plenty of room for the monks’ choir stalls on this lowered part of the old platform. The platform is so low, the monks’ choir stalls have been moved much closer to the edge of the platform because the platform is only one small step for a monk. This creates a feeling that the monks are much closer to the people who sit in the pews — which they are, but being lower also gives a feeling of closeness. The picture below is of the new one-step platform for the monks' choir stalls:



The choir stalls for guests which used to be behind (toward the wall with the crucifix) the monks’ choir stalls have been moved off of the platform and now form the front pews in the nave (where the congregation sits). Here are two pictures of the new location of the choir stalls for the guests:




The picture below is what the platform used to look like — the picture below was taken in 2008 during our retreat (well before any changes) and picture was taken from the right side of the crucifix looking toward the entrance to the church. The choir stalls in the foreground are where the guests used to sit to participate with the monks in the divine office.


The new location for the guest choir stalls means that the guests now face the front of the altar and the large crucifix.

Interestingly, Jesus’ face on the large crucifix is a sculptured version of the face on the Shroud of Turin. The St. Leo Abbey crucifix makes quite an impression on me and I like the new layout of the choir stalls for the guests. Praying with the monks as they sing the divine offices during the day is always a spiritual blessing. And now I face the monks, the altar, and the crucifix of Jesus and I am reminded of obedience, holiness, and love.

In other changes to the interior, the main lights in the nave have been moved to the arches and new lights have been added to the columns.

I blogged previously about the new lectio divina wall in the church.

The remodeling of the church is not totally finished and will include cloth material behind statues on the side walls, but the church already contains a new emblems on the walls. Some of the emblems came from the previous altar carved by Brother Paul — a good link with the past.

The previous interior of the church gave me a feeling of simplicity and a welcoming spirit — very Benedictine. With as much change as has taken place in the church, I was very pleased that those two feelings still exist as strong as ever in the Church of the Holy Cross. But the new interior now gives me more of a feeling of simple elegance and a welcoming spirit of beauty. Yes, the interior now has more to say. Those involved in the planning and carrying out of the work on the church’s interior are hereby given my public thanks. They were able to add elegance to simplicity and beauty to a welcoming spirit — very Benedictine still.

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Footnote:

Part 2 of this series.  Part 2 of this series of posts is on the historical background of the church.

Part 3 of this series.  Part 3 of 3 is about why the abbey church is called the "church that orange juice built."

In the second picture from the bottom, alert blog readers will notice a green thing on the left side of the picture. That's the huge lifting scaffold for the painter. I shot all the pictures of the new interior to avoid the scaffold, except I wanted just a bit of it for reference.

I have been spending much time in quiet contemplation after Easter, but am back at blogging now. I have been very thankful, Alleluia.

A Tale of Two Cities. A Benedictine oblate blog

St. Leo Abbey is located in the town of St. Leo, Florida, USA. But St. Leo is very tiny, there is not a town with shops or a gas station. The town of St. Leo has the St. Leo Abbey, the Holy Name Monastery (a Benedictine sisters community — Benedictine Sisters of Florida ), a couple of small residential areas, and St. Leo University which has about 1000 students living on campus.

The nearest town to St. Leo is the adjacent small town of San Antonio, Florida, with a historic downtown and a restful town park near the middle of town. Its sleepy feel belies one of the most interesting small-town histories in Florida.

San Antonio was founded in 1881 by Judge Edmund Dunne as part of a 100,000-acre Catholic-only colony in west-central Florida. Judge Dunne acquired the land in payment of services to Hamilton Disston whose purchase of land from the state of Florida helped save the state from bankruptcy in 1881.

The Catholic-only part of the colony lasted six years, but Catholic settlers remain a major part of the area even to this day.

Indeed, it was the need for priests for the German-speaking Catholics in the Catholic colony of San Antonio that brought Benedictine monks to San Antonio at the request of Judge Dunne in 1889 to found what would become St. Leo Abbey and the town of St. Leo.

The area remained known as a Catholic enclave and during the World War I era, Florida Governor Sidney J. Catts capitalized on the strong anti-German and anti-Catholic sentiments in the state.

Governor Catts spread and fueled anti-Catholicism throughout the state by claiming the “German” St. Leo Abbey was a hidden guns and munitions arsenal that the Benedictine monks were planning on using to arm the Florida Negroes to overthrow Florida and install Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II.

But, according to Governor Catts, what was more ominous in the plot was the next part of the plan in which the German Kaiser would allow Pope Benedict XV to take over Florida and relocate the Vatican to San Antonio, Florida. Of course, such claims were false, but fed a public gullibility.

Although the anti-Catholic opinion caused some Catholics and Protestants to leave the San Antonio area, other Protestants, showing an earned respect for the monks and their abbey, made public displays of their association with their Catholic neighbors.

It is difficult to believe that St. Leo Abbey would be at the center of such political controversies, but these incidents are just one more part of the long-history of the Benedictines since 530 AD. And besides that, if Pope Benedict XVI needs to move the Vatican, I know just the place.

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Picture is St. Peter's by lostajy.

An extra note:

I like St. Leo Abbey. I like to see visitors come and sense the peaceful tranquility and beauty of the Abbey’s Church of the Holy Cross.

As an oblate, I too am only a visitor to the Abbey, but with a great many such visits under my belt and the warm welcome of the monks, I often think of it as my abbey too. It is a remarkable place.

Anyway, on a recent afternoon I was alone in the Abbey church when a well-dressed couple came in and showed what at first seemed to be great interest in looking at all parts of the Church’s interior. To me, the church is beautiful.

As the couple walked by me, I heard the woman say in a I-am-wasting-my-time-here-tone, “This is just like the churches in Rome I’ve toured.” Huh? I almost laughed out loud. We are here in Florida at a small Abbey and she’s disappointed because the only thing the monks can pull off is being equal to the historic churches in Rome?!

Too funny.





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