Saint John's Abbey Vocations » Benedictine Volunteers http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:59:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 New Benedictine Volunteers here for retreat… http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2011/05/new-benedictine-volunteers-here-for-retreat/ http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2011/05/new-benedictine-volunteers-here-for-retreat/#comments Thu, 26 May 2011 16:21:45 +0000 Abbey http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/?p=1884 Every year we have a two week retreat for the new Benedictine Volunteers who will literally be going to the four corners of the globe in the next year…some as early as next month! They will be hosted by Benedictine monasteries in South America, Africa, Australia, Europe and the United States. Most will teach but all will help in whatever way they can in building up the Body of Christ in communities that are in great need of their energy, enthusiasm and expertise. During their retreat they pray and dine with the monastic community, have a couple hours of manual labor in the morning and also ready Fr. Columba Stewart’s book, Prayer and Community.  The eight chapters are studied and a discussion is lead by a different monk for each. Last evening I had the distinct pleasure of leading a discussion of the “Times and Seasons in Beneditine Life”. This was the final chapter of the book and I was delighted at how eager the men are to learn about the Rule of Benedict, the history of monasticism and the day to day living of the life. Though each Benedictine monastery is similar they are also very different and thus these men after two weeks of  ”living the life” will have a bit of a background of what to expect when they arrive at their assigned volunteer site. It costs about $5,000.00 per volunteer to support the program. All of the men receive room and board and a small stipend from the site monastic community. Saint John’s Abbey raises the money, the vast majority of which is donated, for transportation, insurance and other costs. Please keep these generous young men in your prayers!

Pictured above are 12 of the 16 volunteers for this coming year.

To learn more about the Saint John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps simply go to sjbvc.org

Peace, bpv

]]> http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2011/05/new-benedictine-volunteers-here-for-retreat/feed/ 0 New Benedictine Volunteer Site is Launched! http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2009/10/new-benedictine-volunteer-site-is-launched/ http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2009/10/new-benedictine-volunteer-site-is-launched/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:25:36 +0000 Abbey http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/?p=883 Ben DeMarais, a former Bendictine Volunteer just completed the new and improved Benedictine Volunteer website.  I think he did a great job! You can visit it at www.sjbvc.org 

One of the best features of the site is being able to access all the blogs that the volunteers are writing from around the world. Great pictures and great writing. God bless the efforts of these great young men!  Peace, bpv

]]> http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2009/10/new-benedictine-volunteer-site-is-launched/feed/ 0 Benedictine Volunteers giving the old garden shack a new coat of paint… http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2009/08/benedictine-volunteers-giving-the-old-garden-shack-a-new-coat-of-paint/ http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2009/08/benedictine-volunteers-giving-the-old-garden-shack-a-new-coat-of-paint/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:54:18 +0000 Abbey http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/?p=683 DSC00883

The Candidates hosted the Benedictine Volunteers last night for a barbeque at one of the Collegeville Institutes apartments and a great time was “had by all”.  After Sunday night comes Monday morning however, so here are some shots of the Benedictine Volunteers giving the old garden shack a new coat of paint after spending a number of days last week scraping the old paint off.

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Andy is delighted to know that his degree in art from Saint John’s University is coming in handy!

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Brother Paul Richards and two volunteers in the middle of a strategy meeting.

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Ben making sure that the Roller Pidgeons are having a good Monday morning. Little do they know that in a few minutes he will be operating a power washer very near to their abode.

]]> http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2009/08/benedictine-volunteers-giving-the-old-garden-shack-a-new-coat-of-paint/feed/ 0 8 Benedictine Volunteers arriving for two weeks of intensive training… http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2009/07/8-benedictine-volunteers-arriving-for-two-weeks-of-intensive-training/ http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2009/07/8-benedictine-volunteers-arriving-for-two-weeks-of-intensive-training/#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:02:10 +0000 Abbey http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/?p=659 The abbey will be hosting 8 men who have been accepted as Benedictine Volunteers for this coming year. They will be sent to various Benedictine abbeys throughout the world assisting in a variety of ways including teaching, health care, organizing libraries, gardening, etc. All are recent graduates of Saint John’s University and will spend two weeks living in Saint John’s Abbey observing communal and private prayer, sharing in meals and recreation and attending classes taught by a number of monks focusing on Benedictine monastic life. Read more about the Benedictine Volunteer Corps or go to http://www.saintjohnsabbey.org/volunteers/

]]> http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2009/07/8-benedictine-volunteers-arriving-for-two-weeks-of-intensive-training/feed/ 0 Benedictine Volunteer Reunion… http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2009/07/benedictine-volunteer-reunion/ http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2009/07/benedictine-volunteer-reunion/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:22:54 +0000 Abbey http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/?p=564 The following are pictures from the Benedictine Volunteer reunion that is going on right now at Saint Johns Abbey. The photos show monks and the volunteers enjoying great conversation and refreshments in a reception held in the Great Hall (the former abbey church) after Eucharist and before evening prayer.

Above are pictured Br. Paul Richards O.S.B. with Benedictine Volunteer Michael Banks. Br. Paul founded the program some six years ago beginning with two volunteers being sent to a Benedictine monastery in a developing country. This year Saint John’s Abbey is sending out 17 volunteers to 8 locations around the world! Great guys and a great program. More copy and pictures soon…!

]]> http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2009/07/benedictine-volunteer-reunion/feed/ 0 Mission in Tanzania: Learning the good life http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2009/06/mission-in-tanzania-learning-the-good-life/ http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/2009/06/mission-in-tanzania-learning-the-good-life/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:53:29 +0000 Abbey http://www.abbeyvocations.com/blog/?p=506 This article was written by Lew Grobe who has just begun his candidacy here at Saint John’s Abbey.

When I went to Tanzania, I anticipated being immersed in a very foreign land and culture. And while I noticed that out social, polictical, and economic tendencies couldn’t be more different, I came to see how very similar we really were as people. The Tanzanian villagers and I shared our humanness: we shared similar pains and emotions in our daily experiences. This discovery helped megain a better sense of self, community, and humanity from a global persepective. It enabled me to realize what is really important and to live my life accordingly. Hanga village, located in the remote bush of southwest Tanzania, is home to more that 7,000 people, 1200 of which are students at one of the four schools supported and run by the African Benedictines. I was sent to Hanga Abbey to teach at one of the schools supported by the Saint John’s Benedictine Corps and the Center for Mission. My work involved teaching English to first year students at St. Benedict’s Secondary School. My class had about 150 students (ages 14-43) in a 25′ by 25′ room. There were 5-6 students packed at each desk. The students did not have books, handouts, or electricity but were intensely curious and eager to learn. When the rain pounded on the tin roof and flooded into the room, the students were still engaged in their lessons.

The immense effort for these students to attend class at all was in itself astonishing. They awoke at 5 am to prepare food and water getting to school by 7 am. They attended class until 2 pm and would return home for lunch arriving back at school for private study until 7 pm. Then back home again for dinner and studying until 11 pm.

I was saddened to learn that many of my students would not return after their first year because they could not afford the school fees. The tuition of $350 per year was enormous for students where the percapita inncome was $320 per year. In an attempt to help, I began “Phoenix Rising” – a cross-country bike trip, to raise a $25,0000 scholarship endowment that would enable Hanga students to complete their secondary education. So far this has been very successful.

While the Tanzanians in Hanga were incredibly poor, I encountered their happiness, joy, and overall zest for life even with their many hardships. They praised God for the very little that they had been given. I discovered more and more about what is really important and am determined to live my life according to the values formed though my Hanga experience. ~ You can learn more about this bike trip and the Phonenix Rising Endowment at Lew Grobe’s website www.hangaabbey.org/index_files/rising.htm

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