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When Archbishop John Wester of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe asked Fr. Michael Niemczak if he would serve on Mount Angel Seminary’s priestly formation faculty, he responded with a firm “yes.”

“I just love the priesthood,” shares Fr. Niemczak. “To be in a place that tries to teach future priests what the priesthood is all about, that was exciting for me.” Fr. Niemczak arrived at Mount Angel Seminary in July 2023 and currently serves as the coordinator of the propaedeutic stage of seminary formation. That means he works with the men new to seminary life, whether they are right out of high school or have already completed college and had a career.

Fr. Niemczak describes the essence of the propaedeutic stage as “discovering with [the seminarians]: what kind of man are you going to be, and is that man a priest?” From the perspective of the universal call to holiness, Fr. Niemczak likes to share with the seminarians that “the goal is not that they have an ‘Fr.’ in front of their name; it’s that they have an ‘St.’ in front of their name.” 

That perspective took on a deeply personal meaning for Fr. Niemczak when he traveled recently to Poland to concelebrate the beatification Mass for the Ulma family. Born in the U.S. to Polish immigrants, Niemczak is a relative of the Ulma family, who were cousins of his great-grandfather. During World War II, the entire family – mother, father, 6 children and a 7th in the womb – was martyred in 1944 by Nazi soldiers for providing safe harbor to two Jewish families. The Ulma family, Fr. Niemczak has reflected, were not the only ones to harbor Jewish families during the war, but he is grateful that they have been the ones chosen to be the face of the heroism of many.

Fr. Niemczak brought over 1,000 prayer intentions with him from people worldwide, which he had gathered ahead of the beatification. During his time in Poland, he paused to read, remember, and pray for each intention.

– Ethan Alano

Learn more about the Ulma family and Fr. Niemczak’s pilgrimage.

Brother Gregory Benavidez was a really good man and a really good monk.

In life, he was first of all a good son and brother, nephew, uncle and friend. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1980, the youngest of nine children. He was duly baptized with the name Joshua, or in Spanish, Josué – meaning in Hebrew, “God is deliverance,” a name he was very proud of. Josué was formed by his family relationships, the Mexican American culture and language, the places he grew up in – Texas, North Carolina, Mexico, and Oregon – and the education, life and work experiences that he had over the years. For a time, not unusual these days, his family tried other faith traditions. Eventually his family moved to Salem in 1993. By this time his parents were divorced. Josué found the difficulties of growing up in a broken home with a struggling single mother, along with other challenges he had encountered along the way, a real trial. It was why he often said to those close to him later on, that he understood well the tough circumstances many people go through in life, because he had experienced it first-hand.

His best friend, Brandt, described him as a nerdy kind of fellow, not unlike himself. They became close friends in high school and remained so to this day. They enjoyed Marvel and DC comic books, Batman and Star Wars. Brandt got Br. Gregory his first really good light saber, which he brought out for special occasions when he went into Obi-Wan Kenobi mode. They enjoyed going to Comic Con conventions, being outdoors, swimming in the summer, and just hanging out together.

Josué graduated from high school in 1999. He found his first jobs working in local restaurants. But it was while working in construction with his brother that he found the work he liked best. He enjoyed being outdoors. He was good working with his hands, using small equipment, driving trucks, and the usual banter among workers. Many of the jobs he liked and did best were ones where he could work hard, but still had time with his own thoughts and music in his earphones.

It was around the year 2000 that Josué’s elderly mother, Rose, became frail. Initially, Josué devoted his time to her care, but eventually it became a near full-time job. Rose made the decision to go into assisted living at the facility where she had worked in meal preparation. As a result of a tragic accident and complications, she died in 2002. Her death – and the circumstances around it – were a huge personal blow to Josué.

Rose, however had given him a gift: She shared with her son the deep faith and devotion to God that kept her going and made life possible. She told him over and over again that only God could love him more than she did. With some of those memories to guide him, Josué went back to work, but by 2006 he had begun to move in the direction of the Catholic faith of his Baptism. Because he had not been a practicing Catholic for many years, it was recommended that he join the program for people joining the church, often called RCIA – the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Josué found journeying with other people, learning about the Catholic faith, attending and participating in the liturgy and devotions of the parish, studying the lives of the saints, and preparing for the Easter sacraments a profound and personally moving experience. All of this was a really positive, uplifting, and life-changing time for him. He “re-activated his membership,” as we sometimes call it. He found that God did indeed love him very deeply and personally.

At the Easter Vigil that year, Josué made a Profession of Faith and received the sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation, and Eucharist. He got involved with individuals in the wider parish, going to Mass often, and helping out wherever he could.

With the encouragement of folks at St. Joseph Parish in Salem, Josué began in 2008 to come to Mount Angel Abbey for discernment retreats, offered to young men who were thinking about monastic life. In 2009 he entered Mount Angel Abbey to begin his monastic life and journey and made his profession in 2010. During the novitiate years, a novice is thinking about the name he will receive at his first profession of vows. Josué, recognizing his Mexican heritage, was considering the name St. Miguel Pro, who was a Jesuit priest martyred in Mexico in 1927.

But something else intervened. According to a monastic tradition, the first novice to make first profession of vows under a new abbot often receives the abbot’s name. Br. Gregory was the first in his group to make profession under Abbot Gregory, hence they share the name. Br. Gregory said of this later that he was “deeply honored to be named after this great saint, Saint Gregory the Great, who has done so much for our beautiful Church and for the monastic tradition.” He said he was also grateful to share the same name as Abbot Gregory, who helped him in so many ways as novice master during his formation and in personal meetings.

Listen is one of the first and most important words in the Rule of St. Benedict. Seeking God is the criterion St. Benedict uses for someone entering the monastery. It is seeking God and listening to the voice of God calling us on a daily basis, in the context of a community of brothers, the Rule, and the Abbot, that is at the heart of our lives. Our lives of prayer and work support this calling. Br. Gregory enjoyed life in community and with his brothers, being faithful to his assignments and chores, but always in a quiet and unobtrusive way.

In his monastic life, Br. Gregory was seeking God in the community of brothers, in common prayer, in our common life, and especially in the two works with which he was primarily occupied: sacristan and the guesthouse. He loved the whole aspect of preparing the vessels for the altar and setting out the vestments and books for Mass. He assisted guest priests and monks to help them celebrate Mass with us. He often worked hard and quietly, almost out of sight. We heard recently stories from guests about how Br. Gregory would give them impromptu tours around the Hilltop. In the church, he would explain the relics of saints to visitors and then patiently answer questions.

Br. Gregory took to heart St. Benedict’s instruction that, “all guests who arrive shall be received as Christ.” He did all of the following small but essential duties in the guesthouse each week for almost the last 10 years: vacuuming and setting up and tearing down the two large conference rooms, often sometimes several times a week, filling, loading and unloading laundry bins containing all the bedding and towels for 40 rooms, going to and from the laundry, sometimes twice a week, putting garbage and recycling bins out each Wednesday, assisting housekeepers with vacuuming hallways and the dining room, and in a pinch, helping them prepare rooms between one group and the next. He also could be counted on to set up and tear down tables and chairs for banquets and socials. In the Visitation Garden, Br. Gregory would water and weed flower beds and clean and maintain the water feature. He maintained the terraces and the roof-top terrace herb garden, and made pots of coffee and provided ice water for guests – on most mornings before 6 am as well as during the day. And those are just the works I can readily remember! Br. Gregory did them faithfully and thoroughly.

When I was not available as Guest Master or we were very busy with groups, Br. Gregory was attentive to individual guests, especially if he sensed that someone was dealing with something painful. He often sat with guests at meals, talking with them. What I found was really quite beautiful is that, even though Br. Gregory had many difficulties and challenges in his own years growing up, he seemed to want to make sure others didn’t suffer what he did. It was one of the aspects of his ministry in the guesthouse that was always done with great simplicity, kindness, and gentleness. Nothing flashy, just genuine care and concern, offering what he could to help.

Br. Gregory was a shy person by nature and temperament. He found large groups tough to navigate, but in the last month of his life, when he was appointed Assistant Guest Master, he would lead the prayer at lunch and help with checking guests in. He was also learning the computer for reservations and room assignments. It wasn’t always easy for Br. Gregory to form deep relationships or friendships, but once formed, Br. Gregory was a fiercely loyal friend to be treasured.

Br. Gregory was especially close to the guesthouse staff and volunteers, particularly those with whom he worked each day. The kitchen staff came to love him and made sure he had corn tortillas in the fridge. Br. Gregory would often make tacos as an alternative to whatever was served.

Br. Gregory remembered birthdays and special occasions of his family and friends. He sometimes sent rap-like video greetings to his family. When he wrote notes to monastic superiors, either asking for a permission to do something or go somewhere, there was always a kind sentence or two of appreciation, and the word thanks.

As I come to the end of these reflections on Brother Gregory’s life, I am struck by special characteristics or virtues that were consistent and remain as inspiration and lessons for us. In particular, I recall his strong, deep love of God that came from his mother and was furthered by his own personal commitment to his faith and his monastic life. He had a clear sense of duty and felt the need to come through for others in his prayer and in his work. I recall his love and loyalty in friendships and in personal dealings with community members, family, friends and co-workers, his kindness in reaching out to others, and his great sense of humor and light-heartedness as demonstrated in his nerdy collection of comic books and his love of Batman, light sabers, and weird and scary movies. Abbot Gregory put it best in writing about Brother Gregory in the printed obituary: “Brother Gregory was a big man with a very tender heart.”

We will all miss you very much, Brother Gregory. You have our love and promise to pray for you often because of how you touched our lives. And now we commend you to the loving mercy of God, that you may enjoy eternal life with all your confreres, family members, and friends who have gone before you.

– Fr. Philip Waibel, OSB

On the morning of May 6, Mount Angel Seminary graduates, monks, faculty, family and friends gathered in the Abbey church for the celebration of the 2023 Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement Exercises. A full church for each celebration signified an outpouring of support for the graduates and gratitude to God for the successful completion of another academic year.

Bishop Liam Cary of the Diocese of Baker, who also served as the principal celebrant for the Baccalaureate Mass, gave the commencement address. In his remarks, which focused on God’s creation of the universe and human beings, he reflected that “to be human is to know that life is a gift, and the deeper that perception enters into our being, the more human we are.”

During the Senior Farewell address, Deacon Marc Gandolfo of the Diocese of San Diego reflected on the centrality of the Eucharist in his experience of seminary formation. He shared that “in the same way that in the Mass, the gifts are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, so we have been forever changed by our time spent here at Mount Angel.”

The following seminarians received their Bachelor of Arts degrees from Mount Angel Seminary’s College of Liberal Arts: Marcos Ricardo Alvarado Trasmonte, Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon; Alejandro Marquez Mendoza, Diocese of Sacramento; Jorge E. Noricumbo, Diocese of Fresno; Ethen Vincent O’Campo, Diocese of Orange; Edgar Allen Domingo Pobre, Diocese of Honolulu; Joshua Adam Tennyson, Diocese of Boise; Frederick J. Tucker, Archdiocese of Seattle; and Br. Ricardo Velez, M.Sp.S., Missionaries of the Holy Spirit.

Sean-Matthew Roberto Flores, Diocese of Las Vegas, and Adalberto Montes Contreras, Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, each received their Pre-Theology Certificate of Completion.

The following seminarians received their Master of Arts (Philosophy): Victor Fernando Amador, Diocese of Sacramento; Joseph Ryan Canepa, Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon; Robert Joe Martinez, Diocese of Las Vegas; and Jacob Juan Valdez, Diocese of Fresno.

The Seminary’s Graduate School of Theology conferred the Master of Divinity degree upon Deacon Sylvester Musonda Chanda, Archdiocese of Seattle; Deacon Nelson Hall Besouro Cintra, Diocese of Boise; Deacon Arturo Cisneros, Diocese of Fresno; Deacon Caleb Joshua Cunningham, Diocese of Baker; Deacon Marc Andrew Gandolfo, Diocese of San Diego; Deacon Ian Michael Gaston, Diocese of Orange; Br. Charles Borromeo Gonzalez, O.S.B., Mount Angel Abbey; Deacon Anthony Hoangphan, Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon; Deacon Efraín Razo, Jr., Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon; Deacon Timothy Josef Segert, Diocese of Boise; and Deacon James Joseph Tasy, Diocese of Fresno.

Recipients of the Master of Arts (Theology) included Deacon Nelson Hall Besouro Cintra, Diocese of Boise; Br. Scott P. Dilworth, O.C.S.O., Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey; Daniel Edward Licon; and Maximiliano Muñoz, Archdiocese of Seattle.

The following seminarians received their Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology: Deacon Nelson Hall Besouro Cintra, Diocese of Boise; Deacon Caleb Joshua Cunningham, Diocese of Baker; Deacon Ian Michael Gaston, Diocese of Orange; Deacon Timothy Josef Segert, Diocese of Boise; and Deacon James Joseph Tasy, Diocese of Fresno.

Bishop Kolio Tumanuvao Etuale, bishop of the Diocese of Samoa-Pago Pago, received his Doctor of Ministry degree.

– Ethan Alano

Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement 2023

Please join us Saturday, May 6

Mount Angel Seminary

Baccalaureate Mass  |  8 am
Commencement Exercises  |  10 am

Both events will be livestreamed here.

Commencement at Mount Angel Seminary 2019

The students of Mount Angel Seminary’s graduating class of 2019 celebrated their Baccalaureate Mass on the afternoon of May 10 and Commencement Exercises the following morning. Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Orange, gave the Commencement Address, speaking to more than 300 family and friends assembled in the Abbey church.

In his address, Bishop Vann expressed his appreciation for the natural beauty of the landscape that surrounds Mount Angel Seminary. The beauty of this part of the country, close to the Cascade mountain range, he noted, helps to “form and define the landscape of the souls” who live and study at Mount Angel. In the same way, he said, “Your calling, your ministry, your vocation, strengthened by the degrees you will receive today … will truly form and define the culture and the lives around you.”

Bishop Vann reminded the graduates that we don’t always see clearly or understand the purpose of the present moment in the broader picture of life. But, from his own experience, he has found that in the providence of God, what life presents today is the best preparation for tomorrow. Most importantly, the people we find ourselves with today form the community that will carry us through to whatever the next step is.

In presenting the Senior Farewell, Reverend Mister Dean Marshall, from the Diocese of Sacramento, echoed the importance of community as we are each called into unknown territory. “There are a lot of unknowns ahead of us,” he said, “and we leave now a place of comfort, a place where we know what to expect. But, the times ahead are wrought with excitement and grace.”

There were 44 in the 2019 graduating class of Mount Angel Seminary, with a total of 55 degrees and certificates awarded, including 13 Bachelor of Arts; two Pre-Theology certificates; two Master of Arts (Philosophy); 12 Master of Divinity; 13 Master of Arts (Theology); seven Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology, and six Doctor of Ministry.

This Commencement marked the first cohort to graduate in the seminary’s new Doctor of Ministry program. Following the core curriculum of the seminary, the Doctor of Ministry concentrates on Scripture, Liturgical/Systematic Theology, and Pastoral Theology. The program provides an opportunity to deepen and enrich the work of those engaged in pastoral ministry through the pursuit of a professional doctorate.

Mount Angel Seminary offers fully accredited degree programs at all levels, including a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy; Master of Arts (Philosophy); Master of Arts (Theology); Master of Divinity; Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology, offered in affiliation with the Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant’ Anselmo in Rome; and Doctor of Ministry. The Master of Arts (Theology) and Doctor of Ministry programs are open to non-seminarians and lay students.

Mount Angel Seminary, established in 1889 by the pioneer monks of Mount Angel Abbey, is the oldest and largest seminary in the western United States. It is the only seminary in the West that offers a four-year college and graduate school of theology, and one of only a few in the nation that offer degrees at all levels, baccalaureate through doctorate. Since its foundation, Mount Angel Seminary has educated and formed thousands of priests and many religious and lay women and men for service to the people of God in nearly 100 dioceses and religious communities across the country and around the world.

In preparation for the Saint Benedict Festival on July 8, 2023, Fr. Martin Grassel, OSB, general manager at the Benedictine Brewery, has been hard at work cultivating the craft of barrel-aged beer. As the name suggests, barrel-aging is the process by which a beer is stored in a wooden barrel for a time, absorbing the flavors of the wood and the previous contents of the barrel. At the festival, the brewery will debut four beers that have been aging in bourbon barrels: Dark Night, St. Rafael, St. Gabriel, and Black Habit.

Fr. Martin saw barrel-aging as a way of presenting a variety of new beer flavors at the festival without creating new beer recipes, a time-consuming process amid an already busy production schedule. As he learned the craft through reading books and experimenting, Fr. Martin was surprised that “it’s taken a lot more time than I expected,” considering that “it adds a whole new dimension to your production.” Unlike traditional brewing, the science behind the barrel-aging process is not as developed, so it requires more curiosity and artistry.

For those who see variety as the spice of life, the barrel-aged beer is an exciting development that guarantees a diversity of flavor. Because of the nature of the barrel-aging process, “you’ll never maybe have the same thing twice. You can maybe have more consistency with bourbon aging, but there will be variation from year to year with that,” explains Fr. Martin. Some customers have their favorite beers and standard orders, while others prefer trying new things all the time. The barrel-aged beer will be a welcome addition for those with an adventurous palate.

While the initial impetus for barrel-aged beer was the Saint Benedict Festival, Fr. Martin shares that he “would love to have barrel-aging on a regular basis here [at the brewery].” For him, it’s a way of continuously improving the quality of the beer with elegance and finesse. “God gave us the gifts to serve him; let’s use those gifts the best we can, in his service, to glorify him,” reflects Fr. Martin.

– Ethan Alano

On March 19, 2023, a full audience packed the Abbey church to listen to the inaugural concert of the Mount Angel Chamber Choir, directed by Myrna Keough, Associate Professor of Music at Mount Angel Seminary. Composed of monks, seminarians, and friends of Mount Angel, the chamber choir performed a repertoire of sacred music. The concert also included a piece by the Mount Angel Seminary Choir and some instrumental performances by monks and seminarians.

The chamber choir began, in part, as an answer to a deep hunger for live choral music after an absence of it for nearly two years due to the pandemic. During that time, a number of monks and seminarians asked Keough if she would consider starting a polyphony choir once group singing became possible again. With the help and support of the Mount Angel Institute, the chamber choir began rehearsals in the fall of 2022. While it was a breath of fresh air to be singing together, there was a steeper learning curve in rehearsals than initially expected. “I underestimated how much that the pandemic, almost two years of not singing, would affect all of us,” shares Keough.

The large turnout for the concert illustrated to Keough that “this really met a need or filled a niche, which is wonderful; there really isn’t another choir like this in this area.” The concert lasted nearly an hour, and the audience was invited to hold their applause until the conclusion of the final piece. The nature of the compositions and the silence between pieces, not to mention the venue of the Abbey church itself, created an atmosphere of reverence and awe. “My prayer coming into [the concert] was that people’s hearts really would experience some of the beauty of heaven and find comfort wherever they happened to be in that moment,” remarks Keough.

Keough specifically chose compositions that could be employed in the liturgy and enhance the beauty of it. “The kind of music that is easily learned and easily played and often played is not satisfactory when it comes up against the kinds of things that we’re all dealing with in our lives of faith,” she reflects. Having liturgical music that requires practice, patience, and excellence helps serve the need people have for a more profound experience of God.

– Ethan Alano

New Year’s Day 2023 was the start of an exciting adventure for Br. Anselm Flores, OSB, and me (at left in photo). Usually, we would arise early and join our brother monks for lauds, the first hour of prayer on Sunday. That morning, however, Br. Jesse Ochoa, OSB, drove us to the Portland airport to catch a flight to St. Louis, Missouri. Our monastery on a hilltop in rural Oregon is our usual place of ministry, but for the first week of January, we were asked to attend and host a booth at the annual SEEK College Conference, sponsored by FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students).

At the conference, we met with college students, hoping to inspire them in their faith as well as introduce them to our Benedictine monastic life at Mount Angel Abbey. We brought icons, books, and merchandise from our Benedictine Brewery – such as hats, T-shirts and coasters – to share with them. We even hosted a ring toss with Benedictine Beer bottles, making our booth a favorite stop among the students.

Among the many highlights of the conference, one of the best was connecting with a number of young men interested in monastic life. The presence and joy of the universal Church, so palpable in the young adults present, was truly inspiring for Br. Anselm and me. We returned to Mount Angel renewed in our vocation and grateful for the opportunity to nurture the seeds of a monastic vocation in at least a few conference participants.

Thank you for your support of Mount Angel Abbey, which makes vocational outreach like this possible. We go to introduce people to our Benedictine way of life, yet we also receive much from those we meet. A special grace was participating in beautiful liturgies with over 17,000 people. Please pray with us for vocations to our monastic community so that in all things, God may be glorified.

Br. Charles Gonzalez, OSB

Being instituted into the ministry of Lector “is a moment of intentionality, of choosing to move forward,” says Sylvester Rozario, a seminarian currently in his first year of theology at Mount Angel Seminary, studying for the Archdiocese of Seattle. “To proclaim [the Word of God], not just to read but to proclaim, to touch someone’s life, to let God speak through you, that’s a gift.”

Mr. Rozario was one of 10 seminarians instituted as Lector during a Mass at Mount Angel Abbey on March 6, 2023. At the same Mass, six seminarians were instituted as Acolytes. Both Lector and Acolyte are among the public steps seminarians take along the way in their years of theological study in preparation and formation for priestly ordination.

The principal celebrant and homilist for the Mass was Bishop George Leo Thomas, Ph.D., of the Diocese of Las Vegas. Speaking to the seminarians during the homily, he said, “I ask each of you, … [to] hear and heed the words of Pope Francis as he describes the Lord Jesus as the very face of mercy. … Dispense the healing balm of mercy with careless abandon as you minister among God’s holy people, following the example of the Lord Jesus himself. … I enjoin you to assist your bishop and pastors to build a church that is the home of mercy, the domicile of forgiveness for today in a world marred by violence and vitriol.”

Br. Damien-Joseph Rappuhn, O.S.B., a Benedictine monk studying for priestly ordination for St. Martin’s Abbey in Lacey, Washington, said, “The institution as a Lector is a small step, but a profoundly meaningful step on the road of sharing God’s message of reconciliation and healing. The prophet [Isaiah] says that God’s Word, like the rain, gives life to the earth and will not return to him until it has achieved the mission for which he sent it (Isaiah 55:10-11). As a Lector, this is the level at which I am invited to participate in that mission of bringing good news to this hurting, suffering world.”

Those instituted as Lectors include: Mbuiyu Patrick Gitau, Richard John Ordos II, and Sylvester Vijay Rozario, all for the Archdiocese of Seattle; David Pham Hoang, Diocese of Orange; Rico Daniel Landavazo, Archdiocese of Santa Fe; Erik Andrew Morris and Andy Julian Sanchez, Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon; Nathanial Wayne Loe, Diocese of Spokane; Elliot Yaryk Sifuentes, Diocese of Fresno; Br. Damien-Joseph Rappuhn, O.S.B., St. Martin’s Abbey.

Those instituted as Acolytes include: Shawn Raymond Daniel, Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon; Jose Francisco Orozco Cardenas, Diocese of Fresno; Jose Luis Gomez Diaz, Kenneth Rey Parsad, and Jaime Zuazo, all for the Diocese of Salt Lake City; John Paul Langsfeld, Archdiocese of Santa Fe.

– Theresa Myers

Every year at the beginning of January, the seminarians at Mount Angel Seminary participate in a week-long silent retreat before the spring semester begins. Although the seminarians at Mount Angel regularly practice meditative prayer and some times of silence every day, the retreat is a privileged opportunity to rest with the Lord and deepen their relationship with him.

For the 2023 retreat, Mount Angel Seminary welcomed Fr. Greg Cleveland, OMV, as the retreat director to introduce the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Cleveland, a Chicago native, joined the Oblates of the Virgin Mary in 1987 and received ordination to the priesthood in 1995. He currently serves as the executive director for the Lanteri Center for Ignatian Spirituality in Denver.

Each day of the retreat, the seminarians gathered in St. Joseph Chapel for the Liturgy of the Hours, Mass, spiritual conferences given by Fr. Cleveland, and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The theme of the retreat was “Wellsprings of Grace: The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.” Fr. Cleveland encouraged the seminarians to engage their prayerful imagination and enter into Gospel scenes for their personal hours of meditation. By choosing to abstain from the use of cell phones, social media, Internet, and other electronic media during the retreat, the seminarians could focus their attention more readily on the Lord speaking to them in their hearts. Fr. Cleveland also taught them the Rules for the Discernment of Spirits of St. Ignatius, helping them to accept God’s consolations and to reject temptations in the name of Christ.

For Deacon Nelson Cintra of the Diocese of Boise, who is in his final semester at Mount Angel, the retreat was an opportunity to deepen his practice of Ignatian spirituality, which he has been attracted to and appreciated for some years. One challenge for Deacon Nelson during the retreat was an inability to sleep at night due to recovery from a knee surgery. He noticed discouraging thoughts surfacing frequently in that trial of restlessness. However, thanks to reviewing these spiritual tools from St. Ignatius, Deacon Nelson found “renewed attentiveness and strength to recognize and reject those temptations at their onset, choosing instead to live in the love and mercy of God.”

Patrick Mbuiyu of the Archdiocese of Seattle did not know much about Ignatian spirituality prior to the retreat, but he found the conferences helpful for learning to employ this practical spirituality in his life. He found that he can more fully “appreciate God as unchanging and ever with me aside from how I am feeling physically, mentally, or spiritually.” Being an international student with most of his family from Kenya, Patrick initially found the silence challenging, noticing his desire to check in on his family and respond to their messages. “Silence has invited me to grow in trust, seeking not to rely on my strength and wisdom in ensuring things are okay, and choosing to rely on God’s faithfulness and merciful love,” says Patrick.

Please keep our seminarians in your prayers as they continue to draw near to the Lord throughout the semester.

In the summer of 2022, the Abbey Coffeehouse at Mount Angel, located with the bookstore in the Abbey Press building, celebrated its grand re-opening after more than two years of closure. While the pandemic instigated the initial closure in the spring of 2020, the hiatus also provided an opportunity for envisioning a new design and ethos for the coffeehouse, spearheaded by Br. Alfredo Miranda, OSB.

When planning the renovation, Br. Alfredo drew inspiration from the Seven Rich Ways of Benedictine monastic life articulated by Abbot Jeremy Driscoll, OSB, especially the rich ways of hospitality and life together. Unlike coffee shops where one simply buys a coffee and departs, the Abbey Coffeehouse at Mount Angel is “designed as a space in which people can gather and be together,” says Br. Alfredo.

The Abbey Coffeehouse proudly serves coffee made with beans from Coava Coffee Roasters in Portland, Oregon, which Br. Ambrose Stewart, OSB, playfully describes as “the ‘Platonic Form’ of coffee – in other words, when God created coffee, this is what he had in mind.” According to Br. Alfredo, this emphasis on serving high-quality coffee and other specialty drinks is not for the sake of sophisticated marketing but rather for expressing Benedictine hospitality. “If we are receiving Christ through [our guests], we’re going to try to give them the best that we can,” he says.

A thoroughly monastic atmosphere pervades the whole Abbey Bookstore and Coffeehouse. Visitors frequently enjoy their coffee and reading while Gregorian chant or other sacred music plays in the background. The main coffee drinks are served in the sizes of novice, junior, and senior, reflecting the stages of monastic formation. Some drink specials include monastic terms found in the Holy Rule of St. Benedict, such as cenobite and sarabaite. Of course, the most monastic element in the Abbey Bookstore and Coffeehouse is the presence of the monks themselves, some of whom serve as baristas. For some visitors to the Hilltop, ordering their coffee may be their first interaction with a monk at Mount Angel. This casual, welcoming environment can lead to interesting discussions about the monastic way of life and an introduction to the Hilltop.

For more information and hours, please visit the webpage for the Abbey Bookstore and Coffeehouse.