3/4/2010
New abbot says his task, and the abbey’s, is to ‘point out Jesus’
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| New abbot says his task, and the abbey’s, is to ‘point out Jesus’ |
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Ed Langlois
ST. BENEDICT — In a balcony, a gray-haired monk quietly regaled guests with stories. Some seminarians showed worshipers to seats while others prayed on their knees. Visitors gazed around the full house of prayer.
The scenes froze as a bell tower roared to life and the blessing of a new monastic leader began.
By the end of the rite several hours later, Abbot Gregory Duerr walked down the center aisle of Mount Angel Abbey’s church, miter on his head and shepherd’s staff in his hand. Vigorous cheers rose.
The 57 monks eligible to vote elected Abbot Gregory in November. The 72-year-old scholar and spiritual director received an official blessing last week.
Abbot Gregory is known for a deep zeal for prayer and monastic life. He considers it a way to give holiness a better chance in the world.
“I must point out Jesus,” the new abbot said of his role.
As he often does, the abbot welcomed all Oregonians to benefit from life at the hilltop abbey, which he hopes people will see as a “holy mountain.”
Archbishop John Vlazny, who came from Portland to preside at the blessing, said the monks saw in Abbot Gregory “gifts of one of God’s chosen ones: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, and perhaps most important of all, a forgiving heart.”
Music was written just for the blessing, including Benedictine Father Marius Walter’s antiphon echoing the new abbot’s motto from the book of the prophet Micah: “He shall be peace.” The saying refers to Jesus, and Abbot Gregory hopes to be an instrument of that peace.
About 700 people came, including scores of visiting priests. A dozen abbots and bishops were on hand.
For the moment of blessing, Abbot Gregory knelt. The entire assembly sang a litany of saints, led by monks and seminarians in the choir loft.
As part of the rite, the new abbot received a large copy of the 1,500-year-old Rule of St. Benedict, the foundational document of western monasticism. The archbishop then gave him an abbot’s ring, sign of the abbot’s spousal relationship to the abbey and symbol of the need for discretion: rings once were used to seal private documents with wax.
Next came the miter also worn by bishops, a two-peaked hat representing the Old and New Testaments. Two attached strips, or lappets, are reminders to keep both the letter and the spirit of scripture. Last, the archbishop gave the abbot the hooked staff, symbol of Christ as the Good Shepherd. The crosier, as it’s called, is a reminder that an abbot may need to protect the monks, goad them on to new spiritual heights, or snag them away from mistaken paths.
After the presentation of these sacred tools, the bishops and abbots embraced their new peer, some whispering quiet words to him.
It was a classic Oregon rainy spring afternoon, apt for the blessing of this man who grew up here.
Heather Almero, the abbot’s 31-year-old grand-niece, held an umbrella over him as he greeted guests after Mass. Almero fondly recalls family reunions when Abbot Gregory would be a warm influence.
“He was just always so friendly and would sit down and talk to you,” she said.
“I think he’s a holy man who will bring a depth to the abbey and the hilltop,” said Benedictine Sister Marietta Schindler, who came up the hill from Queen of Angels Monastery with most of her peers.
After the Mass, and before the generous reception that was an example of Benedictine hospitality, Gloria Stephens pondered what had just happened.
“This abbey is such a gift,” said Stephens, a member of Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Lake Oswego. “It’s a gift to the church, a gift to the people of Oregon. It seems like one of those best kept secrets.”
Stephens is one of 700 Mount Angel Abbey oblates, lay people who embrace the Benedictine way and live it out in the world. Oblates often come to the abbey to be refreshed.
“Abbot Gregory is just a very holy, humble man,” says Stephens. “Peace is a part of him. You can hear love pouring out of him. This kind of peace is from being in love with Jesus.”
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