Not many Benedictine Catholic priests are as diversified as

Father Bernardine (Bernie) Ness. Fr Bernie has been a ham operator (K0BJM - Big Jolly Monk) since 1954. He has used his skill to communicate on a regular basis with Blue Cloud Abbey's mission priory in Coban Guatemala. Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 7:45 he would talk via the ham set with the monks in Coban.

In 1971, Fr Bernie accepted the call from Abbot Gilbert to do missionary work at Resurrection Priory in Coban. It was a challenge because he couldn't speak Spanish. He join a total emersion course in Guatemala. He is now a 'native' in speaking Spanish and can even pray Mass in Q'echi, the native language of tribal Indians.
The abbey and priory no longer keep in touch via a ham radio, email has replaced the radio. Fr Bernie has expanded his radio skills to set up radio and television stations in the hills of Guatemala to reach the native villages. He has set up classes to teach the Ladinos and Indians to operate the radio and tv equipment and develop their own programs. At present he and his assistants are doing lip sync dubbing the Life of Christ from the religious Community of Our Lord in Brazil. The films are all in Portuguese; they must be lip sync into Spanish and Q'echi!
Fr Bernie help start the diocesan 2 radio broadcasting stations, the antennas are on the monastery's property. With the Benedictine of Coban Association, he will soon have tv channel 52 up and running in the diocese. The station will be used for evangelization and to broadcast the Latin American TV Channel.
 

Fr Bernie is active in other community projects, such as, the Rotary Club whose main work is to provide text books in high schools where there are no books.
The suffix for 'ness' in Spanish is 'oso'. Fr Bernie dons a clown outfit to do his ministry of visiting and cheering up patients at the hospitals. He becomes: "Oso El Payso", "Oso (Ness) the Clown."
Fr Bernie visits his fellow monks at Blue Cloud Abbey once a year. He also visits his one brother and family; then, he takes time to go to broadcasting conventions to solicit obsolete equipment from companies to be used in Guatemala. He is always successful in 'begging' support for his radio and tv stations in Guatemala.
Fr Bernie's address, email and phone number:
Padre Bernardine, OSB
Aptdo 19
Coban A.V.
Guatemala C.A.

Phone / Fax:  (011) 502 - 9521215
E-Mail: telepaz28@hotmail.com
Father Bernadine Receives the Lumen Gentium Award.


Father Bernardine Ness, OSB, a monk of Blue Cloud Abbey stationed at Resurrection Priory in Coban, Guatemala, was the recipient of the Lumen Gentium Award, bestowed on alumni of St. John’s Preparatory School at Collegeville, Minnesota in the presence of Abbot John Klassen,OSB of St. John’s Abbey, Headmaster, Timothy Backous, OSB, and board members of the school and alumni association.

Father Bernardine is a 1956 graduate of the school.

A native of Wayzata, Minnesota, he professed vows at Blue Cloud Abbey in 1959 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1964. Having served at Blue Cloud Abbey’s two missions on reservations in North Dakota, Father Bernardine was assigned to the Guatemalan foundation in 1971. He was been involved in

establishing radio and television programs for evangelization and education, the building of schools in mountain villages, the providing of water and electricity resources in these areas. He has successfully enlisted support from people in this country for all of these projects.

Father Bernardine received the Lumen Gentium Award on November 15 at the annual Legacy Dinner celebrating the many successes of St John’s Preparatory School. Abbot Thomas Hillenbrand, OSB, superior of Blue Cloud Abbey, was present for the event

in Collegeville, Minneosta. (Photo by Matt Blum)