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FR.
RAYMOND OTTO The Rev. Raymond Otto, OSB, 61, a monk of Blue Cloud Abbey, Marvin, died Saturday, November 22, 2003, in Milbank/Avera Area Hospital. He had been ill only a few days. Funeral services were held at Blue Cloud Abbey on Nov. 25th. Father Raymond was born in Evansville, Indiana, March 21, 1942. He attended St. Placid Hall, the secondary school for brotherhood candidates at St. Meinrad’s Arch-abbey. Here he learned the electrician’s trade. His entrance to monastic life was delayed while he served in the U.S. Army for two years. Entering the novitiate at Blue Cloud Abbey in 1967, Brother Raymond professed vows the following year. For several years, he worked at St. Paul’s Mission, Marty, South Dakota, as an electrician and boarding school prefect. Later he was assigned to St. Michael’s Mission in North Dakota. In 1976, he began studies for the priesthood at St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota and completed his training at Sacred Heart School of Theology, Hales Corners, Wisconsin. Ordained in 1982, Father Raymond was named pastor of St. Anthony’s Church, on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, in North Dakota. From 1987 until 1989, he was the Vocation Director at Blue Cloud Abbey. Following this assignment, he was named pastor of Waubay and Grenville. At the time of his death, Father Raymond was serving as chaplain of St. William’s Nursing Home and the hospital in Milbank. He was also the pastor of the parishes at Big Stone City and Revillo. Survivors are his sister, Sister Ida Otto, OSB, Immaculate Conception Monastery, Ferdinand, Indiana and three brothers: Daniel Otto, Oakland City, Indiana, David Otto, Cold Spring, Minnesota, and John Otto, Evansville, Indiana.
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ABBEY NEWS & EVENTS
The Advent
season once again had the priests of the community visiting the area
parishes to hear confessions. The sudden loss of Fr. Ray made
scheduling a little tighter. Fr. Denis temporarily took over pastoral
duties for Annunciation Church in Revillo. Novice Crispin played St.
Nicholas for the students at St. Lawrence School, Milbank, in December.
The church was not completely full for midnight Mass this year, but very
nearly so. It has become something of a local tradition for some of our
non-Catholic neighbors to attend at midnight. |
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During the holidays we got the community together . Front: Fr. Julius, Br. Francis, Fr. George. Fr. Abbot Thomes, Fr. Abbot Alan, Fr. Guy, Fr. John. Middle: Fr. Odilo, Fr. Stan, Fr. Tom, Br. James, Br. Paul, Fr. Denis, Br. Rene, Fr. Wilfrid, Fr. Christopher. Back: Br. N. Cliff, Br. Michael, Br. Benet, Br. Sebastian, Br. Chris, Fr. Matthew, Br. N. Crispin Sixteen community members in Guatemala not present. (See August 2004 calendar). |
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ANOTHER
LENT ARRIVES
In
the past two years, I featured book reviews in the Spring newsletter.
Over the past year, I read some more good books on spiritual and
Catholic topics, but it just happens they were not the right kind to
recommend for Lenten reading. Some of the books were so heavy
theologically that most readers would find them dry. (I know some of our
readers enjoy systematic theology, but I certainly would not expect all
of you to be interested in it!) Other books were important, but dealt
with topics too controversial or unsettling to lead someone to prayer.
The New Anti-Catholicism by Philip Jenkins was in this category;
an eye-opener but not very prayerful. And then there were those
spiritual classics I finally got around to reading after years of
meaning to. One good thing about living in a monastery is easy access to
the whole history of Catholic spiritual writing. But with so many books
in this category I could not begin to choose just a few. So the end
result is no book reviews this Lent. I still recommend reading something
faith-oriented though. As a new bishop once remarked to a reporter, "The
day you are old enough to stop learning, you are old enough to die"! |
that
fasting gives a rest to our digestive system, which is overworked by
processing so much food day after day. He offered some case studies of
people whose health had improved after they started a program of
occasional fasting. Interesting, is it not? This author was writing about the benefits of fasting from a completely non-religious point of view. There was not a word about faith anywhere in the book. But he was advocating something that takes strict self-denial in hopes of gaining future benefits. I was curious enough to test out his ideas. Not surprisingly, to fast for a whole day was a very uncomfortable experience. I am used to being comfortable. When I feel hungry I would like to be filled, and the quicker the better. To voluntarily choose to remain hungry, when I know there is food available, takes a deliberate change of mind. It's a decision that is not just made once, it must be made and sustained hour after hour until the day is over. After the day of fasting is done, food naturally tastes better than ever. One also notices a rested, renewed feeling. I am not qualified to judge the health benefits of fasting, although I can verify it does no harm to someone with ordinary eating habits. Improving our health is not the purpose of Lenten practices anyway. But an extended fast, whether done for religious or other reasons, raises awareness of the difference between our wants and our needs. There is a natural human tendency to satisfy our wants, solve our problems, as quickly as possible. While every human being has certain basic needs, these true needs are fairly modest. Our wants, on the other hand, often keep increasing until they become infinite. As Christians seeking to be better disciples, we can learn from our Lord's passion and death. Sometimes joy comes only after pain, victory only after defeat, new life only after death. When we become aware of something we want, and deliberately decide to leave that want unfilled, we are mystically sharing in the sufferings of Christ that brought salvation to the world. This is the foundation of Christian self-denial, whether it is fasting, vows of poverty etc. Whatever we decide to do this Lent, may it be done in this spirit. |
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CROWLEY
FOUNDATION
A
generous donation by the Marie Crowley Foundation of Reno, Nevada, has
enabled us to set up two new endowment funds. One endowment will
provide ongoing support for Blue Cloud Ministries, and the second will
help meet the retirement needs of the abbey. We are very grateful to
the Crowley Foundation for their continued support of Blue Cloud Abbey
through the years. |
For several years we have made a holiday tradition of bringing bags of Christmas "goodies" to abbey neighbors. Fr. Abbot Thomas, Fr. Odilo Burkhart and Fr. Thomas Roznowski are seen filling the bags. Various monks help with the visiting and distribution. We have found it a good way of keeping in touch. With neighbors over a mile apart in rural Grant county, we otherwise might not see some of them.
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IN APPRECIATION
Financial
support of the Abbey is not the only purpose of the Blue Cloud
Ministries office, but it is one important part of our work. For
decades the contributions of many people on our mail list have made a
difference in our local works of charity, and in the activities of the
American Indian Culture Research Center.
We
have been overdue in expressing our gratitude here for the many
benefactors who support Blue Cloud Abbey financially. The past year
has seen some extraordinary support from our friends. I would like to
take this opportunity to recognize those donors whose support reached
certain levels in calendar year 2003. Support of $1,000 or more:
Mr. & Mrs.
Howard Chatterton Support of $500 or more:
Mrs. Verda
Bartz |
Support of $250 or more
Mrs.
Veronica Albrecht Special mention for lifetime support:
Marie
Crowley Foundation |