South Dakota saw an early and warm spring this year, with temperatures rising above sixty degrees already in March.  It was also very dry, with the threat of drought looming until some April showers brought relief.  Our Easter vigil was held on Holy Saturday evening, as last year.  Easter morning Mass at ten A.M. was well attended. The retreat center does not schedule groups during Holy Week, but this year we had a larger number of individual guests staying with us.

During March, the retreat center hosted groups from the Central Baptist and North American Baptist churches of Sioux Falls. Two more sisters from the Perpetual Adoration community at the cathedral also made retreats: Sisters Rosalba and Maria Elena.  Other groups during March included a 12 Step retreat for both men and women, Good Shepherd Episcopalian church, and the parish staff of St. Mary's in Morris Minnesota.

In April, a group from the Episcopalian Diocese of South Dakota made a retreat. April also saw an AA weekend retreat for women and a weekend for oblates of the abbey. May groups scheduled are the Serra Club of Watertown, another mixed 12 Step group, a Koinonia retreat from Sioux Falls, a Marriage Encounter group and priests of the Sioux Falls diocese.  As usual, a steady number of individual guests visited the abbey during this time.  As the end of each school year approaches we expect some elementary student groups to visit on field trips.

March 21 marked the fiftieth anniversary of Blue Cloud being raised to the status of abbey.  Since we observed our jubilee celebration in 2000 on the anniversary of the community's first foundation, we did not have any special celebration this year.  The occasion was noted however in the county newspaper, with a photograph from that time also reprinted here.

The customary spring planting of the garden is underway. Br. Chris starts seedlings early in the greenhouse while spring weather is still cold. This spring has been relatively warm, but also very dry.  If there is a lack of rain during the summer, we can irrigate the garden with water from our lakes. Br. Chris has been adding to the hydroponics section of the greenhouse, experimenting with different plants.

FR. STAN AND PHOTOS VISIT WASHINGTON D.C. 

It has been said that a picture speaks a thousand words. If that's so, it was the pictures doing the talking this past winter in our nation's capital. On February 25th, Father Stan traveled in Washington DC, at the Russell Senate Rotunda to make introductory remarks at the opening of the Blue Cloud Abbey Historic Photo Collection.  Fr. Stan reports that his words were received so graciously that he spoke for a longer time than he had originally planned.

The United States Geological Survey sponsored this exhibit of images of Native Americans taken by Fr. Ambrose Mattingly OSB.  Fr. Ambrose had a photo studio at the Stephan mission on the Crow Creek Reservation during the 1890's and early 1900's. The photos, recently restored and archived by the USGS, provide a valuable historic tool to tribes and provide crucial insight into landscapes and cultures of the era.

Fr. Stan, who turned 87 last year, wishes to thank the employees of the USGS who made the trip possible, and assisted him along the way.

Fr. Stan poses with several employees of the U.S. Government. They are  inside the rotunda of the Russell Senate building, Washington DC.   The large photo at center is an example of how the US Geological Survey was able to restore and enlarge the images from our century-old glass negatives

YOUR PRAYER INTENTIONS

As always, we received a good number of earnest prayer intentions in our Lent & Easter campaign.  Just as in our All Souls autumn campaign, and our Christmas mailing, I have noticed that certain specific prayer intentions appear again and again on the submitted lists.   As a Church, we believe that our prayers are stronger when they are united in Christ.  So it seems appropriate to gather some of the most common requests here for all our readers to see.

The most common prayers are asked for departed friends and relatives, or for the living who are going through some difficulties. These are often concerns about health, and the people are usually listed by name. Although we can't hope to know them individually, you can be assured that each prayer list is personally read by at least two members of the abbey.

In these times of terrorism and war, prayers are often asked for those serving in the armed forces, especially Iraq.  Overall peace in the world is also a common intention.  In the fall of 2001 and since, prayers were focused on these subjects as never before.

A surprisingly frequent request; prayers for the return of family members to the faith.  This particular request is taken very seriously, since some of us have our own experiences of seeing it answered.

A steady number of our responders also ask prayers for human life concerns, such as an end to abortions and the safety of children around the world. Less frequently, but occasionally, we receive intentions for marriages that are going through troubled times, and for people seeking employment.  Prayers are often asked for our Holy Father Pope John Paul II.

And a few ask prayers for their particular life situations, described in great detail.  Respect for privacy prevents me from giving any examples here, but I do try to respond to these by letter.  I consider it a privilege to share in the prayers of so many good people, and hope all our readers will continue sending us their intentions.

Fr. Matthew

We are proud to announce that three members of the abbey will have their jubilee anniversaries this summer. Fr. Julius Armbruster and Fr. Cletus Miller will  observe their  60^th anniversaries of ordination on May 30.  Fr. Wilfrid Lambertz will observe his 50^th anniversary of profession on September 8.  Some monks are also observing lesser anniversaries:  Fr. Bernardine Ness celebrates 40 years of ordination, Br. Paul Friedman 40 years of profession, and Br. Chris Wesely 15 years of profession.

Fr. Julius Armbruster is one of our senior members by any standard: age, profession or ordination.     He grew up in the Indianapolis area and was the oldest in a family of seven children, four of whom are living. He first came to St. Meinrad, IN as a fourteen year old student in 1932.   At that time the college buildings were still being built.  He made his monastic profession in 1939, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1944.  His first job after ordination was assistant to Fr. Dunstan McAndrews, director of the St. Meinrad campus.  In 1945, Fr. Julius was assigned to the St. Michael mission in North Dakota as assistant pastor.  In 1949 he returned to southern Indiana to serve at St. Benedict's parish in Evansville.  In 1950, Abbot Ignatius Esser assigned him to the new community of Blue Cloud Abbey.  Fr. Julius would play a big role in the construction of the abbey building.  He recalls arriving in the Dakotas during a winter weather spell of thirty degrees below zero!    Fr. Julius would guide the work at the abbey for the next eight years, after which he went to St. Ann's mission in Belcourt, ND.  After less than a year at Belcourt, his construction skills were needed at the Abbey again, so he returned until the work was finished in 1967. Since then he has also served at the mission schools in Marty and Stephan, and helped with weekend parish assistance until recent years. Fr. Julius  maintained the abbey utilities and cars for many years.  These days he has an electric cart to help him get around the building.

Fr. Cletus Miller was ordained together with Fr. Julius in 1944. During those wartime years, seminary classes were continued during the summer months.  After completing his theology studies, Fr. Cletus was assigned to the mission school at Stephan, SD.  He remembers Fr. Dan Madlon driving him the Missouri river while the ice was starting to melt! One of his first duties was supervising in the dormitory.   A year later Fr. Cletus was assigned to St. Michael in North Dakota, where he again supervised in the dorm, plus helping with weekend parish work and driving school buses.  Fr. Cletus recalls one school year when he was assigned to teach eighth  grade two weeks before the start of the year.  In 1953 he  was assigned to the mission at Marty, SD, again as dorm prefect and manager of the school shop.

Fr. Wilfrid Lambertz is originally a native of western Minnesota.  He entered monastic life in his late twenties, after pursuing various adventures in his early adult years.  After high school he joined the Marines in the closing days of World War 2. He then saw  duty  in  the  South Pacific and China.  Leaving the service, he enrolled at St. Thomas College and entered the abbey in 1953.  After his ordination in 1958 he began one of several assignments in St. Ann's mission, Belcourt, ND.  During the 1950's the abbey looked into establishing a mission priory in Latin America, and Fr. Wilfrid was made the first superior of what eventually became Resurrection Priory.  In 1972 he returned to the United States and served several years at the  Belcourt and St. Michael's missions.  During the 1980's Fr. Wilfrid served again in the Guatemala mission.   He took the job of administrator for the abbey during the transition year of 1991-1992, and since then served as pastor of St. Lawrence parish, Milbank, SD.  Fr. Wilfrid has taken sabbatical years of study at Sant Anselmo in Rome, and University of Salamanca in Spain.  His present assignment is hospital chaplain in Milbank and pastor of St. Charles Church, Big Stone City.  Fr. Wilfrid has a special fondness for his years of service at St. Ann's in Belcourt.