April 11, 2021
Very Rev. Denis Robinson, OSB

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Greetings from Saint Meinrad. As the summer wears on, I wanted to take the opportunity to let you know a little of what is happening here in the School and what we are looking forward to in the coming weeks and months. In dioceses and communities across the country, our brothers are being ordained as deacons and priests. It is a joy to see in these men the fruition of so many long and sometimes difficult years of formation. It is a joy because it is an expression of God’s love, not only in their lives but in the life of the Church. While there can be no doubt that the Church today faces challenges, it does so with complete confidence that its future is assured in the holiness and zeal of these deacons and priests who join their brothers in a breathless desire to serve God and his people.

Here at Saint Meinrad, we are also moving forward, awakening and stretching after the long nap of COVID. This past week we hosted the first of the annual OBOC conferences. It was not only wonderful but a blessing to welcome these high school youth back to Saint Meinrad after our 2020 hiatus. In other areas as well, we are opening. Groups and individual guests are returning. People are roaming the grounds again. Saint Meinrad is “back in business” and it is wonderful to see how our guests love to be here and to be close to the holy ground that is our home.

Many of us on the staff have also been busy, not only attending ordinations but also engaging the Church in various ways in service to religious communities, dioceses and parishes. It has been good to be out again, seeing the Church come alive. This summer, we are working on a number of new initiatives for the fall, reworking the pastoral formation program, realigning the seminary retreat program, looking at our archabbey retreat program, and engaging a number of new liturgical initiatives, all of which will be communicated as they come to fruition in the coming weeks. Another area of expansion and growth is in our Center for Sacred Music, headed by Br. John Glasenapp. We are also looking at opportunities to grow our present outreach to youth and young adults. We are working on two massive grant applications to further these new works. Another project we are engaging is the Benedictine Arts project, looking at ways to expand our outreach to parishes in this critical area. Finally, in our deacon program we are searching for a new director, as our very successful director, Deacon Rick Wagner has moved on to the presidency of Guerin High School in the Diocese of Lafayette.

For all of us connected to Saint Meinrad, whether as faculty, administration, monks, or students, we are finding new opportunities to serve the Church as we always have. This summer, I have been involved in several projects, two books which I hope will appear in the coming months, a revamping of our Board of Overseers meetings (more on that to come), as well as getting into some corners of the Church in the United States that I had not explored before. I am so happy that all of us are able to, as Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Get Action!” The Church is alive and well and needs all of us in our very particular and wonderful vocations more than ever. I will soon be departing on diocesan and student visits and I want each of you to know of my fervent daily prayers for all you are doing in YOUR corners of the Church.

Peace in Christ,

FDR