Page 42 - Priorities #63- Winter 2016

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Benedictine Life and Spirituality Seminar
A BLSS-ing to All
by Kailen Whang
Have you ever tried to live the life of a monk? Prayer is held five times a day, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner are always served at the same time each day. There is something about this regular routine that asks one to really take the time to stop, meditate, pray, and be grateful for numerous aspects in our lives.
The Benedictine Life and Spirituality Seminar, or BLSS, is held every year at Saint An- selm College (endearingly called Saint A’s) in Manchester, New Hampshire. Saint Anselm Abbey is our mother abbey, with Abbot Mark Cooper overseeing both the abbey and college, along with Woodside Priory School. For four days, we immersed our minds, bodies, and spirits into prayer, solitude, reflection, and great discussions. I was one of nine members to attend this past year—we all represented different facets of the Priory: faculty, administra- tion, the board, residential, and monastic life. Even with our different perspectives, back- grounds, and relations to the Priory, we came together as one community to hear the history of Saint Benedict and his teachings, explore the Saint A’s campus, revel in the monks’ stories, and acknowledge each of our own personal journeys.
As someone who grew up with a very unique religious background, this seminar was one that I had never even thought to attend had it not been for the Priory. With such empha- sis on the phrase “All are welcome,” I wanted to see for myself how this phrase had even come to fruition. Also, being in the position that I was in, I was eager to learn as much as I could about the Benedictine Catholic history to be able to better serve our students back at Priory. Without a strong foundation, it’s difficult to practice what we preach.
The most surprising and pleasing thing throughout the four days of numerous prayers and masses we attended was that I could find similar routines and practices that I had done in my religion. It made me think that everyone has the same aim—to serve, to bring peace, to love, and to believe. This brought everything together for me and I was able to appreciate this community even more.
Each of the monks we all met were humble, funny, and of course, fervently committed to their faith. Each of them had their strengths and balanced out each other’s weaknesses. Teamwork was an understood concept and a commonality that was not taken for granted. One memory I will always treasure is everyone getting in place in the kitchen to do dishes after our farewell feast of New England lobster. We all pitched in, but there was such an or- ganized system in place that I didn’t know if I was of much help. Abbot Mark, fully frocked in his monastic robes (as the others were, as well), was rinsing dishes with rubber gloves on, passing them on for more to dry. He was so efficient and quick that we were having trouble keeping up! This was clearly done as another one of their routines, and I was humbled to see everyone in the community participate.
Given the opportunity, everyone should take a chance at attending this seminar, if only to catch a glimpse into the lives of the monks who watch over and pray for us from afar. I assure you though, you will learn so much more than you expected and will create memories to be cherished for a long time after you return.
A sample of our daily routine while we were at BLSS:
• 6:00 am: Morning Prayer
• 7:30 am: Breakfast in the guest refectory
• 8:00 am: Mass
• 9:30 or 10:00 am: Tours, lectures, or presentations
• 12:00 pm: Daytime Prayer, followed by lunch with table reading in the guest refectory • 2:00 pm: Presentations or discussions
• 5:35 pm: Vespers (evening prayer)
• 6:00 pm: Dinner, with table reading and conversation in the guest refectory
• 7:30 pm: Compline
• 8:00 pm: Reflections, conversations, or a trip to Cremeland Drive-In for ice cream!
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