February in Collegeville
This coming February, I will be a short-term resident scholar at the Collegeville Institute not far from the Twin Cities. The Institute is shares a campus with St. John’s University, Liturgical Press, and St John’s Abbey, which is the largest Benedictine community in the western hemisphere. Former Trinity Pastor Larry Christenson spent a year as a resident scholar at the Institute in the early 1970’s.
My project: “The community of Christ’s church detached, demoralized, and if not in ruins, is in desperate need of rebuilding. This describes today, but not only today. Benedict of Nursia in early 6th Century was an architect building community out of the ruins of a shaken world. How can Benedict’s intent listening (obedience), resilient abiding (stability), and lifelong reorienting (Conversatio Morum) serve as a faithful guide for building Christian community in the wake of an earthquake?” I plan to continue writing, but also plan on doing some filming for a series of sessions that can help other communities, inspired by the Theta Community, form and cultivate the kind of health and life that can sustain the church through the challenging era in which we live.
What will it be like at Trinity in February 2023? Trinity will be in good hands. God’s hands! That is the same as it is now. There will be more shared leadership. Staff, Elders, and Interns will continue to be active in ministry. Preaching will be shared, and may include a special guest or two. It will be the first Ash Wednesday I miss in 18 years, so I will miss that special time of worship. I am hoping Joy can join me for at least a window of my time in Collegeville, though I don’t know if February in rural Minnesota, sounds like the getaway she deserves!
To see the other resident scholars involved this year: https://collegevilleinstitute.org/residencies/resident-scholars/upcoming-scholars/
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