{"id":16031,"date":"2012-08-26T18:23:04","date_gmt":"2012-08-27T00:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?p=16031"},"modified":"2012-08-26T17:27:33","modified_gmt":"2012-08-26T23:27:33","slug":"learning-about-shepherding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2012\/08\/26\/learning-about-shepherding\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning about shepherding"},"content":{"rendered":"

Attending Saint John\u2019s School of Theology\u00b7Seminary means a chance to worship with the monks of Saint John\u2019s Abbey. This experience is transformative for many of us. When you are accustomed to watching a single (often elderly) priest process in for Sunday Mass, it is truly stunning the first time you see dozens of black-robed monks process into the abbey church. There are a whole myriad of little details (the sorts of things liturgists tend to notice) that are unique to the monastic liturgy. And praying with the community has given me a new understanding of shepherds in our Church.<\/p>\n

One thing I\u2019ve realized over the years is just how much Roman Catholics are still very hierarchical. We have parish councils and finance boards, lay theologians and pastoral associates \u2013 but something in our ecclesial DNA still thinks that somehow, the announcement means more if Father says it. I\u2019m not saying this is right or wrong; it simply is. Especially compared to other traditions, we are a people who look overwhelmingly to shepherds \u2013 particularly our pastors \u2013 for guidance.<\/p>\n

While bishops are shepherds, they\u2019re usually so distant that it\u2019s hard for us to internalize it.\u00a0 Roman Catholic bishops are often like distant family members visiting when you\u2019re a kid \u2013 you know that they\u2019re important, but they only visit every couple years or so, and when they do everyone\u2019s in a fuss for reasons you don\u2019t always understand.\u00a0 The ritual around a bishop\u2019s visit can easily seem ostentatious. This is despite the efforts of many bishops to be as approachable as possible whenever they visit (within their demanding schedules). \u00a0However, many bishops never have the luxury of functioning as anything other than a bishop. Rarely do they get a chance to be a pastor; they are needed to be the bishop, often with all the ceremony that that entails.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Abbot John Klassen, OSB, at the time of his election in 2000. Photo: Greg Becker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In contrast, Abbot John Klassen<\/a> does not always have to function as the abbot liturgically. Granted, there are certain honorifics (like his place in the procession) that don\u2019t change. But very often, he\u2019s simply the monk in the back row coming forward to be a minister of holy Communion. He presides at daily Eucharist (though a monk once told me that it\u2019s not customary for abbots to do so) and he\u2019s the presider who stays well afterwards to chat with members of the congregation. He\u2019s the scientist who still infuses his homilies with as much chemistry as he can. And despite a schedule which must be as packed as any bishop\u2019s, he goes out of his way not only to be approachable, but to approach people. He\u2019s one of the first monks I met at Saint John\u2019s \u2013 because he seemingly can\u2019t stand to be in a room without knowing everyone. His very demeanor shows that he is not enamored of the trappings of being abbot, except as a way to serve his community.<\/p>\n

And thus, I feel like I know Abbot John, and therefore, liturgies at which he presides become much more meaningful. I am excited, and moved, when he presides, processing in with his shepherd\u2019s crook at his side.\u00a0 I think this is the feeling we are meant to have when the bishop visits. This feeling reminds me of family holiday dinners where the patriarch or matriarch of the family sits at the head of the table. It is truly a special occasion shared with family members. We pull out the special dishes and the good tablecloth because what we\u2019re doing is important. And truly, the abbot presides not to enlarge himself, but to point the way to the importance of the feast.<\/p>\n

The hospitality of Abbot John and the monks warmly invites us to join them at their \u201cfamily table\u201d for this all-important work of prayer and praise of the living God. All of their liturgies have an elegant simplicity to them, one that is heightened when the abbot presides. It doesn\u2019t feel pretentious; it feels, dare I say, right and just.<\/p>\n

I am grateful for the community of monks at Saint John\u2019s, and to Abbot John, for modeling an inspiring way to be Church. I hope to take this liturgical spirit of reverence, of hospitality, of elegant simplicity with me into my future work.<\/p>\n

Chris \u00c1ngel is an alumnus of Saint John\u2019s School of Theology\u00b7Seminary and served as an editorial assistant for <\/em>Pray Tell from 2010 to 2012. This fall, he begins Ph.D. studies in theology (liturgical studies) at the University of Notre Dame.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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