Day 4:

Moses and David are Mundelein supporters

Today was a day filled with disappointments and pleasant surprises. This morning we went to Mass with the incoming seminarians and orientation team members. This year Mundelein welcomed 56 new students.  It was fitting that the celebrant of Mass this morning was a priest who is a native of Peru as today is the feast of St. Rose of Lima, the first Peruvian to be canonized. After Mass we introduced ourselves to Fr. Robert Barron, host of the Catholicism series and rector of Mundelein. He was a very friendly fellow; sadly we were unable to take a picture with him. What struck me was his authenticity and intelligence. If you have not seen any of his series you are missing out.

Following Mass we ate breakfast with the seminarians in their refectory. Today I understand is “bacon Thursday,” a true day of rejoicing at Mundelein. Sadly, as a bacon hater, I failed to rejoice with my brethren. After breakfast Father Doug and I took a walk around the seminary grounds. The pictures cannot accurately capture the magnitude of the campus. Cardinal Mundelein, the namesake of the seminary, wanted to build distinctly American buildings for his seminary which would train men to serve the Church in America. Whereas most seminaries and ecclesial institutions have a tendency to capture an “old world” feel, the architecture here is particularly domestic. In front of the great chapel there is a magnificent lake with a large boathouse and docks. The seminary could house around 400 men; Fr. Barron hopes to increase enrollment to 200 in the next couple of years. I have no doubt that he will accomplish his goal.

After leaving the seminary we went back to Chicago and had a great meal at Al’s Italian Beef in the Italian section of the city. Italian beef, which was invented in Chicago, is the result of poor Italians experimenting with lower cost cuts of beef in the heyday of Chi-town’s meat packing era. Al’s has been around since the 1930’s and offers a great sandwich. The “Big Beef” -  Al’s signature dish, consists of roast beef and hot peppers on a bun which is  then dipped in as jus.

After Al’s we drove around 30 blocks back to the neighborhood around St. Hyacinth’s Basilica because I wanted to go to the Polish store that was closed yesterday. Very disappointing! It was a cheap dollar store with some Polish flags, a few t-shirts, and a metal sign that said something like, “you take my spot, I break your dupa.” Other than those few items it was filled with the worst items found in the worst dollar store anywhere. As a result of this venture we didn’t have time to visit Al Capone’s grave. I was really hoping the place had Polish flags on tooth picks, but alas I was stymied.

After our misadventure at the Polish store we got back on the highway and headed for Iowa. Chicago must be the land of tolls because if I had to pay one more toll I was probably going to have to rob the poor box at a local parish, or rob Father Doug. In an attempt to get to next destination sooner we skipped the I-80 truck stop, the largest in the world. Our next stop was a small town called Solon, Iowa – home of Joensy’s restaurant. Joensy’s claimed to have the largest pork tenderloin sandwich in Iowa. Since the pork tenderloin is the keystone that hold all of Iowa together it was a must on the itinerary. After getting off of the interstate we came into the small town of Solon to find out that Joensy’s closed down last Friday. I called them about three weeks ago to find out their hours; very disappointing to know that it closed less than a week before our arrival.

Disappointed but undeterred we headed out of Solon on a back road, which sure beat the blandness of the interstates. Not far from Solon we saw a sign for “Saints Peter and Paul Historic Site,” so we decided to check it out. A few miles back on a dusty dirt road we came to a very simple, yet handsome, brick church perched on a hill (I know, a hill in Iowa). The church was built by Czech people and was closed a few years ago by the diocese. The names in the cemetery are all Czech; sad to see it went the way of Joensy’s.

Back on the road  we drove for a little over an hour and arrived at the Trappist monastery of New Melleray. Founded by Irish Trappist monks in 1849, New Melleray is a wonderful place to pray and find silence. Silence is a very rare commodity these days. The monastery is stark, yet strikingly beautiful. Trappists follow the venerable Rule of St. Benedict very strictly (Benedict was born in the year 480).  With an emphasis on silence and contemplation, Trappists do not speak unless there is a good reason. The guest master, who is able to speak when he is doing his job, showed us to our rooms. Additionally  Fr. Doug and I were able to eat our supper here at the New Melleray. It was simple, yet healthy and filling. Trappists do not eat meat, though they offer it in their guest refectory. While the monks eat in silence in their own refectory, on special occasions they may be permitted to eat with guests in the guest dining room. When they eat with guests they can speak. One older monk was eating with two men who came for a visit. I overheard him say, “After Vatican II we were allowed to watch a movie. You know what movie we watched, Zorba the Greek.  I still love that movie.” I better check it out.

The Trappists follow, as I said earlier, the Benedictine Rule which has as its motto, Ora et Labora;  Prayer and Work. Work is not accidental, or a necessary evil, but part of one’s search for perfection. The monks here used to farm, and they still own a large farm. However with an average age around 80 years old they had to turn to other things. Today they make caskets, and have done for years. I plan to be buried in one of these noble, simple coffins. Prayer is also at the heart of their life. The take the full office in common, all 7 hours, in common as well as Mass. Their horarium, or daily prayer schedule is as follows: Vigils – 3:30 AM, Lauds 6:30 AM, Holy Mass 7:00 AM, Terce 9:15 AM, Sext 11:45 AM, None 1:45 PM, Vespers 5:30 PM, Compline 7:30 PM.  The point of the office is to sanctify the day, to always be recollected in God’s presence, to, as St. Paul tells us, pray always.  Work is part of this as well. All of this tends to the fulfillment of the other motto of St. Benedict, In Omnibus Glorificatur Deus; That God May be Glorified in All Things. Years ago I prayed about a vocation to the Trappists. I have discerned otherwise, but in the end I still find their vocation to be a most profound and beautiful life.