As Saint
John’s celebrates its 150th anniversary the story of
this spiritual community is told in captivating
words and telling images in Saint John's at 150.
The 160-page book features compelling essays by a
variety of writers and striking black-and-white and
color photos. All who know Saint John’s and
Collegeville will find that the words and images
ring true in this lively book about such a
remarkable place.
Launched to coincide with the
celebration of Saint John’s Sesquicentennial,
Saint John's at 150 includes a glimpse of life
in Minnesota and the nation as background for the
Saint John’s story. Personal essays about Saint
John’s first 150 years are provided by writers from
Saint John’s monastery, the university faculty, and
friends around the world. They focus on such
intriguing topics as the missionary lifestyle of the
first monks to cameo images of college professors.
The full-page photos by
photographers such as Greg Becker, Lee Hanley, David
Manahan, O.S.B., and Placid Stuckenschneider,
O.S.B., make the book a visual feast.
More than 30 authors contribute
sidebars and special features on a variety of
subjects: Katherine Powers remembers her father, J.
F. Powers; Bill Kling reminisces on the founding of
Minnesota Public Radio; author Jon Hassler recalls
his college days and his professor, Steve Humphrey;
Thomas Merton reflects on the beauty of a summer
afternoon and the chapel across the lake. This
volume, edited by Hilary Thimmesh, O.S.B., professor
of English and president emeritus at Saint John’s
University, also includes numerous photographs of
campus life in the monastery and the university, as
well as images taken by Peter Engel, O.S.B., before
he became abbot in 1895.
Though not a comprehensive
history, Saint John's at 150 references the
surprising number of people, places, and events that
comprise this exceptional place called Collegeville.
The book includes “Foreword,” by
Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.; “Introduction: Outside
the Pine Curtain for 150 Years,” by Annette Atkins;
“Chapter 1: A Time to Plant and a Time to Grow” by
Hilary Thimmesh, O.S.B.; “Chapter 2: A Little Rule
for Beginners,” by Columba Stewart, O.S.B.; “Chapter
3: ‘A Scientific, Educational, and Ecclesiastical
Institution’” by Joseph Farry; “Chapter 4: ‘Proudly
Stands Our Alma Mater, Tow’ring o’er the Oak and
Pine,’” by Larry Haeg; “Chapter 5: Plowing the
Fields, Scattering Good Seed upon the Earth,” by
Hilary Thimmesh, O.S.B.; “Chapter 6: Saint John’s
and the Liturgical Movement: A Personal View,” by
William Franklin; “Chapter 7: Virgil Michel and the
Collegeville Community: Liturgy and Social Justice,”
by Bernard Evans; “Chapter 8: Nursery of the Arts,”
by Robin Pierzina, O.S.B.; “Chapter 9: Going Forth
to Work till Evening Falls,” by Annette Atkins,
Norma Loso Koetter, Zach Lewis; “Chapter 10: Two
Benedictine Communities Seeking God Together,” by
Jana and Charles Preble; “Chapter 11: The Design and
Construction of Saint John’s Abbey Church,” by
Victoria Young; “Chapter 12: For Beauty as Well as
Bread: Saint John’s and the Land,” by Derek Larson;
“Afterword,” by Dietrich Reinhart, O.S.B.; and
“Poems, ‘My Funeral,’ by Kilian McDonnell, O.S.B.,
‘The Mind Is the Great Poem of Winter,’ by Eva
Hooker, C.S.C., and ‘Crew (Saint John’s),’ by Carl
Phillips.
Hilary Thimmesh, O.S.B., is a
professor of English and president emeritus at Saint
John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota.
