A Check-In with the Abbot

Yesterday I took a little break from the Notre Dame break and ventured to Lisle, IL to see Abbot Austin, OSB, at St. Procopius Abbey.  Abbot Austin was just Fr. Austin when he resided at Moreau for a couple of years while working on his PhD in Patristic Theology.  As mentioned in an earlier post Abbot Austin was supposed to be with us this year as well as he finished up his doctoral dissertation, but over the summer grace intervened and he was elected the Abbot of his monastery.  Unfortunately I won't be around for his Abbatial Blessing on September 18, so I decided to use the opportunity of being at ND to take an evening to visit him.  The Abbey is only two hours from South Bend, but many more from Phoenix.  I joined the monastic community for mass, dinner, and vespers on Thursday evening and left after lauds and breakfast this morning.  I also got some time to tour the Abbey, catch up with Abbot Austin, and even get my copy of The Rule of St. Benedict signed by him.  Even though it was a short stay, it was a time of great grace, relaxation, and sleep.