It was a starry night above the canyons of St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado Canyon, but the real gems were among the 500 guests who raised $300,000 for the Abbey’s ambitious expansion goals this year.
BISHOP KEVIN VANN ADDRESSES ATTENDEES DURING GALA 2023 HELD AT ST. MICHAEL’S ABBEY IN APRIL. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ST. MICHAEL’S ABBEY
The first is a digital relaunch of the Abbott’s Circle, a first-of-its-kind digital monastery.
THE RIGHT REVEREND EUGENE J. HAYES OF ST. MICHAEL’S ABBEY IS PICTURED WITH JIM AND HEATHER MADDEN DURING A RECENT GALA HELD IN APRIL.
The second is the continued expansion of the Evermode Institute, a new center for Catholic spiritual and intellectual formation in Springfield, Illinois that will involve several of the Norbertine Canons of St. Michael’s Abbey.
Fr. Ambrose Criste, O.Praem, who is overseeing the creation of the Evermode Institute, discussed the process.
“In March of 2022, we announced the plans to create the Evermode Institute,” he said.
Several Norbertine Canons from Orange County will be moving into the new Corpus Christi Priory in Springfield through the month of June and opening day for the new Norbertine community will be July 1.
“Corpus Christi Priory, where the Norbertine Canons will be living, working and praying, is an already existing property comprising residential buildings, retreat facilities, a conference center and a nearly-100 year-old church previously owned and operated by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis,” added Fr. Ambrose.
The Evermode Institute – the primary apostolate of the Norbertine Canons of Corpus Christi Priory – was founded to serve Catholic teachers, administrators, and formators, and offering a complete curriculum in the fundamentals of our Holy Faith. Its online learning management system will launch in September 2023. Learn more about this exciting project here: https://evermode.org/
The special gala, which was held earlier this spring, also paid homage to the anniversary of the newly constructed St. Michael’s Abbey, which was dedicated in 2021.
The Right Reverend Eugene Hayes, thanked Bishop Kevin Vann, who was in attendance at the gala and hails from Springfield.
“It’s ironic as Springfield has given us our Bishop, said Abbot Hayes. “We will go back and try to pay back the favor that will be almost impossible, but we will be able to continue spreading the Gospel.”
Fueling the action to expand were written requests from several bishops belonging to the Norbertine community, asking for the start of a foundation in their dioceses. These exciting goals detailing the Norbertine Canons’ monastic leadership, succeeded in giving the night a plethora of promise and generosity.
Abbot Hayes especially thanked the generous supporters in attendance.
“God’s grace, our efforts, our fidelity – but your generosity – gave us this ability,” he said.
Along with Fr. Ambrose and other Norbertine Canons, Fr. Augustine Puchner, O.Praem, will also be traveling to Springfield to launch the Evermode Institute.
“Springfield has a hero coming their way,” said parishioner and emcee, Todd Main of St. John the Baptist in Costa Mesa, where Fr. Augustine had served as pastor for many years.
Pioneering a monastic movement into the digital world is also the relaunch of the Norbertines’ digital monastery, The Abbot’s Circle.
“The Abbot’s Circle offers a window into the rich beauty, history and prayer of an abbey like ours,” said Fr. Ambrose. “This relaunch has ushered in the beginning of a new and clearly needed digital ministry.”
Traditionally, monasteries like St. Michael’s Abbey have served as centers for art, scholarship and prayer, while also laying the foundations of Catholic culture. St. Michael’s Abbey has a growing roster of applicants of young men seeking the monastic tradition and the opportunity to envelop themselves in rich truth and education.
“It’s important, I think, for us to note here that in addition to firing the hearts of faithful Catholics around the world, this content is reaching unbelievers too and bringing them the truth of the Gospel,” added Fr. Ambrose. “Countless conversions begin with chance encounters with beauty and with truth.”
With a cross-country expansion, the re-launch of the Abbot’s Circle and the Evermode Institute, the Norbertine Canons continue to successfully expand their reach.
“We are creating thoughtful content with high production quality, carrying the work of abbeys into the digital age,” said Fr. Ambrose. “There is an audience from all over the world.”
To encourage patrons, Fr. Ambrose used the comparison of the Middle Ages marked by exaggerated violence and faithlessness.
“Walk into any gothic cathedral, listen to any Gregorian chant or read any page from St. Thomas Aquinas, and it becomes obvious that the Middle Ages were a time of growth,” he argued. “I bring this up to show that we can fall into a similar lie today. We see decay and struggle and we miss the incredible momentum in the Church, in Monastic leadership through the Norbertines.”