Abbot Owen Purcell, OSB, bid farewell to parishioners of St. Mary’s
Parish on New Year’s Day, 2007. He departed Atchison, KS for several
months on sabbatical beginning January 4. Parishioners held a reception
in the parish hall after Mass and applauded him for his years of service
to the community.
May 30, 2007
was the 50th Anniversary of Abbot Owen Purcell’s Ordination to the
priesthood in 1957. According to an unwritten policy of St. Benedict’s
Abbey in Atchison, it is a custom that a jubilarian may take a trip --
do something special. Abbot Owen was granted the following
sabbatical beginning in early January 2007.
On January 4, he traveled to Albuquerque, NM. After visiting friends for
several days, Abbot Owen traveled by bus to Tucson, AZ to the home of
friends who took him to Picture Rocks Retreat Center where
Abbot Owen made a retreat with the Redemptorists. Then, after a
couple of days visit again with friends in Tucson, he shuttled
to Scottsdale, AZ to visit for several days the
casa Paz y Bien. From there Abbot Owen caught a ride to the Apache
Indian Reservation at Whiteriver, AZ to work with a Fr. Eddie Fronske,
OFM, a veteran missionary. Abbot Owen lived in a retreat house near
the Church and worked with Fr. Fronske. Abbot Owen continued that
service until the end of February or mid-March. Abbot Owen took
a bus back to Kansas with several days’ stay in Colorado Springs to
visit friends.
Later in April, Abbot Owen visited friends in New York City. Then
it was on to Rochester, NY to visit friends of 50-years plus. Following
that visit Abbot Owen spent a few days at St. Vincent Archabbey
in Labrobe, Pennsylvania, and then returned to St. Benedict’s Abbey in
Atchison.
My time here in Whiteriver is nearing an end. I will be leaving here
Feb. 28, Wednesday, to return to the Casa de Paz y Bien in Scottsdale,
AZ. There I will again stay with the Franciscan Friars and visit friends
until March 4 when I will go to Colorado Springs, CO to spend a few days
with a friend, Rick Champion, who teaches there. He was a teacher at
Maur Hill-Mount Academy for several years. I will then grab a bus for
Topeka, KS where someone from the Abbey will pick me up. I have traveled
lots on buses and like them for a change.
As I noted two deacons from the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas are
here. Greg Hammes, originally from Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Seneca,
and Rich Warczak of Cure of Ars Parish, Leawood, have been here on
retreat. Fr. Blaine Greind, OFM of Chinle, AZ, Fr. Eddie of Whiteriver,
and I spent time with them. There was time for reading, walking around a
lake at Pine Top-Lakeside, and near the Apache Fish hatchery, and some
common prayer as well. They are spending the night in Phoenix where they
will visit classmates who live in Phoenix. The two will be ordained May
26 at Ascension Parish in Overland park, KS. Do keep them in your
prayers.
When I arrived here the parish at Cibecue had a welcome Pot Luck
complete with the Crown Dancers. This Sunday we will have a Farewell
Potluck here at Whiteriver in the afternoon. No doubt there will be some
Apache Fry Bread and maybe some acorn stew! The people here are very
welcoming. I have gotten to know some by name.
Thursday we had the monthly special event for the Grandmothers. This is
a matriarchal society and so the Grandmothers get special attention. We
had soup, a special bread, cake and ice cream. Lovely older women --
many related and some my age!!!
As I look back on my time here I am very grateful to Abbot Barnabas and
the Community of St. Benedict's Abbey for giving me the opportunity to
take a Sabbatical to mark my 50th Anniversary of Ordination to the
priesthood. The date is May 30th. When I return to Atchison I will be
there for a couple of weeks and then I will take off for Rochester, NY
to visit my long-time friend, Steve Burns and his wife, Sharynne. Later
I will be in NY, NY to visit Tom Whalen and his wife, Carmen, and
family. After Easter then I will go to St. Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe,
PA to visit our Brothers Gregory Dulmes and Jeremy Heppler who are
studying there. I will be heading back to the Abbey after that and will
be there for the first of our sesquicentennial events in late April.
I do feel that this stay in Whiteriver with Fr. Eddie Fronske, his great
helpers, the Apache people that I have met, has been a "God" thing. I
believe it no accident that I was led to get to know this wonderful
Franciscan Friar who has ministered here for 24 years among the people
on the lowest rung of American society, people beset with poverty,
spousal abuse, alcoholism and drug addiction. Yet there is real beauty
here amid this obvious suffering. The beauty is not only in the
surrounding White Mountains but in the hearts of lovely people I have
met, attached to their old and tribal ways and yet open to the Good News
of the Gospel that says to them that there is real beauty around them,
in their language and dress, and in their hearts that are often broken.
This has been a grand experience. Thanks to all who have helped make it
possible.
A special thanks to Elmer Ronnebaum who maintains the
stmarystbenedict.org website and has since 2001. Thanks to all who have
written letters and emails.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
I am writing this, late on Sunday afternoon. I am here by myself in the
office trying out the new computer. Fr. Eddie is on the way to the
Casade Paz y Bien in Scottsdale, AZ where he will do an Elderhostel with
another Franciscan. Eddie does the Native Religions part. He will return
Wednesday and have a funeral of a young woman. I will ask if it is
possible I can witness the rites, as they are at the house with native
ritual as well as Catholic. I wait for the two Deacons from the
Archdiocese, Greg Hammes and Rich Warczak. They are driving a rental car
from Phoenix to here. The trip is a little more than three hours.
Perhaps they might also be welcome at the funeral. Wednesday is Ash
Wednesday and so the deacons and I will be at Cibecue at 5 p.m. and
Cedar Creek at 7:30 p.m. Check the map on the ‘overview’ for this
sabbatical to see the location.
Monday the deacons and I, with my friend Leo Loeram will travel to
Chinle, AZ and the Navajo Reservation. There is a fine Navajo restaurant
there where you can order native food. The last time I was there I had
Mutton Stew. Not bad at all. We will visit Fr. Blaine Griend, OFM, again
and he will share some of his experiences as a priest on the Reservation
with the Navajo for 28 years. We will look at the Canyon Des Chelly
again, too. A photo of that has been posted on this Web site.
Fr. Eddie will share with the Deacons on Wed or Thursday. I will have a
session with them as well. We will look at a narrative of Fr. Eddie's
efforts to secure some peace and reconciliation between the White
Mountain Apaches and the Pimas Tribe members. This is absolutely
fascinating – and I encourage you to check out the story that is at this
link --
www.serraus.org/serrausa/oct04usa_d.htm.
Next Sunday there is a "good bye" potluck here at Whiteriver. The
welcome potluck was at Cibecue, complete with the Crown Dancers. See the
photo as well. There was a potluck yesterday on the one-year anniversary
of the death of a woman. I attended and had an Apache tortilla and
skipped the fried bread. It was the first time for acorn stew; I will
have to develop a taste for that.
Brother Peter, OFM, was here on the OFM Provincial Council and has the
job of visiting the friars in this part of the country. He lives with a
priest on the smaller Mescalero Apache Reservation on New Mexico. He
seemed to be a fine person.
Another young man, Jose Aguirre, stopped here Friday night -- and
together we went to the Arizona trout hatchery about 10 miles from here.
It is nestled in a beautiful canyon. What a place to have a home!
Rushing waters with deep pools as well. We saw the beginning of the
White River.
The scenery here is idyllic and there is a certain romance that can form
around ministry to the Native Americans. But theirs is a very hard life.
A speaker I heard recently ranked them bottom of a totem pole at the top
of which is the white male, the white female, A European male, European
female, an Asian, male followed by a female, a Hispanic male followed by
a female, an near-eastern male followed by a female, a black male
followed by a female and last of all the Native American male followed
by a female. Not a pretty picture. Their babies and small children are
so beautiful. What lovely black hair -- I do have some pictures that I
will send some time.
Perhaps I will send another bulletin. Love to all, Owen
I have been here a little over three weeks now and the life on the
Reservation continues to unfold. The weather has been cold and rainy. We
are looking at some more snow this week as well. The people here love
the moisture since it keeps the forests moist. Coming back from Cibecue
Sunday it was drizzling and the mountains in the distance looked like
someting out of Asia. Peaks in the distance lost in the mist. Lovely.
Always when I think of the mountains and see them I think of the poverty
that surrounds them. It seems that I see a lot of folks just walking the
streets. We have some picnic benches in front of the church. When the
sun is out they are often occupied. On Thursdays the Federal parolees
gather in the parish hall for counselling. Recently the Parish Council
has agreed to allow counselling for Sex Offendors on the Reservation as
well. I was impressed by the Parish Council. Generous people who speak
well and compassionately. One man, Jerry, is wise indeed. He, by the
way, runs a sweat lodge on Thursday mights. Fr. Eddie could arrange it
for me. We shall see. Would my pacemaker take the heat? Fr. Eddie and
his retreat team did a Women's Retreat in Gallup, NM, at the Sacred
Heart Retreat Center this weekend. I and Phyllis, a lovely person who is
on staff here, did the four weekend Masses. Eddie's retreat went very
well. There is a healing aspect to them as well and needed because of
the background of the women. Phyllis and I managed well and almost hit
an elk as large as a Volkswagon "bug". Elk on the highways are a huge
problem.
The Community just loves basketball. It is an attraction at the LDS
Church where I go for a meeting on Tuesday nights. The local high school
team moved to the semifnals of the State last Saturday so Alchesay
(named after a Chief) will be playing at Flagstaff Saturday and, God
willing, at Tucson the following weekend. The people here love
basketball like the people at St. Benedict and Baileyville do.
Fr. Eddie will be gone a part of the week The Casa in Scottsdale. Sunday
the two deacons from the Archdiocese, Greg Hammes and his classmate,
Rick, will be coming here for a preordination retreat. We have good
things lined up like a trip to Canyon de Chelly and an hour with a
Franciscan who has been with the Navajos 28 years. Fr. Eddie will give
them some time and I will chime in along the way.
That is about it for now. This continues to be a very good experience.
So different, so rich, so worth returning to. There is great trout
fishing in the summer.
Ah, these amazing computers! Would you believe that I just finished a
long installment and just lost it? So here we go again.
The staff and Fr. Eddie are 2000 feet higher than I right now on
business at Pine Top. There is a women's retreat at Gallup, NM this
weekend and they are already planning for 2008. The retreat focuses on
beaten, battered, and other wise abused women, mostly Apache. Though
this is a matriarchal society, the power seems reserved to what are
called, The Grandmothers. They are the elders. Many of the younger women
are in for a hard life with the alcohol abuse and 50% unemployment. The
mothers love their kids even though the future is rather bleak. Some
from here are at Haskell in Lawrence, KS. The Apache babies are so cute.
I have gotten some good pictures that will be included later.
My last baptism was Sunday at Cibecue, my favorite place. We had cake
and ice cream afterwards. As we were leaving I saw some young Apache
"braves" out for a horse back ride and some walking a dry riverbed.
Shades of Geronimo though. He was south of here, as far south of Fort
Apache as possible. After the party, Fr. Eddie and the staff gathered at
the home of another in Pine Top, a place in the tall woods for food and
football. Great fun.
I wish you all could meet Eddie. He has been here for 23 years and is
truly charismatic. He has been beaten once and has had his life
threatened. Largely this is alcohol inspired behavior. There is alcohol
abuse. This morning, Fr. and I were returning from a walk along the
White River, where Eddie carries pepper spray to keep the dogs away, we
saw an Apache nearly killed crossing the highway! This is not a fancy
place but the Spirit is truly active. We had a Healing Mass last
Saturday evening that lasted 5 hours. I did step forward to the
anointing and something really good happened to me.
I will be doing the Masses this weekend while the rest are at Gallup, NM
for the women's retreat. Later this week I will go to Gallup for a talk
for the diocesan clergy. The diocese is a part of AZ and NM.
Keep me in your thoughts and prayers. My love, Fr. Owen
It has been a week now, a little over that, since I arrived here. I have
no regrets. In so many ways this is all new -- from the language, the
people, the customs, some of the food, the relaxed way of doing things.
Now that Fr. Eddie has returned from the Friar’s retreat, as of
yesterday, we can now get back to normal. My being here the past two
weekends allowed him to be gone and not have to scare up a local
substitute -- a rare bird these days.
It has been an experience to digest the ritual changes, like use of a
drum during the entrance, a smudge pot whose smoke is wafted through the
church with an eagle feather, pivoting clockwise as one says the Great
Amen, using the eagle feather after Mass to spread the smoke over
myself. For me, that's all new stuff! We start small but the church
fills up eventually. There was a full house at Cibecue, the isolated and
more primitive place. We had 67 Sunday, as well as a performance in my
honor by The Crown Dancers who are masked, and a potluck with plenty of
food. I took some pix and will send them along. I have the crowd
laughing when I paraphrased Willie Nelson's song: "Mamas, don't let your
baby grow up to be (not cowboys) prophets!!" After all, my message:
Jeremiah and Jesus had a hard time!!
Yesterday (Monday), Leo Loera and I went to Chinle. After a bowl of
mutton stew at a Navajo restaurant we called on the pastor, Fr. Blaine
Grein, OFM, who has been there 28 years. What a fine man! Fr. Ron Walter
of Atchison, an OFM, ordained in the Abbey Church, is at St. Michael's
nearby. There was an OFM Sister working with alcoholics there who had
been a missionary in Brazil, knew Mineiros from making retreats there
and knew our men there, especially Bp. Matthias, my classmate. We were
ordained together.
When we left Chinle Leo and I went to Canyou de Chelly (Canyon de shay)
which is a miniature grand canyon; it is just lovely. We ended the
200-mile trip back with a dinner at a place in Show Low where trout and
venison were on the menu. That is typical of the place. As we went north
and along the border with New Mexico the vistas were magnificent and
seemed to give a view for 100 miles.
We are in for more snow here at 5,000 feet, perhaps 7 to 10 inches. In
the high country at 7,000 and 11,000 there will be a lot more. Super
Bowl Sunday, we will celebrate a birthday with a party and meal. Nothing
dull about being on the Reservation.
It's time for 12:15 Mass, Tuesday, January 30. Love to all.
-- Fr. Owen
back to topMessage from Abbot Owen, Wednesday, January 24, 2007
While I am at the computer I will try and put together a few thoughts
for all who "tune" in. I arrived at White Mountain Apache Reservation
(Nation) on January 18. This is a beautiful array of snowy mountains and
pine, juniper and oak forests. The scenery is lovely and with the snow
one can see why the area is called the White Mountains. The area is
estimated at one million acres. On the Reservation the main town is
Whiteriver where I live with Fr. Eddie Fronske, OFM, at St. Francis
Church. I live in a retreat center 20 feet away. It is a fine spot to
hang my hat. Fr. Eddie has been here for 23 years and is a special kind
of person, aged 65, full of life, and a charismatic kind of person. He
has an eye for the poor and feeds numerous folks, some on alcohol and
meth daily, with coffee and peanut and butter sandwiches. He is on call
24 hours a day.
Last Sunday I had the parish Masses, one here at Whiteriver and another
at Cedar Creek. The snow got bad and so we had 4 at Cedar Creek. Anna, a
helper here, and I had another Mass here Sunday with two baptisms and
were to go to the very, very poorest of the missions at Cibecue (CBQ)
but we were re snowed out. The roads up and down mountains were
treacherous but we made it home. There was to be a potluck in my honor
complete with the appearance of the Crown Dancers. These are very sacred
to the Apache and their identity is largely unknown. That was a very
special treat. At the Apache Supermarket yesterday we ran into a mother
from the parish and she said there was to be another potluck and
appearance of the Crown Dancers this coming Sunday. She was pushing a
cart with a cute little girl riding in it. The father, who had when
drinking, jumped through a window, cut his arteries and died on the
spot. I have read up on the Dancers and so really look forward to
that. I have daily Mass at 12:15 PM. Three or four are there.
The beauty of nature contrasts with the deep poverty, alcoholism and
meth use. There is a lot of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome here. Lots of broken
homes. A person came here this morning, Wednesday and I could only
listen. I do not know the system though I did call, getting a ride from
Anna, at the Rainbow Treatment Center and inquired about AA at the local
LDS Church. We are not the only church. There are Assembly of God,
Baptist, Methodist, I think, and Wisconsin Synod Lutherans. The
Lutherans got here first as they were assigned by the US Government. All
the Churches but the Catholic demand that the folks when they convert
give up all Native religion. We do not and go one step further in
trying to incorporate some rite into the Catholic services. By the way,
it seems that the White Mountain Apaches got the best part of the
Reservation since they served as scouts for General Crook. Fort Apache,
by the way, is near here. I was there. The San Carlos Apache to the
south got the less best part because they helped Geronimo.
There is a casino north of here at 7000 feet. We are at one mile high.
There the cell phone works for me, a T-Mobile. We were there yesterday
on the way to Show-Low -- a large town to buy a new toilet fixture. The
casino is in Pine Top. Monday I am to home with Leo, a fine Hispanic man
who helps here toward Canyon de Chelly ( I think they say canyon de
Shay) which is supposed to be just lovely. I did see the top of Mount
Baldy at 11,000 ft. yesterday from a distance. I am taking some pix and
hope to share with all of you. End of this installment.