Well, I am getting ready to take a trip to Rome. Every four years the Benedictine abbots of the world have a congress in Rome. This is the year. It's rather lucky for me, because I have never been to one of these congresses before and it is the Jubilee Year. During these meetings a lot of the business for our various monasteries is discussed and talks are given by learned monks. Since there are so many languages employed, there is a multi-lingual translation system in the hall so that everyone can understand the speakers in his own lan-guage. Isn't it wonderful what we can do today?

All the abbots and others invited to the congress are supposed to arrive by Saturday, September 2, so I will arrive in Rome around noon on that day. The next day, Sunday, Pope John Paul II is beatifying Abbot Columba Marmion of Mardesous Abbey in Belgium. Abbot Marmion, as he is generally known, is a very famous abbot who was deeply versed in Benedictine spirituality and who lived in the early part of the 20th century. When I was a novice, Abbot Thomas Meier, fourth abbot of our Abbey, taught us the works of Marmion.

After the meetings in Rome, Fathers Boniface, Simeon and Jude of Ascension Monastery in Jerome, Idaho and I are going on a train trip to Munich, Germany to visit St. Boniface's Abbey there. Our community has many connections with that monastery, especially in the persons of our departed Fr. Alcuin and Abbot Bonaventure. Then we will go over to Andechs Priory for a visit. Then we get back on the train and go to Switzerland where we shall visit our mother abbey, Engelberg. I am really looking forward to these visits, as I have been in none of these places before.

Here at home, our school year has started. We had the opening Mass of the Holy Spirit several days ago. We have l69 seminarians this year and the seminary is full. I presided at the Mass and gave the homily. The gospel for the day was the one that says: "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words, yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me."

This Gospel passage reminds us that Jesus left us many words in the Gospel. With the guidance of the Church and the help of the Holy Spirit we are able to discern which of God's words is particularly important for us. Since Jesus told us of the importance of love, it seems that good living is tied up with good loving. Jesus' method was to pick out and train disciples. The life of a disciple is founded on prayer, study, and action. Priestly candidates are training to be master disciples in our world today. But we all need to be disciples of the Lord. A disciple is a person who listens to a master (Jesus is our master), who studies what he or she needs to know to be competent and then acts on one's beliefs.

We want to be more than mere members of the Church. A member belongs and benefits from the things the Church pro-vides. A disciple also works to spread the benefits. Training and using disciples was Jesus' own method. And He wants us to be the disciples of today. A disciple learns how to better live Jesus' words in his or her life. To do this we need the help of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Jesus Himself called the Holy Spirit the "Advocate" or "Helper."

Years ago, when I was ordained, it was customary to put a little biblical inscription on the memorial ordination card. The one I chose was, "Pray the Lord of the harvest that he send laborers into his harvest." I also had the same quotation put on the card commemorating my blessing as abbot. I believe firmly this little saying. However, when I put it on my card the first time in l956, when I was ordained to the priesthood, I was just praying that somebody would carry it out. I didn't think the saying applied to me because I was a monk. Since then my understanding has broadened and I know it applies to everyone.

In my last letter I told you of my operation. In recent weeks I have been feeling pretty well, but I will begin to take radiation treatments for the prostate cancer in October on my return from Rome. Please do pray for me. We can all be grateful that medical science has advanced to the point that it knows how to help us recover when we suffer from ailments of the body.

God continue to be with you all and may we all continue to praise him.

Love and prayers,