We are blessed these days here in Oregon. We seem to be having a real Indian Summer. It has been bright and sunny for some days now. I went down into and then across the valley this morning rather early and there was a foggy mist on the meadows, but I could still see where I was going. It was the best of two worlds.

A lot has happened since I last wrote. First of all, I attended the Abbots' Congress in Rome. This meeting is held there every four years. This one was my first, since I was elected abbot three years ago. Around 250 abbots and independent priors from around the world were present. During my stay I lived at our Benedictine "house of studies," Sant' Anselmo and stayed in our own Father Jeremy's room there. Fr. Jeremy is one of our monks who teaches at Sant' Anselmo in Rome each year from January to the end of June. Everything went well on the trip, except that the airline lost my bag. I was without a change of clothes and other things for a couple of days.

Our meetings consisted of presentations from many different people on many different issues relating to us Benedictines. In the process we elected a new abbot primate, the world head of our Benedictine order. The new primate is Abbot Notker Wolf, O.S.B. who, until his election, had been abbot of St. Ottilien in Germany for 23 years. He is 60 years old. He looks and sounds like a very talented man. He is well known at Sant' Anselmo, which will now be his headquarters, and he knows Sant' Anselmo well also, since he was a student and teacher there himself.

Abbot Marcel Rooney, O.S.B. , the previous abbot primate who just resigned, is from Conception Abbey, our sister-house in Missouri. Abbot Marcel has been in poor health. We keep both the previous and the new abbot primates in our prayers.

After the meeting in Rome, Fr. Boniface Lautz, O.S.B., the prior of our daughter-house in Jerome, Idaho and I took the train to Munich, Germany. In Munich we were met by Fathers Simeon Van de Voord and Jude Anderson, both also from Ascension Monastery in Idaho. We all stayed for several days at St. Bonifaz Abbey in heart of Munich and were treated with great hospitality. We toured the city, went to the Oktoberfest one night and visited Andechs Priory, a dependent priory of St. Bonifaz, a place that makes wonderful beer!

Then we all got on the train and went to Switzerland and our mother-house in Engelberg. For me, this was the high point of the whole trip. I had not been to Engelberg before. They showed us great hospitality. We visited the village of Engelberg a few times (where I bought a T shirt that said "Engelberg"), and went to the top of Mt. Titlis, a 9000 foot ride in three different trams to get close to the summit. What a spectacular view from the top! We went into the ice caves in the glacier there also.

We then visited Einsiedeln Abbey, mother-house of St. Meinrad's Abbey in Indiana. We just generally enjoyed ourselves during these Swiss days.

Switzerland gives the appearance of being very clean and orderly. Farmers cut the grass, rake it up and put it in their stock barns for the animals to eat. I was impressed with their thriftiness.

Then we came home. It was a wonderful experience for all of us. I figured this would be my first, as well as my last, chance to see Germany, Switzerland, and our mother-house.

Advent and Christmas will soon be approaching us, and we recall again the great privilege we have being Catholic Christians. The message this time of the year is that we are preparing for the incarnation of Jesus, God's son. His coming into our world and taking on our humanity had as its purpose that we might take on His divinity. We have a marvelous little prayer in the Mass that describes this great event in words and in action. I mentioned this prayer before in one of my first letters, but it always impresses me. The prayer I am referring to is the one prayed as the priest prepares the chalice. The priest pours a little water into the wine. The wine represents Jesus' divinity and the water represents our humanity, and, if you are standing right over the chalice, as the priest is, you can watch the two elements as they blend together in little waves. The priest says at that moment, "By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity." This is a marvelous symbol of our blending and sharing in the life of God, through the humanity of Jesus. This is what the great feast of Christmas is really all about, and Advent is our getting ready to celebrate the great feast.

Well, as I conclude, I would ask you to keep us in your prayers as we go through some rather difficult decisions these days. The resignations of some persons in key positions must be filled. We do have a new capital campaign director and our sights on the future are hopeful. In the midst of it all, I am undergoing radiation treatment for my prostate problems. So far all is going well, and I thank you for your prayers for me.

Mutual prayer is a very strong help and support, and it keeps us in touch with the life and power of our infinite God who created us, gave us the gift of life.

Thank you for your interest in us and your concern.

Love and prayers,