In January, the Abbey Guest Center offered its first Encountering Christ retreat. These silent retreats will be offered consistently throughout the year with weekend retreats for men and weekends for women. These retreats are designed to address the hunger in today’s Catholic for a profound and personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Fr. Paul Sheller, OSB, shares the vision and hope for these new retreats.   Q: What direction is the Guest Center headed? In monastery discussions, we considered ways the Abbey Guest Center can continue to have a significant impact on the spiritual lives of our ..read more

At around eleven o’clock on the morning of Saturday, 6 January 2024, our beloved confrere, Abbot Robert Schoofs, OSB, passed into eternal rest. Abbot Robert was in his ninety-fifth year of age, and a Jubilarian of both profession and ordination. He had resided in St. Stephen’s Infirmary at Conception since his arrival here from St. Benedict’s Abbey, Benet Lake, Wisconsin, in 2017, when the latter community was reunited to Conception Abbey. While he had been declining and confined to his bed in recent weeks, his departure was nonetheless something of a surprise; he made his departure without fa ..read more

Reports show that Church attendance in the United States continues to decrease. More young people claim no religious affiliation, and others give the impression that, as a society, we are too sophisticated or advanced for faith in God. The Church’s efforts to evangelize focus on how to address our post-Christian world. Without minimizing any of the challenges the Church faces in today’s culture, I am encouraged to see young people hungering for the truth and desiring holiness. Based on my experiences with the young men I communicate with regularly who express interest in monastic life and loo ..read more

2024 Encountering Christ Retreats Benedictine Spirituality You have most likely heard of Ignatian Spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises. Conception Abbey is now offering a series of retreats rooted in Benedictine Spirituality. These Benedictine Retreats focus on addressing the greatest hunger for today’s Catholics and are aptly named, “Encountering Christ” retreats. These retreats aim to help the retreatant encounter Jesus Christ in prayer and experience the peace that He alone offers. A Benedictine Retreat Our Benedictine Retreats draw from more than 1500 years of wisdom in the Benedictine ..read more

On Tuesday, 14 November 2023, our beloved confrere, Father Samuel Russell, OSB surrendered the cares of earthly life to answer the final calling of his Lord and Savior. His monastic life had been one of diligent service to his community and the wider Church, encompassing a broad array of assignments from maintenance and manual labor to administrative service and priestly formation. He had been a monk for seventeen years when he was called to consider the possibility of a priestly vocation; he took up sacerdotal responsibilities with the zeal and industry that had characterized his monastic li ..read more

We announce the peaceful death at Conception Abbey, Conception, Missouri, on the 27th day of October 2023, at the age of 93 of REVEREND CLARENCE EUGENE WIEDERHOLT Retired Priest of the Diocese of Jefferson City Last of the Founding Fathers of the Diocese Father Clarence E. Wiederholt was born on January 5, 1930, in Conception, Missouri, the son of the late Valentine G. and Mary B. (Bliley) Wiederholt. He had eleven siblings. Eight siblings preceded him in death: Gerald Wiederholt, Raymond Wiederholt, Alphonse Wiederholt, Donald Wiederholt, Marvin Wiederholt, Rosalie Wiederholt, Lucille Wiederh ..read more

Empress Zita of Bourbon-Parma   |   Blessed Stanley Rother   |   Von Trapp Family   |  Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen   Empress Zita of Bourbon-Parma Empress Zita, born in May of 1892, was the wife of Emperor Charles I and the last Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. Her husband, Emperor Charles I, was named Blessed by St. Pope John Paul II, with Empress Zita being named a Servant of God by Pope Benedict XVI. After the Empire’s collapse, Charles and Zita fled Austria, with Charles exiled and eventually dying in 1922 a ..read more

Empress Zita of Bourbon-Parma   |   Blessed Stanley Rother   |   Von Trapp Family   |  Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen   Empress Zita of Bourbon-Parma Empress Zita, born in May of 1892, was the wife of Emperor Charles I and the last Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. Her husband, Emperor Charles I, was named Blessed by St. Pope John Paul II, with Empress Zita being named a Servant of God by Pope Benedict XVI. After the Empire’s collapse, Charles and Zita fled Austria, with Charles exiled and eventually dying in 1922 a ..read more

The monks of Conception Abbey recently completed enhancements to the sanctuary in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Abbot Benedict Neenan, OSB, blessed the sanctuary of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on Sunday, June 4, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Many of the monks’ families were present for Monastic Family Weekend and were able to be a part of the special blessing. The monastic community chose to enhance the sanctuary of the Basilica to commemorate the milestone of Conception Abbey’s 150th anniversary of the community’s foundation. This addition, which was both ..read more

On Saturday, 9 September 2023, in the hours after midnight that await in night’s darkness the coming of day, our beloved confrere, Father Reginald Sander, OSB, set aside his earthly burdens and answered the call of his Heavenly Father to enter the joys of eternal light. Fr. Reginald was a Jubilarian of both priesthood and monastic profession. He had been a resident in our St. Stephen’s Infirmary since 2016. Ivan Godfrey Sander was born on 23 October 1935 to John and Eva Sander in their farmhouse in Pfeifer, Kansas, the youngest of their sixteen children. He was baptized at Holy Cross Church in ..read more