“God is good all the time and all the time, God is good.”
As he often does, Auxiliary Bishop emeritus Roger Gries began his homily with those words. But it wasn’t a confirmation or parish visit. The liturgy being celebrated in Assumption of Mary Church in Broadview Heights that Sunday afternoon was in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Benedictine Order of Cleveland. Bishop Gries is a professed Benedictine monk and former abbot of St. Andrew Svorad Abbey in Cleveland. The Benedictine monks staff Assumption Parish, which includes a school.
Abbot Gary Hoover, OSB welcomed hundreds of monks and guests to the Sept. 18 liturgy.
“I just realized that I am the oldest member of the abbey,” he said. St. Andrew Svorad Abbey shares a campus with Benedictine High School, the monks’ primary ministry.
Bishop Gries reflected on the abbey and the contributions the monks have made in the Diocese of Cleveland for the past century during the Mass. A sold-out celebratory dinner followed the liturgy.
Bishop Edward Malesic was the Mass celebrant with Bishop Gries and six Benedictine abbots from around the country, including Abbot Jonathan Licari, OSB, abbot president, American Cassinese Congregation, as concelebrants.
Bishop Gries recalled arriving at Benedictine High School as a freshman in 1950, noting he has been associated with the monks for nearly three-fourths of the centennial they are celebrating.
The theme of the day’s readings was cheating, which the bishop admitted proved somewhat challenging to connect with the centennial. Usually, cheating involves the use of shortcuts by students who don’t want to take time to study or people telling lies to avoid taking time to explain their mistakes.
“But the whole purpose of monastic life, according to St. Benedict in the prologue of his holy rule is to equip the monk ‘to do battle for the true king, Christ the Lord.’ And whom does he say the monks are to battle? ‘The evil one, the devil, at every turn.’ St. Benedict says that when monks have success in overcoming the obstacles of the devil, they don’t look for shortcuts. It is the Lord’s power, not their own, that brings about the good they accomplish,” Bishop Gries said.
And that’s what was being celebrated, he added, the good that the monks for St. Andrew Abbey have accomplished in the diocese “by letting the Lord’s power work in them when the evil one put challenges in their path as they sought to establish a Slovak monastery and a high school for boys in Cleveland,” he said.
Bishop Gries said there were four great challenges in the past century that the monks faced head on and overcame with God’s help: sacrifice, growth, change and hope.
He illustrated sacrifice by sharing the story of John Vaniscak, a teenage shepherd in Slovakia who experienced a call to the priesthood and to help his countrymen who immigrated to America. He came to the United States and made the sacrifice of never seeing his family again. He settled in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and became a monk. Slovak immigrants in the early 20th century made financial sacrifices to establish the abbey and high school in Cleveland, Bishop Gries noted. The Slovak Catholic Federation and its constituent groups such as the First Catholic Slovak Union (for men) and the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association, fraternal insurance benefit societies, were founded in Cleveland and are longtime benefactors of the monks and their ministries.
Establishing St. Andrew Abbey required sacrifice by the monks at St. Procopius Abbey in Isle, Illinois as they sent monks to Cleveland. And Bishop Joseph Schrembs sacrificed two parishes – St. Andrew and St. Benedict – to help the monks get established.
The challenge of growth meant constant building, expansion and expenses for the fledging abbey and high school as the number of monks and students increased steadily. Benedictine had 100 students in 1934, but that number tripled to more than 300 by 1940. A new high school was built that could accommodate 1,000 boys – a number reached less than seven years later. The number of monks also grew to a high of 80 in the mid-1950s.
The monks next faced the challenge of change in the late 1960s and 1970s as society rapidly changed, the neighborhood changed and high school enrollment fell from 914 to 402 in a decade.
“Abbot Jerome Koval, elected in 1966, faced the change in attitudes and faith that resulted in less vocations and the defection of many religious. He also faced growing cries from alumni, benefactors and even some monks to change the location of the abbey and high school to the suburbs,” Bishop Roger said, noting that he faced those challenges “with strong faith and a measured willingness to adapt the life of the abbey and high school without losing their core values.” During this period, vocations grew, as did the high school enrollment. After a year of prayer, study and reflection, the monks announced in 1979 that they wouldn remain committed to their work in Cleveland’s Buckeye-Woodland area. They began a $5 million capital campaign and received several “miraculous” gifts.
Bishop Gries said the challenge of hope faces the monks as they end their first 100 years and look to the future. He noted there have been four ordinations from 2006-2013 and two new monks made their commitments this year, the centennial year. In addition, there is ongoing construction on the campus as the Centennial Campaign adds a new atrium to the high school, a new Rufus Courtyard connecting the abbey and the school and repairs begin to the abbey church.
“St. Benedict’s monks don’t cheat. They face the challenges of their mission head-on, confident that Christ’s power works through them so that in all things, God may be glorified. Yes, for 100 years, the monks prayed and watched knowing that God is good – all the time,” he added.
Bishop Malesic offered his gratitude to Bishop Gries for his two decades of service to the diocese as a bishop, he was preparing to retire as abbot when he was elevated to bishop.
“I learn so much from Bishop Gries and I am eternally grateful for your leadership and support. The abbey has contributed so much in the past 100 years. As we come to mark your first century, let’s pray that your work has just begun here,” he added.
The celebration continued at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Independence with about 400 people filling the ballroom for the banquet. There were additional testimonials from individuals and organizations with connections to the Benedictines.
Father Jack Carlin, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Parma, quipped that he’s Irish and went to Saint Ignatius High School, “so I’m not sure what I’m doing here.” He spoke on behalf of the diocesan priests who are grateful for the assistance the monks have provided during the past century. As St. Charles’ pastor for 40 years – a Slovak parish – he said Father Anselm Zupka, OSB has assisted on weekends for 55 years.
“To my knowledge, there is not another priest in the diocese who has celebrated Mass at a parish for that long. St. Benedict founded this order 1,500 years ago and he sure did something right,” Father Carlin added.
Ryan Ryzner, a Benedictine High School alumnus and current school president, also spoke. He said six monks serve at the school, which is their main apostolate. “We are blessed to have them and look forward to following in your footsteps as we prepare to celebrate our (the school’s) centennial,” he added. Benedictine will reach that milestone in 2027.
Representatives of the Slovak Catholic organizations that continue supporting the abbey and school, also offered their best wishes. They noted the abbey houses the Slovak Institute, which has the largest collection of printed materials in Slovak and English in the country, as well as many artifacts.
Len Toth, a 1970 alumnus, and his family donated a St. Benedict statue that will be housed in the new Rufus Courtyard as a gift for the centennial.
Chuck St. John, whose family operates St. John Funeral Homes, is a 1954 alumnus who maintains strong ties to the abbey and high school. He and Jerry Orban, operator of Orban Flowers, were recognized for their businesses’ longtime support of the Cleveland Benedictines. Each received a plaque from Abbot Hoover.
“Think about all the monks went through to keep the abbey going,” Abbot Hoover said. “God powers down blessings constantly. Each one of you are a blessing to us. God’s love is so powerful and I see it in each of your eyes,” he said.
“We are the presence of Christ in this world and today we continue the journey of another 100 years – we hope – through the grade of God and you,” he added.
Click here to learn more about St. Andrew Svorad Abbey.
More information about Benedictine High School can be found here.