Left to right: Fr. Jeremy Tobin, O. Praem., Fr. Norbert N’Zilamba, O. Praem., Abbot Emeritus E. Thomas De Wane, O. Praem., Fr. Sebastian Schalk, O. Praem.
By Fr. Norbert N’Zilamba, O. Praem.
Fr. Norbert N’Zilamba, O. Praem.
St. Norbert Abbey is the very first abbey I visited in my life. I immediately felt at home. The fact that people from different backgrounds and walks of life live together because of their faith under the rule of St. Augustine is very appealing to me.
My Norbertine journey is one of the greatest blessings in my life because of the Eucharist, the brotherhood, and the apostolic mandate of our spirituality.
Our Norbertine canonries are mandated to pray together and also minister to God’s people in various ways under the leadership of an abbot. St. Norbert Abbey is a good example of that spirituality.
This August, as the Norbertine community of St. Norbert Abbey celebrates its annual observance of the Solemnity of St. Augustine, five men will take their next steps in honoring their commitments to the order.
On Monday, August 27, 2018, at the First Vespers of the Solemnity of St. Augustine, Charles (Griffin) P. Burris will be vested in the white habit of the Norbertine Order, beginning and deepening his commitment to religious life through a two-year novitiate. Rt. Rev. Dane J. Radecki, O. Praem., abbot of St. Norbert Abbey, will preside over the vestition ceremony.
On Tuesday, August 28, 2018, the Solemnity of St. Augustine, Frater Jordan S. Neeck, O. Praem., will profess Solemn Vows, forming a mutual lifelong commitment to the canonical life between himself and the entire professed community. Abbot Radecki will preside over the solemn rite.
Also on Tuesday, August 28, 2018, Frater Johnathan F. Turba, O. Praem., and Fr. Peter B. Ambting, O. Praem., will profess Simple Vows, committing themselves to the traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience: poverty reflects simplicity of life; chastity opens them to growth in the Holy Spirit in union with others; and obedience makes them attentive to God’s will. They profess these Simple Vows on a temporary basis, usually for three years. Abbot Radecki will preside over the solemn rite.
On Wednesday, August 29, 2018, Rev. Frater Patrick M. LaPacz, O. Praem., will be ordained to the priesthood. The ordination will be celebrated by Most Rev. David L. Ricken, DD, JCL, bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay.
Also on Wednesday, August 29, 2018, Frater Neeck will be ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Ricken.
On Sunday, September 2, 2018, Rev. LaPacz will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Agnes Catholic Church, Green Bay.
Bishop and Doctor of the Church | Author of Our Rule of Life Celebrating the Solemn Profession of Frater Jordan Neeck, O. Praem., and the Simple Profession of Frater Johnathan Turba, O. Praem., and Fr. Peter Ambting, O. Praem.
Deacon LaPacz, 31, is the son of Terrence and Mary (Berg) LaPacz of Green Bay and a member of St. Agnes Catholic Church.
Frater LaPacz was vested in the white Norbertine habit in August 2012, professed Simple Vows in August 2014, and professed Solemn Vows in August 2017. That year he also was ordained a transitional deacon.
A 2005 graduate of Notre Dame de la Baie Academy, Deacon LaPacz graduated from St. Norbert College (SNC) in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in history. He later graduated from Conception Seminary College, Mo., in 2011, with a bachelor’s degree in philosophical and theological studies. In May 2018 Deacon LaPacz graduated from Catholic Theological Union (CTU), Chicago, with a master’s degree in divinity.
After his priestly ordination, Deacon LaPacz will be involved in parish ministry in Chicago for the next two years.
Frater Jordan Samuel Neeck, O. Praem.
Profession of Solemn Vows and Ordination to the Diaconate
Frater Jordan Neeck, O. Praem.
Frater Neeck, 29, is the son of Howard and Lynn (Matuszewski) Neeck of Phillips, Wisconsin, and a member of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Catholic Church.
Frater Neeck was vested in the white Norbertine habit in August 2013 and professed Simple Vows in August 2015.
He graduated from SNC in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and previously worked as an accountant at MarquipWardUnited in his hometown. In December 2018 he will complete a master’s degree in divinity at CTU. As part of his studies, Frater Neeck completed one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Summer 2017, and this past spring he had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land for three weeks.
Closer to home, Frater Neeck serves as co-host with Frater Johnathan Turba, O. Praem., for St. Norbert Abbey’s podcast Canons on the Run. This creative endeavor sparked an invitation from Abbot General (Emeritus) Thomas Handgrätinger, O. Praem., for Frater Neeck and Frater Turba to serve on the Media and Public Relation Working Group for the 2018 General Chapter in Rome.
After being ordained to the diaconate, Frater Neeck will minister for one year at Old St. Patrick’s Parish in Chicago, where he also ministered with the parish’s youth ministry program during his time as a student at CTU.
Frater Johnathan Fredrick Turba, O. Praem.
Profession of Simple Vows
Frater Johnathan Turba, O. Praem.
Frater Turba, 30, is the son of Michael and Patricia (Fredrick) Turba of Platteville, Wisconsin, and a member of Immaculate Conception Church in New Richmond, Wisconsin.
Upon completion of his high school studies in Platteville, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in choral music education, emphasis in voice and piano.
Since graduating from college Frater Turba served as an elementary, middle, and high school teacher of general music and as a choral director for the Iola-Scandinavia School District in North Central Wisconsin. During his novitiate, Frater Turba helped create (and currently is co-host) of the podcast Canons on the Run, which reflects on life in formation as a member of St. Norbert Abbey.
This fall Frater Turba will begin his studies toward a master’s degree in divinity at CTU.
Rev. Peter Bernardus Ambting, O. Praem.
Profession of Simple Vows
Fr. Peter Ambting, O. Praem.
Fr. Ambting, 45, is the son of the late Peter H. and the late Wilhemina (Vos) Ambting of Doetinchem, Netherlands, and a member of St. Martin Parish in Beek, Netherlands.
He graduated from the Secondary Agricultural School of Doetinchem in 1991 and from Higher General Continued Education schooling in 2002. After being admitted into the seminary for the Archdiocese of Utrecht, Netherlands, in 2001, he earned a master’s degree in theology (Pastoral Theology) in 2007.
Fr. Ambting was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Utrecht in 2008, and served three years as associate pastor in Parochie De Wijngaard in Arnhem before becoming the pastor of the Roman Catholic Parish of Maria en Laurentius for four years. In 2014 the archbishop named him the pastor of another neighboring parish as well. He served as a pastor of these two parishes (the parishes comprising 19 previous parishes) for two years. Just before he left for the United States, the parish merged again and became Parish Maria Laetitia (The Joy of Mary). Since 2008 Fr. Ambting has enjoyed leading groups to the Holy Land for a Dutch pilgrimage organization. For him this is both an important ministry and something he likes to do.
Upon completion of his Norbertine novitiate, Fr. Ambting will serve as a chaplain at St. Norbert College Parish at Old St. Joseph Church.
Frater Charles Peter Burris, O. Praem.
Vestition
Frater Charles Burris, O. Praem.
Frater Burris, 22, is the son of Richard Burris and Stacey Cicero of Shawano, Wisconsin, and a member of Sacred Heart Parish.
In 2014 Frater Burris graduated from Shawano Community High School. In 2018 he graduated from SNC with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in theology and religious studies. He also studied abroad in Maynooth, Ireland, where he focused on Irish Medieval history and archeology.
Throughout his college years Frater Burris was active at St. Norbert College Parish, serving on the parish council and staff. Additionally, he participated in student and institutional groups working to improve and raise awareness of environmental issues on campus.
Since I grew up in Florida, I am one of a few Norbertines who was first drawn to the community because of published vocation material. Most of our men have come to the community through the example of Norbertines they have met or who have taught them. While at Florida State University one of the religious sisters from my high school sent me a brochure from St. Norbert Abbey. I immediately was drawn to the sense of humor evident within the Norbertine vocation materials.
Today I look back with great joy as I think of all the laughter I have shared and continue to share with my Norbertine confreres. The greatest blessings I have received as a Norbertine are:
When I briefly visited the community before I even applied, I was most impressed with the fraters (seminarians) and knew I wanted to join them. Since then I have made many deep and lasting friendships, and also admire and enjoy the variety of men who comprise our community.
The wonderful opportunities for study at many fine institutions and the variety of ministries in which I have been engaged—far beyond what I might have imagined as a high school or college student.
A recent WBUR “On Point” segment (“Racism, Discrimination, And Calling The Police On Black People,” July 19, 2018) and Washington Post essay (“Police calls for #LivingWhileBlack have gotten out of hand. Here’s what we can do about it.” by Megan R. Underhill, July 20, 2018) nailed an issue that we would like to sweep under the rug … but, unfortunately, the instances have become all too commonplace. I found a few of the cited instances especially egregious, such as when a white adult called the police because a black grade school kid was enterprising enough to have a lawn cutting business and was cutting grass in the caller’s neighborhood, and the instance when campus security was notified because an African-American student was napping in a common area in a U.S. university. Really? Is not academia supposed to model inclusivity and open mindedness?
Some argue that such citizen overreaches are not more common, but that we are simply more aware because any encounter can be recorded and uploaded to the web in minutes. The point is not that the instances are more or less commonplace; the point is that one unwarranted call to the police is one call too many.
I have never called the police because there was a black or brown person in my backyard. But I do recall the fear that I felt as a minority white person in a Chicago area gas station asking for directions, especially when the recent immigrant from central Europe behind the counter referred my question on directions to a young adult African-American male behind me in line. Dreadlocks, baseball hat, baggy shorts—oh my! Was I going to be roughed up in an unknown neighborhood en route to a Catholic social action conference at a Catholic university?
The gentleman (I think that he even called me “bro”; how did he know? I was not even wearing my habit!) provided clear and perfect directions, and I got a free Sunday afternoon tour of Chicago’s southwest suburbs and neighborhood.
How can I respond to the “call the police” overreach? My abbey sits in the middle of a 160-acre soybean field and I work in the basement of the Chancery of the Diocese of Green Bay. But I do spend several hours a week in the heart of downtown Green Bay, working in an office within range of multiple agencies serving people of all races and volunteering in the front garden of the Central branch of the Brown County Library (and believe me, our downtown library does not suffer from lack of cultural diversity). I might be “inconvenienced” while weeding, watering, or harvesting by passersby who look, talk, and dress differently than me, but in today’s “I’ll call the police on you” environment, the simple gesture of looking up into the eyes of another and saying, “Hey, how are you?” and perhaps offering a cucumber or tomato can go a long way.
DISCLAIMER: This blog represents Br. Herro’s own opinions and experiences. It does not represent an official position or opinion of St. Norbert Abbey or of any other Norbertine.
While I was living in Philadelphia, I received a postcard inviting me to audition for the band at Southeast Catholic High School (a Norbertine school). Prior to my audition I was introduced to a tall man in a white habit wearing a biretta and descending the stairs. It was Fr. Harry Koeppen, O. Praem., director of the high school music department with whom I felt an immediate bond. From that moment, I knew that I was going to be a priest forever; meeting this remarkable man was a sign. There were many Norbertines teaching in my high school at that time and I knew I wanted to be just like them—a teacher and a priest. And I am.
For most of my Norbertine life I was able to make music for our liturgies. When people told me that my music deepened their prayer life, it opened up a whole new apostolate for me. My musical prayer life began as a second-year novice in 1951 until I retired in 2000.
Incidentally, my teaching career began in St. Norbert High School in 1955 and concluded in 1995 at St. Norbert College. I am forever grateful for those years.
3000 Pipes(page 8) The Story of St. Norbert Abbey’s Casavant Organ: An Interview with Fr. Batholomew Agar, O. Praem.
By Gina Sanders Larsen
Fall/Winter 2015 Abbey Magazine
In my discernment to enter a religious community, I remember knowing that this was the right community for me when I saw three Norbertine priests concelebrating Mass together. They concelebrated throughout the liturgy with such reverence, and they interacted in a way that showed a deep love and respect for one another as well. This combination of reverence, love, and respect resonated with me deeply! Their example of living out their vocation through the liturgy, in community, and in their ministry inspired me to join the Norbertines.
Being a Norbertine has transformed my heart, helping me realize the deep need that is right here in our communities.
—Frater Johnathan Turba, O. Praem.
Frater Johnathan Turba, O. Praem.
I’ve had the opportunity to learn and serve with my Norbertine brothers at many of our apostolates, some of which are schools and parishes throughout the greater Green Bay area. The people of God in this area are diverse. Being a Norbertine has transformed my heart, helping me realize the deep need that is right here in our communities. Each day of ministry and studies as a Norbertine is a blessing. It’s a call to daily conversion as I encounter Christ in my neighbor, in and with my Norbertine brothers.
As a middle school student I began thinking of the priesthood. My parents hosted our parish priests (Franciscans) regularly and I joined my dad in the church basement to count Sunday collections. I also was an altar server.
Our community can bless us by helping us grow as Norbertines in ways we cannot see alone.
—Abbot Dane Radecki, O. Praem.
Abbot Dane Radecki, O. Praem., and Norbertine confreres
My first sighting of a Norbertine was at a parish Forty Hours devotion when a priest in white habit joined the Franciscans in procession. I did not know who this priest was nor did I yet understand the differences between religious and diocesan priests. At the same time, I had an interest in becoming a teacher and eventually learned that the Norbertine Order included priests who were teachers. I asked my parents to attend Prémontré High School where a number of Norbertines served. I sensed they were happy, and during my junior year I approached my Norbertine religion teacher to speak about the priesthood. His guidance and confidentiality helped me gradually focus on a vocation with the Norbertines. This also was a time when my appreciation for community life began to grow. I was accepted to join St. Norbert Abbey following high school.
As a young Norbertine I was encouraged to plan my future. I prepared to be a secondary school math teacher and was very happy with this choice. After a few years, Norbertines asked me to pursue school administration even though I never saw myself in this role. What I experienced was a great blessing—the fact that the community called out of me something I never saw in myself.
My recent election as abbot is another such call. Our community can bless us by helping us grow as Norbertines in ways we cannot see alone.
One may well ask: ‘How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’ The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all.’
Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust (Martin Luther King Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”).
I have known Fr. Bill Ribbens, O. Praem., for 30 years. He once noted that his happiest experience in ministry has been serving the immigrant Spanish-speaking community in the Green Bay area (his ministry for the last 15 years). At a time when some national political leaders are justifying the separation of immigrant children from their parents as being legally justified within U.S. law, while faith leaders quickly counteract, I am reminded of Fr. Bill’s comment of yesteryear, but so relevant today:
Sometimes God’s law supercedes man’s law.
Fr. Bill Ribbens, O. Praem.
I never have been arrested for civil disobedience, but I understand Fr. Bill’s point. Our country has a long list of laws that eventually were replaced or thrown out after years of protests, negotiations, and advocacy:
enslavement of Blacks
restricting women from the right to vote
use of poisons on “unwanted” plant life
unchecked presidential wartime power
When Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated, “I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13 to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order,” Fr. James Martin, S.J., was one of many faith leaders who immediately counter-responded:
… Mr. Sessions is engaging in what is known as ‘proof-texting’ that is, cherry-picking Bible passages to prove a point without referring to (or even understanding) the overall context of the quote. Often, especially in political battles, this technique is used to weaponize the Bible.
…
The problem with proof-texting is that there is always another Bible verse, or in this case many Bible verses, that can be used to refute the one chosen. To rebut Mr. Sessions, one could easily respond with a line in that same passage in which St. Paul says, “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Rm 13:8-9).
On June 14, Sr. Donna Markham, O.P., president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, wrote to Secretary of Department of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen:
As a clinical psychologist, I have also seen the consequences that not having a parent can have on a child, and it is deeply troubling that the administration has chosen to create a generation of traumatized children in the name of border security. Surely as a nation we can debate the best way to secure our border without resorting to creating life-long trauma for children, some of whom are mere toddlers.
What responses can we have? Prayer, letters to Congress (see S.3036, “Keep Families Together Act”) and our newspapers, financial support to organizations providing humanitarian and legal help to immigrants, and acts of kindness and support to immigrant families that we meet on a daily basis go a long way.
DISCLAIMER: This blog represents Br. Herro’s own opinions and experiences. It does not represent an official position or opinion of St. Norbert Abbey or of any other Norbertine.
Br. Jacob Sircy, O. Praem., walking in a Chicago South Side neighborhood.
By Br. Jacob Sircy, O. Praem.
During my discernment, I found myself being drawn to the Norbertines first and foremost because of community life.
I became fully aware about what community support meant upon the death of my brother in 2015. My hometown is close to three hours away and I will never forget the sight, upon looking out on the congregation, of almost 15 Norbertines, in full habit, sitting in the pews.
The presence of Norbertines at two very difficult times of my life showed me the blessing of community life …
—Br. Jacob Sircy, O. Praem.
A few years earlier, my stepfather passed away, and many Norbertines also attended the funeral. The presence of Norbertines at two very difficult times of my life showed me the blessing of community life, for which I am most grateful.
Having grown up in northeastern Wisconsin in the 1970s, I was aware of a religious order of priests and brothers that served our region as high school and college teachers (and as a member of Congress). Church ministry was a dream of mine since early childhood; being able to serve in this context with other like-minded men in these kinds of ministries in northeast Wisconsin seemed like a perfect fit.
Furthermore, I was attracted to religious life because I believed I could lead a more sustainable life style while sharing resources with other men, as opposed to the rampant individualism which I saw in our society.
Church ministry was a dream of mine since early childhood …
—Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.
Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem. (left)
In 2015, I was living apart from the Norbertine community in Washington, D.C., while serving the national Church through Catholic Charities USA. I was 900 miles away when my father’s health began to severely deteriorate. My attempt to balance ministry, Norbertine life, and family concerns seemed nearly impossible.
During this time, Norbertine art professor, Fr. James Neilson, O. Praem., just happened to be leading a St. Norbert College tour of Washington, D.C., art museums. As a Norbertine confrere, his totally unexpected visit and thoughtful concern for me and my family that April evening was one of the most grace-filled experiences I have ever had as a Norbertine.
