Fr. Salvatore Cuccia, O. Praem.

Fr. Cuccia celebrated the 50th anniversary of his priesthood ordination on June 6, 2016. In the presence of Norbertine confreres, friends, and family, he shared the following reflection at that night’s celebratory dinner.

“Turn ‘Right’ ”

Fr. Salvatore Cuccia, O. Praem.
Fr. Salvatore Cuccia, O. Praem.

Throughout the past 50 years I have always had the love and support of my family and friends, the support and encouragement of members of the community. As I was reflecting on this anniversary on the recent Norbertine Heritage Tour, the image of two roads came to mind: the road I was on, and God’s intersecting road of events and circumstances, which called me to turn “right.” It’s God’s road so it has to be a “right” turn.

Being the only son of a Sicilian family, I think my destiny was to carry on the family name. At one point I thought of becoming a mortician … I even knew the pose. I was from a Norbertine parish but had little knowledge about the order until my junior year when I met some novices and those studying at UW–Madison. That was the first “right” turn to De Pere.

The second came in 1963. Daylesford was going to become independent. Most of the members were Italian. Not many in Green Bay. During my discernment about joining the new abbey, I met a woman after Mass one Sunday who said, “You’re Italian so you must be from Philadelphia.” I told her I was from Madison. She said, “That’s strange, your kind usually are.” Okay, Lord. So I joined the new foundation.

After ordination I went to Marquette to finish studies for my Master’s degree. While there I lived at Misericordia Hospital and was chaplain at their home for unwed mothers. My teaching assignment came not to South Philadelphia, but the “right” turn took me to Claymont, Deleware, and Archmere Academy.

After 20 years the “right” turn took me to Rome and our Generalate, which led to a semester sabbatical at Louvain, Belgium, and the opportunity to visit a number of our European abbeys.

Fr. Salvatore Cuccia, O. Praem., on June 6, 2016, the Solemnity of St. Norbert.
Fr. Salvatore Cuccia, O. Praem., on June 6, 2016, the Solemnity of St. Norbert.

After many long-distance discussions with my abbot, I returned to Daylesford Abbey as director of liturgy. This was followed by two years in Washington, D.C., as master of professed.

The next “right” turn took me north to Baltimore and nine years as the associate pastor. When I would return to Wisconsin to visit my family, I would come here [to St. Norbert Abbey] for a visit. One Norbertine would always ask if I was here for a transitus—a transfer to St. Norbert Abbey. In 2000 I was here for a visit, saw him, and told him I was here for a transitus.

The “right” turn came in May of 2000 when I returned to De Pere, spent six weeks covering the parish in Albuquerque, then returned as the associate pastor of St. Norbert College (SNC) Parish and a member of the campus ministry team. For 10 years I was involved in an SNC men’s service trip to a homeless shelter in Philadelphia, which was like a roundabout with many of the roads coming together.

After 15 years I retired from the parish. Twenty-four years as associate pastor; there should be an award for probably the longest-serving associate in the history of the Church!

At the present time I serve as house superior and sub-prior. I am involved in planning the Norbertine Heritage Tours contacting the Norbertine houses. I work with Alumni and Parent Relations at the college. Only God knows when the next “right” turn will come.

Read about the good and faithful friendship between Norbertines Fr. Colavechio, Fr. Stephen Rossey, O. Praem., Fr. Savlatore Cuccia, O. Praem., and Fr. Brian Prunty, O. Praem., in “A Lifetime Friendship” by Fr. Stephen Rossey, O. Praem., in the Spring/Summer 2017 issue of Abbey Magazine (pages 4-6).

Abbot Emeritus E. Thomas De Wane, O. Praem.

Born to Be a Priest

Abbot Emeritus E. Thomas De Wane, O. Praem.
Abbot Emeritus E. Thomas De Wane, O. Praem.

Abbot Emeritus E. Thomas De Wane, O. Praem., made sports headlines in 1970 when he shot a hole-in-one on the number four hole at North Brook Country Club—the second in the club’s history. While hardly the highlight of his vocational religious life, to an avid golfer it counts as one of his more exciting moments. Nevertheless, the accomplishment pales alongside his many other achievements since priestly ordination in 1958.

Except for nine years as abbot (1992-2003), his ministry was almost exclusively in education. He graduated from St. Norbert College (SNC), De Pere, in 1955, then taught at Abbot Pennings (formerly St. Norbert) High School. After ordination he served Prémontré High School as teacher, then as registrar for five years. Next came a two-year stint as superior at Holy Spirit Priory, Chicago. He returned to De Pere and St. Norbert College to be dean of students (1968-72) and for two years also taught part-time in education.

After a sabbatical year at UCLA, it was back to Prémontré to serve as principal for nine years. During this time he was named to the SNC Board of Trustees, held leadership positions on several state education committees, and was active in various professional organizations.

Nine years later, SNC reclaimed him—this time as director of teacher education. He administered programs leading to the certification of nursery-kindergarten, elementary, and secondary educators for nine years until his confreres elected him abbot of St. Norbert Abbey in 1992.

“I was abbot for nine years; I was principal of Prémontré for nine; I was director of teacher education for nine; and dean of students for five,” he recalls. “After retiring as abbot I lived for a few years at the abbey. I then decided that I might be of some help at our priory in Mississippi. My tenure there continues to this day and thus I have finally occupied a position for more than nine years.

“During this time I have been a chaplain at two Federal prisons and a VA hospital. I have also assisted at various parishes when called upon, however this past year I became the sacramental minister at St. Stephen Parish in the small town of Magee, Mississippi. Also during most of this time I have had the privilege of serving as superior (prior) of our Priory of St. Moses the Black in Raymond, Mississippi.”

Abbot Emeritus E. Thomas De Wane, O. Praem., at a VA hospital in Mississippi
Abbot Emeritus E. Thomas De Wane, O. Praem., at a VA hospital in Mississippi

During and between assignments, Abbot De Wane achieved graduate and post-graduate degrees in education administration from Marquette University and the University of Chicago, respectively.

He enjoyed everything he did, but liked being principal most; dean of students was “the most challenging.” His ministries were fulfilling and kept him “quite busy.” These experiences of satisfying, fulfilling apostolates contributed to Abbot De Wane’s unwavering commitment to religious life. His work was satisfying, he was doing what he wanted to do, and he made a lot of friends along the way.

“I really never look back at a point in my life and say, ‘Oh, I wish I would have done this or that or done something different,’” says Abbot De Wane. “When I entered the order, I did so because I wanted to and I love it. I was blessed by having this journey.”

The Norbertines have been part of his life since he attended St. Willebrord grade school in his hometown, Green Bay. “Every priest I knew was a Norbertine,” he says.

As far back as he can remember, he wanted to be a priest and was encouraged in his vocation by some of the sisters who taught at St. Willebrord. One in particular suggested, “‘You were born to be a priest, weren’t you?’ I can remember her saying that, and it came out that she was right. I don’t think that I ever felt seriously about doing anything else. And my parents hadn’t ever encouraged me to go in that direction; I got it all from either the Spirit or the sisters.”

He remembers the Norbertines at St. Willebrord and at Central Catholic High School as very friendly. “There was a constant interface with them—not necessarily for the purposes of vocation, but because I saw them all the time. I did become good friends with some of them. We played sports and tennis; we played in the school yard.”

St. Norbert College alumnus and educator Abbot Emeritus E. Thomas De Wane, O. Praem.
St. Norbert College alumnus and educator Abbot Emeritus E. Thomas De Wane, O. Praem.

Abbot De Wane took classes with Norbertines at Central Catholic. He liked high school; his desire to be a priest solidified there. When he told his dad that he was thinking about becoming a priest, “He said to me, ‘Don’t you think you should go to college first?’ and I said ‘No, I’m going straight to seminary,’ and that was the end of that. It’s always been a mystery to me because I was always kind of a homebody.” He left home for seminary and never looked back.

Abbot De Wane entered the Norbertine Order in August 1950 after graduating from Catholic Central as salutatorian (second in his class). In the half-century since, he has witnessed a dramatic decline in religious vocations. He also experienced major cultural and liturgical changes brought about by Vatican II, especially many affecting religious orders. Among these, a more relaxed structure has made for a better community.

“It is definitely not as strict as it was; it has made for a greater freedom,” he says. What members do now they do from choice.

“It hasn’t always been like that. I think it makes for happier members of the community. I think that people are doing what they want to do, and what they feel best equipped to do.” Rewarding as this aspect of community is, “The problem is, that doesn’t always fit into the chess match. Sometimes things get stretched; when you have a job that needs to be done, there is not always someone readily available to do it. Right now I am sure that we can do it all, but there may be a day when we can’t.”

The struggle to maintain community while engaging in active ministry is ongoing; balancing action and contemplation, the same. “Like everybody, it all goes into the nature of community. No one escapes it. Everybody does the best they can. On the apostolate side you are quite busy, you do the best you can. I can hope now that when I am finished (with my term as abbot) I will have more time to devote to contemplation,” he explains.

With any discussion of change within the order, Norbertines invariably define some aspects of the life as “the untouchables”: contemplation, ministry, and a community bonded by common prayer, common table, and common recreation.

In the words of Abbot De Wane, “our apostolates can change,” but how much change is needed so the community is healthier, holier, and happier is debatable. “My view of improving things is not to zero in on changing things, so much as doing what we are doing better. We can always do things better.”

Abbot Emeritus E. Thomas De Wane, O. Praem. (right), in the chapel at the Priory of St. Moses the Black
Abbot Emeritus E. Thomas De Wane, O. Praem. (right), in the chapel at the Priory of St. Moses the Black

There is much about Norbertine life to attract young people, says Abbot De Wane. “Part of canonical life is the mixture of contemplative community and apostolate. The right person for here has to be prepared for all three parts of our traditions (community, contemplation, and ministry). I think canonical life is part of a special blend of life.” Typically, the blend calls for the desire to be a priest. And, although historically the order is predominantly priests, “We also have a place for brothers.”

Life is good; the abbot feels blessed.

“I have been told that in my life I have a gentle wind behind me. In a certain sense, I have had an easy way of life. I haven’t had many tragedies. I never had any deep depressions, and I’m not quite sure that I have ever been depressed. I have had a fairly steady life. I have done what I have had to do. Others have had great family problems and difficult times, but it hasn’t been the story of my life,” he reflects.

Though never a great athlete, he loves sports (especially golf), enjoys spectator sports, and swims often. And he has the kind of personality that adjusts well to community living.

“I think I am a friendly person, and I am not a judgmental person. This helps in friendships, and I have a good sense of humor; I can laugh about jokes, so I think I am a good community member, and I enjoy community.”

A fulfilling life as priest and administrator has taken him to worlds never dreamed of as a novice back in 1950—India, South America, Australia, and most of Europe.

“I never would have had the occasions to travel as I have if not a Norbertine. All I can say is that I’m grateful to the Lord, and blessed. His will has brought me into this whole thing, with a wonderful family, and a great community. We are still some to some extent capable of going farther, but we will continue to do great things.”

Fr. James Neilson, O. Praem.


Priest-Artist-Teacher Finds Classroom “A Sacred Place”

Fr. James Neilson, O. Praem.
Fr. James Neilson, O. Praem.

Ask Fr. James Neilson, O. Praem., when he knew he wanted to be a priest and he will tell you there was no moment “of great revelation or a moment of absolute clarity.” Nevertheless, the call was always there.

He grew up in an extended family that included two uncles who were Jesuit priests. The idea of a religious vocation was “gently promoted and encouraged as a viable opportunity for young men in general, and for me in particular.”

Still, Fr. Neilson’s love for Church is more easily pinpointed than the awareness of priest as a possible life option. Commitments to both evolved from his sensitivity to the visual arts. He loved the color and the beauty within the church environment; he found the aesthetics thrilling and enriching. Such a milieu encouraged Fr. Neilson’s authenticity as a person and drew him toward religious life.

His first awareness of doctrinal truth came through the visual arts. “I knew what ‘light from true light’ meant seeing it filtered through glass, seeing it dramatically understood through architecture that valued the way light played on surfaces and on people, and to see, to truly feel this, ‘one God from one God.’ ” Through such revelation of creedal truth he became a believer.

Fr. Neilson then recognized “priest” as custodian of such an environment. “I thought, ‘That would be a job I would like,’ to be the curator for this beauty.” The aesthetic and spiritual attraction to Church and his own predisposition toward the arts also aroused his interest in teaching. Coming from a family of educators, “it all worked in this very sort of strange mysterious way to reveal God’s truth.”

Born in Springfield, Illinois, Fr. Neilson moved to Chicago when he was seven and to Indianapolis when he was 14. He returned to Chicago to teach fourth grade as a volunteer in the Amate House program before pursuing religious life, and graduated summa cum laude in art education from St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wisconsin, in 1988.

But with his Jesuit affiliations, why the Norbertines? He explored several religious orders but found the Norbertines especially welcoming and affirming of his previous role as teacher. Fr. Gene Gries, O. Praem., then St. Norbert Abbey’s vocations director, visited Fr. Neilson’s fourth grade classroom, joined him in the cafeteria, and—an educator himself—talked teaching strategies with his recruit. Fr. Neilson’s reaction: “If anybody else is like that in this organization, I want to join them.”

A visit to the abbey reinforced that first impression: “This is a wellspring of interesting and talented people.” He entered in 1985 and was ordained in 1993.

Admission to the order brought a heightened sense of responsibility and accountability. He wanted to do well—to not only to express his gratitude to the order, but also build on the foundation the order represented.

Priest-artist-teacher Fr. James Neilson, O. Praem.
Priest-artist-teacher Fr. James Neilson, O. Praem.

There were challenges. Nonetheless, “I think the Lord has been extremely generous in cultivating authentic vocation by allowing me to go to art school.” Prior to priestly ordination he earned a master’s degree in divinity, and after ordination he completed his master’s degree in fine arts. Today, he teaches art at St. Norbert College.

“Priest as artist” might be a combination some find mystifying. Within the order, however, the mix follows from the question, “ ‘What is it that gives you life and what can you then return to the Church?’ This is a very Norbertine and very inclusive view of how to be Church and how to celebrate the presence of Christ in the world. Beauty and its understanding—intellectually and spiritually—is a way of doing that.” For Fr. Neilson, practicing the visual arts is both prayer and “catalyst for discerning God’s will.” His combined role of priest, artist, and teacher “is a tripartite vocation—one informs the other. I can’t be one without the other.” The order not only allows such individual expression, but also “encourages us to cultivate the gifts God has given us.”

Fr. Stephen Rossey, O. Praem., a Norbertine mentor who is also an artist, aided Fr. Neilson’s discernment process. A kindred, like-minded spirit, Fr. Rossey was a guide, wisdom figure, and companion on the younger priest’s journey. “[Fr. Rossey] made a huge difference in both my spiritual life and my personal aesthetic. That’s been one of the great gifts of the community, knowing someone like Steve who has been so powerfully influential to me. And I think religious life would be diminished if that possibility [mentorships] were unavailable.”

While art as the essence of his ministry is a given, it is not necessarily in doing or making art that Fr. Neilson is most fulfilled. He has a studio at the abbey but spends little time there. He is at his best in the classroom: “a sacred place where you can experience the divine and the holy. I feel I am as much a priest in the classroom as I am in the church… Christ had roles as a teacher; I feel I am following the footsteps of the person I most admire.”

Within his Norbertine membership, friendship and collegiality score high on the list of pluses. But life within community is not without its challenges. “With any relationship you have, you have to really work at it. It is very easy to let that slide, to dedicate yourself to the institution rather than your family. That is a constant struggle to me.”

So, also, is the desire and need to maintain community. “It’s a precious balancing act between community, which I know is vital, and the demands of apostolate. With the situation of the priesthood today, we are overwhelmed with wonderful opportunities and needs. There is always something to be done for the many within the Church and we can’t always be present as often or to as many as we’d like. It’s a dilemma—a pull that I grapple with every day.”

His abbey affiliation, however, is affirming. People let him know that he is missed, a reminder he needs to review his priorities. “You need to know that you count and that you are needed.”

Within the community, Fr. Neilson enjoys hearing the stories of his confreres and being inspired by their own journeys and talents. He has enjoyed the community’s generosity in supporting the development of his own interests. “The best word to describe the order for me is ‘generosity.’ The order has commissioned me to take seriously my studies for the sake of the order and the Church prizing the order’s rich legacy of teaching.”

Fr. Neilson consciously strives to share his love of art and the Church with others. “I am anxious to perpetuate the artistic legacy of the believing community just as a custodian or a curator might.” It is why he teaches: “so I can preserve and extend the beauty and truth of the faith. I don’t want that legacy to be lost.”

Fr. Xavier Colavechio, O. Praem.

Fr. Colavechio celebrated the 60th anniversary of his priesthood ordination on June 5, 2015.

“I Am Never Alone”

Fr. Xavier Colavechio, O. Praem.
Fr. Xavier Colavechio, O. Praem.

Though I was attracted to the Norbertines because they were my teachers and I wanted to do just that, it did not take long for me to realize that living with a community of brothers was the heart and soul of our order.

Gathering with the confreres and those dedicated laity who join us in the daily singing of God’s praises in both Eucharist and the Divine Office gives meaning and joy to community life.

Anchored in prayer—both common and private—our life continues the ministry of our founder, St. Norbert, whose devotion to the Eucharist and the salvation of souls is well known. Whether teaching or preaching, writing or relaxing, counseling or meditating, I realize that I am never alone. Not only is the Lord with me, but also my brothers in religion have become part of who I am and who I am becoming. Their presence holds me up in difficult times and spurs me on in the service of the Lord, and has made it possible for me to expand my horizons as a servant in the vineyard of the Lord.

Read about the good and faithful friendship between Norbertines Fr. Colavechio, Fr. Stephen Rossey, O. Praem., Fr. Salvatore Cuccia, O. Praem., and Fr. Brian Prunty, O. Praem., in “A Lifetime Friendship” by Fr. Stephen Rossey, O. Praem., in the Spring/Summer 2017 issue of Abbey Magazine (pages 4-6).

Fr. MacCarthy featured on CW 14 Sunday “Focus”

Rev. Dr. Jack MacCarthy, O. Praem.
Rev. Dr. Jack MacCarthy, O. Praem.

Rev. Dr. Jack MacCarthy, O. Praem., has dedicated much of his life to caring for the physical and spiritual needs of the people in Peru. Earlier this year he visited for three weeks, attending to the Centro de Salud in Santa Clotilde and the 13 outlying clinics, as well as attending meetings with the Bishop and the Board of Directors of PANGO. He shared many stories of his South American ministry during a recent interview on northeast Wisconsin’s CW 14 Sunday “Focus” television program.

For a detailed account of Fr. MacCarthy’s medical ministry, see the Fall/Winter 2013 issue of Abbey Magazine (pages 4-9).

In the News

Norbertine serves as medical missionary in Peru
January 14, 2016
CW 14 “Focus” (TV)

The Call Came 50 Years Ago
Norbertines Serve Five Decades in Peru
Fall/Winter 2013
Abbey Magazine