Tuesday here in Minnesota is warm! We headed south to the big city of St. Cloud (west of The Cities) where Charles had an appointment at the VA facility. The folks there are very welcoming and we are fortunate to have gotten in on such short notice.
Since we were already in the vicinity, we headed just a few miles down the highway to visit St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict. We got to the chapel early enough to attend the mid-day prayers with the monks in the university modern chapel, such a special moment in the midst of one's busy day. St. John's University (a men's school) is the home of The Saint John's Bible which is a specially commissioned hand-copied/illustrated Bible. We had seen the Book of Kells (an ancient illustrated work) in Dublin a few years back and we are so fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit this beautiful 21st century example of calligraphy, illumination, and faith.
We had been assisted in finding the St. John's Bible exhibit by a nun from the sister school of St. John's, the College of St. Benedict (a women's college), who encouraged us to visit the chapel at the monastery if time permitted. This chapel is so beautiful and so simple in its conception that we can only imagine what worship in such a place must be like! The nuns also have a nice museum that chronicles their efforts in St. Joseph since the mid-1860's.
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