The Spring 2024 issue of Abbey Banner celebrates the guidance of the Holy Spirit, inspiring the monks of Saint John’s Abbey to elect Father Douglas Mullin as their eleventh abbot. Prior Eric Hollas explores the personal qualities and job description of the one who holds “the place of Christ in the monastery” (RB 2.2), and Dr. Therese Ratliff “welcomes our abbot.” Brother Aaron Raverty introduces us to the Abbey of Montecassino, the first house of the Benedictine Order, and shares the sad story of its most recent destruction as observed by a monk of Saint John’s Abbey. Mr. John Geissler identifies special wildlife encounters that he anticipates each spring in the abbey arboretum. Father Conrad Diekmann shares his reflections on the sights, sounds, and shades of this season of growth and renewal—in poetry that outlives him.
