Abbey Banner - Winter 2021
The winter 2021-22 issue of Abbey Banner celebrates this special place, high above the Sagatagan. Mr. John Geissler identifies the extraordinary forces of our geologic history that resulted in today’s remarkable biodiversity: a place of lands and lakes, birds, mammals, insects, and more. Brother Aaron Raverty introduces the Indigenous peoples who called this place home and made it sacred by their lives and livelihood. We also share stories of the first Benedictines to settle in the place. Patriarch Bartholomew, Pope Francis, and Archbishop Justin challenge us to be good stewards of divine creation, asserting that biodiversity loss and environmental degradation are an “immediate and urgent matter of survival.” Abbot John Klassen opens our issue with a reflection on the Christmas lessons, while Father Timothy Backous reflects on the “art of listening.”