St. Peter’s Abbey Community Planning Discussion Meetings:
Facilitated by Fr. Roman Paur, OSB.
From August 10th to August 25th, 2025 the eight resident monks met for over 14 Community Planning Meetings. In attendance was: Br. Basil Schaan, Administrator Prior, Br. Benedict van Ginkel, Subprior, Fr. Lawrence DeMong, Br. Kurt Van Kuren, Fr. Richard Meidl, Fr. Demetrius Wasylyniuk, Br. Anthony Vuong Nguyen, and Fr. Cosmas Epifano (Br. Pierre Rouillard is residing in the Central Park Lodge care facility in Lanigan, SK).
During the first week Fr. Roman met with each individual monk whereby the community affirmed continued strong support of Br. Basil’s leadership as prior administrator. Individual discussions were about personal wellbeing, challenges of living in community, and what to do with stored equipment and the several buildings that are not presently being used. The meetings were pleasant, respectful, and productive both in interaction and content.
The community liturgy is much improved with the new physical arrangement of the furniture, the lighting, the sound system sand the participation of the monks.
Fr. Roman Paur and Br. Basil Schaan met with Bishop Mark Hagemoen at his invitation at the Saskatoon Chancery Office. During which, Bishop Mark expressed strong support for the community and offered specific resources of the diocese. Talking to several people in the diocese will help as a resource.
Vocations and the future of the community are an ongoing concern. We have a written plan of how to work with vocations. Fr. Roman shared with the community the plan that St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota uses. The monks have agreed to renovate some of the buildings and to carry on with planning into the future and beyond the life span of our present monks.
Br. Benedict van Ginkel, OSB
