ABCs at the Abbey
By Michael Taffe, O.S.B.
Monks are assigned a variety of jobs both in and outside of the monastery both
to keep the monastery functioning and to earn our living. There are also volunteer
tasks that monks undertake which might have less immediate impact on the running
of the monastery, but are important to the wider community in the area. Thus, we
have the acronyms or ABCs of Assumption Abbey.
DRC -- The DRC stands for the Dakota Resource Council. The group was started
in 1978 by farmers and ranchers who were interested in protecting North Dakota’s
water, air, land, and rural economies. If those who actually live and work on the
land do not care about preserving it, then industries and companies who do not live
here may take advantage of available resources without, potentially, the same care
and concern for the future use of these resources. Fr. Terrence has been a member
of the DRC since 1978 and a member of the Board of Directors on and off for the past
20 years. The mission of the DRC meshes well with the vow of stability in the Rule
of Benedict. By working to ensure that the environment remains healthy, the monks
will be able to praise God and work for years to come in this beautiful part of the
country.
It is difficult for many of us to keep up with all the information and issues
that can impact our lives and livelihoods. This is what the DRC does; it gathers
information and helps citizens (and monks) keep abreast of the many threats to our
environmental integrity. Some of the issues that the DRC addresses include: family
farms, renewable energy, enforcement of corporate farming laws, soil and water conservation,
safe food laws, and protection of ground water and clean air. Over the years, Fr.
Terrence has given many talks to the monks regarding various environmental issues.
GRHS -- GRHS stands for the Germans from Russia Heritage Society. This organization
was begun in 1971 to help preserve the history of these immigrants, to help in genealogical
research, and to have some fun, too. The Germans from Russia were those ethnic Germans
invited to work in Russia by Catherine the Great and later Tsars. These folks then
began immigrating to the United States in 1873, up and down the Great Plains with
many settling in North Dakota. The organization gathers birth and death records,
letters, diaries and other sources about life in Russia as well as pioneer life in
the US, and makes these available. There is a national convention every year in addition
to regional and local meetings.
Br. Placid has been a member of GRHS from the first meeting in 1971 and has attended
almost all of the annual national conventions. However, his involvement is not just
as a passive participant! Br. Placid has become an expert on the folklore of the
Germans from Russia and has translated and written down folktales he has collected
in the quarterly Heritage Review of the GRHS. He is an important resource for those
who want to find out more about the Germans from Russia and their experience in both
Russia and the United States.
EMT -- The Abbey has two monks who work with the Richardton-Taylor Volunteer
Ambulance Service: Br. Elias and Br. Michael. The R-T Ambulance service provides
emergency medical service to the communities and rural areas of Richardton and Taylor
covering approximately 700 square miles. The ambulance crew is comprised of residents
of Richardton who volunteer to undertake on-call duty 24-hours per day, 7 days per
week. Br. Elias, who is also the infirmarian for the Abbey and a Registered nurse,
is an EMT-I (Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate) and has been working with
the ambulance service for about 18 years. Currently, Br. Elias is the only EMT who
can take regular day-time on-call duty and is also the Operations Manager. Br. Michael
is a driver for the ambulance and is studying to be an EMT. Rural communities often
struggle to keep these important services working and monks of the Abbey can help
out in this regard.
