Daily the monks finished the Office of None before noon, and then prayed the Angelus at twelve o’clock. On this particular day, I was busy preparing the dining room for the noon meal. Our bakery was in a building apart from the monastery. There were several dining rooms. Next to the monks’ dining room was one for the little oblates. There was a guest dining room; Father John Thuis was in charge. The major and minor seminarians also had their dining room.
The closer it got to the noon hour, the more agitated I became. In checking with the other dining rooms, I found that none had received their share of bread. Close to twelve o’clock noon, I hurried to the door from which the Abbot, priests and brothers exited the Church. Father Abbot Ignatius Esser was always the first to exit. I was waiting. Seeing my distress, he gently took my arm, asking what was my concern. I explained that the bread for all the dining rooms had not arrived. I then attempted to run back to the dining room to help place the bread if it had arrived in my absence. Father Abbot firmly held my arm and calmly said, “Walk with me.”
At that time at Saint Meinrad a long corridor led from the Church to the dining room. The monks chanted a Psalm and responses as they walked along. In a few moments we arrived at the dining room. Bread was in place as if it had just come out of the oven—as it also was in the other dining rooms, when I later checked.
I later learned that the reason there had been no bread was because some equipment in the bakery had failed.
By John Campbell
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