SPECULUM BENEDICTINUM No. 57 EastEr A.D. 2011

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With great sorrow the Monks of Christ the King Monastery inform you of the death of their beloved Abbot, Leonard F. Giardina, O.S.B., on January 7, A. D. 2011. After suffering a stroke in late August, 2010, Abbot Leonard made a remarkable recovery but shortly afterwards was informed that he had prostate cancer. Accepting all from the Hand of Almighty God he resigned himself to this added burden and by mid-December, as the cancer spread rapidly, he quickly went down hill and said his last Mass. Shortly after Christmas he was under the care of home hospice and by early this year was to be transferred to a nursing home. His cancer had spread to his bones and he fractured his hip and spent his remaining days in the hospital. The monks were with him till the end. The first funeral was held amidst a snow storm and a second funeral and burial was held a week later. Abbot Leonard is now at rest in the monastery cemetery. A proper gravestone has been ordered and will be placed as soon as it arrives, possibly by early summer. We monks are greatly indebted to you for your Masses, rosaries and prayers for him and for us in this hour of trial. Please continue to pray for the repose of Abbot Leonard’s soul.

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The following pages contain the Autobiography of Abbot Leonard Giardina, O.S.B., typed at his faithful typewriter – he never wanted to use a computer and refused to do so, although he made use of the computer through his monks. Abbot Leonard typed most of this autobiography in the early 1980’s and only added to it sometime in the 1990’s. We have tried to put the most relevant photographs in this autobiography; included are pictures of his parents, whom he loved very much and sought and received their blessing to enter St. Bernard Abbey, a picture of him when only 4 or 5 years old with his parents, grandmother, aunt and uncles, while living in Sicily for about 9 months of his life; pictures of himself at different stages of his life and some of his accomplishments. To include many other pictures would take up much room and may be looked at in previous issues of Speculum Benedictinum.

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Autobiography of

Abbot Leonard Giardina, O.S.B. Born November 8, 1922, Father Leonard Giardina (Frank) lived and grew into early manhood in Ensley [Birmingham], Alabama. His parents, John and Grace, owned and operated a small grocery store. When he was not actually in school, young Frank worked in the store and delivered groceries.

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From his earliest days, Frank had loved the priesthood and always spoke of his intention of becoming a priest. When World War II broke out it became necessary for him and his family to make some quick decisions, lest perhaps he would be drafted into the armed service, a situation which he considered incompatible with the vocation he was so very certain of. Therefore in the Fall of 1942, he entered the seminary at St. Bernard College, Cullman, Alabama. At first uncertain, he soon decided to join the Family of Benedictine Monks who lived in the Cullman Monastery of St. Bernard, and who operated St. Bernard College. At this point in his life, he was required by the custom of his monastery to change his name to the monastic community name of Leonard. Since he was given a choice of several names, he was delighted when the Abbot of the Monastery publicly announced that his new name would be Leonard – his first choice.

From the start he became interested in all of the activities of the monastery, and worked wherever he was needed. As soon as his college days were completed, he was asked to be the assistant to the treasurer of the Monastery and College. This work was not according to his liking, because business manage-ment was not his favorite kind of work, - or at least, so he thought at that time.

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Somehow, he thought that such an occupation was not quite part of his priestly dream. But as it happened, Father Leonard remained in business management for the next twenty-eight years.

In the year 1949 he was ordained to the Holy Priesthood – at last he had reached his goal – and the dream of his entire life had become a reality. He remained in the Monastery until 1972 when he was appointed pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Cullman, Alabama. During his years in the Monastery, Father Leonard’s priestly work was confined to week-end assignments to various churches in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. After his ordination, the

character of his business management work took on a new and unexpected dimension. As an additional part of his duties he was asked to manage and operate the Abbey chicken farm. As he looked back on his dream, none of these activities were to be found in it. Future days will indicate to him that there was more to the dream than he had anticipated. The announcement of this appointment was made on December 7, 1949. During the night of December 7, fire broke out in one of the chicken farm buildings, and it burned completely to the ground, as Father Leonard slept peacefully through it all. As one can imagine, this incident was the cause of a great deal of humor. In addition to his business duties, Father Leonard was the official Guest Master of the Monastery, in that he was the official host to all of the many guests who visited the Monastery. For several years after his ordination he was the director of the annual Summer Lay People’s Retreats. It was during this time in his life that he became acquainted with a certain Doctor Thomas Berberovich, a noted physician of Saginaw, Michigan. Doctor Berberovich was an alumnus of the St.

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Bernard School, and had become a benefactor – of all things – of the Abbey cattle farm. He, himself, owned a very fine Guernsey Cattle Farm in Michigan. As the Doctor became more acquainted with Father Leonard, he began to prevail upon him to take on the management of the St. Bernard herd of Guernsey Cattle. Once again Father Leonard took a long hard look at his boyhood dream, and was actively opposed to such a proposition. However, in 1951, he gave in to the pressure and began to manage the herd. He knew absolutely nothing about cattle. Under the guidance and generous contributions of the willing Doctor Berberovich, Father Leonard proved to be a good student and worker, and developed one of the finest Guernsey Cattle herds in the entire South East. Later, because of the cattle herd, Father Leonard was able to form a very close personal relationship with Mr. J. C. Penney, who, also, became very interested in the Abbey herd. In short time, Father Leonard came to love the cattle herd very much. For the next several years, Father Leonard managed the Abbey-College farms, taught European History in the college department, assisted in the business office, and was prefect (moderator) in one of the college dormitories. Certain problems in the college dining facilities resulted in the appointment of Father Leonard as the Director of Food Service for the entire institution. For this added responsibility he was relieved of his teaching and college dormitory responsibilities. This appointment became effective on July 1, 1959.

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On August 11, 1961, Father Leonard assumed one additional responsibility: that of business manager for all of St. Bernard Abbey and St. Bernard College. He held this position until November 14, 1972. During his term as business manager, the College Chapel progressed in its construction to a useable enclosed condition and many improvements were incorporated in the new chapel. It was never fully completed for lack of sufficient funds. During these years, the new dining hall building was constructed, as well as the new faculty building and the new Science Hall Building. The year 1968 was probably the finest year of St. Bernard College’s history. In his notes Father Leonard stated that he looked upon 1968 as the GOLDEN YEAR of St. Bernard College. Subsequent records indicate that 1968 was, in fact, the peak year. The following years show a drop in the student enrollment figures, and the institutional income began to decline to such a point that it was insufficient to meet the growing college expenses. The developing college policies became so demanding that the available student income was not sufficient to balance costs – and student income was the principal source of income. During these years, in his concern, he gave some limited assistance to the College Development Program. As a possible solution to the college’s financial difficulties,

in the late 1960’s a merger with the then Sacred Heart Junior College was given much study and very serious consideration – a proposition that Father Leonard never favored, rather opposed it most vigorously. In his opinion, any merger between the two schools would inevitably end in the closing of both institutions. The merger was postponed to a later date. On November 15, 1972, Father Leonard was relieved of all college duties and was appointed

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Pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Cullman, Alabama. He remained Pastor of the Cullman Church until January 14, 1979. During his time in the office of Pastor, Father Leonard involved himself in many ways with the people of his church and community. Always faithful to the orthodoxy of his Catholic Faith, he nevertheless demonstrated a clear and genuine ecumenical spirit by working closely with the various Denominations in and around the City of Cullman. Well known for his love and concern for the youth of his loved Cullman Community, he attracted the local youth by the thousands to his famous “Street Dances” which he conducted in the street directly in front of the beautiful Sacred Heart Church. For several years he was Community Services Chairman for the Cullman Ministerial Association. He was Co-Chairman for the United Fund Drive. Often called upon, he lectured many local clubs and associations and school assemblies. Father Leonard’s hobby was the doing of “beautiful things for beautiful people.” This was manifested by his many Christmas front yard decorations and by the Christmas decorations in his parish church. “Because of Christ” was his personal motto, and he tried, always, to live by that principle. His term as pastor of Sacred Heart Church ended on January 14, 1979. In the year 1978 he was elected to the Board of Directors of the then Southern Benedictine College – the new college formed by the merger of St. Bernard College and Cullman Junior College (Sacred Heart Junior College). He never faltered in his love for the traditional position of the Roman Catholic Church. Consequently, he was gravely disturbed and concerned by the many changes which were taking place within the Catholic Church. His conscience would not permit him to take part in the changes that started to bombard the Catholic Church in and around 1965. He had very little time for the “renewed church” – a fact which drew little favor from his superiors. Many church changes were reflected in the daily observance of his much loved St. Bernard. St. Bernard had become something that he no longer understood. Besides, Southern Benedictine College had closed its door in the Spring of 1979 –

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and the once active campus was not too silent and still. The empty buildings haunted him. Therefore, when he departed from Sacred Heart Church he felt the need to remain alone, so that he could meditate and have time to sort things out in his mind. He did not move back to St. Bernard Abbey. Rather, he moved into and lived in a lovely home, owned by his family and located in Simcoe, Alabama, a small quiet community just east of the City of Cullman. He considered this his “retreat” and called it The Saint Francis Retreat. He was not to remain alone for very long, for in early March of 1979, his long-time friend, Joe Bruno called upon him and faced him with another unexpected challenge. Mr. Joe Bruno, Chairman of the Board of the prospering Bruno – Food-World Grocery chain asked Father Leonard to become the Bruno Company’s all-time first Chaplain-Counselor. At first he was stunned. After thinking about it for a while, he began to look upon it as a very great opportunity – and he understood this to be a real manifestation of God’s providence. He happily accepted the position, and was thus able to return to the task he loved so much: PEOPLE. His new duties drew his attention to many directions. He wrote articles for the Company monthly magazine, and shared in the public relations of his Bruno Company. Father Leonard never moved away from his beloved St. Francis Retreat, and chose to commute daily to and from his Birmingham Office. Unable to devote much time to writing, he wrote short bits and pieces which dealt with his personal observations on life and he called these his: “EXPRESSIONS”. Father Leonard’s conservative views in the Catholic Church attracted the attention of a group of Catholic people who were, themselves, conservative, and whose voice was beginning to become loud enough for notice. The changes in the Catholic Religion were not acceptable to them, and they were happy to find a priest in the Birmingham area who thought as they did. In March of 1981, after much prayer and meditation, he decided to join the growing ranks of the followers of a certain Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, of Econe, Switzerland. Archbishop Lefebvre was a controversial figure in the new liberal Catholic Church. Consequently, it followed logically that Father Leonard, a

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conservative follower of the conservative Archbishop, should also become controversial with his superiors and his co-religionists. In April 1981, Father Leonard became the chaplain of the new, but conservative and traditional Roman Catholic Chapel of St. Pius V in Birmingham, Alabama, and also of the new chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes in Montgomery, Alabama. Meager chapel finances, inevitable for a young chapel foundation, certainly could not support the needs of the chaplain – he received no financial support from his chapels. However, his affiliation with the Bruno Company provided him with the income he needed for living expenses. Now with a job, he was provided with needed income, and the ability to save a portion of his earnings. His early administrative occupations gave him valuable experience. His frugal nature together with his experience served him well for what was ahead of him in life. As of yet he had no notion of founding a monastery, nor had he given any thought toward the building of a chapel. Divine Providence had other plans, which were not long in making themselves clear. Contiguous to the lot on which his house rested there was a very large vacant field, in size 80 acres. Without warning the entire field was put up for sale, and the usual sign was stobbed, of all places, just next to his house. As soon as the sign was noticed he went up to it and looked at it. He thought a while, when suddenly he was compelled to pull it up out of the ground. He did, and came into contact with the real estate agent. After the usual discussions that go with land purchasing, the deal was signed and the land was purchased on March 25, 1985. Very soon after the purchase of the

land, Father began construction of a small frame chapel. The chapel was rather modest but quite lovely and

altogether traditional in structure and

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arrangement. He offered the First Mass in the new chapel on July 13, 1986. From the very first day there were messages of opposition and condemnation. As construction continued, opposition grew, and when it was time for the First Mass, even the local newspaper, with large front page coverage, entered the scene, and came forth with picture and article. In spite of the opposition there was still no feeling of rebellion or opposition. However, the mounting opposition to his endeavors compelled him to investigate the WHY behind it all. Now it was that he began to be convinced that what he was doing was the correct thing to do. The entire story of Christ the King Abbey is a story of a gradual development – with one providential feature growing out of the providential feature that came before it. It was a growth that clearly demonstrated the workings of a Power.

Even though there was no word of advertisement given to the outside world about the work of Father Leonard, it was soon that letters of interest began to come in. Individual men arrived; they asked to be received and allowed to form a Benedictine traditional community. Two time small communities were formed but finding the monastic life to be not what they thought it to be, both groups left. When all hope was gone, a call came in from a young man, who was calling from Tacoma, Washington. The name of the young man was Joseph Sautner. He arrived very late on the

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night of October 28, 1988. The stability of the monastic effort was established upon the arrival of this young man. He is now Reverend Father Michael, O.S.B. Others followed, and work began in earnest on the building of a monastery.

A permanent monastery was built, but in a different area on the acreage purchased earlier. The location of the small frame chapel was not suitable and failed to provide the privacy required by a contemplative community. Local residents lived quite close to the chapel. The new monastery was completed and ready for occupancy in the year 1990. Next in order of importance was the construction of a proper monastic church. The tiny chapel already in use was quite inadequate for liturgical ceremonies; besides, it was some distance away from the monastery. The church was begun in late autumn 1992 and the First Mass was celebrated in it on December 24, 1994. This church was built solely for accommodating the liturgical needs of the monks. It has not ever been in the mind of the monks to establish a “parish” for the welfare of the laity. Even though people attend regularly the various worship services, the Abbey church of Christ the King Abbey is not considered a “parish” church.

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It is worthy of note that the monastery of Christ the King has never engaged in debate, or argument or any form of polemic, as others have. We cannot, indeed, we will not allow the disturbance of argument or debate or idle gossip and speculation to enter our lives and disrupt the atmosphere of peace and serenity that prevails in our Abbey. We wish to spend our valuable time in prayer, contemplation and hard work, and we humbly suggest that you do the same. So the Monks pray. Prayer and Good Will, Obedience and Humility are the only instruments useful in the restoration of Christ’s Church. Abbot Leonard Giardina O.S.B.

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[The rest of the history of Abbot Leonard Giardina, O.S.B. is contained in the previous issues of the Speculum Benedictinum. It is a history of trials and tribulations, sufferings and sacrifice, prayer and mortification.]

Aerial Photo of Christ the King Abbey, 2010

Please be assured of the Perpetual Prayers

of the monks of Christ the King Abbey Please think about placing us in your will or trust.

Our incorporated name is:

Christ the King Abbey, Inc. 5060 County Road 1635: Cullman AL 35058-1716

(Non-Profit Religious Organization)

Mailing address: Street address: Christ the King Abbey Christ the King Abbey PO Box 1616 5060 County Road 1635 Cullman AL 35056-1616 Cullman AL 35058-1716 Several weeks before the death of Abbot Leonard, we monks, with Abbot Leonard’s permission, began the process of reconciliation of our Abbey with the Church. Because of this reconciliation, several monks of the Abbey and the sisters of St. Joseph’s Convent, who did not want to be reconciled to the Church, left voluntarily; St. Joseph’s Convent is closed. The Abbey is not closed, we have closed the abbey church to the public temporarily; the abbey church will reopen to the public shortly. The Mass and sacraments will not change. We monks hope you will read and fully comprehend the following statement:

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PLEA

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Please list here your very special INTENTIONS for which you wish our prayers and good works (confidential information) and return to the Abbey BEFORE June 1, 2011. This paper will be kept on the High Altar next to the Tabernacle during the months of the Sacred Heart and Precious Blood. The Monks, in their daily prayer and work, will remember you and your dear loved ones - both living and departed.

From the Holy Rule of Saint Benedict: Chapter 5

“Of Obedience”: “The first degree of humility is

obedience without delay.”

Obedience is such an integral part of the Holy Rule of Saint Benedict that one could say that it is the essence of the Holy Rule. Why is that? The reason is from where the Holy Rule derives all of its meaning: Jesus Christ, “I came not to do My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.”

Without obedience to the Church, there is no obedience to Christ. Without obedience to the Abbot, who represents Christ, there is no true monastic life as envisaged by Saint Benedict. The original sin was committed by an act of disobedience and Saint Benedict saw clearly the teachings of Christ and His Church that the only true way back unto Almighty God was obedience to His Church which is obedience to Christ.

Obedience led Noah to build the ark, spending 100 years of his life and the ridicule of his neighbors in doing what Almighty God asked of him. Obedience led Abraham to leave his country and when the promise of Almighty God was accomplished in the birth of Isaac, his son, it was again obedience which led him to lift the knife in sacrifice. Instead, the disobedience of the Hebrews led them wandering in the desert for 40 years until that whole generation that sinned had died out. Only then did Almighty God allow the Hebrews into the Promised Land. It was the obedience of Christ that led him into the Garden of Gethsemane where He cried unto his Father to remove that chalice from Him. However, in that same obedience Christ then added: “Not my will be done but Thine be done.”

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PLEASE CU

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FOR ADDITIONAL MESSAGE

Christ the King AbbeyP.O. Box 1616

Cullman, Alabama 35056-1616

You see in this church the monks’ empty choir stalls. Is this from obedience to the Abbot or disobedience? Two of us remain here in this monastery. Is this from obedience or from disobedience? Obedience has kept each of us, who remain here, for over twenty years and obedience is now calling upon us to do the bidding of Almighty God. Obedience to the Abbot is obedience to Christ, obedience to the Church is obedience to Christ. We, the monks of Christ the King Abbey are now rendering that obedience to the Church by submitting ourselves to the authority of the Church.

As Abbot Leonard has clearly outlined in the past, and was reiterated on the first Sunday of this year: this church of Christ the King Abbey is a monastic church which was built for the monks. It is not a parish church. The doors are open and you are welcome to attend; but you are here by privilege, not by right. As things stand right now, after Mass today, March 6, 2011, this monastic church will be closed to the public temporarily. We hope to reopen to the public shortly but this is in the hand of Almighty God. We are unable to give a timetable as to when. We monks will continue our monastic life as we have been doing; the Mass will be the same as it has always been.

We ask your prayers that God’s holy will be done. May God, through the intercession of our Immaculate Mother, grant his gift of humility to all of us in every moment: that humility that makes us, like Jesus and Mary, to be, without delay, God’s obedient children.

Please remember that we shall continue to keep each and every one of you in our daily prayers.