The Pilgrims Page: St. John and St. Odelia provide pilgrimages in Minnesota

Our first pilgrimage stop will be at the Abbey of St. John in St. John, Minn. The abbey’s history goes all the way back to 1856 when four Benedictine monks were sent from an abbey in Pennsylvania to establish a presence in the Minnesota Territory. By the 1860s they were settled amidst 2,400 acres of forest, prairie, wetlands and lakes. The Abbey was the first Benedictine Abbey in the Midwest. Today the property includes a full liberal arts college open to anyone.

However, there is so much more to this place than just a monastery and school. The monks also developed a place for artisans. You can visit the different buildings and see the woodworkers building organs, or you can visit the pottery shop at 3 p.m. for afternoon tea at the irori table. An irori is a traditional Japanese hearth and table used for heating tea water and food, as well as for generating warmth in the home. There is also a museum dedicated to the St. John’s Illuminated Bible. This bible was made in the tradition of illuminated manuscripts, but with a combination of traditional images along with contemporary design that accompanies the handwritten calligraphy of the scriptures.

Finally, do not miss the opportunity to pray with the monks for the Liturgy of the Hours. This is where one gets a sense of the rhythm of the life of a monk. The prayer is done slowly with pauses for contemplation as if time blurs away and one has nowhere else to go. The schedule for visitors is available at saintjohnsabbey.org, and calling ahead for a tour is recommended. There is also a guesthouse for retreats. 

For our second stop we head north of Minneapolis to the shrine of St. Odelia, Onamia, Minn. St. Odelia was a child of noble parents who lived on the border of France and Germany. She was born blind. Her father wanted her cast out, but her mother persuaded him to have the child raised by nuns. It was the nuns who baptized her at the age of 12, after which immediately her blindness was cured.

The story of her death places her in Colone, Germany where she encountered an unfriendly Germanic tribe. She was captured and martyred for her faith around 720 AD. In 1287 she appeared to a monk in Paris and directed him to collect her relics in Cologne as she was now to be their special protector of the order, the Crosiers. She told him the exact spot where to find them. In 1952 the Crosier monks brought some of her relics to Minnesota when they founded another monastery. Today you can visit her relics in the small chapel. Many pilgrims have come here to pray for a cure to eye problems (St. Odelia’s specialty). There are healing Masses scheduled for the shrine as well. Visit crosier.org or call (320) 532-3103.