Prior Eric Hollas, OSB

In his Rule Saint Benedict devoted a chapter on monks who go on a journey.  Still, he could never anticipate the sort of baggage that Abbot John Klassen and Prior Eric Hollas travelled with on two successive trips to England.

On the first of these, in November 2023, the visitors from Saint John’s presented sets of the Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible at Salisbury Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral and Lambeth Palace — the traditional London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury.  A second journey, in September of 2024, took Prior Eric and fellow pilgrims to Durham Cathedral, Saint David’s Cathedral in Wales, and the chapel of Saint George at Windsor Castle.  At the latter, during evensong, Prior Eric presented the set to Bishop Christopher Cocksworth, the dean of Saint George, who accepted it on behalf of King Charles and Queen Camilla.  At Windsor Castle it will reside in the Royal Library, but it will also see use in the chapel of Saint George on occasion.

There were many special moments along the way.  During evensong at Canterbury Cathedral the seven volumes of the Heritage Edition rested neatly on the high altar, where centuries of Benedictine monks had once prayed.  At the entrance to the chapel at Lambeth Palace Archbishop Justin Welby handed his crozier to an astonished Abbot John, who was privileged to process in with it.  Later, at a reception, the guests from Saint John’s were equally surprised to meet a member of the pastoral team at Lambeth Palace.  She had grown up in an Episcopalian family in Duluth and as a student at Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict she became seriously interested in theology.

The creation of The Saint John’s Bible was meant to accomplish two goals.  First of all, it was to mark 150 years of Benedictine life at Saint John’s Abbey, University and Preparatory School.  The second was to spark the spiritual imagination of people around the world.  Perhaps the most telling example of that occurred just minutes before the Bible was to be blessed at evensong at Saint David’s in Wales.  There one couple stepped forward to introduce themselves, and they noted their presence at the inaugural event of the project twenty-five years earlier in Minnesota.  In fact, they still had the print by calligrapher Donald Jackson that had been given out that evening.   Quite by chance they had driven through Saint David’s that morning and were surprised to read the poster announcing the ceremony in the cathedral that afternoon.  Years after the gathering in Minnesota they were at last able to see a copy of the finished project in Wales.  Where were they from?  Australia.