dual personalities

This picture of the Saint Louis Abbey here in town came up on my Instagram feed yesterday and I just have to say that this famous Gyo Obata-designed building may have been cutting edge when it was completed in 1962,

but it still looks like a birthday cake. I’ve never been a fan of poured concrete I guess. The grounds of the Abbey are rather uninspiring, don’t you think?

Here’s a tour of the building.

Cool 1964 Priory yearbook frontispiece with dead tree branch

I have to admit, the St. Louis Abbey is better than St. John’s Abbey Church in Collegeville, MN.

Good Lord, what were they thinking?

In other news, today the Episcopal Church remembers Conrad Weiser–Witness to Peace and Reconciliation–with a feast day on its liturgical calendar. Weiser (November 2, 1696 – July 13, 1760) was a Pennsylvania Dutch pioneer, interpreter and diplomat between the Pennsylvania Colony and Native Americans.

As a child, Conrad Weiser and his family were among thousands of Protestant refugees who left the German Palantine in 1709 for reasons of religious persecution. They traveled to England and then were sent to the New York colony. The Crown supported migration of immigrants to help settle the New York colony, the plan being that they would work off their passage in a form of indenture in camps devoted to producing ships’ stores, such as tar and other materials. Later they would be allowed to trade their work for land. It was not until 1723, however, that some 100 heads of families received land grants in the central Mohawk Valley.

[Side note: If you want to read a really good book about this dishonorable system, I recommend The Free Man by Conrad Richter.]

Weiser eventually moved to Pennsylvania where he became a key player in treaty negotiations, land purchases, and the formulation of Pennsylvania’s policies towards Native Americans. For many years, he helped to keep the powerful Iroquois allied with the British as opposed to the French. This important service contributed to the continued survival of the British colonies and the eventual victory of the British over the French in the French and Indian Wars.

Indeed, Weiser was one cool dude and a lay minister in the Lutheran Church. By the way, Weiser’s daughter Maria married Henry Muhlenberg, whom the Episcopal Church also honors with a feast day (October 7).

Almighty God, of your grace you gave Conrad Weiser the gift of diplomacy, the insight to understand two different cultures and interpret each to the other with clarity and honesty: As we strive to be faithful to our vocation to commend your kingdom, help us to proclaim the Gospel to the many cultures around us, that by your Holy Spirit we may be effective ambassadors for our Savior Jesus Christ; who with you and the same Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Meanwhile, as the temperatures soar here, the wee babes have been keeping cool flyover style.

(By the way, those are bug repellent anklets. They are not on kiddie parole. What’ll they think of next?)

I was reminded that back in 1966 the All-Star game was held in the brand new Busch Stadium here in town. Unfortunately, the temperature that day topped out at 103!

Look at all the men in shirts and ties! I was going to Vacation Bible School at the time and remember my VBS teacher was George Guernsey and he was going to the game that afternoon. We were all jealous, but maybe we needn’t have been!

Well, I am sure glad the weekend is almost here. It’s going to be another hot one…

…but since it has been an unusually busy week at the salt mine, I don’t care. I have no big plans.

What are you doing this weekend?