From the Senior

A REFLECTION ON ILLNESS
I have tried to keep the Society informed about my journey with cancer and its treatment through e-mail and the newsletter. I have been healthy all my life, so it was a new experience for me to be hospitalized (twice) and to now think of myself as a cancer survivor (chemotherapy is done!). Not surprisingly, I have engaged in theological reflection on what I have been going through. I would like to share that with my fellow pastors, as well as with my congregation, for mutual conversation.

I think it is important to do that because the number of people with chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes is increasing in our society. We know that the causes are genetics, lifestyle, and environment, but in what mix for each individual we don't know. We may wonder how this could be happening when God's creation is supposed to be good—and our bodies are part of God's creation. The goodness of God's creation must be affirmed. But we also read in Romans 8 that "the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." The creation itself suffers corruption because of human sin (for example, what we have done to the environment) and awaits redemption. Our bodies, too, have been subjected to corruption in terms of illnesses, diseases, and death, and therefore our hope lies in the resurrection of the body. The whole creation waits for the redemption of our bodies and the glorification of the children of God.

People experiencing a chronic illness might be tempted to ask whether God has something to do with it. That cannot be answered one way or the other because we cannot know the mind of God. We can neither say that God willed our disease or that our God would not will such a thing for his children. We can't say what God wills in this regard because we don't know. We recall that even Moses was not allowed to see God face to face, because being exposed to the fullness of God would kill him (see Exodus 33). But God condescended to show him something—his backside!

We can only know what God allows us to know—what is revealed. For St. Paul it was enough to know Christ, "and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote from prison that "only a suffering God can help." That's the God revealed to us in Christ—a God who suffers for us and with us. Knowing and proclaiming this suffering God is what it means to be a theologian of the cross. As Martin Luther wrote in his Heidelberg Disputation of 1518, "He deserves to be called a theologian . . . who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffering and the cross. A theology of glory calls evil good and good evil. A theology of the cross calls the thing what it actually is."

What I have actually experienced is bondage to sin and death. But the good news is that God does not leave us in bondage. The ascended Christ leads captivity captive (Ephesians 4:8) and the God who became flesh and dwelt among us in his Son now gives himself to those who are baptized into Christ—the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts and praying for us with sighs that are too deep for words (Romans 8:26–27). The ascended Son of God intercedes on behalf of his brothers and sisters before the throne of God the Father because all is not well with us or the world. We, along with the world, need to be made whole.

This is the way I have thought theologically about my illness. It is a new experience for me to relate my story existentially to the story of Christ's death and resurrection, in which human history (including my history) finds its meaning and hope. If my reflections can be improved upon, I look forward to your insights. But I think it is important to relate our stories to the Bible's story and the Christian tradition, and not come up with new theologies based on our experiences. The Bible's story and the Christian tradition form a worldview that is able to make sense of the things we experience. A Methodist teacher, the late W. Richard Stegner, once told me that communicating a worldview is the most important task of a preacher. I think he was right.

THE SENIOR IN PURPLE
At the Leadership Conference in February, I received the gift of a purple cassock from the Metropolitan New York Chapter. It was given to show the senior's episcopal (oversight) function within the Society. I will wear it when appropriate at STS events. I don't wear it in the congregation, since the congregation has a bishop. Receiving and wearing this purple cassock does not require any future senior of the Society to do likewise. As Martin Luther said about vestments and altar appointments, "Let these things be free."

Frank C. Senn, STS, Senior

Content of the General Retreat 2007
The 2007 general retreat of the Society of the Holy Trinity will be held on the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind., on August 21–23. Chaplain for the retreat will be David Wendel, STS, St. Luke Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colo. Preachers this year are Patrick Rooney, STS, Christ Lutheran Church, York, Pa.; Irma Wolf, STS, Brandon-Split Rock Lutheran Church, Brandon, S.Dak.; Troy Mulvaine, STS, Augustana Lutheran Church, Tonawanda, N.Y.; David Poedel, STS, Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Phoenix, Ariz. Frank Senn, STS Senior, will give an opening address on "A Society of the Cross." Teaching theologians will be Amy Schifrin, STS, Interim Pastor in the Lower Susquehanna Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), on "Holy, Holy, Holy: God as Preacher," and Dr. Max Johnson, Professor of Liturgy, University of Notre Dame, on "Baptism Under the Sign of the Cross."

This is the tenth anniversary of the Society, and it will be celebrated with a banquet on Wednesday night. The banquet speaker will be Richard Niebanck, STS. Following the banquet address there will be a hymn festival organized around the marks of the Church led by Andrew Senn from the organ console of Kramer Chapel. Rising over 100 feet above the Upper Plaza, Kramer Chapel is the physical and spiritual center of the campus. We will appreciate the opportunity to worship in this impressive facility. It should be a good general retreat.

Early Arrivals, General Retreat, Take Note

If you are arriving for the general retreat early and need a place to stay Monday night, August 20, please note that the procedure to arrange for this is different from the way it was for the past few general retreats. This year you have to make reservations for room and board for your early arrival directly through the Secretary of the Society. Rates are as follows:

    Monday night room, $25.00
    Monday evening meal, $6.95
    Tuesday morning breakfast, $5.25

Send a check made out to "Society of the Holy Trinity" for the total of what you want, in advance, to Pr. John E. Priest, STS Secretary, 17 High St., Delhi, NY  13753. The deadline is August 1. Please note that the Secretary prefers not to receive payment during the general retreat, since he is at that point 800 miles away from home and the bank. So if you want an early arrival room and meals, think ahead!

John E. Priest, STS, Secretary

Endowment Milestone Reached
Bursar of the Society, Mark A. Hoffman, reports that the Society has passed a milestone in its Endowment Fund, with contributions now passing $100,000. The milestone was reached through the generous gift of $10,000 from Robert and Carole Cauble, R. R. Cauble Lath & Plaster, Inc., San Antonio, Tex. The Society wishes to express a sincere thank-you to the Caubles for their gift, which makes this new milestone possible.

Member News
Paul Baglyos, STS, has accepted an appointment to the faculty of Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, where he will serve as Professor of Rural Ministry and Director for the Center for Theology and Land, beginning August 1. Paul is the recent dean of the Passavant Chapter. We offer congratulations to Paul on this appointment and wish him well in his new endeavors.

CALIFORNIA CHAPTER
Dean, Richard O. Johnson, california@societyholytrinity.org

The California Chapter met in retreat May 21–22 at St. Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo, Calif. There were 15 present, including six of the chapter's seven members, one seminarian, one visitor who intends to subscribe to the Rule at the general retreat, one ecumenical guest, and six other visitors. The chapter studied the two new Lutheran service books, with various members leading the discussion on different aspects of the books. Dean Richard Johnson, STS, served as chaplain.

The chapter's next retreat will be December 3–4 at Christ the King Retreat Center, Citrus Heights, Calif.

GREAT RIVERS CHAPTER
Dean, Timothy D. Hubert, greatrivers@societyholytrinity.org

The Great Rivers Chapter met in retreat at the Todd Hall Retreat and Conference Center in Columbia, Ill., on May 7–8. Seven members and one intern were in attendance. Dean Tim Hubert, STS, was the teaching theologian, speaking on the Catholic Counter-Reformation of Elizabethan England. Vicar Jacalyn R. Griffin was chaplain.

Our next retreat is October 15–16, again at Todd Hall, Columbia, Ill. Jim Lehmann, STS, will be our teaching theologian, speaking on the healing ministry of the Church.

IOWA CHAPTER
Dean, David A. Aanonson, pastor@ctklutheranic.org

The Iowa Chapter of the Society met in retreat on May 7–8 at American Martyrs Retreat House, Cedar Falls, Iowa. Present were seven members and three visitors. Chaplain for the retreat was Gary Hatcher, STS, who led us through the offices, preached, and celebrated the Eucharist. Christopher Staley, STS, served as confessor. The teaching theologian for the retreat was Ken Kimball, visitor, who led us in discussion, using Who Owns the Bible?: Toward the Recovery of a Christian Hermeneutic by Karl Paul Donfried and "A Lutheran Statement on the Authority and Interpretation of Scripture in the Church," a document of Lutheran CORE, a coalition of reforming groups and individuals within the ELCA.

The next retreat is November 12–13, again at American Martyrs Retreat House.

METRO NEW YORK CHAPTER
Dean, Rodney L. Eberhardt, srpastorstlukes@verizon.net

The Metro New York Chapter met in retreat May 14–15 at St. Ignatius Retreat House, Manhasset, N.Y. We recognized the ordination anniversaries of Pr. George Loewer and George Muenich, STS, both 30 years, and Jack Traugott, STS, 50 years. Visitation schedules were passed out, followed by the mutual conversation and consolation of the brothers and sisters. The retreat ended with a celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Our next retreat will be November 19–20 when Dean Eberhardt will present the topic "Pastor as In persona Christi capitis." Francis Bonadonna, STS, will serve as chaplain and Fred Schumacher, STS, will preach.

MINNESOTA CHAPTER
Dean, Luther M. Mathsen, minnesota@societyholytrinity.org

The Minnesota Chapter will meet for its summer retreat on July 23–24, from noon to noon, at Christ the King Retreat Center in Buffalo, Minn. Fr. Paul Wesche of St. Herman's Orthodox Church in Minneapolis will be our guest presenter, teaching about the Orthodox discipline of prayer.

Reported by Pari Bailey, STS, Minnesota Chapter

NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER
Dean, Jack R. Whritenour, JRWnCAW@aol.com

The New England Chapter held its Lenten retreat on March 4–5 at Saint Edmund's Retreat in Mystic, Conn. There were seven in attendance. We watched a recent episode of the EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) program "The Journey Home," in which host Marcus Grodi interviewed former Lutheran pastor Leonard Klein, who is now a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. We then had a theological discussion on Klein's answers to Grodi's questions. Dean Jack Whritenour, STS, gave a presentation on the book The Eucharist in the Reformation by Lee Wadell. This extremely well-researched book deals with the transition from the Medieval Mass to the reformed liturgies of the German Lutheran churches, the Reformed churches, and the Roman Catholic Church after the Council of Trent.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS CHAPTER
Dean, Keith L. Forni, northernillinois@societyholytrinity.org

The Northern Illinois Chapter hosted a daytime retreat on May 2 (Commemoration of Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria) at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Luke, Chicago, Ill. The Rev. Dr. Kurt Hendel of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago was the teaching theologian, presenting "Luther, a Theologian of the Cross." A second daytime retreat was offered on June 18 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows on Chicago's west side.

Plans are underway for a joint, 24-hour retreat with the Wisconsin Chapter in November.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHAPTER
Dean, Brad Everett, rockymountain@societyholytrinity.org

The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of the Holy Trinity met in retreat at the FCJ Retreat Centre in Calgary, Alberta, May 27–29. The Society's Senior, Frank Senn, was guest theologian and Society visitor, addressing the subject "Normative Lutheran Piety."

SANGRE DE CRISTO CHAPTER
Dean, David M. Wendel, pr-wendel@saintlukes-cs.org

The Sangre de Cristo Chapter met in retreat April 26–27, at the Franciscan Retreat Center, Colorado Springs, Colo. In addition to members in attendance, Mark Hoffman, STS Bursar, was in attendance as official visitor. Two pastors from Kansas were in attendance as inquirers. The topic for study was the book Who Owns the Bible?:  Toward the Recovery of a Christian Hermeneutic, by Karl Paul Donfried. An ecclesiastical ballot was held, and David Wendel, STS, was elected dean of the chapter.

Our next retreat will be held at the Franciscan Retreat Center in Colorado Springs in mid-November.

UPSTATE NEW YORK CHAPTER
Dean, Troy A. Mulvaine, upstate.newyork@societyholytrinity.org

This year the Upstate New York Chapter will be focusing its attention on the Rule and its application for parish ministry. At our next retreat, September 27–28 at Stella Maris Retreat Center in Skaneateles, N.Y., we will take a closer look at the history and theology of the practice of confession and reconciliation. Dean Troy Mulvaine, STS, will present a paper and lead a discussion on the topic. We will address: confession and reconciliation at the time of the Reformation, the decline and near-extinction of confession and reconciliation in American Lutheranism, and plans for education and rediscovery of confession and reconciliation as a regular practice in the local parish.

Our chapter is currently working on the regular visitation of members and inroads to inviting and introducing clergy to the Society and its ministerium.

WISCONSIN CHAPTER

Dean, Mark W. Knappe, gdlc@execpc.com

The chapter continues to enjoy the hospitality of the Norbertines at their abbey in De Pere, Wisc. We are in the habit of praying Matins with the community.

Members of the Wisconsin Chapter are looking forward to the general retreat in August and we continue to pray that the Lord will grant good health for our Senior.

Our next chapter retreat will be a joint retreat with the Northern Illinois Chapter, November 12–13.

Some biblical sources include: Rom 6.3–11 (Baptism); 1 Tim 3.10–17 (Scriptures); 1 Cor 11.17–34 (Supper); Jn 8.1–11 (Forgiveness); 1 Jn 5.14–15 (Prayer); 2 Cor 4.11–18 and 2 Cor 5.1–21 (Ministry); 1 Cor 1.18–25 (Cross). For a copy of additional references from the four Gospels concerning these marks, you may drop me a note.

Martin Luther's description of the seven marks is found in the article, "On the Councils and the Church, Part Three," Luther's Works (Concordia and Fortress, 1955–), vol. 41, pp. 143–178. Note his introduction to the marks:  " . . . Christians . . . are called . . . sancta catholica Christianathat is, 'a Christian holy people' who believe in Christ. That is why they are called a Christian people and have the Holy Spirit who sanctifies them daily, not only through the forgiveness of sin acquired for them by Christ . . . , but also through the abolition, the purging, and the mortification of sins, on the basis of which they are called a holy people (pp. 143–144)."

An ecumenical treatment of the marks has been provided by the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology. Ten essays by various theologians in Marks of the Body of Christ were edited by Carl E. Braaten and Robert W. Jenson (Eerdmans, 1999). While the essays are insightful, there is an unevenness because of the variety.

A more helpful book is Christian Assembly: Marks of the Church in a Pluralistic Age by Gordon W. Lathrop and Timothy J. Wengert (Fortress, 2004). The chapters by Wengert are especially good. He describes the historical setting that led to Luther's description of the marks, rooting the Church's life in "the oral and public voice of the Gospel" (as opposed to a place or a person). The book also shows how those marks run through the Book of Concord (stimulating for Lutheran structures today).

Finally, you may want to look through the Senior's book, A Stewardship of the Mysteries, Frank C. Senn (Paulist, 1999). This book faithfully and skillfully unpacks our participation in the Lord's Word and Sacraments.

Under the mysterious workings of the Holy Spirit, the studies and conversations around these marks promise to invigorate and strengthen the ministry in which it is our privilege and responsibility to participate. As we are drawn further into the actions of the Holy Trinity, we will see these marks surfacing in our parish communities and beyond.

Carl A. Voges, STS, Vicar