Echoes from the Bell Tower

On March 5, 2012, I rolled onto the Saint Meinrad campus to start a new job in the communications department. I was a 28-year-old newspaper photographer who knew very little about Catholicism. Despite the learning curve, I quickly set out to preserve Saint Meinrad’s history through audio, video, photographs, and articles.

There has been a lot of history to preserve over the last 10 years. Perhaps the largest event was when Fr. Justin DuVall retired as abbot and Archabbot Kurt Stasiak was elected in 2016. I have photographed many monastic funerals in the last decade, but none as difficult as Fr. Justin’s funeral this past year. I remember being struck by how peaceful monastic funerals were when I had to photograph one for the first time.

I also have had the honor of photographing many professions and ordinations, welcoming future friends into the monastic community and watching them grow into their vocations as monks or into other vocations as they left the Hill.

I’ve noticed how Saint Meinrad is always focused on the future. Leaders are always planning for how they can better serve the Church 10, 20, 30 years down the road.

The buildings and landscape have changed. Programs have been created and others have grown. The Abbey Press closed, and Abbey Caskets brought its workshop on campus.

My job has also grown and changed a bit over the years, but photography has remained one of my main responsibilities. For this blog, I chose 10 photos, one for each year I have worked for Saint Meinrad.

They don’t necessarily represent the BIG historical moments, but the small ones that happen here on campus every day.

Visit https://saint-meinrad.smugmug.com/Photography to view more of our favorite Saint Meinrad photographs.