Closing of Blue Cloud Abbey Ends Era in State
By Jon Walker
Blue Cloud Abbey will close this summer after 62 years as a home for Benedictine monks and a spiritual oasis for visitors seeking solitude in a modern world. The monastery is a northeast South Dakota landmark that has kept the tiny burg of Marvin on the map. It became a jumping-off point for brothers in the Catholic faith to minister to communities in the Dakotas and eventually fell to the same fate shared by those it served. The decline hit its critical point in May, when its 14 monks voted to close the doors. A farewell gathering will be Aug. 5. "Though it has not been an easy decision, we have come to the conclusion that it is a necessary one," said Abbot Denis Quinkert, spiritual leader at Blue Cloud. Quinkert said of the 14 remaining monks, three are age 90 or older, two are in their 80s and seven in their 70s. Even a surge of younger candidates would require years of training to replenish the community, he said. The news saddened people inside and outside the Catholic faith. "It's always been a place for rejuvenation and renewal," said the Rev. Chuck Cimpl at St. Michael Parish in Sioux Falls. "The only sounds were the sounds of nature and the beautiful bells that always sounded on the hour and every 15 minutes," Cimpl said. "It brought you into a slower pace. That was just the way God was working in our lives so we could slow down." The abbey is east of Marvin, a Grant County town near Milbank. Monks living there labored in a role the church calls brother, taking a vow of celibacy and ministering inside and outside the walls. Some went on to further study to become priests. Several served needy parishes on the Northern Plains, particularly those with Native Americans. Much of the work was on the home campus, where monks devoted themselves to prayer, counseling and receiving guests for events such as marriage encounters. Over the years they were an enterprising group who ran a print shop, made vestments and raised livestock and vegetables to support themselves. "In the early days they tried to be self-sufficient," Cimpl said. The town itself has 34 people as of the last census, but that's a generous figure, said postmaster Vicky Smith, who's handled the local mail since 1982. She thinks Marvin now is down to 26 perople. "It's very sad," she said. "They kind of gave Marvin an identity. You'd tell someone you were from Marvin and they'd say, oh yeah, that's where Blue Cloud Abbey is." Marvin is in a farm area of lush fields in the spring and stiff winds when the temperature drops. It has a town hall, a bar, a county shop, a fire hall and a mom-and-pop business called Colleen's Gardens. "It's been a dying town for a long time," said Roberta Anderson, 52, elected mayor this spring. "In the summer time, it's God's country. In the winter time, it's no man's land." Bishop Paul Swain of the Sioux Falls Catholic Diocese called the abbey a haven for many to search for meaning in life. "It is with sadness and a sense of loss, and yet with profound gratitude that we receive the news of closing," he said by email. "The Diocese of Sioux Falls pledges our support through this time of transition. Our prayers go with all the monks as they take up new residence." The abbey's website, www.bluecloud.org, hosts a gallery with photos showing campus activity and progress since building began in 1950. Quinkert posted a note there Monday that began, "This is not an easy message to write." He described the abbey as wonderful and effective, then posed a question as to why Blue Cloud has not received the young blood it needs to keep going. "That is not something we can answer," he said. "We have been praying and been open to God working in the life of our community. Now, regardless of any other concern, the main concern has to be getting each monk settled into a new monastic home."
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