Consider the Ravens

Raven, by Fallen Fantasy Art

Pastor’s Epistle—June 2026

The Society of the Holy Trinity (STS) is a pan-Lutheran Order dedicated to helping pastors to fulfill our ordination vows. We gather, pray, learn, eat, celebrate, and worship together, through both the Liturgy of the Hours (i.e., offices of prayer at regular hours of the day) and the Divine Liturgy of Word and Sacrament.

We hold these retreats quarterly, with our local Chapters each assembling three times a year, and the General Retreat of the entire Society convening annually. For over a decade, our General Retreat took place at Mundelein Seminary outside of Chicago, a lovely spot reminiscent of Narnia. This summer, however, will be our first at Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana.

I had to look up the legend of St Meinrad. As the story goes, Meinrad of Einsiedeln was a ninth-century Benedictine priestmonk in modern Switzerland, known ever after as the “Martyr of Hospitality.” He established a hermitage on the slopes of the Etzel Pass, only then to move deeper into the wilderness due to so many pilgrims seeking him out.

One night he had a dream of two men who would murder him the next day. This proved prophetic, as the pair from his nightmare showed up in the morning. True to his faith in the Christ who washed the feet and shared the bowl of his betrayer, Meinrad gave these men shelter, rest, and provisions. And true to his vision, they did indeed kill him for his trouble.

Two ravens, however, who dwelt with Meinrad, followed the murderers and gave them no rest, drawing so much attention to the cutthroats that they finally broke down and confessed their crime. Meinrad had offered his life for love of his neighbor, even for love of his enemies: a true and selfless testament to cruciform Christianity. As such, both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches venerate him as a martyr and a saint.

Saint Meinrad Archabbey takes both his witness and his legacy quite seriously, offering generous and total hospitality to any guests, including the occasional Order of Lutheran clergy looking for a home. But I’m also told that if one looks up into the corners of the architecture with a weather eye, one yet can spot the ravens keeping watch.

In Jesus. Amen.