**This money, however, will be used for St. Meinrad. Some will go for scholarships, and it will also help raise teacher salaries, renovate dormitories for the seminarians and make other improvements, including a new $5.2 million retreat center.**
Looks like the money is going to be well spent.
Don't be too sure.
The main chapel was gutted in mid 1970s and then left that way for 25 years while they figured out how they wanted to "do liturgy" and "do Eucharist", which helped them discern how to organize their "worship space".
High altar and tabernacle were replaced by a giant imposing pipe organ.
Altar is in the very center of the church.
Rows of chairs are lined up along the left and right sides, oriented just like the monks' choir stalls - everyone facing each other.
Monks and laymen are expected to "process" to the altar for the Liturgy of the Eucharist portion of the Mass. There they stand throughout the consecration.
The tabernacle - while extremely beautiful and frequently visited by moonks and laymen alike - is hiddne behind the giant organ.
This I know because I was there just weeks after the re-modeled church re-opened.
St. Meinrad's is teeming with heretical monks - although the leadership is attempting to place orthodox people in charge of theology, etc.
Archbishop Beuchlein of Indianapolis is a monk from this archabbey. He is solid on paper but weak in practice (meaning he is a paper tiger). But he did take over a ridiculously heretical diocese. But that was almost 10 years ago.
I pray the archabbey will recover, but don't trust any of these monks without vetting them.