- The Record Archives
- Volume CXVIII, No. XIX - November 3, 2005 - news
Abbey discusses marriage rules
CSB/SJU students or graduates who want to get married at the Abbey must do so within three months of graduating. The Abbey is considering an extension to that deadline
Wedding bells may soon chime more often at the
St. John's Abbey.
Recently, discussion began about changing the current marriage regulations for CSB/SJU students and graduates, although no change has been implemented.
"We're looking at extending the span of time Johnnies have to wed," Abbott John Klassen said. "We're going about this very carefully. I don't want to raise false hopes because there are a lot of complicated issues here."
Last year, an appointed wedding task force of monks met to discuss possible changes how weddings are scheduled in the Abbey.
Currently, the couple must include an SJU student to get married at the Abbey, and they have to do so within three months after graduation, Fr. Bob Pierson said.
"No changes have been made yet," Pierson said. "We gave our recommendations to the Abbot. It is up to him to make decisions. At this point, I don't know what change will look like, or if any changes will be made."
Klassen has not been able to consider the recommendations closely yet.
"We have so much on our plate that I had to put this issue on the back burner," Klassen said.
First-year Katie Suedbeck has an older brother who recently graduated from St. John's and married.
"He didn't get married in the Abbey because it was too soon," Suedbeck said. "People don't need to rush into things so fast after college, they may be jumping into more than they are ready for."
Suedbeck said she feels that extending the time constraint for students post graduation would benefit CSB/SJU.
"It would extend the community feeling they developed here," Suedbeck said. "They could experience more of the Johnnie/Bennie experience after they graduate."