Visiting The Saint John’s Bible by Christ & St. Luke’s
As part of their experience hosting two volumes of The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition in the early months of 2025, the wonderful folks at Christ & St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Norfolk, Virginia, had the opportunity to visit Saint John’s University, the home of the original manuscript of The Saint John’s Bible, for a Deep Dive into the creation of the Bible. The following blog post is a re-publication of the group’s written experience of their June 2025 trip.
This past June, a small cohort from our parish had the opportunity to travel to Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, to see the original illuminated manuscript of The Saint John’s Bible. This work of devotional art has been referred to as “America’s Book of Kells,” bringing back to life a tradition of hand-written script and artistic illuminations the Christian faith has not seen since the Middle Ages.
Our parish was fortunate over this past year, from December 2024 through April 2025, to host two volumes of The Saint John’s Bible, Heritage Edition, a limited series of high-quality artistic reproductions. The Christ & Saint Luke’s Arts Guild did a phenomenal job of setting up a structure of support for hosting these volumes with 17 parishioners volunteering as docents and over 200 people hosted during our open hours.
The pilgrims from Christ & Saint Luke’s that traveled together were individuals who throughout our hosting season demonstrated a keen interest and desire to learn more about how this sacred work of art was created and also what it might look like for our parish to possibly become stewards of a full-set of the limited Heritage Editions. Our CSL team included (from left to right) Heidi Anderson, Anne Lankford, Natalie Henry, Corey Shrontz, Kathy Hanna, and JR Montalvo.
The hospitality and attention to detail provided to us by our contact, Brad Neary, as well as our campus and Abbey Guest House hosts were top-tier and helped us feel ready to dive into the full agenda prepared for us. From a welcome dinner at the historic Fisher’s Club along the banks of “Lake Wobegon,” to hours spent with expert Tim Ternes (Director of The Saint John’s Bible) pouring over original pages of text and illuminations, to tea in the pottery studio and a tour of the Abbey Woodworking and Organ Workshop, every single moment was full of wonder and delight.
Each traveler had meaningful moments at various points during our visit. Below are just a few to help capture a sense of the experience:
“From the moment I took my first steps on the pastoral campus, I felt a sense of calm that was much welcomed after a tumultuous news cycle that week. I soaked it in as I walked the quiet trail beside the lake that afternoon and participated in noon day prayer the next day. I pondered how the energy of a place so steeped in centered prayer and meditation must ripple out into all those who came here. I wondered how I could calm my own heart and mind and carry with me this sense of centered connection into my daily life and community. It felt meaningful to understand that this was the ethos in which The Saint John’s Bible was brought into being.”
“Seeing the original pages of The Saint John’s Bible was truly momentous. The intricacies on each page invited me into a level of interest and engagement that is easy to miss in the rush of life. Learning the level of care and attention to such details created an even greater sense of awe and respect for this project than I had before. The Heritage Edition artistic reproductions have been produced with this same masterful expertise.”
“We participated in a process called Lectio Divina and Visio Divina where, as a group, we explored the first verses of the Gospel of John and the accompanying illumination. This process of exploring our observations and curiosities as a group was enlightening and profound to me. It took me to a place that went well beyond just being told information about a passage or image and allowed me and the entire group to engage in a type of interaction that we don’t often find in our daily lives.”
“There were SO MANY awe-filled moments we experienced that it is challenging to limit it to “the one.” For me, it was a personal amplification of the value of preserving “the Word,” and expanding the “ordinary” elements that define our faith with artistic renditions, unique architecture (the campus and the grounds were awesome), other man-made creations (the pottery and the wood works), and the extensive preservation of human thought in the archives of the SJU library. All of it inspires and reshapes our thinking of how God chooses to communicate with us so that we can learn to better worship and honor God. Meeting Father Eric Hollas (Prior of Saint John’s Abbey) at our final dinner event in the Great Hall was also a highlight. He stepped up to the challenge, and risk, of commissioning the SJB work, and he is clearly a man of vision who is/was willing to take risks. I love those characteristics in leadership.”
“We were able to meet and exchange ideas with others who have hosted or have a set of The Saint John’s Bible, Heritage Edition, and this proved inspirational. Sparks of ideas came back with us on ways we could incorporate The Saint John’s Bible into the fabric of our church from youth engagement to artistic endeavors and potential outreach ideas. It made me very excited to think of all the possibilities we could explore if we became stewards of a set here at Christ & Saint Luke’s.”
“I knew nothing of The Saint John’s Bible until it appeared at Christ & St. Luke’s. I was intrigued by its story and the possibilities of how it could touch the lives of our children and youth. The SJB did not disappoint. The children and youth loved it, and it gave them a new way to look at scripture. I was enamored with it immediately, and when I was offered the opportunity to go see the “real thing,” I literally did a happy dance. Again, the trip to Minnesota exceeded my expectations. However, my greatest take-away of my time up close and intimate with the SJB was not its beauty or craftsmanship. It was not the Benedictine hospitality. It was the stories. This incredible work of art and faith has touched lives and inspired people in a way I would never have imagined. I know there are more stories to come and can’t wait to share them with our families.”
Our team truly delighted in our deep dive of The Saint John’s Bible and being steeped in the environment from which it came. It was a gift of an experience and one we hope will ripple through all of our lives for many years to come.
