1. With great sorrow the Monks of Christ the King Monastery
inform you of the death of their beloved Abbot, Leonard F.
Giardina, O.S.B., on January 7, A. D. 2011. After suffering a
stroke in late August, 2010, Abbot Leonard made a remarkable
recovery but shortly afterwards was informed that he had prostate
cancer. Accepting all from the Hand of Almighty God he resigned
himself to this added burden and by mid-December, as the cancer
spread rapidly, he quickly went down hill and said his last Mass.
Shortly after Christmas he was under the care of home hospice and
by early this year was to be transferred to a nursing home. His
cancer had spread to his bones and he fractured his hip and spent
his remaining days in the hospital. The monks were with him till
the end. The first funeral was held amidst a snow storm and a
second funeral and burial was held a week later. Abbot Leonard is
now at rest in the monastery cemetery. A proper gravestone has
been ordered and will be placed as soon as it arrives, possibly by
early summer.
We monks are greatly indebted to you for your Masses,
rosaries and prayers for him and for us in this hour of trial. Please
continue to pray for the repose of Abbot Leonard’s soul.
___________________________________________________
The following pages contain the Autobiography of Abbot
Leonard Giardina, O.S.B., typed at his faithful typewriter – he
never wanted to use a computer and refused to do so, although he
made use of the computer through his monks. Abbot Leonard
typed most of this autobiography in the early 1980’s and only
added to it sometime in the 1990’s. We have tried to put the most
relevant photographs in this autobiography; included are pictures
of his parents, whom he loved very much and sought and received
their blessing to enter St. Bernard Abbey, a picture of him when
only 4 or 5 years old with his parents, grandmother, aunt and
uncles, while living in Sicily for about 9 months of his life;
SPECULUM pictures of himself at different stages of his life and some of his
accomplishments. To include many other pictures would take up
much room and may be looked at in previous issues of Speculum
BENEDICTINUM No. 57 Benedictinum.
EastEr A.D. 2011
2

2. Autobiography From his earliest days, Frank had loved the priesthood and
of always spoke of his intention of becoming a priest. When World
Abbot Leonard Giardina, O.S.B. War II broke out it became necessary for
him and his family to make some quick
Born November 8, 1922, Father Leonard Giardina (Frank) decisions, lest perhaps he would be
lived and grew into early manhood in Ensley [Birmingham], drafted into the armed service, a situation
Alabama. His parents, John and Grace, owned and operated a which he considered incompatible with
small grocery store. When he was not actually in school, young the vocation he was so very certain of.
Frank worked in the store and delivered groceries. Therefore in the Fall of 1942, he entered
the seminary at St. Bernard College,
Cullman, Alabama. At first uncertain, he
soon decided to join the Family of
Benedictine Monks who lived in the
Cullman Monastery of St. Bernard, and
who operated St. Bernard College. At this
point in his life, he was required by the
custom of his monastery to change his
name to the monastic community name of
Leonard. Since he was given a choice of
several names, he was delighted when the
Abbot of the Monastery publicly announced that his new name
would be Leonard – his first choice.
From the start he
became interested in all of
the activities of the
monastery, and worked
wherever he was needed.
As soon as his college
days were completed, he
was asked to be the
assistant to the treasurer of
the Monastery and
College. This work was
not according to his liking,
because business manage-
ment was not his favorite
kind of work, - or at least,
so he thought at that time.
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3. Somehow, he thought that such an occupation was not quite part of Bernard School, and had become a benefactor – of all things – of
his priestly dream. But as it happened, Father Leonard remained in the Abbey cattle farm. He, himself, owned a very fine Guernsey
business management for the next twenty-eight years. Cattle Farm in Michigan. As the Doctor became more acquainted
In the year 1949 he was with Father Leonard, he began to prevail upon him to take on the
ordained to the Holy Priesthood management of the St. Bernard herd of Guernsey Cattle. Once
– at last he had reached his goal again Father Leonard
– and the dream of his entire life took a long hard look at
had become a reality. He his boyhood dream, and
remained in the Monastery until was actively opposed to
1972 when he was appointed such a proposition.
pastor of Sacred Heart Church in However, in 1951, he
Cullman, Alabama. During his gave in to the pressure
years in the Monastery, Father and began to manage
Leonard’s priestly work was the herd. He knew
confined to week-end absolutely nothing
assignments to various churches about cattle.
in Alabama, Mississippi and Under the
Tennessee. guidance and generous
After his ordination, the contributions of the
character of his business management work took on a new and willing Doctor
unexpected dimension. As an additional part of his duties he was Berberovich, Father
asked to manage and operate the Abbey chicken farm. As he Leonard proved to be a
looked back on his dream, none of these activities were to be found good student and worker, and developed one of the finest
in it. Future days will indicate to him that there was more to the Guernsey Cattle herds in the entire South East. Later, because of
dream than he had anticipated. The announcement of this the cattle herd, Father Leonard was able to form a very close
appointment was made on December 7, 1949. During the night of personal relationship with Mr. J. C. Penney, who, also, became
December 7, fire broke out in one of the chicken farm buildings, very interested in the Abbey herd. In short time, Father Leonard
and it burned completely to the ground, as Father Leonard slept came to love the cattle herd very much.
peacefully through it all. As one can imagine, this incident was the For the next several years, Father Leonard managed the
cause of a great deal of humor. Abbey-College farms, taught European History in the college
In addition to his business duties, Father Leonard was the department, assisted in the business office, and was prefect
official Guest Master of the Monastery, in that he was the official (moderator) in one of the college dormitories.
host to all of the many guests who visited the Monastery. For Certain problems in the college dining facilities resulted in
several years after his ordination he was the director of the annual the appointment of Father Leonard as the Director of Food Service
Summer Lay People’s Retreats. for the entire institution. For this added responsibility he was
It was during this time in his life that he became acquainted relieved of his teaching and college dormitory responsibilities.
with a certain Doctor Thomas Berberovich, a noted physician of This appointment became effective on July 1, 1959.
Saginaw, Michigan. Doctor Berberovich was an alumnus of the St.
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4. On August 11, 1961, Father Leonard assumed one Pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Cullman, Alabama. He remained
additional responsibility: that of business manager for all of St. Pastor of the Cullman Church until January 14, 1979.
Bernard Abbey and St. Bernard College. He held this position until During his time in the office of Pastor, Father Leonard
November 14, 1972. During his term as business manager, the involved himself in many ways with the people of his church and
College Chapel progressed in its construction to a useable enclosed community. Always faithful to the orthodoxy of his Catholic Faith,
condition and many improvements were incorporated in the new he nevertheless demonstrated a clear and genuine ecumenical spirit
chapel. It was never fully completed for lack of sufficient funds. by working closely with the various Denominations in and around
During these years, the new dining hall building was constructed, the City of Cullman.
as well as the new faculty building and the new Science Hall Well known for his love and concern for the youth of his
Building. loved Cullman Community, he attracted the local youth by the
The year 1968 was probably the finest year of St. Bernard thousands to his famous “Street Dances” which he conducted in
College’s history. In his notes Father Leonard stated that he looked the street directly in front of the beautiful Sacred Heart Church.
upon 1968 as the GOLDEN YEAR of St. Bernard College. For several years he was Community Services Chairman
Subsequent records indicate that 1968 was, in fact, the peak year. for the Cullman Ministerial Association. He was Co-Chairman for
The following years show a drop in the student enrollment figures, the United Fund Drive. Often called upon, he lectured many local
and the institutional income began to decline to such a point that it clubs and associations and school assemblies.
was insufficient to meet the growing college expenses. The Father Leonard’s hobby was the doing of “beautiful things
developing college policies became so demanding that the for beautiful people.” This was manifested by his many Christmas
available student income was not sufficient to balance costs – and front yard decorations and by the Christmas decorations in his
student income was the principal source of income. During these parish church. “Because of Christ” was his personal motto, and he
years, in his concern, he gave some limited assistance to the tried, always, to live by that principle. His term as pastor of Sacred
College Development Program. Heart Church ended on January 14, 1979.
As a possible solution to the college’s financial difficulties, In the year 1978 he was elected to the Board of Directors of
in the late 1960’s a merger with the then Southern Benedictine College – the new college formed
the then Sacred Heart Junior by the merger of St. Bernard College and Cullman Junior College
College was given much study and (Sacred Heart Junior College).
very serious consideration – a He never faltered in his love for the traditional position of
proposition that Father Leonard the Roman Catholic Church. Consequently, he was gravely
never favored, rather opposed it disturbed and concerned by the many changes which were taking
most vigorously. In his opinion, place within the Catholic Church. His conscience would not permit
any merger between the two him to take part in the changes that started to bombard the Catholic
schools would inevitably end in Church in and around 1965. He had very little time for the
the closing of both institutions. “renewed church” – a fact which drew little favor from his
The merger was postponed to a superiors. Many church changes were reflected in the daily
later date. observance of his much loved St. Bernard. St. Bernard had become
On November 15, 1972, something that he no longer understood. Besides, Southern
Father Leonard was relieved of all Benedictine College had closed its door in the Spring of 1979 –
college duties and was appointed
7 8

5. and the once active campus was not too silent and still. The empty conservative follower of the conservative Archbishop, should also
buildings haunted him. become controversial with his superiors and his co-religionists.
Therefore, when he departed from Sacred Heart Church he In April 1981, Father Leonard became the chaplain of the
felt the need to remain alone, so that he could meditate and have new, but conservative and traditional Roman Catholic Chapel of
time to sort things out in his mind. He did not move back to St. St. Pius V in Birmingham, Alabama, and also of the new chapel of
Bernard Abbey. Rather, he moved into and lived in a lovely home, Our Lady of Lourdes in Montgomery, Alabama.
owned by his family and located in Simcoe, Alabama, a small Meager chapel finances, inevitable for a young chapel
quiet community just east of the City of Cullman. He considered foundation, certainly could not support the needs of the chaplain –
this his “retreat” and called it The Saint Francis Retreat. he received no financial support from his chapels. However, his
He was not to remain alone for very long, for in early affiliation with the Bruno Company provided him with the income
March of 1979, his long-time friend, Joe Bruno called upon him he needed for living expenses.
and faced him with another unexpected challenge. Mr. Joe Bruno, Now with a job, he was provided with needed income, and
Chairman of the Board of the prospering Bruno – Food-World the ability to save a portion of his earnings. His early
Grocery chain asked Father Leonard to become the Bruno administrative occupations gave him valuable experience. His
Company’s all-time first Chaplain-Counselor. At first he was frugal nature together with his experience served him well for what
stunned. After thinking about it for a while, he began to look upon was ahead of him in life. As of yet he had no notion of founding a
it as a very great opportunity – and he understood this to be a real monastery, nor had he given any thought toward the building of a
manifestation of God’s providence. He happily accepted the chapel. Divine Providence had other plans, which were not long in
position, and was thus able to return to the task he loved so much: making themselves clear.
PEOPLE. His new duties drew his attention to many directions. He Contiguous to the lot on which his house rested there was a
wrote articles for the Company monthly magazine, and shared in very large vacant field, in size 80 acres. Without warning the entire
the public relations of his Bruno Company. Father Leonard never field was put up for sale, and the usual sign was stobbed, of all
moved away from his beloved St. Francis Retreat, and chose to places, just next to his house. As soon as the sign was noticed he
commute daily to and from his Birmingham Office. went up to it and looked at it. He thought a while, when suddenly
Unable to devote much time to writing, he wrote short bits he was compelled to pull it up out of the ground. He did, and came
and pieces which dealt with his personal observations on life and into contact with the real estate agent. After the usual discussions
he called these his: “EXPRESSIONS”. that go with land purchasing, the deal was signed and the land was
Father Leonard’s conservative views in the Catholic purchased on March 25, 1985. Very soon after the purchase of the
Church attracted the attention of a group of Catholic people who land, Father began
were, themselves, conservative, and whose voice was beginning to construction of a
become loud enough for notice. The changes in the Catholic small frame
Religion were not acceptable to them, and they were happy to find chapel. The
a priest in the Birmingham area who thought as they did. In March chapel was rather
of 1981, after much prayer and meditation, he decided to join the modest but quite
growing ranks of the followers of a certain Archbishop Marcel lovely and
Lefebvre, of Econe, Switzerland. Archbishop Lefebvre was a altogether
controversial figure in the new liberal Catholic Church. traditional in
Consequently, it followed logically that Father Leonard, a structure and
9 10

6. arrangement. He offered the First Mass in the new chapel on July night of October 28,
13, 1986. From the very first day there were messages of 1988. The stability of the
opposition and condemnation. As construction continued, monastic effort was
opposition grew, and when it was time for the First Mass, even the established upon the
local newspaper, with large front page coverage, entered the scene, arrival of this young
and came forth with picture and article. In spite of the opposition man. He is now
there was still no feeling of rebellion or opposition. However, the Reverend Father
mounting opposition to his endeavors compelled him to investigate Michael, O.S.B. Others
the WHY behind it all. Now it was that he began to be convinced followed, and work
that what he was doing was the correct thing to do. began in earnest on the
The entire story of Christ the King Abbey is a story of a building of a monastery.
gradual development – with one providential feature growing out A permanent monastery was built, but in a different area on the
of the providential feature that came before it. It was a growth that acreage purchased earlier. The location of the small frame chapel
clearly demonstrated the workings of a Power. was not suitable and failed to provide the privacy required by a
contemplative community. Local residents lived quite close to the
chapel. The
new
monastery
was
completed and
ready for
occupancy in
the year 1990.
Next in order
of importance
was the
construction
of a proper
monastic church. The tiny chapel already in use was quite
inadequate for liturgical ceremonies; besides, it was some distance
Even though there was no word of advertisement given to away from the monastery. The church was begun in late autumn
the outside world about the work of Father Leonard, it was soon 1992 and the First Mass was celebrated in it on December 24,
that letters of interest began to come in. Individual men arrived; 1994. This church was built solely for accommodating the
they asked to be received and allowed to form a Benedictine liturgical needs of the monks. It has not ever been in the mind of
traditional community. Two time small communities were formed the monks to establish a “parish” for the welfare of the laity. Even
but finding the monastic life to be not what they thought it to be, though people attend regularly the various worship services, the
both groups left. When all hope was gone, a call came in from a Abbey church of Christ the King Abbey is not considered a
young man, who was calling from Tacoma, Washington. The name “parish” church.
of the young man was Joseph Sautner. He arrived very late on the
11 12

7. [The rest of the history of Abbot Leonard Giardina, O.S.B. is contained in the
previous issues of the Speculum Benedictinum. It is a history of trials and
tribulations, sufferings and sacrifice, prayer and mortification.]
It is worthy of note that the monastery of Christ the King has
never engaged in debate, or argument or any form of polemic, as
others have. We cannot, indeed, we will not allow the disturbance of
argument or debate or idle gossip and speculation to enter our lives
and disrupt the atmosphere of peace and serenity that prevails in our
Abbey. We wish to spend our valuable time in prayer, contemplation
and hard work, and we humbly suggest that you do the same. So the Aerial Photo of Christ the King Abbey, 2010
Monks pray. Prayer and Good Will, Obedience and Humility are the
Please be assured of the Perpetual Prayers
only instruments useful in the restoration of Christ’s Church.
of the monks of Christ the King Abbey
Please think about placing us in your will or trust.
Our incorporated name is:
Christ the King Abbey, Inc.
5060 County Road 1635: Cullman AL 35058-1716
(Non-Profit Religious Organization)
Mailing address: Street address:
Christ the King Abbey Christ the King Abbey
PO Box 1616 5060 County Road 1635
Cullman AL 35056-1616 Cullman AL 35058-1716
Several weeks before the death of Abbot Leonard, we monks, with
Abbot Leonard’s permission, began the process of reconciliation of our Abbey
with the Church. Because of this reconciliation, several monks of the Abbey and
the sisters of St. Joseph’s Convent, who did not want to be reconciled to the
Church, left voluntarily; St. Joseph’s Convent is closed. The Abbey is not
closed, we have closed the abbey church to the public temporarily; the abbey
church will reopen to the public shortly. The Mass and sacraments will not
change. We monks hope you will read and fully comprehend the following
Abbot Leonard Giardina O.S.B. statement:
13 14

8. You see in this church the monks’
Please list here your very FOR ADDITIONAL MESSAGE empty choir stalls. Is this from obedience
special INTENTIONS for which you to the Abbot or disobedience? Two of us
From the Holy Rule of Saint wish our prayers and good works
Benedict: Chapter 5 remain here in this monastery. Is this
(confidential information) and return
“Of Obedience”: to the Abbey BEFORE June 1, 2011.
from obedience or from disobedience?
This paper will be kept on the High Obedience has kept each of us, who
“The first degree of humility is remain here, for over twenty years and
Altar next to the Tabernacle during
obedience without delay.” the months of the Sacred Heart and obedience is now calling upon us to do
Precious Blood. The Monks, in their the bidding of Almighty God. Obedience
Obedience is such an integral part of daily prayer and work, will remember to the Abbot is obedience to Christ,
the Holy Rule of Saint Benedict that one you and your dear loved ones - both obedience to the Church is obedience to
could say that it is the essence of the living and departed. Christ. We, the monks of Christ the
Holy Rule. Why is that? The reason is King Abbey are now rendering that
from where the Holy Rule derives all of obedience to the Church by
its meaning: Jesus Christ, “I came not to submitting ourselves to the authority
do My own will, but the will of Him that of the Church.
sent Me.”
PLEASE CUT ON THE DOTTED LINE AND RETURN
As Abbot Leonard has clearly
Without obedience to the Church, outlined in the past, and was reiterated
PLEASE CUT ON THE DOTTED LINE AND RETURN
there is no obedience to Christ. Without on the first Sunday of this year: this
obedience to the Abbot, who represents church of Christ the King Abbey is a
Christ, there is no true monastic life as monastic church which was built for the
envisaged by Saint Benedict. The monks. It is not a parish church. The
original sin was committed by an act of doors are open and you are welcome to
disobedience and Saint Benedict saw attend; but you are here by privilege, not
clearly the teachings of Christ and His by right. As things stand right now, after
Church that the only true way back unto Mass today, March 6, 2011, this
Almighty God was obedience to His monastic church will be closed to the
Church which is obedience to Christ. public temporarily. We hope to reopen to
Obedience led Noah to build the ark, the public shortly but this is in the hand
spending 100 years of his life and the of Almighty God. We are unable to give
ridicule of his neighbors in doing what a timetable as to when. We monks will
Almighty God asked of him. Obedience continue our monastic life as we have
led Abraham to leave his country and been doing; the Mass will be the same as
when the promise of Almighty God was it has always been.
accomplished in the birth of Isaac, his We ask your prayers that God’s holy
son, it was again obedience which led will be done. May God, through the
him to lift the knife in sacrifice. Instead, intercession of our Immaculate Mother,
the disobedience of the Hebrews led grant his gift of humility to all of us in
them wandering in the desert for 40 every moment: that humility that makes
years until that whole generation that us, like Jesus and Mary, to be, without
sinned had died out. Only then did delay, God’s obedient children.
Almighty God allow the Hebrews into Please remember that we shall
the Promised Land. It was the obedience continue to keep each and every one of
of Christ that led him into the Garden of you in our daily prayers.
Gethsemane where He cried unto his
Father to remove that chalice from Him. Christ the King Abbey
However, in that same obedience Christ P.O. Box 1616

then added: “Not my will be done but Cullman, Alabama 35056-1616

Thine be done.” 15 16