Fr. Damian Lavery (1878-1943)

Father Damian Lavery passed away July 24, 1943.

A native of Vermont, Father Damian entered the Abbey in 1897 from his home in Hanover, Kan.  He was ordained in 1903, and in 1910 began a career as Director of St. Benedict’s College that lasted until 1922.  He later served on parishes in Burlington, Iowa, and as pastor at Sts. Peter and Paul, Seneca, Kan., and retired from there in 1941. 

Father Damian was well known for his oratory abilities and as a dramatist.  During World War I he spent many hours speaking on behalf of the war effort and Liberty Bond drives.  He died of a “lingering illness that confined him to St. Margaret’s Hospital, Kansas City, KS, since 1941.