Fr. Augustine Rottering (1904-2001)

Father Augustine Rottering passed October 29, 2001.

Born near Aleppo, Kan., and spending his early years in St. Leo, Kan. – both west of Wichita – Father Augustine Rottering was a multi-talented member of St. Benedict’s Abbey since May 30, 1931, coming to the community from the college.  His two main areas of ministry were at St. Benedict’s High School, forerunner to Maur Hill, where he taught mathematics, science, bookkeeping, history and mechanical drawing.  He began service as a parish priest at St. Patrick’s, Atchison County in 1956.  There he built a school and parish hall.  Later he was at Sacred Heart, Atchison, where he built a rectory.  At St. Benedict’s, Bendena, he served a second term there, closing out his parish work in 1993.

Father Augustine returned to the Abbey but was not idle!  He kept up is amateur radio license, which he used readily, even before his retirement, as each Monday he would come to the Abbey to contact the community’s monks in Brazil and then phone-patch them to their relatives.  He was an avid coin and stamp collector.  In that hobby he and Father Roger Rumery were co-workers.  Father Augustine was the curator of the Abbey Coin Collection which was auctioned in 1989 to help pay for the renovation of the ground and first floors of the monastery into infirmary floors. 

He set up a woodworking shop in the basement of the abbey and turned out and sold all styles of birdhouses and other knick-knacks.  At his death he was 96 years of age and dearly loved by his family and community.