Br. Placidus Feser (1837-1886)

Brother Placidus Feser passed away August 17, 1886.

Brother Placidus was born in Binsfeld, Bavaria, and professed vows on August 15, 1869.  He was one of the many monks who came to community in the early years when Abbot Innocent sought candidates through letters written to the Catholic press.  Father Peter Beckman in his book Kansas Monks wrote, “Such appeals, however, brought mostly the type that seems to make a career of sampling religious communities all over the globe.”  Brother Placidus was not one of those, being one of the 16 brothers of 90 applicants who persevered in the early years.  While Abbot Innocent Wolf was in Europe in 1880, he was kept informed of life at the Abbey through detailed letters.  It was written of Brother Placidus that he was the janitor and kept “everything as neat as a pin.”