The Abbey Student in 1913 mentions that “Over a great part of the state his name is still a household word in many families.” Father Placidus built churches in Iowa and later in Effingham, Kan. His last pastorate took in Troy, Fanning, and White Cloud in Kansas and a church in Perrin, Mo. During this time he was diagnosed with stomach cancer.

In the last weeks of his life, “He spoke of his coming death with feelings of profound submission of the will of God. He often is reported to have said, ‘If God wills it so it is good that I should go.’” Father Placidus was known for his charity and as an “enemy of gossip.” The poor always found in him a friend.

Brother Pius was fabled to be able to do the work of two men. Students recalled working with him putting up hay and harvesting grapes. He and Brother Andrew Allermann worked mightily to fill a long and eroded ditch that ran north to south through the present college dining room and soccer field area.

One monk mentioned to him one day that he was so fortunate that in his 80s he did not have to wear glasses, had many of his own teeth, and could still work in the garden and go for walks. His reply, “Yes, but it won’t last.” Not one to stand on ceremony, sometimes when he was working in his later years in the College Library counting books, when tired he would simply take a nap lying on the floor between the stacks. Once a student saw this habit-clad body on the floor, fearing him dead the student rushed tell a librarian. Father Cyprian just woke up and went on counting; truly a remarkable man from a truly remarkable family.

St. Benedict’s Parish, Kansas City, Kan., has given eight men to our community and Father Richard Burns was one of them. He professed membership in St. Benedict’s Abbey July 20, 1920, and was ordained in 1926. He was dean of residents, the first monk to hold that position. During his tenure he hired the late and great Larry “Moon” Mullins to coach football at the College. Under Mullins the Raven football teams achieved national prominence. Father Richard served as Chaplain and teacher at Maur Hill, pastor at St. Benedict’s, Atchison, Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott, Kan., and he died while Chaplain at St. Scholastica’s Academy in Chicago.

Father Eugene was a faithful, though sometimes tardy, correspondent. Even donation requests received “monk-sized” donations from his small monastic budget. One can feature him entering heaven’s gates and asking of St. Peter, “Is this heaven?”

No doubt a book of some length could be devoted to Father Eugene’s colorful life. He himself did write a life in his later years in great detail. He had a way of coining expressions, for example: bookcionary = dictionary; gravelspooks = sandwich! A greeting, “How’s your liver?” to which the proper response was “Still secreting bile.” Often he would come to the TV room in the middle of a game and ask, “Is there a game on?” and that followed by “What’s the score?” These examples merely touch the surface. He would at haustus drink two beers, one for each kidney.

When Father Egbert was assistant pastor at St. Mary’s Parish, St. Benedict, Kan., he prepared an item for the raffle at the annual, and locally famous Summer Picnic there, always held on the fourth Sunday in June. The prize was a case of Old Crow bourbon whisky. Chances sold like hotcakes. One man from Kelly who bought a large number of chances did, in fact, win. He was given his prize, opened it, and found inside a rooster. Definitely an “old crow.” According to all reports the winner’s disappointment was expressed loud and long. He got over it.

Father Emmanuel, who was called “The Lone Ranger of the Lincoln Diocese” and “The crotchety apostle of Southeast Nebraska,” is characterized as one of the “saddle priests” among the early Benedictines. During the Civil War he was about to be arrested as a spy and saved himself by opening his saddlebag to produce vessels of the altar, a breviary and Missal. Father Emmanuel retired from ministry in 1909 and died a year later.

Jim Schober came to St. Benedict’s College in 1949 and entered the community as a lay brother in 1950, and as Brother Stephen, made first vows July 11, 1951. Except for two years of graduate studies at the Catholic University of America, Brother Stephen taught mathematics and physics at St. Benedict’s College and later at Benedictine College.

Brother Stephen served faithfully as the Abbey Infirmarian and for many years as one of the principal cantors at the Abbey liturgies. His mother and brothers from Chicago frequently visited him, thereby helping to enliven the Abbey community.

Poor health made it advisable that Father Philip be allowed to go to California that his health might be given a chance to improve. It did. He built churches and buildings in various places like Del Mar, Alhambra, and Catalina Island. Father Philip had this to say to a confrere about his time in California, “Now I am getting rooted in the new soil. Would to God it were the soil of my birth, Kansas. I may be planted, as the psalms put it ‘Like a tree planted by the rivers of water.’ That will always mean the great Missouri for me.

Father Alban Rudroff, the first priest to be ordained from Osage County, Mo., was born of Russian parentage in Rich Fountain, January 7, 1847. He began studies at the “new” St. Benedict’s College in 1861, which, at that time had two priests, one cleric, and three brothers. Known as Ulrick, he entered the community in 1865 having avoided a confrontation with “bushwhackers” once on a journey home.

From the gathering of glowing tributes to Father Thomas in the Abbey archives, perhaps he would be a fit subject for a documentary! He was a native of New Orleans and, no doubt, brought some of that Cajun spirit to Kansas.

Persons Catholic and non-Catholic praised Father Thomas so very highly upon his death for his great energy in Church and civic affairs. One put it this way, “There was never a time when Father Thomas was mealy-mouthed.” Or another, “There were times when he seemed to deliberately invite criticism; when perhaps he was censured for lack of tactfulness. It is doubtful that he cared very much about tact.” He was noted in Burlington, Iowa, for his speech for the Grand Army of the Republic.

Frater Harold was born in Atchison and was a member of Sacred Heart Parish. He graduated from St. Benedict’s High School and College. He left for Sant’Amselmo, Rome, October 12, 1922.

He entered our community from Lawrence, Neb., attended school at St. Benedict’s and was ordained in 1926. After he received a degree in Classics from the University of Michigan he taught at St. Benedict’s College and was student chaplain. He was secretary to Abbot Martin Veth before being appointed as pastor at St. Malachy’s, Creston, Iowa. There he was famous for promoting good liturgical worship and fostering Catholic family life. He wrote a history of the Benedictine Foundation, St. Malachy’s Priory founded in 1873.

Father Arthur was a very conscientious person in every way, especially when assigned to offer the Abbey community Eucharist. On the day in which he was to celebrate you could hear him practicing his homily in his room. Father Arthur had a sly and dry sense of humor much appreciated by his confreres.

Father Jerome was an Atchison boy and the brother of Father Mark Merwick, O.S.B., and onetime Prior of the Community. The Merwick family lived a few blocks from the Abbey.

For almost 20 years Father Jerome served the Air Force as a military chaplain first in WWII and later in the Korean War. He was called to Korea when he had just been named novice master for the community. Father Jerome retired from the service as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1967. He returned to the Abbey and endured a trying illness that led to his passing.

He was an avid player of Sheepshead and Skaat on Sundays. After lunch the monks gathered round the table, where there was plenty of good kibitzing and banter. He loved his pipe and cigars as his cassock showed. Once a monk pointed out small holes in the cassock from ashes that fell from his pipe. His reply, “It is a good thing I was there when it happened.”

Father Leander loved to read daily, that is to listen to books on tape from the Atchison Library and the Catholic Society for the Blind. Once he asked for a book on St. Paul, got it, listened to only a part because there were passages not fit for a priest!

Father Agatho had a hearty laugh and was a lively person. His “Chemistry without pain” class for non-science majors was an experience not to be forgotten. His prescription for the students in the Infirmary was to take a couple of aspirins and keep on “running, jumping, and breathing.”

Father Ignatius Stein was famous for his public speaking abilities, shared even in venues away from the parish setting. While at Council Bluffs, he built a school and home for the Sisters.

Father Ignatius, brother of Father Matthias Stein, OSB, was born in Seneca, Kan., and offered his First Solemn Mass Sunday, July 2, 1899, at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish amid great pomp and ceremony. He made his novitiate in Atchison and while a cleric taught at St. Benedict’s College. First assigned to parish work he returned to the college as chaplain and professor of public speaking and mathematics.

Father Philip was a gregarious friend, monk and priest. The game of golf and being with friends, especially Father Michael Carroll, O.S.B., and Father Henry Grosdidier, were his hobbies. From the tone and volume of his voice a person knew that Father Philip was present at the annual abbey retreat or the funeral of a confrere.

Outside of some time at the high school—both at St. Benedict’s High School and Maur Hill—and some scattered parochial assignments, the bulk of Father Philip’s ministry as a monastic priest was spent in service as a Military Chaplain in World War II, Korea, and with the Veteran’s Administration. He died at the Veteran’s Hospital in Topeka where he served for 22 years.

Brother Ray could liven up a day starting at the After Breakfast Coffee Club exchanging ideas with Brother Anthony Vorwerk, O.S.B., and include a wild ride on a galloping horse at the community picnic at the South farm in the afternoon. He loved to play cards and tried all kinds of games from Shauskopf and Bridge to Gin Rummy. He was not a passive player but entered into the games and the small talk to the ultimate degree.

Brother Raymond was a restless monk, restless for God and Benedictine Pax.