After transferring to the community from the Sylvestrine Congregation in October 1975, Father Raphael served the community well as chaplain at Benedictine College, pastor at Effingham and Purcell, as well as at Hiawatha until his death in 1994. After graduation as a Sylvestrine from St. Benedict’s College with a degree in Latin he did theological studies at the Pontificio Ateneo Sant’Anselmo, the international Benedictine university in Rome. He also did graduate studies in liturgy at Notre Dame and did serve the Sylvestrine community in Oxford, Mich., as subprior for a time.

Father Raphael, as is noted in his death notice, was much appreciated by parishioners and students. His love for travel was legendary!

Born in Belgium in 1871, Peter and his family came to the United States in 1877. The family settled near Wathena, Kan. He later enrolled in St. Benedict’s College in September 1886 to study for the priesthood and took the name Lawrence as a member of the community. From the beginning of his education he was a multi-talented person in both the liberal and practical arts, such as cabinet making. The building inclination stayed with him when he later was a pastor at both Seneca where he built the Sisters’ House, an extension to the rectory, and an auditorium. This building passion continued at Fanning, Troy, Hiawatha, and at St. Patrick’s south of Atchison. Plagued with bouts of ill health he was forced to take on lighter duties and did weekend supply while living at the Abbey. He died at the Abbey, surrounded by his confreres and the ministry of Father Florian Demmer.

He was an author of books on the parish and family apostolates printed by the Abbey Student Press. Much to his credit as well, he was active in interracial work long before it became the “cool” thing to do in some circles. Ever zealous, Father Valerian sold subscriptions to the Catholic Digest to people – mainly former parishioners in Atchison – when they attended the Conventual Mass at which he concelebrated. Ever economical, he had intricate methods for saving on electricity, like turning off lights, and for extending the life of candles.

It can be truly said that he did not ask any of his fellow monks or lay faculty to do a task he would not do himself. When he left Maur Hill he built the same kind of bond with the parishioners Basehor. He was a friend and caretaker of the Benedictine Guadalupanas Missionary Sisters, who managed the dining room and laundry at Maur Hill.

Father Hubert was a brilliant man who collected and classified 750 species of plants in Atchison County, Kansas. He was a genius in constructing instruments to be used in the laboratories of the college. He and Father Eugene Dehner spent any long hours filling needs for their department that a very small budget would not cover.

Often on a Saturday afternoon after lunch, his good friend and fellow naturalist, Father Cyprian Nordhus would head out north of the abbey and comb the woods for yet another specimen.

Father Michael was born in Severance, Kan., September 29, 1865 – an early member of St. Benedict’s Parish, Bendena. He followed his brother Father Ambrose Rank to the monastery, and was ordained to the priesthood at St. Benedict’s Abbey Church, Atchison, December 19, 1891. Fifteen years before his death he contracted Tuberculosis and was sent to Pueblo, Colo. He regained some health after following a very strict regimen, part of which involved his sleeping outside in a tent. He later founded the parish in Ordway, Colo. He was compelled to resign because of the return of his illness and died October 18 at St. Mary’s Hospital, Pueblo, Colo.

The following is taken from “Frater Anselm Remembered” in an October 1994 edition of Abbey News and Views, authored by Brother John Kaighin: “October 16 is the 110th anniversary of Frater Anselm Sheehy. Very little is known of Frater Anselm. He was born October 2, 1861, in Washington, D.C. He entered the novitiate of St. Benedict’s Abbey July 19, 1881, and made his first vows July 25, 1882. He received minor orders on August 20, 1882. He was a member of the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin at St. Benedict’s College. He died of consumption on Oct. 16, 1884.”

One of several vocations given to the community of St. Benedict’s Abbey from St. John’s Parish, Burlington, Iowa, Father Leo made his first vows June 13, 1935. After ordination in 1938 he served the monastic community in its educational and pastoral works. He earned a Master of Arts in religious Education from the Catholic University of America in 1940. He served as pastor in various parishes including St. Malachy’s, Creston, Iowa, and twice at Sts. Peter and Paul, Seneca, Kan. He was pastor at St. Ann’s, Effingham, Kan., when he was diagnosed with cancer. Father Leo also served as Student Chaplain at St. Benedict’s College, Mount St. Scholastica College, Ursuline College, Paola, Kan., and St. Scholastica Convent and High School in Chicago. The community knew Father Leo as a kind and enthusiastic servant of the people of God and a loyal confrere.

Jiri Blahnik came to St. Benedict’s College from Landschim, Bohemia, in 1887 to study for the Benedictine priesthood. As Frater Adalbert he made his first vows July 11, 1890, and was ordained June 28, 1896. After a short stint as a teacher at St. Benedict’s College he was asked to go to Pueblo, Colo., to start a parish for Bohemians and Slovak people. He returned to Atchison and St. Louis Parish, Good Intent, in 1906 and began to build a church there. However, he was recalled to teach mathematics and zoology at the college and helped at various parishes in the vicinity. In 1914 he was reassigned to St. Louis, Good Intent. Father Adalbert suffered burns as a result of a fire at the rectory at Good Intent on October 14, 1922, and he died the next day at the Atchison Hospital. Prior Gerard Heinz anointed him.

Father Alcuin loved bridge and played as often as time would allow. Once as he was preparing to sing a German song at a “Gong” show during an abbey Summer outing, Father Arthur Sullivan who was in charge of the “Gong” in a rare manifestation of power, mercilessly “gonged” him before he even began, thereby nipping his performance in the bud. As always father Alcuin was irrepressible in the face of criticism.

Brother Gabriel, who died at St. Margaret’s Hospital, Kansas City, Kan., November 16, 1923, was born in Ballycureen, Ireland, in 1842. He had been a member of the community since 1889. Previous to that he had been in the United States Army. An article in The Abbey Student says, “Up to the last he preserved military erectness and briskness of bearing uncommon in one of such advanced age.” He was famous as a bookbinder while a member of the community along with Father Edwin Kassens and Brother Clement Lehan.

As a brother in the community he spent the majority of his time on the college farm. Brother Lawrence was noted for his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, never missed communion, and took particular delight in serving Mass.

The following is a quote from The Abbey News, “There was no porter’s room. Brother Lawrence Egan answered the door bell, rang the church bell, attended to the priest’s rooms, packed in wood for the stoves, cleaned the lamps of all the rooms and lanterns of the corridors, and did odd jobs besides.”

Prior Gerard is a fabled member of our community. He apparently had no love for cats. Any love that had been there apparently was lost when, in Chicago, he was walking down an alley, and a cat jumped off a fence on to his head and began to claw. One monk mentioned that there was a standing order issued by Prior Gerard that he would give a carton of cigarettes to any monk who managed to take the life of a cat. This incident or policy cannot be corroborated at this writing.

Prior Gerard will forever be remembered as yet another of the truly great monks in the community of St. Benedict’s Abbey.

Father Robert was a large man, outspoken, considered gruff by some and he was noted for having somewhat poor eyesight. One monk as a novice in 1952 served Mass for him during the annual community retreat. He noted that Father Robert took the large sized edition of the Missale Romanum in his large hands, put it a few inches from his eyes and loudly proclaimed the Introit of the daily Mass. Father Robert is reported to have driven on some freshly poured cement on a newly finished stretch of U.S. Highway 73 near Lowemont. The tracks remained for some time.

Apparently at the time of the election of Abbot Thomas Hartman, Father Robert was seen by another monk attempting to read the bulletin board without his glasses. He asked the monk what the signs said? The monks replied, “They say “Bobby for Abbot!”

Father Robert was such an imposing figure that one could hardly feature him being called, “Bobby.” He was, despite the eyesight problem, an avid reader and also taught Catholic doctrine over a St. Joseph radio station for ten years.

Father Romuald was a pioneer in the development of amateur radio in Kansas. Father Augustine Rottering was also a partner in this effort. The story is told that one Sunday while Father Romuald was soldering a radio in the old physics lab in Fink Hall he wiped the soldering iron off on an ample T-shirt he was wearing in the shop. That gesture brought forth an expletive heard over the loud speaker in the nearby St. Benedict’s Church. Such were the vagaries of pioneering electronics and the pioneers themselves.

“Father William was born in Centerville, Wisc., but his home parish was listed as ‘Wildcat,’ Nemaha County. Nothing is known of his early years but he received the habit on Sept. 16, 1876, and entered the novitiate on July 11, 1878. He professed simple vows on July 25, 1879. It is presumed that he did his seminary studies at the Abbey’s school of Theology. Father William made his solemn vows August 24, 1882.”

Father William was ordained with Herman Mengwasser, July 31, 1883. He was assigned to celebrate Mass on Sundays at Doniphan and Severance and in 1884 he was in residence at St. Bridget, near the Nebraska line and served at Axtell as well. While he was pastor in Capioma (Fidelity, KS) he contracted tuberculosis, returned to the Abbey and was later sent to a hospital in Santa Fe, N. Mex., and died there at age 30. He is buried at the Rosario Cemetery in Santa Fe.

In livelier days he would write “mock” German letters to favored confreres. They went something like this: “Herr Spiegelhalter gewritten ein posten cart geboughten in zie druggen gestorehaben un ein podunkenhoccity un Kansasanich onehorsen gekansas.”

Father Colman, a voracious reader, lived very simply and was never without his green visor, which kept the light from his eyes, either in his room or in the library workshop on the lower floor of the administration building, what is now called St. Benedict Hall. Once when it was the business of the monastic chapter to elect a delegate to the General Chapter that was to be held at St. Vincent Archabbey, he asked if they were to dedicate the new library at St. Vincent during the Chapter.

A Bohemian by birth John Baar (Paar) came to St. Benedict’s in 1885, did his high school, college and theology work here. He was solemnly professed July 11, 1894. He was ordained June 5, 1896, and offered his first Mass at St. Louis, Good Intent.

Father Anthony taught at St. Benedict’s College and was Socius of novices with Father Boniface Verheyen. In 1898 he began a long career in pastoral ministry in Atchison, Doniphan and Nemaha Counties and for nine years was pastor at St. Mary’s, St. Benedict, Kan., where he succeeded Father Herman Mengwasser. He was later pastor at Effingham 1914-1921, and then at St. Benedict’s, Bendena, where he took ill in 1922.

The editor of the Council Bluffs Nonpareil wrote: “His virtues cannot be emulated; his excellence, kindness and charity exemplify the beautiful virtues of a noble manhood… In the review of his peaceful life those who knew and loved him best have none but tender sympathy.”

Herman Wessling was born in Gross Fullen, Hannover, Germany, was educated at St. Benedict’s, and ordained by Bishop Louis Mary Fink in 1878. He was appointed pastor of St. Benedict’s, Atchison, after ordination and was the first resident pastor at St. Patrick’s, south of Atchison. In 1883 Abbot Innocent sent Father Adolph on a three-year begging tour of the eastern United States in the interest of promoting the Abbey Foundation Mass. On his return in 1886 he was asked by the Abbot to organize what was to become St. Peter’s Parish, Council Bluffs, Iowa. He did just that. Father Adolph was succeeded by Father Herman Mengwasser but returned to St. Peter’s from Atchison in 1890 and died in Council Bluffs at 3:00 p.m., September 24, 1891, attended by Father Alphonse Filian of the abbey.