ST. BENEDICT’S ABBEY.
St. Benedict’s Abbey, church and college, are conducted by the Benedictine Fathers. The first Benedictine father that came to Kansas was Henry Lemke, O. S. B., who arrived in Doniphan in 1855, where he laid the foundation of a monastery. He was shortly followed to Kansas by a number of brother workers, who were sent here by Father Boniface Wimmer, O. S. B., who founded the monastery of St. Vincent’s, in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. They immediately opened a Latin school with a few pupils, but Very Rev. Augustine Wirth, O. S. B., soon discovered that Atchison would surpass Doniphan, and on this account the Catholic brothers transferred their home to Atchison in about 1859. The Rev. Augustine Wirth, O. S. B., came to Atchison from Doniphan once a month to hold religious services, which were conducted in the home of Charles Burnes, located on the southwest corner of Second and L streets. The following year Father Augustine built a frame parish church in which services were held for the first time on Christmas day. In this rude structure the faithful worshipped until about 1865, when the parish, having increased to such number, it became necessary to build a larger church. Under the aggressive leadership of Father Augustine, the parishioners concluded to invest in this structure $25,000. Francis George Himpler, now living in New York, and for many years a partner of the late J. P. Brown, was employed as architect. The work was pushed forward and instead of the proposed church, a magnificent Basilica was conceived, and the construction of it was carried forward with great earnestness. The foundation was completed in 1866, and the cornerstone was laid in October. The Rev. John Hennessy, O. S. B., who later was archbishop of Dubuque, and one of the most eloquent orators of the church, delivered the dedication sermon. To obtain brick for the church walls, Father Augustine bought expensive machinery, and, under the supervision of the late Peter Bless, started a brickyard in East Atchison, but the undertaking proved a failure, as the bricks were not serviceable for the church. Instead of using them in the construction of the church they were used to build several cottages and store buildings in the immediate neighborhood and, later on, when suitable bricks were obtained, the work on the church was continued, and by the summer of 1868 the walls were finished to the window sills.
Father Augustine resigned June 18, 1868, and went to Minnesota, and subsequently died while pastor at Melrose in that State, December 19, 1901, at the age of seventy-three years. He was succeeded by the Very Rev. Louis Mary Fink, O. S. B., July, 1868, and it was during his pastorate that the church was solemnly dedicated Trinity Sunday, 1869, but it was not completed at that time, and, in fact was not completed for many years thereafter. The church is built in Roman style and is 152 feet long and fifty-six feet wide. Father Louis was succeeded by the Very Rev. Giles Christoph, O. S. B., who was appointed prior in July, 1871. In January, 1875, Very Rev. Ouswald Moosemueller, O. S. B., became prior. Under his direction the church flourished and he is particularly remembered for his exertions in founding and building up a good library for the church and school. The members of the church had grown sufficiently large, so that the priory was promoted to an abbey April 7, 1877, and on September 29 of that year Rev. Innocent Wolf, O. S. B., was elected abbot, and still retains his place (1916), loved by all. Rev. Innocent Wolf’s election as abbot was celebrated with appropriate ceremonies, and the Very Rev. Boniface Verheyen, O. S. B., was appointed pastor, and at that time the status of the house was as follows: Rt. Rev. Innocent Wolf, O. S. B., abbot; Very Rev. Boniface Verheyen, O. S. B., prior; Very Rev. Pirmin Kaumly, O. S. B., prior of St. Benedict’s; Rev. Augustine Wirth, O. S. B., Emanuel Horlig, O. S. B., Rev. Timothy Luber, O. S. B., Rev. Peter Kassens, O. S. B., Rev. Eugene Bode, O. S. B., Rev. Adolph Wesseling, O. S. B., Rev. Ferdinand Wolf, O S. B., Rev. Winfried Schmidt, O. S. B., Rev. John Steoder, O. S. B.; and Rev. Matthew Bradley, O. S. B. Besides these there were four priests from St. Vincent’s, Pa., who acted as assistants, whose names were Rev. Ambrose Huebner, O. S. B., Rev. Casimir Elsesser, O. S. B., Rev. Theodore Schmitt, O. S. B., and Rev. Anslem Soehuler, O. S. B. There were seven clerics, ten lay brothers, five candidates and ten scholastics. Rev. Charles Stoekle, O. S. B., succeeded Father Adolph as pastor of St. Benedict’s Church in 1890, and remained pastor until 1898, when he was succeeded by Rev. Longinus New, O. S. B., who was one of the most beloved and active pastors of the church. He was a priest burning with zeal and he delighted in preaching. He was a powerful speaker, and his sermons were always well prepared and written out. He had a strong voice; used plain and simple language, and spoke with such zeal and sincerity that he left a lasting impression on all of his hearers. His health failed him, however, and he was compelled to seek a southern climate, and died in a hospital at Birmingham, Ala., March 2, 1899, aged fifty-three years, and in the twenty-eighth year of his priesthood. He was succeeded by Rev. Girard Heinz, O. S. B., who was appointed to take his place January 1, 1899, and Father Girard remains the pastor of the church in 1916.
St. Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison, Kan.
Rt. Rev. Innocent Wolf, O. S. B.,
President St. Benedict’s College, Atchison, Kan.