“…for in all of the beautiful little countryside of Westmoreland, there is no church beside ours where the most Blessed Sacrament is reserved, and besides, no one comes to our church all week long except for me and my brothers. At times, it seems quite burdensome to go to the Read more
Father Boniface painted the following picture about their activities for the Augsburger Sion. The letter is dated February 1, 1847:23 “You have probably received my first letter in which I announced my fortunate arrival at St. Vincent. Soon it will be four months that we have been living and working Read more
In a letter, Boniface Wimmer writes of the schedule his budding monastery established: Although our community is not yet fully organized, we are keeping the following order as well as we can. We rise at 3:45 o’clock to meet in the parish church where at 4:00 o’clock, I say Matins Read more
“Everything is dependent upon the blessing of God who can give both the inspiration and the fulfillment. Anyone who considers the meager means with which the start had to be made, may be somewhat concerned, and, as for me, my friends and acquaintances cannot be more so than I. However, Read more
The passions, the temptations, the dangers with which humans have to struggle, always remain the same. However, the high ideals for which we must strive also remain the same. Whoever questions whether monastic life is still relevant, needs to understand that the purpose of monastic life is nothing other than Read more
The most memorable day in the history of St. Vincent is October 24, 1846, for on this day the cornerstone of the spiritual foundation of the monastery was laid, by Father Boniface giving the habit to his companions. On this day also, common prayer in choir was begun, which since Read more
Saint Vincent Archabbey’s history is long and complex, as was detailed in Mission to America, Jerome Oetgen’s fine account. Readers wishing to look at the history of Saint Vincent after that time, may want to look at Always Forward: Saint Vincent Archabbey 1949-2020, which brings the history of Boniface Wimmer’s Read more
Boniface Wimmer and 18 companions came to America in 1846 and planted the seeds of the Benedictine Order in North America. Boniface Wimmer: Letters of An American Abbot, edited by Jerome Oetgen, commemorates the 200th anniversary of Wimmer’s birth. This special bicentennial edition consists of translations and English originals of Read more
Mission to America tells the story of the first Benedictine monastery in the United States. It provides an account of the development of monastic life in America. Using American and European archival sources, as well as documents and letters in Saint Vincent records, Dr. Jerome Oetgen covers the entire 150-year Read more
Our Wimmer Wednesday quotes of late have been taken from the book, Boniface Wimmer: Abbot of Saint Vincent in Pennsylvania, translated from the original German only recently. This translates makes the first biographical portrait of this key figure in American Benedictine history more accessible to interested readers. . Written by Read more