Archabbot Andrew Hintenach O.S.B.

Today we remember the passing of the second Archabbot of Saint Vincent, 

Archabbot Andrew Hintenach O.S.B. 

Archabbot Andrew professed solemn vows on July 11, 1861 and six years later  was ordained by Bishop Michael Dominic of Pittsburgh. At first he taught in Saint Vincent College: Latin, Greek, and history. In 1875, he was appointed by Abbot Boniface Wimmer as the Subprior, and a year later as Prior. In the following year he was Master of Novices until 1886 when he became the superior of the mission in Alabama. On 2 February 1888 Fr. Andrew was elected Archabbot, and led the community until 25 May 1892.  Archabbot Andrew's focus under his leadership was a program of spiritual renewal. The three principle goals for this program where (1) to reawaken the spirit of prayer and religious devotion at the abbey and inspire monks to greater faithfulness in attendance at Divine Office; (2) to form small independent monasteries from as many of the dependent missions as possible to make it easier for the monks to lead monastic life of work and prayer in unified, focused communities while avoiding the risk of distraction and fragmentation on account of a wide range of apostolic activities; and (3) to ensure that Saint Vincent monks working in parishes had, to the extent possible, an opportunity to lead Benedictine life of communal prayer and monastic observance " as religious we are obliged to observe our Holy Rule, since practical seculars always gain by living up to the proverb: 'keep thy shop and thy shop will keep thee' -- we must apply the same adage for ourselves in regard to the Holy Rule."
After serving as Archabbot, he went on to serve as Prior at Saint Bede Abbey and Chaplain for the Benedictine Sisters in Colorado and in Erie. Archabbot Andrew returned home in 1921 to a life of solitude and prayer until his death some six years later in 1927.

Mission to America, Jerome Oetgen
Archabbey Archives