Reilly is a retired Archabbot of Saint Meinrad Archabbey. He entered Saint Meinrad as a seminarian studying for his home diocese of Pittsburgh, Pa. Then, Archabbot Reilly entered the monastery and made his first profession of vows as a Benedictine in 1956 and was ordained a priest in 1959. For over 40 years he led hundreds of retreats, parish missions and days of recollection all over the United States and in several foreign countries.
As Archabbot, he oversaw the completion of the renovation of the Archabbey Church; the growth and development of programs in the Saint Meinrad School of Theology; the establishment of a new enterprise, Abbey Caskets; and the inauguration of a $40 million comprehensive campaign and the development of a master plan for the Saint Meinrad campus.
Archabbot Reilly is the author of two spiritual books, Because There is Jesus, a collection of his homilies and conferences, and Latin Sayings for Spiritual Growth, spiritual reflections on some of his favorite Latin sayings and New Testament quotes.
Father Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B. will receive the Saint Vincent Seminary Lifetime Achievement Award at the Alumni Banquet. A 1940 graduate of Saint Vincent Preparatory School, he received a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from Saint Vincent College in 1945, and attended the Seminary from 1943 to 1946.
He received a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from the Pontifical Institute of Sant’ Anselmo, Rome. In 1999, Father Demetrius received the honorary Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from Saint Vincent Seminary. He has taught Sacred Scripture since 1952 at the Seminary, and is a former Rector of the Seminary (1963-1980), and Vice Rector (1955 to 1963).
Father Demetrius is the author of five published books: Flowers in the Desert; Cherish Christ Above All: The Bible in the Rule of Benedict; A Mystical Portrait of Jesus, New Perspectives on John’s Gospel; Praying the Scriptures; and So We Do Not Lose Heart: Biblical Wisdom for all our Days. He also co-authors a weekly column on the Sunday Homilies available on the Saint Vincent Archabbey website.
There will be a tribute to Father Paulinus J. Selle, O.S.B, during the Alumni Banquet. Father Paulinus, a monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey, died Sunday, February 8, 2009, at the age of 95. He attended the Saint Vincent Preparatory School, then the College and Seminary. In 1934, Father Paulinus was professed a Benedictine monk, then went to Rome in 1936 to earn a Licentiate in Theology from Sant’ Anselmo. On July 16, 1939, he was ordained a priest at the Abbey of Montecassino, then returned to Saint Vincent in 1940 to begin his distinguished years of service to the community.
Father Paulinus taught theology in the College and, in the Seminary, he taught moral theology, patristics, dogmatic theology and fundamentals of liturgy. In 1987, Father Paulinus received the Nova et Vetera Award from the Seminary for “Outstanding and Distinguished Service to the Seminary and the Church in priestly formation and theological education.”
In 1989, he received the Saint Vincent Alumni Association Award in “recognition of his meritorious contribution to Saint Vincent College.” Outside the classroom, Father Paulinus maintained friendships with his students and acted as a counselor in times of need for his students. In addition to teaching, Father Paulinus served as a confessor for many members of the Benedictine Community, for students, and priests upon their ordinations.
The Jubilarians of the Seminary Classes of 1933, 1939, 1949, 1959, 1969, and 1984 will be honored at the Annual Alumni day.
