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

Feast of Saint Gregory the Great

Pope Saint Gregory the Great

Saint Gregory was born in Rome, in Italy. His father was a politician and his mother is a saint, St. Celia. Gregory studied philosophy and when he was still quite young, became the governor of Rome. When his father died, Gregory made his large house into a monastery. For many years he lived as a good and holy monk. Then Pope Pelagius made him one of the seven ministers of the Church in Rome. When the pope died, Gregory was chosen to take his place. He was so holy and wise; everyone knew he would be a good pope. But Gregory was so humble that he did not want that honor at all and disguised himself and hid in a cave. The people soon found him and made him pope anyway. For fourteen years he ruled the Church. Even though he was always sick, Gregory was one of the greatest popes the Church has ever had. He wrote many books and was a wonderful preacher. He cared for people all over the world. In fact, he considered himself the servant of all. He was the first pope to use the title "servant of the servants of God." All the popes since have used this title.
St. Gregory took special, loving care of poor people and strangers. Every day he used to feed them a good dinner. He was also very sensitive and understanding when people were treated badly. Once, when he was still a monk, he saw some blond English boys up for sale in the slave market of Rome. The saint felt a great desire to go to England to bring the love of Christ to those pagans. When he became pope, one of the first things he did was to send some of his best monks to teach the English people and help bring them to Christ.
This Holy pope suffered a lot in the last few years of his life, yet he continued working for his beloved Church until the very end. He not only influenced the history of the church but greatly contributed to the growth of western monasticism. 

Prayer of Saint Gregory the Great

Oh Lord, make me understand what great peace there is in a heart that desires nothing of this world. Indeed if my heart hankers to acquire worldly advantages it can neither be tranquil nor secure, because it is either seeking to have what it has not, or not to loose what it has. While in adversity it desires prosperity, in prosperity it fears adversity and so it is tossed from one side to the other by these ever fluctuating waves. But if it pleases you oh God let my soul be securely attached to a desire for its heavenly homeland and it will be much less shaken by anxiety over temporal things. When faced with an external disturbance, make it seek refuge in this desire for heaven, as in a most secret hiding place, and be attached to it without being moved. Transcending all that is changeable and in its tranquility of its peace it will be both in this world and outside it.

New Seminarians Begin Semester

Monks and Seminarians returned to class this week with the beginning of the fall semester.  The new Saint Vincent Seminarians concluded orientation with a group photo in front of the Seminary residence. Eighteen new men join the seminary community from various diocese and abbeys, among them are Brothers Rafael Quesada O.S.B., Miguel González O.S.B. , Basil Alexander O.S.B. of Saint Vincent Archabbey, Brother Martinho Zevallos O.S.B. of Mosterio de Sao Bento in Sao Bento in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Brothers Thomas Sanders O.S.B. and Louis Carey O.S.B. of Saint Andrew’s Abbey in Cleveland, Ohio.

Please continue to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life!

Saint Vincent Hero

Fr. Emmeran Bliemel, O.S.B.

 Father Emmeran Bliemel, a monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey who was the first Catholic chaplain killed on the battlefield during an American war while attending to his men.  Several monks served in the Civil War, both for the Grand Army of the Republic (the Union Army), and for the Confederate Army. Father Bliemel served the Confederate Army as a chaplain for the 10th Tennessee Infantry and 4th Kentucky Infantry of the Confederate States of America. He was killed while performing last rites on a soldier during the Battle of Jonesboro, which marked the end of the Atlanta Campaign.  

Elizabeth Cousins, Saint Vincent Archabbey Public Relations 

Holy Cross Cemetery

Tuscumbia, Alabama

In 1860 Father Bliemel was assigned to a German Catholic parish in Nashville, Tennessee. Six months after his arrival most of the adult men of his parish joined the Tenth Tennessee regiment to fight for the Confederacy. After Nashville was occupied by Union forces early in 1862,Father Bliemel dedicated himself to giving aid to wounded soldiers in Nashville, whether they were Confederate or Union. Smuggling medicine to Confederate forces, Father Bliemel was arrested twice by the Union occupation forces. Eventually Father Bliemel decided that he had to take a more active role. The Tenth Tennessee had elected him in absentia their chaplain. Seeking permission from his bishop, which was reluctantly given, Chaplain Bliemel joined the Tenth Tennessee. On August 31, 1864, now a veteran of many battles, Chaplain Bliemel stood with the men of the Tenth Tennessee as they launched an assault on a Union position during the battle of Jonesboro, Georgia. In the course of the attack Father ”Emery”, as the men fondly called him, performed his customary duty of rendering assistance to the wounded and the Last Rites to the dying. Colonel Grace, the commanding officer of the Tenth Tennessee (an Irish-Catholic Brigade), fell to the ground mortally wounded. Immediately Father Bliemel was at his side administering the Last Rites. In the midst of the sacrament, Father Bliemel was decapitated by a cannonball. Father Bliemel was the first American Catholic Chaplain to die on the battlefield. 

By Donald R. McClarey

Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica 107th Anniversary of Consecration

Completed in 1905, the St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica has stood as a symbol of our founder, Archabbot Boniface Wimmer's unshakable faith.  Although he did not live to see its construction, the Archabbot always dreamed of building a magnificent Church for the early Catholic immigrants who struggled to keep their faith in a foreign land.  On August 24, 1905 his dream would come true when Bishop John Francis Regis Canevin of the Diocese of Pittsburgh solemnly consecrated the Archabbey Church.  Exactly fifty years later, August 24, 1955, His Holiness Pope Pius XII elevated the Archabbey Church to the ecclesiastical rank of Minor Basilica.  Now today, 107 years after its consecration, St. Vincent Basilica still stands witness to the thousands of people who come to pray and worship the God in whom all things are possible.

For more information on the Archabbey Basilica, read this article written by our confrere, Fr. Brian Boosel:

http://www.sacredarchitecture.org/articles/saint_vincent_archabbey_basilica_one_hundred_years/