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History of Saint Meinrad Archabbey

1980

3 interviews



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This project consists of interviews with three members of the Benedictine order who lived and worked at Saint Meinrad Archabbey. Some major topics of discussion include religious training and education, daily monastic life, the business ventures of the abbey, and the history of the abbey. In addition, the interviewees discuss the vows and roles of priests and monks, as well as the abbey's relationship with the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church.

Interviewees

Daly, Simeon

Heck, Theodore

Ostdick, Rupert


Interviewee: Daly, Simeon
Call number: 80-019
Date(s) of Interview: March 7, 1980
Physical Description: 32 pp.; 1 reel, 1 7/8 ips, 90 minutes; no index; xeroxed photograph of interviewee, 3 St. Meinrad College brochures, 1979 St. Meinrad Annual Report, 2 St. Meinrad Archabbey pamphlets
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Open
Interviewer: Giroux, Vincent A., Jr.

Father Simeon Daly, of the Order of Saint Benedict, born on May 9, 1922, discusses the background and purposes of Saint Meinrad Archabbey and Monastery, as well as the changes he has witnessed since he came in 1943. Father Daly comments on the organization of the monastery, the differences between priest and non-priest monks, the content of Benedictine vows, and religious training at the Archabbey. In addition, he describes daily life at the monastery, as well as its relationship with the greater Roman Catholic Church.

Keywords

Corporation Names

Order of Saint Benedict

Swiss-American Federation

Occupation Names

Benedictine monk

Catholic priest

librarian

Subjects

Benedictine vows

church hierarchy

monastery history

monastery organization

monastic life

religious education

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Interviewee: Heck, Theodore
Call number: 80-018
Date(s) of Interview: March 7, 1980
Physical Description: not transcribed; 1 reel, 1 7/8 ips, 90 minutes
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Open
Interviewer: Giroux, Vincent A., Jr.

In this interview, Theodore Heck, born in 1901, discusses Saint Meinrad Archabbey and Seminary. In addition, he speaks of education at Saint Meinrad College and School of Theology.

Keywords

Corporation Names

St. Meinrad College

St. Meinrad School of Theology

Subjects

religious education

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Interviewee: Ostdick, Rupert
Call number: 80-017
Date(s) of Interview: March 7, 1980
Physical Description: 37 pp.; 1 reel, 1 7/8 ips, 90 minutes; no index
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Open
Interviewer: Giroux, Vincent A., Jr.

Father Rupert Ostdick, born on November 14, 1921, discusses his experiences as a Benedictine monk and priest, business manager, and treasurer at Saint Meinrad Archabbey. He speaks of the Archabbey's trials during the Great Depression, its degree of self-sufficiency, and its business ventures, including forestry, a sandstone quarry, and the Abbey Press. In addition, Father Ostdick describes monastic life and the impact the abbey has had on employment in Spencer County, Indiana.

Keywords

Corporation Names

Abbey Press

Personal Names

Gillis, Bertrand

Place Names

Spencer County, Indiana

Occupation Names

Benedictine monk

Catholic priest

abbey treasurer

business manager

Subjects

Great Depression

abbey business ventures

abbey vandalism

agriculture

forestry

monastic life

religious education

religious vocation

sandstone quarry

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