Wolfgang Schlumpf OSB (Steinhausen, Switzerland, January 20, 1831 – Einsiedeln, Switzerland, August 1, 1904) was a Benedictine monk and missionary in America. He was the founder of Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas, in 1878.
Wolfgang Schlumpf | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1857 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 20, 1831 Steinhausen, Switzerland |
| Died | August 1, 1904 (aged 73) Einsiedeln, Switzerland |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Occupation | Benedictine Monk |
Early life
Jacob Anton Schlumpf was born in the Canton of Zug, Switzerland, on January 30, 1831, the son of Franz Philipp Schlumpf and Klara Kristina Betz, farmers. After completing the classical course in high school, he entered Einsiedeln Abbey in 1850.[1]
Monk and Priest
He made his profession of vows with the Benedictines of Einsiedeln Abbey on September 25, 1853, receiving the name Wolfgang, and was ordained to the priesthood on September 13, 1957. He was appointed a teacher in the Abbey’s high school from December 22, 1858, until April 28, 1862. On October 12, 1862, Abbot Henry Schmid of Einsiedeln Abbey assigned him as a missionary to the United States for St. Meinrad Archabbey that Einsiedeln had founded in 1854 in Indiana.[2]
America
Upon his arrival in southern Indiana in November, 1862, he was assigned to parish ministry until 1865, when he became manager of St. Meinrad Archabbey building and farming operations, and directed the construction of a new stone monastery building. Shortly after St. Meinrad Archabbey was raised to the status of an Abbey on September 30, 1870, he was appointed Subprior (second assistant to Abbot Martin Marty).[3]
In March, 1878, Father Wolfgang was assigned by Abbot Marty to make a new monastic foundation in western Arkansas, in response to a request from Bishop Edward Fitzgerald of Little Rock. He and two monk companions, Brothers Hilarin Benetz and Caspar Hildesheim, arrived at the location of the new monastery, which would become St. Benedict’s Priory and later Subiaco Abbey, on March 15, 1878.[4] Father Wolfgang served as Prior until 1881, when he was recalled to St. Meinrad Archabbey by the new Abbot, Fintan Mundwiler, to serve again as Subprior and business manager. Father Wolfgang returned to Switzerland for health reasons in 1884, and in 1885 became Prior again in Arkansas, and would serve in this role as the new monastery became an independent priory in May, 1886, and an Abbey with name of Subiaco Abbey in August, 1891.[5][6]
Final Years
In September, 1894, Abbot Basil Oberholzer of Einsiedeln Abbey recalled Father Wolfgang to Switzerland and appointed him chaplain of the Benedictine nuns in Glattburg. In September, 1902, he returned to Einsiedeln Abbey, where he died on August 1, 1904.[7]
Gallery
Notes
References
- Assenmacher, Hugh. A Place Called Subiaco: A History of the Benedictine Monks in Arkansas (Little Rock: Rose Publishing Company, 1977).
- Einsiedeln Abbey Archives. P. Wolfgang (Jakob Anton) Schlumpf von Steinhausen. (in German)
- Hess, Luke. New Subiaco Abbey: A Retrospect (Subiaco: Subiaco Abbey Press, 1917).
- Metrailer, Jamie. Subiaco Abbey and Academy (Encyclopedia of Arkansas: Central Arkansas Library System, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2018).
- Subiaco Abbey Necrology. Wolfgang Schlumpf.
- Subiaco Abbey Photographs. Wolfgang Schlumpf.
External links
- Subiaco Abbey
- Einsiedeln Abbey (in German)