Bernard Kälin (21 March 1887 – 20 October 1962) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

Benedictine monk of

Muri-Gries Abbey Muri-Gries Abbey (german: Benediktinerabtei Muri-Gries, it, Abbazia dei Benedettini di Muri-Gries) is located in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy and was founded in 1844 as an offshoot of the former Muri Abbey in Aargau. It is a member of the Swiss C ...

, an abbot of

, and the third Abbot Primate of the Order of St. Benedict and the

Benedictine Confederation The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict ( la, Confœderatio Benedictina Ordinis Sancti Benedicti) is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict. Origin The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monasti ...

Biography

Josef Martin Kälin was born in

Einsiedeln Einsiedeln () is a municipality and district in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland known for its monastery, the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey, established in the 10th century. History Early history There was no permanent settlement in the area p ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, on 22 March 1887. His parents were Josef Martin & Anna Verena (née Schön) Kälin. His father was a timber merchant and the family sought to educate all their children. From 1899 to 1907 he attended the high school located at Einsiedeln Abbey. He then entered the monastic life at Muri-Gries Abbey in northern Italy in 1908 and made his religious profession on 5 October 1909 being given the name "''Bernard''." He continued his education in the fields of

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and Theology at the University of Freiburg and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest on 18 October 1912. He continued his studies at the same university receiving a doctorate in philosophy in 1918 with a dissertation on the Epistemology of

Saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

Augustine entitled "''Die Erkenntnislehre des hl. Augustinus''." Between the years 1913-1945 Kälin taught at Kantonsschule Obwalden overseen by the

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

, serving as teacher and

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the school. During this time, he wrote a number of philosophy textbooks that became popular. On 10 August 1945 Kälin was elected as the Abbot of Muri-Gries Abbey and received his blessing on 13 August 1945. He served in the role for only two years until he was elected as the third Abbot Primate of the

and Order of St. Benedict on 16 September 1947. As Abbot Primate he resided in Rome, Italy, while also overseeing Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino. He traveled quite extensively in his role as Abbot Primate, but was also instrumental in his work at the Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo where he founded a monastic institute, taught philosophy, and redesigned the Church of Sant'Anselmo. He served in this role until 1959 when he was not reelected as Abbot Primate, at which point he returned to Muri-Gries Abbey where he died on 20 October 1962.

Bibliography

* ''Die Erkenntnislehre des hl. Augustinus'' Sarnen: Ehrli 1921 (OCLC: 401967569) * ''Zur Philosophie der Benediktinerregel'' Sarnen: Ehrli 1929 (OCLC: 79226154) * ''Der Pädagoge Paul Häberlin'' Einsiedeln: Benziger & Co 1930 (OCLC: 77823674) * ''Hundert Jahre Kollegium Sarnen 1841–1941. Eine historisch-statistische Skizze'' Sarnen: Ehrli 1941 (OCLC: 1270689302) * ''Lehrbuch der Philosophie'' Sarnen: Selbstverlag Benediktinerkollegium 1950 (OCLC: 73484915) * ''Lehrbuch der Philosophie. Band I: Logik, Ontologie, Kosmologie, Psychologie, Kriteriologie und Theodizee'' Sarnen: Selbstverlag Benediktinerkollegium 1957 (OCLC: 832441007) * ''Lehrbuch der Philosophie. Band II: Einführung in die Ethik'' Sarnen: Selbstverlag Benediktinerkollegium 1962 (OCLC: 832441031)

References

External links

Muri-Gries Abbey
(in German and Italian)
The Benedictine Confederation of Congregations of Monasteries of the Order of Saint Benedict
(in Italian and English)
International Atlas of Benedictine Monasteries
(in English)
Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo
(in Italian and English)
Collegio Sant'Anselmo
(in Italian and English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kälin, Bernard 1887 births 1962 deaths Abbots Primate Benedictine scholars Benedictine writers 20th-century Christian monks Benedictine abbots Swiss abbots Swiss Roman Catholics Swiss Benedictines

Biography

Bibliography

See also

References

External links