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Thomas Meienhofer (September 18, 1865 – September 6, 1936) was the first abbot of
Thomas Meienhofer (September 18, 1865 – September 6, 1936) was the first abbot of Mount Angel Abbey
Mount Angel Abbey is a Roman Catholic monastery of Benedictine monks in the northwest United States, located in St. Benedict, Oregon. Northeast of Salem, it was established in 1882 from Engelberg Abbey, Switzerland. The abbey, located on the to ...
in Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, USA,
Education in Switzerland
Thomas Aquinas Meienhofer, baptized as Franz, was born inWuppenau
Wuppenau is a municipality in the district of Weinfelden in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.
Geography
Wuppenau has an area, , of . Of this area, or 74.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 18.6% is forested. Of the rest of t ...
in the canton of Thurgau. He attended the school at Engelberg Abbey
Engelberg Abbey (german: Kloster Engelberg) is a Benedictine monastery in Engelberg, Canton of Obwalden, Switzerland. It was formerly in the Diocese of Constance, but is now in the Diocese of Chur. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Angels and ...
, entered the abbey and became a priest. After moving to the daughter monastery Mount Angel in the US, he taught Latin, biology and astronomy at the college.
Leadership in the young monastery
On July 11, 1901, he was elected prior of Mount Angel and on February 3, 1904, after the priory was elevated to an abbey, he was elected the first abbot. Both elections took place under the presidency of AbbotFrowin Conrad
Frowin Conrad OSB (baptismal name: ''Plazidus''; 2 November 1833 – 24 March 1923) was a Priest, Benedictine and first abbot of Conception Abbey.
Biography
Frowin Conrad was born in Auw, Aargau, Switzerland, one of a family of fifteen. ...
of Conception Abbey. Abbot Meienhofer received the abbatial benediction on June 29, 1904, through Abbot Frowin Conrad ( Archbishop Christie of Portland was ill). His assistants were Abbots Athanasius Schmitt of St. Meinrad's Abbey, Indiana, and Vincent Wehrle of St. Mary's Abbey, North Dakota.
Abbot Meienhofer served as abbot 1904–1910. He resigned unexpectedly on May 25, 1910. He had been absent from the monastery for many months and had been seen in the company of Belle Gerlinger, the divorced wife of the railroad magnate Louis Gerlinger.{{Cite news , date=March 23, 1911 , title=Former Abbot is mentally weak, says Fr. Gregory , pages=1 , work=The Oregon Daily Journal , publication-place=Portland, Oregon He later married Belle and moved to New York City. During his last years as a monk and for the rest of his life, Meienhofer suffered from bad eyesight. He never returned to Mount Angel, although he corresponded with some of the monks, and died in Virginia.
References