OCTOBER 10 On this day, 1962, a founding member of our community, Father Prior Meinrad Hoffman died at St. Ann’s Hospital in Watertown. He had been hospitalized there since September 26th, the day on which he sustained spinal injuries in an automobile accident. Near Bristol, on his way to Aberdeen to have his hearing tested, he fell asleep at the wheel. The car went into the ditch and then struck a power—pole. His death, two weeks later, was the result of a blood clot. Father Meinrad had been making a good recovery and his death came as a terrible shock to the community. Up until that time abbey cars did not have radios in them. In order to prevent other accidents like Father Meinrad’s, the abbey began purchasing cars which were equipped with radios. There is more than a bit of irony in this because Father Meinrad was the kind of monk who probably would have scorned the luxury of using a radio to combat drowsiness.
Father Meinrad was born in Vincennes, Indiana on January 28, 1896. He entered the minor seminary at St. Meinrad in 1909. On September 6, 1914, he was invested as a novice. He professed vows on September 8th the following year. His solemn profession was on December 8, 1918, and he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Joseph Chartrand on May 25, 1920.
Father Meinrad, who earned a master’s degree in education at Notre Dame in 1930, taught a variety of subjects in the minor and major seminaries at St. Meinrad. He also served terms as spiritual director for both schools. From 1927 until 1930, he was assistant novice master. In 1944 he was appointed novice master and instructor of clerics, and held these offices until 1951.
Arriving at Blue Cloud in 1952, the year we became a priory, he was made subprior and treasurer. He was also a professor in the Blue Cloud seminary, teaching scripture, the social encyclicals and physiology. He had a special love for the psalms and encouraged his students to: “Make them your own.” His students in physiology recall the rather Victorian manner in which he described the human reproductive system to them.
When Blue Cloud was raised to an abbey in 1954, Abbot Gilbert chose Father Meinrad to be his prior. As claustral prior, Father Meinrad was a stickler for monastic discipline, especially the observance of day silence and night silence. His own life was disciplined, and he expected the same kind of self control from the monks of Blue Cloud. Yet, he was a compassionate man who understood human failings. The line in the corridor outside his room was always long on weekly confession night.
Father Meinrad had a great devotion to our Lady and prayed all fifteen decades of her rosary every day. He was the founder of the Conversion Club, whose members prayed for conversions to the Church and for the return of lapsed Catholics.
Father Meinrad was a popular retreat master for religious communities, and for a number of years he gave a monthly conference to priests of the New Ulm Diocese.
Father Meinrad enjoyed the outdoors. He swam every summer and took long hikes. Monks sometimes discovered him splitting logs in the ravine, his habit off and nothing on but his Long Johns.