On October 10, 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. Fr 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 Fr Meinrad's, the abbey began purchasing cars which were equipped with radios. There is more than a bit of irony in this because Fr Meinrad was the kind of monk who probably would have scorned the luxury of using a radio to combat drowsiness.

Fr 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.

Fr 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.

Then Blue Cloud was raised to an abbey in 1954, Abbot Gilbert chose Fr Meinrad to be his prior. As claustral prior, Fr 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.

Fr 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. Fr 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.

Fr Meinrad enjoyed the outdoors. He swam every summer took long hikes. Monks sometimes discovered him splitting logs in the ravine, his habit off and nothing on but his Long Johns.

He received well deserved respect and love from his confreres, and from many other people whose lives he influenced. Attendance at his funeral was impressive: Over forty priests, sisters from ten different religious communities, and a good number of laity. Abbot Gilbert was in Rome then at the Second Vatican Council, but three abbots of other communities were here for the funeral of our Fr Prior on October 15th: Archabbot Bonaventure Knaebel,  Abbot Gerald Benkert and retired Abbot Columban Thuis, who offered the pontifical requiem. Abbot Columban was also a native of Vincennes and was a long time friend of Fr Meinrad's.