Necrology

With the Sign of Faith

Abbot Brendan Downey was the community’s fifth abbot. Born near Perrin, Missouri on January 26, 1918, the first of 12 siblings, he made his profession of vows on July 11, 1938. On March 21, 1973, he was elected abbot at the age of 55. He is the only one of the community’s superiors who died in office. After a series of heart attacks he succumbed on September 4, 1980.

There is no better way to summarize his life than to quote the first lines of a eulogy of Abbot Brendan preached by Father Gerard Senecal at the Abbey’s Conventual Mass on Sunday, September 7, 1980: “We have lost a dear friend, a father in Christ, a brilliant teacher and scholar, a courageous leader, an enthusiastic singer of Irish ballads, an avid sailor and Bridge player, a kind and gentle man.”

After completing his college and theology studies and having been ordained a priest, Father Brendan began a teaching career in St. Benedict’s College. Known for his skills in writing, Father Brendan had been editor and writer for the monastery’s publication, The Raven Review since its inception. His busy life was interrupted by acquiring a degree in Literature from Oxford University in Great Britain. Upon returning, he resumed his teaching responsibilities and soon acquired the reputation of being one of the better teachers on the faculty. He combined this activity with editing The Raven Review, living in college residence halls for years as a prefect and, as Father Gerard recalled, “reforming and civilizing the habits of young men.”

True to the example of his patron, St. Brendan, he kept a small sailboat and used it fearlessly. On a trip to Minnesota to visit family, the boat capsized leaving he and his passengers to spend a night exposed to the elements while clinging to the capsized boat, luckily drifting toward the shore.

Father Brendan became the first non-abbatial president of St. Benedict’s College. He later became the chaplain of St. Lawrence Student Center at Kansas University while the Center was still in its infancy. He combined this ministry with teaching in the Kansas School of Religion. He developed an outreach to Catholic faculty members of the university and was especially solicitous to provide a faith home for young Catholic married graduate students.

This story is an excerpt from Kansas Monks: A Photo History by Fr. Denis Meade. This beautiful 128-page volume recounts the history of our monastic community, its foundation, and our brothers that have gone before us. Get your copy for $24.95 + S&H at Kansasmonks.org/shop