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Reviewed by:
  • To Prefer Nothing to Christ: St. Meinrad Archabbey 1854–2004
  • Benedict Neenan O.S.B.
To Prefer Nothing to Christ: St. Meinrad Archabbey 1854–2004. Edited by Cyprian Davis, O.S.B. (St. Meinrad, Indiana: Saint Meinrad Archabbey. 2004. Pp. xi, 520. Paperback.)

Monks of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana were in the forefont of several important movements in the United States Catholic Church before Vatican Council II, including the liturgical movement, the missionary movement, the reform [End Page 864] of religious life, and the drive to bring Catholic seminaries in line with modern educational standards. This is a common theme of the varied essays in To Prefer Nothing to Christ, which celebrates the Archabbey's 150th anniversary by augmenting and updating the 1954 history of the community by Albert Kleber, O.S.B. The essays range from biographical sketches of two important abbots, the founder, Martin Marty (1834–1896), and the "Second Founder," Ignatius Esser (1890–1973), to studies of the monks' missionary endeavors among the Sioux Indians of North America and the Swiss immigrants of Uruguay, to specific studies of the community's efforts in seminary education, liturgical work through the Priests' Eucharistic League, and chaplain ministry to near-by Benedictine Sisters. The artistic contribution of the community is also well documented.

Each essay is self-contained and interesting in its own right, though the quality of writing varies. Taken together, the essays give a general though partial impression of the character and history of the St. Meinrad community; a more comprehensive overview of the Archabbey's history would require a reading of the Kleber history as well. The present volume covers some of the same ground as the earlier history, but the authors display a perspective on past events that responds to more current interests and methods. Thus, for example, Joseph White's essay on the seminary uses annual school catalogues to gain insight into a wider range of events and trends than the traditional sources were able to achieve, and Nathan D. Mitchell's essay on Father Bede Maler's role in the Priests' Eucharist League connects that work with the wider liturgical movement whose significance came to be fully appreciated only with Vatican Council II.

As one would expect, the essays highlight the St. Meinrad monks' contributions to the Church in the past 150 years, but do so in a modest and honest fashion without exaltation and boasting and are based on solid research. Only a few of the contributors are monks of the Archabbey. A minor complaint was that the authors of the essays were not identified in the Table of Contents. This reviewer is not as convinced as the editor of the volume that the time has not yet arrived for a completely new history of St. Meinrad Archabbey and its important place in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States. When that time does arrive, these essays will provide excellent source material.

Benedict Neenan O.S.B.
Conception Seminary College
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