Four Saint Meinrad Monks Celebrate Jubilees

Saint Meinrad - Four Benedictine monks at Saint Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, IN, are observing jubilees during 2021. Fr. Tobias Colgan, Br. Hugh Ernst and Fr. Jeremy King reached the 50th anniversaries of their monastic professions. Fr. Samuel Weber marks his 25th anniversary of priesthood.

Fr. Tobias professed vows as a Benedictine monk on August 27, 1971. A native of Kankakee, IL, he came to Saint Meinrad High School in 1964. He then attended Saint Meinrad College and earned a bachelor’s degree in French. He then earned a Master of Divinity in the School of Theology and was ordained to the priesthood in 1982.

He also did graduate work at Indiana University and Middlebury College, earning a master’s in religious studies and a master’s in French, respectively.

Fr. Tobias taught French and Spanish at Saint Meinrad College from 1977-93. He also served as assistant choirmaster and then choirmaster for the monastery from 1975-86. Other assignments have included secretary to the archabbot, prior (second in leadership) of the monastery, and secretary to the Archabbot’s Council, Archabbey Chapter and Archabbey Strategic Planning Committee.

Since 2010, he has worked in the Seminary and School of Theology, where he currently serves as vice rector and director of human formation.

Fr. Tobias is also a musician and liturgical music composer, who has written and published dozens of songs.

Br. Hugh professed his vows on August 27, 1971. He is a native of Evansville, IN, where he graduated from Bosse High School. He was a part-time student at Saint Meinrad College.

He has served in a variety of assignments at Saint Meinrad, including as bookkeeper, registrar, and landscaper. He also has worked in the monastery infirmary, gift shop, bakery, monastery archives, and the Office of Continuing Education.

From 1987-97, he operated the Abbey Rabbitry, breeding Holland Lop, American Fuzzy Lop, English Angora, Netherland Dwarf and Dwarf Hotot rabbits. He is a founding member of the Spencer County Humane Society.

He currently works in the Archabbey Bakery.

Fr. Jeremy is a native of Jeffersonville, IN, and he professed his vows as a Benedictine monk on August 27, 1971. He attended Saint Meinrad High School, College, and School of Theology, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in classics and a Master of Divinity. He earned a Master of Arts in education from Indiana University.

Ordained a priest on April 20, 1975, he has served as associate pastor of St. Benedict’s Parish in Evansville, IN; and as pastor of St. Boniface Parish, Fulda, IN; St. Martin of Tours Parish, Siberia, IN; and St. Meinrad Parish, St. Meinrad, IN.

Other assignments have included serving on the faculty of Saint Meinrad College as assistant professor of religion and education, associate director of student life and director of liturgical music at Saint Meinrad College, director of the College’s learning resource (Mader) center, director of liturgy and liturgical music in the School of Theology, Archabbey guest master, and monastery choirmaster. He served as the director of the monastery’s sesquicentennial in 2004 and as almoner and directory of community outreach.

He currently is the director of cultural events; coordinates the monthly work assignments for the monastery and commuting chaplains for the Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, assists in driving monks to appointments, does prison ministry and is a member of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’ Corrections Advisory Committee. He continues to serve as a cantor and organist for the monastery liturgies.

Fr. Samuel is originally from Chicago. He professed his vows as a Benedictine monk on November 13, 1969.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in classics from Saint Meinrad College and a Master of Divinity from Saint Meinrad School of Theology. He received the licentiate in sacred theology with a specialization in sacred liturgy and monastic spirituality from the Pontifical Athenaeum Sant’ Anselmo in Rome. He earned a master’s degree in Latin and Greek literature and ancient art and archaeology from the University of Colorado.

He also studied Gregorian chant with Dom Eugene Cardine, as well as music history and composition at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 2, 1996.

For 20 years, Fr. Samuel was on the faculty of Saint Meinrad School of Theology and Saint Meinrad College. He was a founding member of the Wake Forest University Divinity School in Winston-Salem, NC, where he taught for nine years.

In addition, he has taught in the Louisville Presbyterian Seminary, The Southern Baptist Seminary, Louisville, KY, and the Disciples of Christ Seminary, Lexington, KY. In addition to teaching, his ecumenical involvement has included lecturing and writing for The Upper Room (Methodist) and The Presbyterian Board of Worship.

In the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Fr. Samuel was the founding director of the Institute of Sacred Music and was on the faculty of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.

Fr. Samuel has served as an advisor for the International Committee on English in the Liturgy for the new translation of the Roman Missal. He also has taught at The Liturgical Institute, Mundelein Seminary, Mundelein, IL; and at Christendom College, Front Royal, VA; where he also was director of liturgical music.

Fr. Samuel’s publications include (Ignatius Press) The Propers of the Mass for Sundays and Solemnities, The Ignatius Pew Missal, and Compline. In addition, he has composed the chants for The Propers of the Mass for Weekdays of the Temporal Cycle.

He is the editor of The Hymnal for the Hours. His most recent publications include The Saint Patrick Gradual and the Saint Patrick Antiphonary. He is preparing the organ accompaniments for the Liber Hymnarius and composing the Ignatius Press Pew Missal in Spanish.

Currently, he is on the staff of the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship and teaches at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, CA.