Five monks of Saint Meinrad Archabbey celebrate their jubilees
Benedictine Father Harry Hagan, left, Benedictine Brother Benjamin Brown, Benedictine Brother Zachary Wilberding, Benedictine Brother Martin Erspamer and Benedictine Father Denis Robinson pose in the Archabbey Church of Our Lady of Einsiedeln in St. Meinrad. They celebrated this year jubilees of profession of vows. (Photo courtesy of Saint Meinrad Archabbey)
Criterion staff report
50-year jubilarians
Benedictine Brother Benjamin Brown, born in Dubuque, Iowa, made his first profession of vows on Aug. 24, 1972. He attended the Latin School in Indianapolis, the archdiocese’s former high school seminary, and graduated from the former Saint Meinrad College in St. Meinrad in 1971. He also studied theology at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad.
Brother Benjamin’s monastic assignments have included working on the abbey farm, plumbing, grounds crew, vestry, transportation, house prefect, lab technician, infirmary, physical facilities and the winery. He has served on the St. Meinrad Volunteer Fire Department for more than 50 years, including as Abbey fire chief.
Brother Benjamin has also served on the Spencer County Fire Chief Association and the Spencer County Board of Health.
Benedictine Father Harry Hagan is a native of Bardstown, Ky. He made his first profession of vows on Aug. 24, 1972, and was ordained a priest on Sept. 20, 1986. Father Harry earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Saint Meinrad College, a master’s of divinity degree from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, a master’s of arts degree in religious studies from Indiana University in Bloomington and a doctorate in sacred Scripture from Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome.
Father Harry joined the faculty of Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in 1979, where he has served as associate dean of students, dean of students and provost-vice rector. He also served as novice and junior master in the monastery. He is currently an associate professor of Scripture in the Seminary and School of Theology and serves as a spiritual director. He has also written a number of hymn texts.
Benedictine Brother Martin Erspamer, a native of Iron Mountain, Mich., joined the Saint Meinrad community in 2005.
Before transferring to Saint Meinrad, he was a member of the Marianists, where he professed his first vows on Aug. 15, 1972. He earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, in 1976, and a master’s degree in fine arts from Boston University in 1986. He received a liturgical consultant certification from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1995.
He is a well-known liturgical artist, working in painting, illustration, ceramics, stained glass and worship space design. His work has included the design and renovation of various churches, as well as stained-glass windows, processional crosses, murals, banners and various other appointments. In 2019, he completed a large tapestry of Christ seated in glory for the renovation of Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif.
25-year jubilarians
Benedictine Father Denis Robinson is a native of Iuka, Miss. He attended the former Saint Meinrad College and Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1989 and a master’s of divinity degree in 1993.
Father Denis was ordained in 1993 as a priest for the Diocese of Memphis, Tenn. From 1993-96, he served as parochial vicar for the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Memphis.
He then joined Saint Meinrad Archabbey and professed his first vows on Aug. 6, 1997. From 1997-2001, Father Denis was director of continuing education and permanent deacon formation and an adjunct instructor in systematic theology in the seminary. He also served as executive assistant to the seminary’s president-rector.
In 2007, he was named subprior (third in leadership) of the monastic community.
He attended the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, where he earned a master’s degree in theology in 2002, a licentiate in sacred theology in 2003, and doctorates in sacred theology and philosophy in 2007. He is an associate professor of systematic theology in the seminary.
Since 2008, he has served as the president-rector of Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.
He is the author of numerous articles and has contributed to several theological texts. He is the editor of Sacerdos in Aeternum: Prayers and Blessings for Priests and co-editor of Theology and Religious Pluralism. In 2020, he co-authored the book, We Will Serve the Lord: Prayers and Blessings for the Domestic Church. In 2021, he wrote the book, Father Manners: A Guide to Etiquette for Catholic Clergy.
Benedictine Brother Zachary Wilberding was born in Dubuque, Iowa, and attended Loras College for two years before transferring to the University of Iowa, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1975 and a master’s degree in nursing in 1984.
From 1975-77, he worked as a staff nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and then worked for two years as a staff nurse at the University of Iowa. From 1979-96, he held positions as a staff nurse, staff development educator, head nurse and clinical nurse specialist in Veterans Affairs hospitals in Iowa City and Seattle, Wash.
Brother Zachary joined the Benedictine monks of St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minn., in 1996 and professed his solemn vows in 2000. While at St. John’s, he was director of field education, director of lay spiritual formation and involved in prison ministry.
He transferred to Saint Meinrad Archabbey in 2008. Currently, he is director of monastery vocations and director of public reading. He also continues his work in prison ministry.
(For more information on Saint Meinrad Archabbey, visit saintmeinrad.org.) †
