Father Kenneth Reichert, OSB, enters eternal rest

In the early hours of the afternoon on Thursday, 19 December 2024, our beloved confrere, Father Kenneth Reichert, OSB

laid down the burdens of earthly existence and surrendered his soul to the Lord, in whose service he had spent his life as monk and priest. A golden jubilarian of both monastic profession and priestly ordination, Fr. Kenneth had been a resident of the St. Stephen’s Infirmary at Conception since his retirement from pastoral labors in 2020. An enduringly cheerful presence in the community, Fr. Kenneth invariably greeted visitors with a welcoming smile and a willingness to chat. Shortly after midnight on the day that was to become his last on earth, he suffered a stroke that left him unresponsive to those in attendance at his bedside. He had only a few hours to wait before the final call of his Master summoned him to the joys of heaven to which he had looked forward for so many years.

Maurice Peter Reichert was born on 7 July 1933 in Brunswick, Missouri, to Joseph and Alice (née Gladbach) Reichert, the fourth of their five sons. He was baptized at St. Boniface Church in Brunswick five days later by the Rev. Basil Odermatt, OSB, a monk of Conception Abbey. Though the parish was not in the care of the Abbey, the monks often assisted there on weekends, and from an early age, the young Maurice came to know and admire their particular witness to the faith. He attended the parochial school at St. Boniface and then entered Brunswick Public High School in 1947. After his first year there, he transferred to Conception Seminary High School in 1948. It was his intention from the beginning to enter the monastery, and upon graduation from Conception’s high school in 1953, he entered the novitiate of Conception Abbey. He professed first vows on 8 September 1954 and was given the name Kenneth—“Canicus” in Latin, the language in which the rite was conducted. The Latin form of his new name was unfamiliar enough to keep people guessing until after the ceremony just how the newly professed was to be addressed. Frater Kenneth began theological studies at Conception, and after professing solemn vows in 1957, he was ordained to the priesthood on 30 May 1959.

As is so often the case with monks, Father Kenneth served the community in capacities almost too numerous to count, both within the cloister and beyond its walls; it is a testament to both his monastic obedience and his enthusiasm for service that he held most of these assignments for relatively long periods. During his years in the clericate, he had acted as secretary to the abbot; he resumed this position from 1960 to 1963 after a year of graduate studies at St. Paul University in Ottawa. He was then sent to minister to the Native Americans in Wakpala and McLaughlin, South Dakota, from 1970 to 1972.

Perhaps Fr. Kenneth’s most visible public role here at the monastery was as Master of Ceremonies: after two relatively brief stints during the 1960s, he began a final tenure that lasted from 1972 to 1999. He acted as Assistant Vocation Director (1961–63) and Vocation Director (1963–65), as well as Director of Oblates (1963–69) and Instructor of Brothers (1966–67).

Over the years he held many and various titles in the seminary: Prefect (1962–68); Assistant in Student Personnel Services (1964–65); Counselor to Students (1968–70); Manager of the Student Supply Store (1972–85); and Spiritual Director of Conception Seminary (1972–85). During these years he also acted as: Director of the seminary Apostolic Program (1986–87); Guestmaster and Director of Special Programs (1987–90); Director of Seminary Recruitment (1990–93); Director of Seminary Alumni (1990–99); and seminary Chaplain (1991–93).

He was appointed Subprior and Secretary of Chapter (1975–79), and Director of Postulants (1976–77). Having demonstrated efficiency and skill as an administrator, he was appointed Prior in 1993 by Abbot Marcel. He retained this position under Abbot Gregory until 2007. During this period, he also returned to the Oblate Office as Associate Director (2001–2003) and Director (2003–13). He became Director of our St. Stephen’s Health Care Center and Infirmary (2007–2013), and then took up duties as Chaplain at Immaculata Monastery and the St. Joseph Nursing Home in Norfolk, Nebraska, from 2013 to 2020. When advancing years finally began to slow him down, he returned to Conception, where he took up residence in our Infirmary and entered the special Apostolate of Prayer engaged by our senior monks.

During his monastic life, Father Kenneth was able to undertake sabbaticals and periods of study at other institutions of higher learning. He attended Loyola University in Chicago for summer courses in 1966; he completed a course in Clinical Pastoral Education in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the summer of 1969.  He was granted a sabbatical for studies in spirituality at St. Louis University in 1985–86, and attended the Institute of Spirituality in River Forest, Illinois, during the summers of 1976, ’77 and ’78. He delighted in recalling an Alaska cruise that he was able to enjoy in September 2002, by the kindness of the Alumni of Conception Seminary. He later took delight in a pilgrimage to Israel and Jordan in June 2006.

Amid these happy events, Father Kenneth endured a misfortune that, though terrible at the time, came to have great meaning in his life. When a gunman entered Conception Abbey on 10 June 2002 and shot four monks, Father Kenneth was one of two who survived the shooting. Though he initially found the experience a challenge to the integrity of his faith, he soon discovered that his faith, both in God and in the support of his community, had become much stronger as he prayed about and sought an understanding of God’s will for him in the experience.

At the time of his death, Fr. Kenneth was 91 years of age. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his brothers and sisters-in-law. He is survived by his sister-in-law Vera Marek (Mrs. James) Reichert (Brunswick, Missouri), by many nieces and nephews and their families, and by his monastic confreres.

The reception of the body of Fr. Kenneth is to take place at St. Stephen’s Infirmary Chapel at Conception Abbey at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, 22 December 2024. Vespers for the Fourth Sunday of Advent with special petitions for the deceased will be prayed at 7:15 that evening, followed by a reception in St. Joseph Hall. The Office of the Faithful Departed will commence with Vigils on Monday, 23 December 2024, and the Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, 23 December 2024. We commend our beloved confrere to your prayerful remembrance. May he rest in the peace of Christ!

Abbot Benedict and Community

Print Friendly