News - October 2020 RSS Feed

Abbot Leonard and the monastic community of Subiaco Abbey announced the unexpected death of Br. Michael Endres from cardiac arrest. Br. Michael was born on June 22, 1964, made his profession as a monk of our monastery on September 8, 2002, and died on October 9, 2020.

Patrick Richey made profession as a Benedictine monk in the Subiaco Abbey Church Oct. 2, 2020. During Vespers, Richey presented his written and signed petition to Abbot Leonard Wangler, OSB, who then welcomed his public profession of monastic vows for three years. The abbot assigned him a new name, Brother Sebastian. After three years, he will be eligible to make his final, perpetual vows. During the ceremony Brother Sebastian read the document of his profession, in which he revealed his new monastic name and the abbot blessed the monastic habit and clothed him with it. Brother Sebastian was born in Syracuse, N.Y., and moved to Oxford, Ala., in the fifth grade. He graduated from Oxford High School in 1995 and then from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in Catholic theology. After spending two years in youth ministry, he visited Subiaco for the first time in 2008. Brother Sebastian worked as a teacher and coach at Sacred Heart High School in Ville Platte, La., and McGill-Toolen Catholic High School in Mobile, Ala. He then began teaching and coaching football and baseball at Subiaco Academy until making the decision to enter into formation at the abbey.