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A Brief History of Saint Andrew Abbey

In the fall of 1921, at a meeting of the executive council of the Slovak Catholic Federation (Sdruzenie Slovenskych Katolikov v Amerike) in Youngstown, Ohio, the idea was proposed of sponsoring the founding of a Benedictine monastery in Cleveland, Ohio, with a high school to promote the education of Slovak immigrant young men.

Since 1904, Slovak language studies had been offered at the high School and college conducted by St. Procopius Abbey in Illinois. Many young American-Slovaks pursued higher education at these schools, including Jan Vaniscak of Johnstown, Pennsylvania Jan eventually joined The Benedictines and was ordained a priest in 1914.

With his religious name of Fr. Gregory, the young Slovak monk was active in Slovak-American affairs and was present at the 1921 Youngstown meeting when the idea of a Cleveland monastery was seriously discussed. He immediately wrote to his superior, Abbot Valentine Kohlbeck, asking his support for the idea. He noted there were nearly 12 Slovak Benedictine priests at the time in various American abbeys.

Fr. Stefan Kocis, secretary of the Slovak Catholic Federation, approached Bishop Joseph Schrembs of Cleveland with the idea. Bishop Schrembs, whose brother was a Benedictine monk in Latrobe, enthusiastically approved the project. Later he acceded to the generous offer of Fr. John Liscinsky of St. Andrew's Parish, East 52nd and Superior Avenue, to give up his pastorate to the Benedictines.

On January 9, 1922, the monks of St. Procopius Abbey voted to send monks to St. Andrew's Parish in Cleveland to begin a monastery. Fr. Gregory was unable to leave his pastorate of St. Michael's Parish in Chicago at that time and so Abbot Valentine sent Fr. Stanislaus Gmuca, who arrived at St. Andrew's Parish on February 5, 1922. Frs. Celestine Drexler, and Leo Rehak, would join him in the next two years.

Fr. Gregory continued to raise funds for the new monastery and Fr. Stanislaus secured permission to build a new church-school building at St. Andrew's and remodel the rectory which now housed six monks. Fr. George Luba, was sent from St. Procopius to organize a high school and on September 12, 1927, 35 students inaugurated the first day of classes at the new Benedictine High School.

In 1928, Fr. Gregory arrived in Cleveland to take over as superior. Fr. Stanislaus was appointed pastor of the newly-created St. Benedict's Parish on East Boulevard. Within a year, on August 12, 1929, the monastery was declared an independent priory and Fr. Gregory was elected the first conventual prior. With a growing monastic community and high school, he negotiated the purchase of Mt. St. Mary's Institute for Girls on Buckeye Road. The property was paid in full and the monks and students took up their new residence on Buckeye Road in the Fall of 1929.

Rapid growth of the monastery followed and on July 13, 1934, with 35 professed monks, St. Andrew's Priory became an abbey. The next month, on August 8; 1934, Fr. Stanislaus was elected the first abbot. During his 12 years in office, Abbot Stanislaus directed the continued growth of the new abbey and built a new high school building in 1940.

Abbot Theodore Kojis, was elected as second abbot in 1946. The postwar years brought solid growth to the abbey and its apostolates. On July 11, 1950, ground was broken for a new monastery. Half of the project was completed at the time of its dedication on August 6, 1952 by Archbishop Edward Hoban. The abbey reached its highest membership in 1960 with 78 professed monks.

St. Andrew Abbey faced serious challenges of renewal during the 15 years tenure of Abbot Jerome Koval, as third abbot of the community from 1966-81.  Abbot Jerome brought a Vatican II model of receptive, humane, shared leadership to carefully lead the community through experimentation and renewal of modern monastic life.

Abbot Jerome and Prior Roger Gries led the community in 1978 through a year long study to chart the course for the future. The option of relocating the monastery and high school had plagued the community for years since it is one of only two abbeys in the United States located in a major urban neighborhood. Besides professional assessment and planning, the monks offered special prayers during the year of study for Divine guidance.

On the feast of St. Benedict, March 21,1979, encouraged by God's blessings in the form of a steadiness in vocations, the perseverance of professed members, a gradual growth in the school's enrollment, and a new awareness of the seriousness of the special Benedictine vow of stability - the monks announced their intentions to remain in the Buckeye-Woodland area. Bishop James Hickey was present for the announcement and thanked the community for its witness of confidence in God's providence.

With the election of Abbot Roger Gries, on June 9, 1981, an ambitious effort at improving the present facilities was undertaken. A development office was established under the direction of Fr. Charles Hawkins to help in long range financing of proposed projects. All segments of the monastic community were involved in input for the Master Plan of proposed renovations and expansions. On February 11, 1982 Divine Providence intervened with the announcement of a surprise bequest of stock worth nearly a million dollars. The news was announced at the crucial Chapter meeting after the monks voted approval of the Master Plan.

Abbot Roger's boundless energies set the pace for the formal Capital Campaign launched in December of 1983 to raise a minimum of five million dollars. Faithful supporters and friends of the Benedictines showed their appreciation and continued faith by making generous pledges due over a five-year period. With several large, anonymous donations, as well as a $200,000 gift from the First Catholic Slovak Union, the campaign was successful in meeting the needs of the first phase of the Master Plan. This included extensive remodeling in the high school and the addition of a new three-floor wing to the monastery and a cloister walkway and garage.

Continued generosity and support, including a $1 million gift of the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association, enabled the monks to complete the building project with the erection of a striking new abbey church, replacing the cramped narrow basement chapel that had served the community for thirty years.

With the physical renovations, the monastic community today now seeks to experience a new spiritual renewal. The challenges to witness to Jesus Christ effectively in the unique witness of monastic life in the secularistic and materialistic world of today are as difficult as the efforts needed to successfully complete the building project.

The Benedictines take vows of obedience, conversion of life (a new outlook on life encompassing celibacy and poverty), and stability. This last vow is unique among religious orders since it binds a monk to one monastic house for his entire life, though through assignment he may live for a time outside of the monastery.  The professed monks wear the traditional black Benedictine habit consisting of tunic, scapular, and cowl.

The monks who live at the abbey occupy themselves in a variety of work assignments. Benedictine High School, a college preparatory school for 350 boys on the monastery grounds, has 11 monks on the staff. Monks serve as porter, guest master, kitchen manager, printer, nurse, barber, gardener, boiler man, treasurer, and in a variety of other jobs in the abbey itself.

Responding to the shortage of priests in the Church, St. Andrew Abbey has allowed seven of its priest-monks to attend to spiritual needs of parish communities and chaplaincies outside of the monastery. The monks staff St. Andrew and Assumption parishes in the Cleveland diocese. Monks also act as chaplains to convents, homes for the aged, and hospitals both in Cleveland and outside of the diocese.

The monks of St Andrew Abbey assemble each day in their beautiful new monastery church to petition God's continued assistance in carrying out their fourfold mission to praise God in communal prayer and monastic life, to educate young men in the Benedictine tradition, to preserve and promote the spiritual and cultural life of the Slovak people, and to assist the Church in parish ministry and chaplaincies.