The average age of our monks is among the youngest in the United States. We come from diverse backgrounds, some discovering religious life very young, others joining after school or work experience. Visitors often remark on the enthusiasm and joy that fills our abbey. We love God and the Church, and warmly welcome all we encounter.
Abbot Marc Crilly
The third of eleven children, Abbot Marc Crilly was raised in a devout and lively family in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. He began visiting the Abbey while a student at Indian Hills High School. Even though the whole family would visit the Abbey while on vacation, they...
Prior James Doran
Born and raised in Hornell, New York, Prior James was baptized William Patrick Doran. Upon graduation from Hornell High School in 1988, he entered Saint Benedict Abbey where his uncle, Abbot Gabriel Gibbs, was abbot and he took the name Brother James. After completing...
Father Peter Connelly
After graduation from Saint Benedict High School, Still River, Massachusetts, Fr. Peter joined the community, and together with several others, including his brother, Abbot Xavier, professed monastic vows on September 8, 1981. His further formation and education...
Brother Joachim Sanderson
Born and raised only fifteen minutes’ drive from the Abbey, Br. Joachim (George) Sanderson came for a visit in 1987 while attending Nashoba Valley Technical Vocational High School, Westford, Massachusetts. Although he had no intention at that time of entering a...
Father Anthony Kloss
Fr. Anthony will tell you that, from the age of six, he always wanted to be a priest. The fifth of ten children, he spent his first eighteen years living in the Chicago area, first on a family farm in Beecher Illinois, then in the suburb of Steger, Illinois. After...
Father Augustine Senz
Born and raised in Tomah, Wisconsin, Fr. Augustine came to the Abbey after several years of searching for what God wanted him to do with his life. When he finished high school he did carpentry work. His customers appreciated his skill, honesty and hard work. When he...
Brother Jerome Daignault
Born and raised in Agawam, Massachusetts, Br. Jerome (Brandon Michael) Daignault entered Saint Benedict Abbey on December 29, 2013. After completing his three month observership, and one year postulancy, he became a novice on March 25, 2015 taking the name of Br....
Fr. Xavier Connelly, 1954-2021
Right Reverend Xavier Connelly, O.S.B., Abbot of Saint Benedict Abbey, Still River, passed away peacefully April 8, 2021. Francis Xavier Connelly, the fourth of seven children, was born in Boston on October 23, 1954. He grew up in Newton and Belmont. Entering...