As the monks of Saint Andrew Abbey mark their 90th anniversary of coming to Cleveland, they not only stride bravetoward the future, but genuflect in reverence before a remarkable history which brings them to today’s celebration and witnesses
to God’s providential care for those who serve Him. 

Our history goes back 1500 years with an adolescent Christian named Benedict attending classes in the city of Rome around the year 500 AD.  Christianity had been legalized only 200 years earlier, but without persecution, Christians had started to become lax in their faith and influenced by the immorality in society as the empire began to collapse.  Benedict fled the city of Rome and went to live alone in the hills of Subiaco as a hermit seeking to know God better and to determine a course for his life.  

Soon he attracted followers and eventually drew up a Rule for Monasteries that quoted extensively from the Scriptures and used concepts and ideas from other contemporary
religious rules of life.  Benedict died around 540 AD in his most famous monastery on Monte Cassino.  As new pagan inhabitants settled in western Europe through the Barbarian invasions from the north, Benedictine monks carried the Christian faith and monastic life to the far corners of the continent.  By the year 1000, there were nearly 2000 monasteries following St. Benedict’s rule in Europe.

Three times in its glorious history, the Benedictine order almost faced extinction.  In the 10th century, the invasion of the Barbarians left ruins of plundered monasteries throughout Europe.  The 14th century found the Benedictines splintered by internal divisions, the Black Plague, and political wars.  Finally, anti-religious fervor in the 18th century from revolutions in western Europe closed most Benedictine monasteries across the continent.

Yet, God’s providence prevailed and in 1846, the Abbey of Metten in Bavaria, originally founded in 766 AD, sent monks to Latrobe, Pennsylvania to minister to German immigrants.  St. Vincent Archabbey was founded and soon began to establish more monasteries in the United States.  In 1885 monks from St. Vincent’s traveled to the Midwest and founded St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, Illinois to work with Czech Catholic immigrant families.

This brings our history to the fall of 1921.  At a meeting of the executive council of the Slovak Catholic Federation in Youngstown, Ohio, the idea was proposed of sponsoring the founding of a Benedictine monastery in Cleveland with a high school for the education of the sons of Slovak immigrants.  A young, Slovak-American monk named Fr. Gregory Vaniscak, OSB, of St. Procopius Abbey was present at the Youngstown meeting in 1921.  He returned and discussed the proposal with Abbot Valentine Kohlbeck, OSB.

Meanwhile, 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, the bishop acceded to the generous offer of Fr. John Liscinsky of St. Andrew’s Slovak Parish at East 52nd and Superior Avenue to give up his pastorate to the Benedictines.

On January 9, 1922, the monastic chapter of St. Procopius Abbey voted to send monks to Cleveland to begin a new monastery at St. Andrew’s Parish.  Fr. Gregory was unable to come at that time because he was serving as pastor of St. Michael’s Slovak Parish in Chicago.  Instead, Abbot Valentine sent  Fr. Stanislaus Gmuca, OSB who arrived at St. Andrew’s Parish on February 5, 1922.  Fr. Celestine Drexler, OSB and Fr. Leo Rehak, OSB would arrive later.

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 to remodel the rectory which now housed six monks.  Fr. George Luba, OSB 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 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 from the Sisters of Notre Dame.  With help from the Slovak Education Foundation, 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 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, OSB, was elected the second abbot in 1946.  The post-war 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.  The abbey reached its highest membership in 1960 with 78 professed monks.  

St. Andrew Abbey faced serious challenges during the 15 year tenure of Abbot Jerome Koval, OSB as third abbot from 1966-81.  Instability in the Church itself following the Second Vatican Council, a revolutionary spirit of rebellion in American society, and a rapid racial and religious denominational change in the population of the Buckeye neighborhood posed serious questions for the future of the abbey and high school. 


Yet, God’s providential care prevailed.  Abbot Jerome brought a Vatican II model of receptive, kind, and shared leadership that enabled him to successfully lead the community through the difficult years of experimentation and renewal of monastic life. Even though the abbey experienced 14 deaths from 1966-81, it was the only monastery in the American Cassinese Congregation to record an increase of membership during that challenging period.

Abbot Jerome and Prior Roger Gries, OSB 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 congregation located in a major urban neighborhood.  Besides professional assessment and planning, the monks offered special prayers for Divine guidance during the year of study.

On the feast day of St. Benedict, March 21, 1979, encouraged by God’s blessings in the form of a steady increase in vocations, the perseverance of most of the professed members, a gradual increase in the high school’s enrollment,  a lack of any serious crime effecting the monastery or the monks, and a new awareness of the importance of the Benedictine vow of Stability, the community of St. Andrew’s Abbey announced that they had made a decision to remain in the Buckeye neighborhood. 

With the election of Abbot Roger Gries, OSB on June 9, 1981, an ambitious effort at improving the present facilities was undertaken.  A development office was established to help finance projects and needs in the abbey and the high school.  All the monks were asked their input on a Master Plan for the future.  On February 11, 1982, Divine Providence intervened again with the announcement by the abbot of a surprise behest of stock from a benefactor worth nearly a million dollars.  The new Master Plan was approved and a capital campaign was launched in December of 1983 with the goal of raising $5 million to remodel the science labs and windows in the high school, to construct a new three-floor wing with infirmary, guestrooms, and dining room in the abbey as well as new cloister walkway and garage. 

With several large, unexpected donations from the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association (FCSLA) and alumnus Jim Trueman ’53, founder of the Red Roof Inns, the capital campaign reached a successful conclusion and for the first time, the abbey was able to build its own church which became the highest edifice on the campus symbolizing the supremacy of honoring God through work and prayer.

The new monastery church and infirmary/ guestroom wing were blessed on August 5, 1986 by Abbot Victor Dammertz, OSB, the Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Order from Rome. Each year friends of the abbey continue to join the monks for Christmas Eve Mass and for the liturgies of Holy Week in the abbey church.  

In 1997 the monks began the year-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Benedictine community in Cleveland in 1922.  Gathering at St. Andrew’s Parish in downtown Cleveland, they recalled the many blessings bestowed on the monastery since its humble founding as well as the fifty monks who had died up to that year.  At the time of the 75th anniversary, Abbot Roger was in his 16th year in office, third in seniority among the 20 active abbots of the American Cassinese Congregation.

In 2001, as Abbot Roger was preparing to retire at age 65 after 20 years of leadership, Pope Paul II named him auxiliary bishop of Cleveland.  It was the first time in the history of the abbey that any monk had been ordained a bishop. After a decade of service, Bishop Roger remains one of the most respected and popular Catholic leaders in northeastern Ohio. Reaching the age of 75 in 2012, he submitted the required letter of retirement to the Pope and recently was asked by Rome to continue as auxiliary bishop for an indefinite period.   He plans to continue to serve the people of the diocese of Cleveland and the friends and benefactors of St. Andrew Abbey and Benedictine High School as much as possible in the years ahead.

Also in 2001 Abbot Clement Zeleznik, OSB was elected the fifth abbot of St. Andrew Abbey.  Known as a gifted spiritual director throughout the diocese, Abbot Clement led the monastic community for the next 7 years during which time the high school completed a $4 million capital campaign that resulted in the renovation of all the classrooms in the 1940 building and the establishment of a $2 million endowment. During this time the abbey withdrew from staffing historic St. Andrew Parish and it was closed by the diocese.  

In 2008, the monks elected Abbot Christopher Schwartz, OSB as the sixth abbot of Saint Andrew Abbey. Abbot Christopher taught history in the high school and served as pastor of Assumption Parish in Broadview Heights, Ohio staffed by the monks of the abbey since 1977. Fr. Justin Dyrwal, OSB is the current pastor of Assumption Parish.

Abbot Christopher guided the abbey to establish a formal affiliation with Loyola Retreat House near Canton in 2010.  Though the Benedictines do not own Loyola, they are involved with its planning and ministry.  Retired Abbot Clement Zeleznik, OSB is the chaplain in residence and gives workshops and retreats along with other monks.  Abbot Christopher also approved strengthening the role of the lay Board of Trustees that makes policy for the high school and gave the Board responsibility for the school’s endowment fund. During his tenure as abbot, the campus the addition of the Bossu Field, the Bishop  Roger Walk of Champions, a new transportation garage, and renovations in the grotto.

In July of 2013, Abbot President Hugh Anderson, OSB accepted Abbot Christopher’s resignation for reasons of health and appointed Prior Gary Hoover, OSB as the administrator of the abbey. Prior Gary was elected abbot on August 6, 2014 and was blessed by Bishop Richard G. Lennon, Bishop of Cleveland on October 5, 2014.