Named after the first abbot of Saint Meinrad (see his story below), the Abbot Martin Marty Guild was begun in 1992 to recognize individuals who have taken a leadership role in supporting the work of Saint Meinrad with annual gifts of $1,000 or more.
The program year runs from September 1 through August 31. Membership is renewed annually.
Members of the Abbot Martin Marty Guild:
- Are leaders in supporting the prayer and work of Saint Meinrad.
- Are invited to an annual Day of Recollection held at Saint Meinrad.
- Are listed in the annual listing of donors (members may request to remain anonymous).
- Are remembered daily in prayer by the monks of Saint Meinrad. Benefactors are especially remembered as the monastic community gathers for Vespers on the annual Day of Recollection.
First-time members also receive a special medallion on a wooden base engraved with their names in recognition of their membership in the Abbot Martin Marty Guild. The wooden base is created at Saint Meinrad in the Abbey Caskets woodworking shop.
Annual gifts from members of the Abbot Martin Marty Guild support the programs and operations of the school and monastery, such as:
- Vocations promotion and recruitment
- Classroom instruction
- Spiritual formation
- Retreats, workshops, and conferences
- Ministry opportunities
- Library resources
- Counseling
- Health services for students and monks
- Academic technology
- Upkeep of buildings and grounds
All of these directly benefit our students and monastic community.
ABBOT MARTIN MARTY’S LEGACY
In 1860, Fr. Martin Marty was sent to southern Indiana from the Abbey of Einsiedeln, Switzerland, to close the foundation of Saint Meinrad. The six-year-old priory was deep in debt and held little hope of survival. However, Fr. Martin saw the benefit Saint Meinrad could have for the Church in the United States. With careful leadership, he brought the struggling mission out of financial debt.
Four months after Fr. Martin’s arrival, the town of St. Meinrad was established. The town gave a revived impetus to the foundation itself and convinced Fr. Martin that, more than ever, the Benedictine foundation of Saint Meinrad could be saved. In 1861, he wrote to Abbot Henry of Einsiedeln:
“… it seems to me that if God did not intend to preserve and use Saint Meinrad, he would long ago have had the occasion to drop it. So much good has been accomplished, so much sacrifice made, so much work done and so much hardship endured that, after all, the blessings of God will surely come,… and make it into what obedience should have made of it in its very beginning.”
As time went on, it became evident that, with the careful and thoughtful leadership of Fr. Martin, the promise of permanency for Saint Meinrad would be realized. A seminary was begun and soon filled to capacity.
As the decade of the 1860s drew to a close, the priory in southern Indiana evolved from a struggling community of a few monks to one that no longer depended on financial assistance from the mother abbey of Einsiedeln. In 1870, Saint Meinrad was raised from a priory to an abbey and Martin Marty was appointed as the first abbot.
It wasn’t long before Abbot Martin saw greater needs for the Church farther west. He left the peaceful life of the monastery at Saint Meinrad in 1879 to minister to the Native Americans in the vast Dakota Territory. He devoted the rest of his life to serving these Indigenous communities.
Abbot Martin was affectionately known as the “Apostle of the Sioux.” He eventually was named the first Catholic Bishop of the Dakota Territory. His dedication and hard work greatly nurtured the pioneering Church of southern Indiana and the Dakota Territory.
CONTINUING THE TRADITION
Just as the early settlers of the town of St. Meinrad gave the founding priory an impetus to continue, so, too, members of the Abbot Martin Marty Guild provide Saint Meinrad today with the necessary support to continue the work of the Archabbey.
As Abbot Martin saw the value of hard work and perseverance, members of the Abbot Martin Marty Guild see the importance of supporting the day-to-day and year-in-and-year-out work of Saint Meinrad. Membership in the Guild is a small way by which Saint Meinrad is able to recognize the valuable contribution of these generous benefactors.
To learn more about the Abbot Martin Marty Guild, contact our Development Office at development@saintmeinrad.edu or 800-682-0988.
To become a member of the Abbot Martin Marty Guild, make a gift now using our Online Giving Form.