Fr. Adam Patras, O.S.B.
Born: 1965
Professed: December 6, 1986
Hometown: Neligh, Nebraska
Monastery Work: Sub-prior, Cellarer
I visited the Benedictine Mission House for the first time on Good Friday 1983. From that visit on, I was pretty sure that I wanted to be a Monk, and a monk in this place! After several more visits I moved in to the monastery as a candidate in mid-August 1983 and was promptly sent to college at Mount Marty in Yankton South Dakota. Over the last 40 years there have been a lot of changes. We went from being a Mission House with one ministry serving the missions to a simple priory with multiple ministries.
The road to God is not always straight. My path has seen me go to the novitiate in Germany, to College, Seminary, and be ordained a priest. I spent 14 years working with mentally ill adults, homeless mentally ill, sexually reactive children, and with foster kids in the criminal justice system. Here at the Priory I have worked in the kitchen, retreat house, and monastery administration. Am also the founding member of our Oblate program.
From 2014-2019 I worked in our mother house in Germany. There I worked in the guest/retreat house. Especially rewarding was the privilege of working for four years with refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Eretria, Iraq, and Sudan. It was a chance to put into practice hospitality, and Christian love. Most of the men we worked with were not Christian, but it didn’t matter to them, or to us. We practiced the virtue of tolerance, love of neighbor, and I come away humbled and richer for the experience.
At present I am once again in the administration of the priory as the Sub-prior and Cellarer. As Sub-prior my mandate from our abbot is to stand next to the Prior and support him. St. Benedict says that Cellarer should be as a father to the community. Since I am the youngest member by age, I think I am more a little brother and servant to my older brothers.
I look forward to the challenges of the coming years as our community ages and grows smaller! With God’s help ALL WILL BE WELL!
meet fr. Adam
evangelization
“What is being a monk like for you?
Someone who stands alone, but lives in Community. Being a monk means continuing the practice of letting go of things that are not important, and focusing on the things that are.”
“What does charity mean to you?
Doing what Christ would do, and not always what my hard heart, or fear and prejudices would inform me to do.”
“Who is a role model for you?
Our former Superior Fr. Clement, or anyone of my mentor and professor Nun’s at Mount Marty College.”
“What is your wish for the future?
That all who profess to be Christian learn to have the heart of Jesus and have the courage to put it into actions in my life.”