Abbot Douglas Mullin, OSB Elected 11th Abbot of Saint John's Abbey

Abbot Douglas succeeds Abbot John Klassen, OSB, who completed his tenure of over twenty-three years at midnight on January 7 as he was approaching his 75th birthday.

A public Mass of Blessing and Thanksgiving will be offered at Saint John’s Abbey on Sunday, January 28th, at 4 PM in the Abbey and University Church of Saint John the Baptist in Collegeville, MN. Bishop Patrick Neary, C.S.C., Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Cloud, Minnesota, will preside. Bishop Neary will confer on the new abbot the abbatial blessing, affirming the support of the Church.

The abbatial blessing contains an exquisite phrase that asks God’s grace upon the newly elected abbot: “Give him a heart full of compassion, wisdom, and zeal, so that he may not lose even one of the flock entrusted to his charge.” Abbot Douglas will no doubt bring such a loving heart to his new responsibilities as he continues in the long heritage of faith and holiness that has marked the life of the monastery of Saint John’s Abbey.

Please remember Abbot Douglas in your prayers that his abbacy will prove a blessing not only upon the wider Saint John’s community but upon the Church as a whole.