Saint Meinrad Archabbey honors two monks’ milestone priesthood anniversaries

Saint Meinrad Archabbey honored two priests whose ministries stretched far beyond the monastery walls, marking 60 years since Fr. John McMullen’s ordination and 50 years since Fr. Denis Quinkert’s. The jubilees were celebrated during Mass on Sunday, May 31, in the Saint Meinrad Archabbey Church as part of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and Jubilees of Ordination.

McMullen’s path to the altar and then into decades of service began in southern Indiana and moved through several chapters of Benedictine life. A native of Vincennes, he studied at Saint Meinrad from 1955 to 1960, completed college at Blue Cloud Abbey, became a monk there on Aug. 1, 1960, and made his first profession of vows on Aug. 15, 1961. He was ordained a priest on May 29, 1966, then completed graduate studies at The Catholic University of America from 1967 to 1969, earning a master’s degree in library science.

That academic training shaped much of his ministry. McMullen spent 40 years as librarian at Blue Cloud Abbey, served three years at St. Ann’s Indian Mission in Belcourt, North Dakota, and later transferred to Saint Meinrad in 2013 after Blue Cloud closed in 2012. He served as prior of the monastery from 2016 until June 2021 and now serves as confessor for the seminary, monastery and Guest House, along with adjunct priest duties at St. Meinrad Parish in St. Meinrad and St. Boniface Parish in Fulda.

Quinkert’s story also reflects the reach of Saint Meinrad’s formation. A native of New Albany, he came to Saint Meinrad in 1950 to study at St. Placid Hall, then joined Blue Cloud Abbey in 1954 and professed vows on Feb. 10, 1956. He was ordained a priest on May 25, 1976, after theology studies at Pope John XXIII Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts.

His work included service as a Benedictine brother on the abbey farm and in construction of monastery and farm buildings, along with roles as prefect at Indian schools staffed by Blue Cloud Abbey. Later, he served as pastor in Fort Totten, North Dakota, and in Wagner, Milbank and Marty, South Dakota, and as chaplain to the Benedictine sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery and the students at Mount Marty College in Yankton. He was elected abbot of Blue Cloud Abbey twice, serving from 1986 to 1991 and again from 2009 until the abbey closed in 2012.

The jubilee Mass also underscored Saint Meinrad’s deeper role in Dubois County life. The archabbey traces its roots to 1854, when Benedictine monks from the Swiss Abbey of Einsiedeln founded the community, and Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology grew from a school established there in 1857. The Saint Meinrad Archabbey History Museum, opened in 2024, now interprets that influence across the Church, Indiana, the United States and around the globe. In a county where Saint Meinrad remains one of the most recognizable institutions, the anniversaries reflected a long tradition of parish ministry, teaching, administration and quiet pastoral care that continues to shape the region.