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Obituary- Senecal, Gerard

FATHER GERARD SENEGAL
Father Gerard Senecal, O.S.B., 85, died on Jan. 19 fortified by the Sacraments, and the Apostolic Pardon. His brother, Abbot Barnabas Senecal, O.S.B., was able to be with him for a few hours prior to his death and at the moment of his death.

Vigil service, followed by visitation, was on Sunday, Jan. 25 in St. Benedict’s Abbey Church. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in St. Benedicts Abbey Church on Monday, Jan. 26 with interment that followed in the Abbey cemetery. The Arensberg- Pruett Funeral Home was in charge of these arrangements. Online Condolences may be left at www.arensbergpruett. com.

John Carl Senecal was the oldest of seven children born to Lionel John and Clara (Strecker) Senecal. As a youth John served daily Mass at his home parish in Atwood, Kan. John enrolled at Maur Hill Prep as a priesthood student in 1943 with plans to join his uncle, Fr. Lucien Senecal, who was a monk of St. Benedicts Abbey. He graduated from Maur Hill in 1947, then enrolling at St. Benedicts College to study mathematics.

At the age of 18, he entered the novitiate as a Benedictine monk, receiving the name Gerard. He professed vows one year later on July 11,1949.

In May 1951 he graduated with a degree in mathematics, and professed solemn vows on July 11, 1952. He studied for the priesthood at the Abbey School of Theology and was ordained on May 29, 1954 by Archbishop Edward Hunkeler.

In the summer of 1955 he studied chemistry at Creighton University, and that fall he enrolled at the University of Michigan, where he received his M.A. in physics in 1958. From 1958 until 1963 he studied physics at Kansas State University, completing his Ph.D. in 1963.

In 1962 Fr. Gerard returned to teach physics and be a dorm director at St. Benedicts College. A love of learning and a desire for God compelled him to continue his studies. He studied at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland; the Atomic Energy Commission, Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Texas A&M University; and a National Science Foundation post-doctoral year, 1970-71, at the University of California at Berkeley.

In 1970 Fr. Gerard was on the Merger Committee for St. Benedicts and Mount St. Scholastica Colleges. On February 14,1972, he became President of Benedictine Col¬lege. Over the next 15 years he would bring his enthusiasm for learning and faith into all he did as President. He was particularly proud of the fact that he brought football back to the college, and hired current coach Larry Wilcox.

After leaving the presidency of the college, Fr. Gerard worked at Maur Hill from 1987 until 1993, followed by one year, 1993-1994, as the Development Director of the Abbey, where he established the Friends of St. Benedicts Abbey, a group that is still key to our success.

In 1994 Fr. Gerard began a new phase of life as a parish priest, serving as Pastor of St. Joseph’s and St. Patrick’s
Churches, Atchison (1994- 1998); Pastor of St. Benedict’s and Sacred Heart Churches, Atchison (1998-2013); and Administrator of Immaculate Conception, St. Marys, Kan., and St. Stanislaus, Rossville, Kan. (2013-2014). He was known for his pastoral care of the sick and elderly, and helping people to come to appreciate the Sacramental life.

Upon returning to the Abbey in August 2014, Fr. Gerard was faithful to prayer and community life, attending monastic community events and keeping in touch with his many friends in the local community. He was one of those towering figures who trusted in Christ and remained faithful in good times and in bad.

He is survived by his two sisters Clare Kearney (Peter), Fredericksburg, Va; Mary Hansen (Ron), Kansas City, Mo; and two brothers: Abbot Barnabas, Atchison; and Nicholas, Hyde Park, Mass.

Fr. Gerard was preceded in death by his parents, John and Clara, and by his brothers, William and Richard.

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