Father Michael has become a fixture in the Benedictine landscape of Marmion over the years. A 1960 graduate of the Academy, Fr. Michael was ordained to the priesthood in 1980 and began working in the Academy that same year. He has been on every one of the more than eighty Marmion Kairos retreats since they began in 1996. His willingness to stay in contact with alumni and to preside at many alumni weddings and baptisms stamp him as a beloved figure at Marmion.

Father Michael has served in a variety of roles:

• Dormitory Prefect
• Head Librarian
• Instructor in Theology
• Student Chaplain
• Co-Director of the Kairos Retreat Program
• Faculty/Staff Chaplain

Raised in Yorkville, Illinois, just forty minutes southwest of Marmion, Fr. Antony Maria Minardi attended St. Mary’s Catholic Grade School in Plano before enrolling at Marmion Academy for high school. It was there that he first encountered the Benedictine monks and sensed something uniquely special about the community

During the second semester of his freshman year, he began attending Vespers with the monks, a practice he continued nearly every weekday throughout his high school years. It was through this rhythm of prayer and silence that Fr. Antony felt his vocation take root. The integration of prayer and academic pursuit inspired him to make Marmion Abbey his spiritual home after graduating from the University of Dallas in 2012.

He was ordained a deacon by Bishop David Malloy on May 27, 2017, and to the priesthood on May 26, 2018. Today, Fr. Antony serves as Master of Ceremonies for the Abbey, Student Chaplain at the Academy, and Theology instructor for both freshmen and juniors.

Father Frederick Peterson, Father Fred to most, is a Marmion monk who has made unique contributions to the Abbey and the local Church.

Father Fred is a native of Belvidere, Illinois. He came to Marmion Abbey in 1989. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1995, the first priest ordained by Bishop Thomas Doran. After having served as an instructor in the Academy for some years, Father Fred received permission to become bi-ritual, able to celebrate Mass in both the Latin and Byzantine Rites. He was appointed as administrator of St. George’s Parish in Aurora and later became its pastor. During his time at St. George, Father Fred has seen it grow in numbers and has enhanced its interior with beautiful iconography. He is known for his iconography workshops and his contact with many sources of Eastern spirituality.

Fr. Fred has contributed much to the Abbey as well. He has been a cantor for many years and has served as custodian of the Abbey Church. He serves too as a spiritual director and confessor for many. Despite some health setbacks that have reduced his mobility, he remains a loved and respected member of the abbey and the local clergy.

Father Charles Reichenbacher has been a familiar face connected to Marmion for over a half century. A native Auroran, he was a student at Marmion Military Academy from 1955-58, quarterbacking an undefeated varsity football team in 1957. His senior year was spent in Elkhorn, Nebraska at Mount Michael Seminary, where he discerned a vocation to the priesthood and monastic life at Marmion. He entered Marmion Abbey in 1960, professed his first vows in 1961 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1967.

In the years after ordination Fr. Charles served the Abbey and Academy in a variety of ways. At the Abbey he was assistant to the Novice and Junior Master, Fr. Luke. Having obtained an M.A. in Liturgical Studies from the University of Notre Dame, he was appointed as Master of Ceremonies for the Abbey in 1970, a position he kept for several decades. He also began teaching at the Lake Street Campus of the Academy and remained an instructor until 1980. He was a school-bus driver for 30 years. He had several important leadership positions within the abbey, including subprior and long-standing elected service on the Abbey Council. He has served the local Church and the Rockford Diocese with sacramental supply work for his fifty+ years as a priest.

Perhaps his most notable contribution has been in the Development Office. Appointed by Abbot Mark in 1971 to assist Fr. Joseph in that Office, Fr. Charles was appointed as Head of Development in 1985. Under the leadership of Fr. Charles, Marmion’s Development Program became a model for many other private educational and religious institutions. Fr. Charles oversaw several capital campaigns that marked the expansion of the infrastructure of both the Abbey and Academy. His personal investment in establishing a network of relationships with alumni and benefactors has been of inestimable value to Marmion. He now has the role of Director of Planned Giving, the Marmion family can with good cause give thanks for the legacy of work and loyalty that has marked his years of service to Marmion Abbey and Academy.

Fr. Nathanael entered the community in 1998 and made his first profession of vows in 1999. Having had a background as a teacher, Fr. Nathanael began his classroom teaching at Marmion Academy in 1999. Since that time, he has been an instructor in the abbey, largely in English and Theology. He has been instrumental in organizing student-parent prayer days for Advent and Lent and is tireless in his support of student activities. Fr. Nathanael also enjoys doing parish work in surrounding parishes and taking advantage of the cultural offerings of the Chicago metropolitan area.