Elders of the Benedictines:
A Portrait and Interview Project
Father Eugene W. Dehner, O.S.B., b. 1914
Father
Eugene is a member of the Benedictine community at Saint Benedict's Abbey in
Atchison, Kansas.
Q: Do you have any regrets in having chosen a monastic life?
A: No, I thank God everyday I wound up this way. People seem to be very timid now about making choices, especially life forming choices such as marriage or joining a religious order. People seem to have a hard time making firm long-term commitments. I prayed like the dickens before I made vows. I've had many critical times, like in marriage where you get to the point where you might betray one another, and the same thing can happen to a priest or monk. I've been fortunate to make the right choices in serious situations for which I thank God. Maybe it has been someone's prayers that have helped me. . . .