Father Justin DuVall, OSB, St. Meinrad Archabbey – The Herald

Father Justin DuVall, OSB, monk, priest, and former archabbot of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, died in the monastery infirmary on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. He was 70.

Fr. Justin was born in Toledo, Ohio, on July 7, 1951.

He enrolled in Saint Meinrad College in 1969, graduating in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French. He professed his simple vows on August 24, 1974, and his solemn vows on August 24, 1977. He received a Master of Divinity from Saint Meinrad School of Theology in 1978, and he was ordained to the priesthood on April 30, 1978.

Following ordination, Fr. Justin earned a Master of Arts degree in library science from the University of Michigan. In 1979 he was appointed assistant librarian in the Saint Meinrad Archabbey Library, a position he held full time for five years, and then part time for the next 11 years.

Other assignments included liturgical master of ceremonies, assistant novice/junior master, and chairman of the monasterys Liturgical Advisory Committee. In 1984 he was appointed prior (second in leadership) by Archabbot Timothy Sweeney and held those responsibilities until Archabbot Timothys resignation in 1995.

During those years, his other responsibilities included serving as a member of the Archabbey Council and the Archabbey Strategic Planning Committee, and as a commuting chaplain for the Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand.

In 1995, Fr. Justin was appointed an associate dean of the School of Theology. The following year, he was named the provost and vice rector of the School of Theology, a responsibility he held for the next 8 years until his election as archabbot.

On December 31, 2004, Fr. Justin was elected the ninth abbot and sixth archabbot of Saint Meinrad. During his tenure as abbot, Archabbot Justin oversaw several significant building projects, including the final stage of construction of a new Guest House and Retreat Center and the renovation of St. Gregory Hall, St. Bede Hall, Newman Hall, and the St. Martin Center.

More recently, he oversaw extensive renovations to the infrastructure of the monastery, which included an addition to the infirmary and the installation of a geothermal heating/cooling system. He also led the final 18 months of the Archabbeys largest-ever campaign, which raised nearly $43 million for renovations, endowment, and operating expenses.

Following his resignation as abbot, he undertook a five-year term as vice rector at Simon Brut College Seminary in Indianapolis. He returned to the monastery in May of 2021 to assume the responsibility as the communitys novice/junior master. His new assignment was cut short with the unexpected diagnosis of pancreatic and liver cancer in early August.

The Office of the Dead will be prayed at 7 p.m. Central Time on Friday, October 8, in the Archabbey Church. The funeral liturgy will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Central on Saturday, October 9, in the Archabbey Church. Burial will follow in the Archabbey Cemetery.

The services will be livestreamed at http://www.saintmeinrad.org/live. Space is limited in the Archabbey Church. If you plan to attend in person, please call the switchboard at 812-357-6611. Masks are required in the church.

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Father Justin DuVall, OSB, St. Meinrad Archabbey - The Herald