Father Adelrich Staub OSB

pariter et patientissime
(from the Rule of Benedict)

In the St. Gallen Canton Hospital this afternoon, our dear confrere

Father Adelrich (Alfred) Staub OSB
Missionary Benedictine of St. Otmarsberg

died after a difficult illness. Father Adelrich was in the 79th year of his life, in the 59th year of his monastic profession and in the 54th year of his priesthood.

Alfred Staub was born in Zug on 4 October 1943 to Alfred and Margrit Staub-Hegglin. Together with his two brothers, Hanspeter and Ignaz, the town of Zug and especially St. Michael Parish shaped him. His father taught as a professor of mathematics in the Zug Canton School, a gymnasium that he himself attended as a young lad and from which he graduated. On 30 September 1962, at the age of 19, he entered the Benedictinum in Fribourg and upon being admitted to the novitiate six days later, he received the name Adelrich in remembrance of the late Father Adelrich Mühlebach OSB who had died in Uznach in 1960. Shortly before the transfer of the community from Fribourg to Uznach, on 6 October 1963, Frater Adelrich made his temporary profession. This was followed by years of study in St. Ottilien and Rome, where he finished on 16 December 1977 earning a doctorate in Old Testament with a thesis on the exegetical method of Jerome in his Commentary on the Book of theTwelve Prophets.

In 1978 he was sent to Peramiho Abbey and from there on 16 May 1979 Father Adelrich’s journey led to Kenya where he served as novice master and prior. The new foundation in Nairobi demanded all of the young monk, but he had good memories of it throughout his life. However, in his young home abbey of St. Otmarsberg a prior was needed. The choice fell on Father Adelrich. The office of prior, which had already shaped and formed his daily life in Kenya, was to remain with him for another 36 years, under three different abbots. During the year 2010 until January 2013, he served as prior-administrator of our monastery. In addition, Father Adelrich was actively involved in the construction of the church; he acted as novice master and taught Old Testament as well as biblical languages to numerous students in Einsiedeln and Chur. He gave courses and did pastoral ministry far beyond the Linth region.

Spiritually deeply connected to the Rule of Saint Benedict, his whole personal discipleship of Christ was sustained by the Psalms. A source that did not dry up for him in his days of illness.

We commend our confrere to your prayer and remembrance.

St. Otmarsberg Abbey, 8730 Uznach
29 April 2022
Abbot Emmanuel with the community and the Staub family