Father Donald (Adam) Tauscher, a Benedictine monk and priest, died on Monday, August 10, at the retirement center of Saint John’s Abbey. Born in 1939, in Milladore, Wisconsin, he was the ninth of twelve children. From a young age, Donald felt called to religious life. After graduating from high school in 1956, he entered Saint John’s University and began his novitiate at Saint John’s Abbey in 1958. He professed his Benedictine vows in 1959 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1965.
Throughout his long ministry, Father Donald served in numerous pastoral and educational roles in the United States and Puerto Rico. He taught English, served as a pastor and school principal, and later earned a master’s degree in Educational Administration from The Catholic University of America. Returning to Saint John’s, he worked as an editor at Liturgical Press and founded the Saint John’s Spiritual Life Program in 1984, directing it for twenty-three years. He also established the Benedictine Day of Prayer, served as a spiritual director and formator, and in 2011 became director of the Saint John’s Oblate program.
Father Donald touched the lives of countless people through his generous ministry and deep commitment to spiritual accompaniment. He served laypeople, religious men and women, seminarians, and clergy of several denominations, offering each person a welcoming presence and a place for prayer and reflection. He will be remembered with gratitude by the Saint John’s community and by all who knew him for his wisdom, kindness, generosity, and many years of devoted service to the Church, the Benedictine community, and the people he accompanied on their spiritual journeys.