Father Omer Wendelin Maus, OSB, died on March 14, 2003, at Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville. He was 90 years old. Wendelin Maus was born in Luxemburg, Stearns County, in 1912, the first child of three boys and three girls born to Henry and Mary (Kapsner) Maus. He completed grade school in 1925 and then worked on the family farm for six years. A retreat at Saint John’s Abbey fostered the notion of becoming a priest and, at age 20, he was allowed to resume his studies at Saint John’s Preparatory School. Graduating in 1936, he continued on to Saint John’s University and Seminary. He entered the monastery after his sophomore year and was ordained a priest in 1945. All of Father Omer’s years of priestly work were spent in Minnesota. He was first assigned to the Minneapolis parish of St. Boniface from 1945-1950; there he discovered talents for administration and construction. These talents were put to good use during the three years he served as superintendent of Saint Mary’s Mission in Red Lake, and three years as assistant treasurer of the abbey and university. In 1957, Father Omer moved into a different activity that unfolded into a career. He served as chaplain of Saint Joseph’s Children’s Home in St. Paul from 1957-1960. From 1960-1969 he was the resident chaplain of St. Joseph’s Children’s Home in Minneapolis. Father Omer was devoted to pastoral work, and he maintained contact with families by parish assistance from 1958-1969 at Holy Spirit in St. Paul, and Incarnation, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Annunciation and St. Olaf parishes in Minneapolis. Inspired by Vatican Council II, Father Omer began the practice of continuing his education in 1964. He participated in theological courses and workshops at St. Norbert’s College, Mundelein College, St. Thomas University and The Catholic University. Assigned in 1969 as the temporary replacement for the chaplain of the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud, Father Omer became the permanent replacement until his successor was named in 1994. In 1970, Father Omer achieved certification in clinical pastoral education. Although officially retired at Saint John’s Abbey in 1994, Father Omer engaged in part-time ministry at the Stearns County Law Enforcement Center and worked with two permanent deacons doing ministry at the St. Cloud Jail until his declining health disallowed it. Father Omer participated in a communal anointing of the sick on Wednesday evening and died peacefully at St. Raphael Hall in Collegeville on Friday afternoon, March 14. Father Omer is survived by his sister, Sister Bernarda, OSB, of St. Paul, and his brothers Celestine of Bemidji and Roland of Luxemburg.
