Sacred Space at Mount St. Alphonsus: A Tribute To Father Gene Grohe, C.Ss.R.
-
May 23, 2024The Mount Community and The Mount Academy of the Bruderhof, residents of the former Mount St. Alphonsus Seminary grounds, planted shrubs around the Redemptorist cemetery as a gesture of goodwill and tribute to those buried there. They partitioned the cemetery marking it as sacred space, with a special mention of Fr. Gene Grohe, C.Ss.R., who lived and served at Mount St. Alphonsus for over 50 years.
Commissioned in 1904 by Father Augustine Duper, C.Ss.R., Mount St. Alphonsus opened its doors in 1907. The immense Romanesque-style building, situated on over 400 acres, served as a home and training ground for North American Redemptorist seminarians for 78 years. During this time, 1,300 men were ordained as Catholic priests here. Due to declining enrollment, the seminary relocated to Washington, D.C. in 1985.
After three decades as a Redemptorist retreat center and venue, Mount Saint Alphonsus was sold to the Bruderhof in 2012. The Bruderhof established The Mount Community and The Mount Academy on the property. Now, around 150 Bruderhof members reside there.
The Bruderhof, meaning “place for brothers” in German, is a Christian community of Anabaptists who practice peaceful communal living. Their purpose is to serve Jesus and follow the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. The Bruderhof has 16 communities in the United States and communities on all seven inhabited continents.