William Meninger facts for kids
William Austin Meninger (born August 29, 1932 – died February 14, 2021) was an American Trappist monk and priest. He was a special spiritual teacher who helped create a way of praying called Centering Prayer. This method helps people connect deeply with their inner selves and God.
William Meninger's Early Life
William Meninger was born in Malden, Massachusetts. He grew up and went to school near Boston. His mother, Katherine, was from Ireland, and his father, John, was a Quaker from Pennsylvania.
After studying at St. John's Seminary, William became a priest in 1958. He worked for six years in the Diocese of Yakima in Washington State. There, he helped people on an Indian reservation and Mexican migrant workers.
In 1963, he joined the Trappists at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts. He worked in the guesthouse for 15 years. He also taught important subjects like scripture (holy writings), liturgy (church services), and patristics (writings of early Christian leaders) to younger monks. He held important roles like subprior and prior, helping to guide the monks.
Discovering Centering Prayer
While at the abbey, William Meninger found an old book from the 14th century called Cloud of Unknowing. This book was written to help everyday people improve their prayer lives. Meninger realized it taught a simple way of contemplative prayer that anyone could learn.
He started teaching this prayer method to the younger monks. He also shared it with people who came to the abbey for spiritual retreats. These retreats were times for quiet reflection and prayer.
In 1974, Meninger created a special workshop on Contemplative Meditation. This workshop later became known as Centering Prayer. He taught this method all over the world. He also led workshops on forgiveness, the Enneagram of Personality (a system for understanding personality types), and sacred scriptures. Two other monks from his abbey, Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington, helped to share and develop Centering Prayer even more.
William Meninger's Later Years
In 1979, Meninger moved to St. Benedict's Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado. This monastery was connected to Spencer Abbey. There, he continued to serve as a prior, helping new monks and teaching theology and scripture.
He also spent three years in Israel. During this time, he studied scripture and taught at the École Biblique in Jerusalem. He also taught at the Trappist Monastery of Latrun.
William Meninger also studied at several universities, including Seattle University, Harvard Divinity School, and Boston University. He passed away at the Spencer Abbey infirmary on February 14, 2021.
