Abbot Severin Gertken was elected as the second abbotordinary of St. Peter's Sept. 8, 1926.
He came from St. John's Abbey where he was influenced by the pioneering liturgical renewal work of Fr. Virgil Michel, OSB. A major theme that Abbot Severin preached in season and out was the Mystical Body of Christ, a theme that was just gaining currency in theological thought at the time.
As abbotordinary for 33 years, Abbot Severin oversaw the opening of three new parishes in the diocese. He helped to develop the pilgrimage site of Mount Carmel, with a new statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1928 and a new stone chapel and Stations of the Cross 10 years later, in 1938. After another decade, in 1948, a crowd estimated at 12,000 attended the rosary crusade conducted by Fr. Patrick Peyton at Mount Carmel.
During Abbot Severin's 33year term of office, the abbacy itself became the major source of vocations for the Benedictines as well as for the Elizabethan and Ursuline sisters.
Toward the end of his term, Abbot Severin gave his blessing to
a building program at St. Peter's College to enlarge the facilities
for more students.
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