Abbot Jerome Weber

Fr. Jerome Weber was elected on April 6, 1960 as the third abbotordinary of St. Peter's Abbacy.

The major event which defined the years of Abbot Jerome was the Second Vatican Council, all four sessions of which he participated in from 1962-1965. Along with the other bishops of Canada, he faced the challenge of encouraging the renewal and carrying out the reforms of Vatican II.

The renewal brought a new appreciation of the role of the laity, a new understanding of the role of the church in the world, a new approach to ecumenism, changes in religious life, etc. One of the first visible changes was in the liturgy.

In 1964, a Liturgical Commission was formed in the abbacy to help guide the liturgical renewal. The same year permission was given to read the lessons at mass in the vernacular instead of in Latin. Mass facing the people was introduced and the sanctuaries in the churches were revamped.

On Feb. 7, 1965 a demonstration mass in English was held in St. Peter's College gym. A 20 week night class was organized for training rectors and directors of congregational singing. Active participation was encouraged. On May 4, 1965, concelebration was introduced at St. Peter's Abbey.

In 1965, he visited Brazil and in 1967 the abbacy sent a mission team to Brazil. The abbacy has supported it since.

There were challenges to face and adaptations to be made in the face of changing circumstances. The size of the Benedictine community decreased, due to death and to departures. The residential high school was closed in 1972 while the university program continued to develop. The same year hermits came on the scene at the abbey. The depopulation of the rural area and the fewer number of priests led to the closure of nine abbacy parishes. Abbot Jerome encouraged the development of lay leadership and of lay presiders in the parishes.

Classes were begun for adult religious education, the Abbacy Centre was developed, and the Christian Faith Conference was held annually for 10 years.

A new church at the abbey was built at the end of his term of office. A number of parishes in the abbacy had also built new churches during these 30 years.

On June 15, 1990 Abbot Jerome, now 75, resigned and his resignation was accepted by Rome.