Prior Oswald Moosmueller

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St. Peter's Abbey is the oldest monastery in Canada. It was founded in 1903.

While St. Peter's location at Muenster goes back to 1903, the community had its beginnings 10 years earlier. It was first established in 1892 by St. Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, Penn., as Cluny Priory near Wetaug, southern Illinois. The founding prior was Oswald Moosmueller.

After his death on Jan. 1, 1901, the community of a dozen monks faced a crisis. No one was found to replace him. Thus Fr. Alfred Mayer, a monk of St. John's Abbey, was appointed as prior by Rome for a five-year term. He found the situation at Cluny disheartening. He quickly decided there was no future for the monastery at that location and the monks should join another monastery or move to a new location.