St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville has announced the passing of the Rev. Simeon James Thole, who died in the retirement center of Saint John’s Abbey on July 19 at the age of 85. 

Born on April 21, 1935, Thole attended St. Joseph’s Parochial School and felt a calling to religion and a life of faith at a young age. 

“My own ideas about the religious life came in the early grades,” Thole wrote in his novitiate biography. “While my first impressions of priests were those of reverential fear, I found the Benedictine sisters very enjoyable.”

The Rev. Simeon James Thole | https://saintjohnsabbey.org/

After graduating from high school, Thole enrolled in Saint John’s University and in 1955 entered St. John’s Abbey, taking the name of Simeon.

“Simeon made his first profession as a Benedictine monk in 1956, and his final solemn profession in 1959,” the Rev. John Klassen of St. John’s wrote in a memorial posted to the abbey's website. “He continued his education at Saint John’s University, graduating with a B.A. degree in 1958 with majors in philosophy and classics. Priesthood studies followed, culminating in ordination in 1962.”

Thole would teach English and religion at the St. John’s Preparatory School from 1962-1978 and took graduate classes at Marquette University, from which he earned his M.A. in English. He served from 1978-1981 as the chaplain at the Sisters of Mount Saint Benedict Monastery in Crookston, where he made a significant impact on the sisters. 

“Fr. Simeon insisted on being called a monk in residence with no expectation of compensation out of his sense of justice for women religious who are unable to have ordained ministers of the sacraments,” the sisters once said. 

Thole served at St. John’s as the spiritual director and was also the secretary for the Abbey’s Senior Council. He enjoyed daily walks and playing solitaire. 

“For him, evening TV watching required a bowl or two of popcorn that he popped earlier in the day,” Klassen wrote. “He had a refined sense of humor, was especially thoughtful of the marginalized, and was most comfortable in the daily routines of community living. Many of his confreres appreciated Fr. Simeon’s well-crafted homilies and his faithful devotion to the monastic horarium.”