Date of death: 9/16/2006

Saint Meinrad Class: SPH 1943

Brother Placid Hellmann, O.S.B., 79, a Benedictine monk of Marmion Abbey in Aurora, Illinois. Brother Placid died peacefully at Marmion Abbey attended by his brother monks and by his family. Brother Placid left home in 1941 at the age of 13, to enter St. Placid Hall at Saint Meinrad Archabbey, the preparatory school for young men who were preparing to become brothers. He professed vows as a monk of St. Meinrad Abbey on February 10, 1945 and made final profession at Marmion Abbey on August 6, 1948. He was a founding member of Marmion Abbey in 1947. Brother Placid was a man of many talents. Early on, he worked in the kitchen as well as the tailor shop. When he arrived at Marmion Abbey in 1947, he was assigned as a cook for the junior monks, later he was responsible for the abbey kitchen. For many years, he faithfully cared for his brothers by preparing their meals. During those same years, he was also a barber to the community. In 1971, Brother Placid began a new stage of his life. He moved to South Dakota and began to work in several different chaplain assignments. He was a Newman Chaplain at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. His last assignment which brought him a great deal of satisfaction was as a prison chaplain in Springfield, South Dakota. As chaplain at the prison, he counseled the inmates, prepared them for the liturgies, and when there was no priest present, he would lead them in prayer. Because of health problems, Brother Placid returned to Marmion Abbey in 2001. His health gradually declined until he was diagnosed with cancer in September of 2006. He was preceded in death by his parents, Aloysius Hellman and Marie Hellman; brother, Aloysius Hellman. He is survived by two sisters, Dolores Hellmann and Bette “Liz” Levy of Louisville, KY; several nieces and nephews, and the members of his monastic community of Marmion Abbey. Published in The Louisville Courier-Journal on 09/17/2006.