Fifty Years

of priestly service

How do you make the most of your talents?

For Fr. Matthew Habiger, the answer has taken many forms over the past fifty years. From serving as a parish priest to earning his pilot’s license – from promoting Natural Family Planning to serving the imprisoned, Fr. Matthew’s ministry has been ever-changing and yet, it has a singular focus: sharing the love of Christ and the truth of the Gospel with all those he encounters.

On June 14, 2018, Fr. Matthew marked the 50th anniversary of his ordination – a most unorthodox and momentous occasion...

early years ••• 1942-1958

the habiger family ••• 1958-1964

“My family was very strong in their faith. My parents’ idea of quality time was walking together to and from daily Mass in

Russell, Kansas, where I grew up. Back in the 50’s it was very impressive upon me...you’re tested along the way, but if you stay with it you find that’s what you’re called to do. I followed my brother, spending two years at the high school Capuchin seminary in Victoria, Kansas, before transferring to Maur Hill in Atchison.”

“My parents came to an agreement, that when one of them passed away, the other would donate the remainder of their life in service to the Church. When my mother passed away from cancer, my father joined my brother and me at the Abbey...here I was a junior monk and my father was a novice! I asked him, ‘what do I call you?’ Back then, we had all manner of titles in the monastery: brother, frater, father, abbot, etc., and he just said, ‘why not call me dad?!?’”

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“My brother and I were ready to be ordained together in 1968. The decision was made to ordain my father, John, simplex so we could be ordained together. Life magazine was on hand to document the occasion, though the assasination of Robert Kennedy occured, preventing the story from being printed. My father’s practical wisdom, drawn from real life experience, was a stabilizing influence upon me during the early post-Vatican II years. Fr. John enjoyed four years of priesthood before his death in 1972.”

continuing education • 1968-1976

“I discerned early on that the regular preparation for priesthood just wasn’t enough – I didn’t have a comprehensive view of how faith relates to the problems of the 20th century. Early on I spent most of my summers pursuing a master’s degree in religious education. It happened that, during the summer months, I could fly back and forth to and from Burlington to St. Louis each week for coursework at Webster University and spend the weekends working in the Parish. After my assignment changed, I still desired more education, so I found a great program in academic theology at the University of San Francisco, earning a third master’s degree. USF had some of the best theologians from around the world and it was a great experience.”

parish work burlington, iowa 1968-1972

“My first assignment was to the Abbey’s largest parish, St. John’s in Burlington, Iowa. Over the years many vocations to the Abbey came from that parish. During those four years I learned what the priesthood means as an assistant pastor for 3 years, and then as the acting pastor for 1 year. My father encouraged me to take up a hobby and I began flying lessons, ultimately earning a private pilot’s license – it was a wonderful distraction! When you’re up flying you cannot worry about what’s going on back at the parish!”

university of kansas • 1972-1976

“In 1972 I began serving as a Chaplain at the

University of Kansas’ St. Lawrence Center. Those four years at a state university impressed upon me that I needed more background on relating faith with contemporary issues and inspired my decision to attend San Francisco University.”

benedictine college 1976-1980

“In the post-Vatican II years our numbers decreased and we returned the KU post to the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. I returned to Atchison to serve as a theology instructor and a chaplain at Benedictine College.”

doctoral studies 1980-1986

“In 1980, I thought, if I’m ever going to earn a doctorate, I better get serious about it. I was encouraged by Abbot Brendan to get into moral theology...he said that’s ‘where the real problems are today.’ I was fascinated by Catholic Social Doctrine and what goes into a just society. No one offered a doctorate in this area, but I found Catholic University in Washington D.C. at the center of our own government and there were a great many theologians there, like William E. May, whom I could work with and learn from.”

“After finishing my degree in 1986 I returned to Benedictine College, I thought I’d spend the rest of my life teaching moral theology at Benedictine College, and a big part of this is on the sexual ethic...there was great confusion in the Church, outside the Church, and even at the College...Following Roe vs. Wade in 1973 there was a shockwave across the country. The first places ideologies hit are universities and religious houses before they seep into the broader society. At Benedictine, I helped a group of students respond by founding Ravens Respect Life to promote good Catholic values at the college and beyond.” Photo: Fr. Matthew with then BC Student Abbot James Albers.

human life int’l & ewtn • 1990-2000

“In 1990 I donated a week of my vacation to Human Life International, a group founded by Fr. Paul Marx, a fellow Benedictine. I was amazed at all of the possibilities. If I joined this organization I would have the whole world at my fingertips...it was providential that such an opportunity arose. I was there for 10 years eventually becoming the President and CEO. We wanted to educate pro-life people who could work in their own communities...I was able to travel around the world to speak on the importance of the pro-life movement...discussing contraception, abortion, euthanasia, population myths...to be able to resist all of this, to give a true sense of what the culture of life is. I was also invited on multiple occasions by Mother Angelica (at right) to give presentations on EWTN.

“In the year 2000, after 10 years on the rollercoaster (a movement as dramatic as the pro-life movement can wear you out) I decided to pass the baton to the next generation. I returned to the monastery with the thought of becoming a regular monk again, assisting in parishes and offering retreats at the Abbey. Then in 2001, I was asked by Fr. Dan

McCaffrey to help promote Natural Family Planning with NFP Outreach. I began traveling throughout the country, offering NFP weekends to couples and priests alike.”

“In 2016 the requests for NFP speaking engagements dried up. As that door closed I received a request from two of our Oblates in Prison to revive our prison oblate program. When I took over the Oblates in Prison program, there were fewer than 100 men. Now we have more than 430 men and women in 24 states...The Rule of St. Benedict and Oblates in Prison are a good fit. People serving time respond well to it.”

nfp outreach • 2002-2016