Father Ken Smits, Capuchin, Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order, Detroit, Michigan, died on February, 4, 2023. He made a great contribution to the liturgical and ecumenical life of Holy Wisdom Monastery during the 14 years he worked at the monastery.
Father Ken was hired as director of Benedictine life ministries in August of 1994. He served as the liturgist and program director at the Monastery of Saint Benedict Center (now Holy Wisdom Monastery) until 1998. That year he started dividing his time between the liturgy department (prayer & worship) and the spirituality department. Father Ken worked with the Prayer & Worship Committee and the sisters in the continuing effort to make the Liturgy of the Hours more user-friendly, including feasts and anniversaries of women saints and church reformers, and writing new intersessions and prayers in inclusive language. He assisted Sunday Assembly with the preparation of an identity statement. And he collaborated with the sisters on the expression of their monastic rituals.
Father Ken also worked with Sister Mary David and Jody Crowley Beers to design the oblate community at the monastery.
Father Ken readily endorsed the sisters’ work in ecumenism. He authored a paper on the meaning of ecumenism in which he wrote the following: “The ecumenism of the Benedictine Women of Madison is a practical ecumenism, grounded in hospitality, inviting development of community, which is fostered by sharing spirit and life. It is grassroots ecumenism. It is the kind appropriate to a monastic community.”
Father Ken left the staff in October of 2008 to serve as chaplain for the Sisters of St. Agnes in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The sisters are grateful for his life and service with us. His legacy lives on in our liturgy, prayer and ecumenism.
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