Benedictine Father Meinrad Dindorf, 87, died June 28 in the retirement center at St. John’s Abbey. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, July 6, at 10:30 a.m. in St. John’s Abbey and University Church with interment in St. John’s Cemetery following the service.
James Edward Dindorf was the oldest of two children of Edward Charles and Evelyn Ann (Sullivan) Dindorf, born Jan. 1, 1932, in Rochester, Minnesota. He graduated from DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis in 1949 and from St. John’s University in Collegeville in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.
James was given the monastic name Meinrad and made his simple profession at St. John’s Abbey on July 11, 1952. He enrolled in St. John’s Seminary following graduation from St. John’s University and, upon completing his program of priesthood studies, was ordained in 1958.
Following ordination, Father Dindorf attended the Georgetown University Institute of Languages and Linguistics, Washington, D.C., and received a master’s degree in Russian and linguistics. Later he studied Eastern Orthodoxy at Union Theological Seminary and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, New York, where he received a master’s degree of sacred theology.
Early on, he taught Russian and later was an instructor in the theology department at St. John’s University. He also served as the assistant managing editor for Worship magazine.
Father Dindorf’s pastoral assignments included Corpus Christi, New York; St. Augustine, St. Cloud; St. Joseph, St. Joseph; St. James, Jacobs Prairie; St. Mary Mission, Red Lake, Minnesota; St. John, Nebbish, Minnesota; and St. Mark, Shakopee, Minnesota.
He also served as chaplain at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis; University of Minnesota Hospitals, Minneapolis; and St. Benedict’s Senior Community, St. Cloud. After serving as vicar of parishes and chaplaincies, Father Dindorf retired at St. John’s Abbey in August 2013.
He is survived by nephews and the community at St. John’s Abbey.
Meinrad was a dear friend and my last contact with the Abbey. We served together at st. Stephen Martyr, WDC in the 1960 ,’s. . I am 83 and a retired priest of WDC. But we kept in touch over these many years. He was a wonderful person. Peace be to him.