The Gift of a Lifetime: Honoring Fr. Chris Kirchgessner
Allison Simmons ‘26, BAC Marketing Intern
Father Christopher, O.S.B. grew up in New Albany, Indiana, the second of six children. He was raised Catholic, and the Church and the parish school were very influential in the life of his family, but the thought of becoming a priest did not surface for him until high school, despite the fact that one of the nuns teaching at his primary school offered him a scholarship to a Franciscan minor seminary.
It was his parish priest who first inspired Fr. Chris even to consider the priesthood as a possibility. When his father’s work in the tobacco industry brought the family to Durham, NC, Fr. Chris stayed behind to complete his senior year of high school, and it was then that he started thinking more seriously about his vocation. As a way of discerning the priesthood, he attended Saint Meinrad College in Indiana, where the idea began to take on distinct shape.
Over the summers during college, Fr. Chris worked in parishes in the archdiocese. Despite how much he enjoyed this parish work, however, his experience at St. Meinrad drew him towards the monastic life. Nevertheless, he feared that if he entered St. Meinrad, he would not be able to see his family as much as he would like.
So when Fr. Chris became aware that there was a Benedictine monastery in North Carolina, he made plans to visit. “I think vocations are mysteries,” Father reflects today. He had fully intended to pursue parish life. Yet in 1975, he found himself writing a note to Fr. Keiran, the Abbey’s (then) vocations director. Here was a place not far from his family, where he could live out his priestly vocation, serve young people, and embrace a monastic community as he felt drawn to do. But this also wasn’t a calculation. It was a calling, which deepened as Fr. Chris took the next step as a monk of Belmont Abbey. Father entered the novitiate in July of 1975.
Life, service, family
Throughout his years at the Abbey, Fr. Chris has maintained close relationships with his family, joking that his four sisters are like extra mothers: they always know better than he does what’s best for him. Before making his vows, as he considered possible names, he remembers asking his mom and dad what they thought. His parents said that if they had ever had another son they would have named him Christopher. And without telling them, that is the name he chose.
After his ordination in 1980, Fr. Chris began teaching in the theology department, where he has impacted students for decades. During this time he also served for periods as Dean of Students, Prior, and Novice Master, but to this day, he most enjoys finding new ways to encourage each generation of students to consider theology and take their education seriously. “I like the subject, and I like the challenge,” says Fr. Chris. “I’ll teach for as long as I can.” The art of teaching has changed substantially since the beginning of his career, but throughout his years as a professor, Fr. Chris has offered each class his trademark compassion, directness, and humor. “One of the things I really, really like about Belmont Abbey,” he notes, “is the close relationship between the monks and the students. You don’t see that everywhere. It’s a gift that we’ve been given.”
Father stays in touch with many former students, catching up with some of them even weekly. “Mentoring students is just a gift,” he says, grateful when these relationships expand to friendships with alumni’s growing families. Over the years, he has officiated at many weddings, baptized many children, and even mentored students who have followed their parents to the Abbey, and he remains a cherished friend to many alumni.
In addition to his teaching, with the help of the Benedictine Volunteer Corps (BVC) at St. John’s Abbey, Fr. Chris started Belmont Abbey’s own BVC, which is now in its fifteenth year. Fr. Chris is still excited to discuss and plan it each summer, always ready to reimagine the program to ensure that it thrives. As students bring back their transformative stories, he recognizes a lasting legacy of service, which he hopes will continue for generations.
Reflecting on over fifty years at Belmont Abbey, Fr. Chris notes that monastic life, like other vocations, “is about relationships. Relationships take time, hard work, and prayer. It is about being a family.” And it is a gift.
