Father Francis Forster, O.S.B., a monk and priest of Belmont Abbey, died peacefully in the early morning hours of Thursday, May 11. He was in the ninetieth year of his life, the sixty-fifth year of monastic profession, and the fifty-ninth year of priesthood. Father Francis served in the faculty and administration of Belmont Abbey College for fifty-one years, from 1958 to 2009.

The monastic community will receive Father Francis’ body Monday evening, May 15, at 7:00 p.m. in the Basilica, followed by Vespers and the visitation. The Rosary will be recited on Tuesday, May 16, at 9:00 a.m. in the Basilica, followed by the Funeral Mass at 9:30 a.m. and burial in the abbey cemetery.