Fr. Stanislaus Edwin Olsen, OP

Fr. Olsen is one of the more intriguing men of the Province.  He was a friend of bishops and important in many foundations, including our own province, which was made a province in 1912.  He was born in San Francisco to Gustave and Ellen (Fortune) Olsen in 1880.  He was received as a postulant in Benicia, California after two years of high school at the age of sixteen.  After two years he received the habit and a year later made vows.  After solemn profession in 1902 he went to study for another three years in the Dominican House of Studies in Somerset, Ohio where he was ordained.  He stayed a year in Washington, D.C. afterwards.  During his time away he made a lasting friendship with a fellow Dominican priest, John T. McNicholas, who was later to become bishop of Duluth and Archbishop of Cincinnati.  At the Catholic University of America he earned a Lectorate in Theology.  He returned to Benicia in 1906, and was put in charge of the Postulants.  In 1911 he became prior and pastor of St. Dominic's in Benicia.  During his years in Benicia he also taught the students philosophy and theology.

His next assignment was Holy Rosary in Portland.  He became the Pastor and Prior for two terms from 1915 to 1921.  He established the Holy Name Society in Portland at this time and was its director for about two years.  He was a very popular preacher.  When the province did not have enough preachers for its own province, he had to turn down assignments outside of the province.  After a brief stint as Pastor of Martinez he returned to Portland.  This time he was made the principal of our first high school, Aquinas High School.  In his conversation with the Provincial he was vocally against the Order's involvement in high school work, and especially against this high school, which previously had been losing money for the Christian Brothers.  After a year of this work he went back to teaching.

At this time of life he went back to the East Coast.  He taught philosophy at the College of St. Mary's of the Springs in Columbus, Ohio for a year.  He was then asked to become Socius to Archbishop McNicholas, his old friend.  He did this for three years while also being administrator of St. Gertrude's Parish in Madeira, Ohio.  He also directed layman's retreats.  He was defended by the Archbishop after a charge of heresy was leveled against him.

After a brief time away giving retreats and missions in Hawaii in 1929, he returned to Portland.  He stayed there for two years and then moved to Eagle Rock for convalescent leave.  He did various small work there for a year and after getting better became Vicar and Pastor there.  He continued in that position for six years.  After this he started to wind down.  He was in Vallejo for two years, then in Benicia.  After an unsuccessful stay as Chaplain to the Christian Brothers in Napa he returned to Benicia.  In 1953 he retired to Ross, California and died in the Kentfield Priory in 1963, after losing both legs to diabetes.

Photo: Fr. Olsen in Hawaii with Brother Dutton, a religious brother who served with Fr. Damien de Veuster

Photo: Fr. Olsen with his friend, Most Reverend John T. McNicholas

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