Fr. Bede Lackner (1927-2020) R.I.P.

He was born into a German-Hungarian family and entered the Cistercian Order at Zirc in 1947 after attending a Cistercian-run school for eight years. Having fled Hungary due to Communist persecution, he made his solemn vows at Mehrerau Abbey in Austria in 1952 and was ordained only a few days later. He soon joined his Hungarian confreres at Our Lady of Dallas and taught Church History at various American universities, retiring from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2010. His most important publication was The eleventh-century Background of Cîteaux, yet he published many articles on St. Bernard, particularly on the question of ecclesiastical authority. Bernard was known for his critique of faulty men holding episcopal or abbatial office. Fr. Bede also wrote about Cistercian nuns in a period when they received little scholarly attention. He was a gentle, prayerful man; may God reward him for his fidelity.