Paul Benno Marx, OSB (May 8, 1920 – March 20, 2010) was an American

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

priest and Benedictine monk, family sociologist, writer, and one of the leaders of the

anti-abortion movements Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in response to the leg ...

. The monk was professed on 11 July 1942 and ordained on June 15, 1947. Marx started the Sociology Department at Saint John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota in 1957 and headed it as a department chair until 1970. Similarly, the sociologist was the driving force in creating the local universitarian ''Human Life Center'' (1972), furthermore the

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...

organizations ''

Human Life International Human Life International (HLI) is a Roman Catholic, U.S.-based anti-abortion organization. It is one of the largest anti-abortion organizations in the United States. It describes itself as "the largest international pro-life organization in the w ...

'' (HLI, 1981) and '' Population Research Institute'' (PRI, 1989).

Family

Né Benno William Marx, he was born in St. Michael, Minnesota as the fifteenth child of devoutly religious parents, George and Elizabeth, from the dairy farm where he was raised. There were thirteen girls and four boys (three children died in infancy) in the family. Among his siblings were fellow Benedictine Father Michael and Sister Virgene Marx, OSB.

Activism

One of Marx's books, ''The Death Peddlers: War on the Unborn'', belongs to the basic literature of the

movement. The Benedictine Father became a spiritual mentor for his successor at PRI,

Steven W. Mosher Steven Westley Mosher (born May 9, 1948) is an American social scientist, anti-abortion activist, neoconservative, anti-communist, and president of the Population Research Institute (PRI), which opposes population control and abortion. In the ea ...

. Retrieved January 16, 2022. Marx regularly edited material about natural family planning and led HLI until 1999. In 2007, he received HLI's Cardinal von Galen Award. Other recognitions gained by the monk of

Saint John's Abbey, Collegeville Saint John's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Collegeville Township, Minnesota, United States, affiliated with the American-Cassinese Congregation. The abbey was established following the arrival in the area of monks from Saint Vincent Arc ...

include the Cardinal John J. O'Connor

Pro-Life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in response to the lega ...

Award from ''Legatus'' (2003), ''Family Life Internationals "Faithful for Life Award" (2004) as well as PRI's Founder's Award. Former President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

once stated in a letter to Marx:

Books

* ''The life and work of Virgil Michel''. Dissertation, Washington, D.C.:

Catholic University of America Press The Catholic University of America Press, also known as CUA Press, is the publishing division of The Catholic University of America. Founded on November 14, 1939 and incorporated on July 16, 1941, the CUA Press is a long-time member of the Associ ...

, 1957. * ''Virgil Michel And The Liturgical Movement''. Collegeville, Minnesota:

Liturgical Press Saint John's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Collegeville Township, Minnesota, United States, affiliated with the American-Cassinese Congregation. The abbey was established following the arrival in the area of monks from Saint Vincent Arc ...

, 1957. * ''The Death Peddlers: War on the Unborn''. Front Royal, Virginia: HLI, reprint, 1998, . * ''Death without dignity: Killing for mercy''. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2nd edition, 1978, ; later in the modified version ''And Now Euthanasia'': HLI, 2nd edition, 1985. * ''Confessions of a Profile Missionary: The Journeys of Fr. Paul Marx''. Gaithersburg, Maryland: HLI, 1988, . * ''Fighting for Life: The Further Journeys of Fr Paul Marx''. HLI, 1989, . * ''The Apostle of Life''. HLI, 1990, . * ''The Flying Monk (Still Fighting for Life)''. HLI, 1990, . * ''The Warehouse Priest''. HLI, 1993, . * ''Faithful for Life''– autobiography. HLI, 1997, . * ''The Pro-Life Wisdom of Fr. Paul Marx: The Apostle of Life'' – a collection of comments. HLI, 2008, .

References

External links

PRI website: Who We Are
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marx, Paul (monk) American Benedictines American nonprofit executives American anti-abortion activists American Roman Catholic priests American sociologists Benedictine monks Benedictine scholars College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University faculty Founders of academic institutions 1920 births 2010 deaths People from St. Michael, Minnesota Writers from Minnesota