Rev. Michael Stafford

The Reverend Michael Stafford, 82, a monk of Portsmouth Abbey, died Wednesday morning, April 9, 2014, at Mount Saint Rita in Cumberland, where he had been a resident for a couple of years.Father Stafford was born in Minnesota, and joined the monastery of Portsmouth Priory (as it was then called) in 1952. He was ordained a priest in 1958, and was sent to Munich for German language study. He subsequently taught German in Portsmouth Abbey School. In 1970 he joined the US Army as a chaplain, and served not only in this country but also in Germany and Korea. He returned to the Abbey in 2006.He was the son of the late George and Magdalin (Schoon) Stafford. A younger brother, John, predeceased him. He is survived by his sisters Mary Catherine Field and Cretia Benolken, and brothers Paul and Patrick, and a number of nieces and nephews.The body will be received at Portsmouth Abbey church on Friday for Vespers of the Dead at 5:30. The Requiem Mass will be celebrated at 10 o'clock Saturday morning, followed immediately by burial in the Abbey cemetery. Service APR 11. 05:30 PM Portsmouth Abbey Church 285 Coreys Lane Portsmouth, RI, US, 02871 http://www.portsmouthabbey.org/ Service APR 12. 10:00 AM Portsmouth Abbey Church 285 Coreys Lane Portsmouth, RI, US, 02871 http://www.portsmouthabbey.org/