A monk who has played guitar with the rock band Deep Purple will join a descendant of the last king of Bavaria and Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia on Thursday to celebrate the 200th birthday of Abbot Boniface Wimmer, founder of St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe.

The 2:15 p.m. concert and 3 p.m. Mass cap a year-long tribute to the pioneering missionary.

"Boniface Wimmer is an important figure because he always looked to the future," said Archabbot Douglas Nowicki, the spiritual leader of St. Vincent.

"His motto was 'Forward, always forward.' It's important to the Benedictine community to be renewed in our own commitment to be forward-looking and respond to the challenges of the age as Wimmer did."

Abbot Wimmer was born in Bavaria as the Catholic Church there emerged from an era of suppression and King Ludwig I called for revival. The young priest felt called to go to America as a missionary to impoverished German immigrants. Arriving in Western Pennsylvania in 1846, he established St. Vincent as the first Benedictine monastery in the United States. He found creative ways to adapt ancient monastic tradition to the needs of what was then a frontier region. He educated all children, not just young monks, and reached far beyond the Germans he first came to serve. After the Civil War he founded a school for black students in Georgia. At his death in 1887, he had established seven abbeys, 150 parishes and 75 Benedictine schools.

The Catholic historian John Tracy Ellis has called him the greatest Catholic missionary of 19th century America.

Among the guests at Thursday's Mass will be Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, 27, a great-great-great nephew of the king who inspired young Boniface Wimmer. The family hasn't had power since 1918 but has a symbolic role in national life. Prince Ludwig, who is pursuing a career in international human rights law, will receive an award Thursday.

Another prominent German at the celebration will be Abbot Primate Notker Wolf, leader of the Benedictine order worldwide. He has written German bestsellers on the Christian faith and plays guitar for a rock band called Feedback. Last year he made European headlines when he invited Deep Purple to his home monastery, strapped his guitar over his black robes and joined them in a performance of "Smoke on the Water." The song is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjJI8zBG0yQ.

Cardinal Rigali will preach and celebrate the Mass. The entire event will be streamed live on www.bonifacewimmer.org.

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