Benedictine Father Wulfstan Francis Clough, a monk of St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pa., marks the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood in 2021. Father Wulfstan is a native of Wilmington.
He is the son of the late Francis and Margaret Clough. He attended Holy Spirit School in New Castle and Salesianum School in Wilmington before earning a degree in English and history in 1974 and a master’s degree in 1977, both from the University of Delaware. He earned a doctorate in medieval and Renaissance literature and linguistics from the University of Notre Dame in 1984.
Father Wulfstan entered the Benedictine monastic community in 1990 and made his simple profession of vows a year later. He professed solemn vows in 1994 and was ordained to the priesthood on June 8, 1996, at the St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica.
During his time with the Benedictines, he has been monastery guestmaster, obituarian, research assistant to the archabbot, and member of the human resources council. He returned to the council in 2020. At Saint Vincent College, he was a member of the faculty council from 1997-2003, as well as a member of the committee to evaluate the president and provost of the college.
He is currently an assistant professor and has served as the chairperson of the English department. He also works with the Saint Vincent College Common Text Project, as he has since 1997.
His roles outside the college include service on the St. Vincent Seminary planning committee, parochial vicar at Sacred Heart Parish in Jeannette, Pa., and assistant chaplain at the State Correctional Institute in Greensburg, Pa.
His sister, Margaret Cooper, lives in Lewes. Another sister, Kathleen, is deceased.
