Nicholas Floyd Adrian Doub, OSB
February 27 1949 - December 4, 2002
February 27 1949 - December 4, 2002
Fr. Nicholas was born in St. Cloud on February 27, 1949, to Delbert and Bernice (Brembrink) Doub. Floyd attended Clear Lake Public School, South Jr. High School and St. Cloud Tech High School. Majoring in music, he completed his undergraduate degree in 1971 at St. Cloud State University. He taught music in the Marshall Public Schools from 1971 to 1979 with great success. He was a popular and respected teacher. From June 1979 to December 1980 he served as a youth minister and teacher at St. John the Baptist Church, Excelsior, Minn.
Visiting the Collegeville campus for a conference of liturgical musicians, Floyd became "enamored with Saint John's Abbey." Along with another lay minister at St. John the Baptist Church, Floyd was accepted into the monastery's three-month candidate program that began in February 1981. Surprisingly neither man knew the other was considering the Benedictine monastery.
Floyd exchanged his baptismal name for his religious name, Nicholas, when he entered the novitiate in July 1981. He professed first vows the next year. His five classmates lauded him for his service as class senior. During the juniorate, Br. Nicholas was a full-time seminarian, organist for Abbey liturgies, and one of the stalwarts in a squad of Abbey gardeners. He served as socius (work boss) for the novices and, after final profession in 1985, became the director of the Abbey Schola. From 1986-87 he was the Liturgy Coordinator for Campus Ministry at Saint John's University.
Br. Nicholas was ordained to the priesthood on May 15, 1987. His first assignment was to St. Augustine's Parish, St. Cloud, from 1987-1991. For the next three years he served as the Director of the Saint John's Preparatory School student exchange program with the Benedictine school in Melk, Austria.
In 1993 he resumed his role as Director of the Abbey Schola for two years and served as Boys' Residence Director for Saint John's Preparatory School until 1999. When Fr. Nicholas decided to accept a position as Music Editor at The Liturgical Press, Fr. Gordon Tavis OSB, President of Saint John's Preparatory School, praised Fr. Nick for his "wonderful work shaping the lives of about 200 young men over the past 5 years. He will be missed greatly by students, faculty, staff and parents." He was recalled to service as Director of Liturgy for Campus Ministry, 2001-2. He was named Liturgy Music Director at The Liturgical Press in 2002.
For twenty years he served as one of the Abbey organists, 1982-2002. For the Abbey's liturgies Fr. Nicholas did yeoman's work producing leaflets, from setting music to photocopying, to folding and stapling. He was always willing to pitch in, even at short notice, to make sure something was done. His ready laugh earned him a reputation for being "a gentle giant."
In the fall of 2000, Fr. Nicholas took up the position of Faculty Resident for first-year college students in St. Thomas Hall. Shy of conflict, Fr. Nick's quiet and assured manner won him the respect and confidence of all he encountered. His generosity of service was matched by his competence, attention to detail, and steadfast dependability.
Volunteering to hear confessions at St. Martin with a team of other monks, Fr. Nicholas collapsed with heart failure after urging his last penitent to "Say an Our Father." His death was immediate, and three first-care providers at the Penance Service could do nothing for him. He was taken to the hospital in Paynesville where he was pronounced dead on Wednesday, December 4. The next morning his confreres read the public notice of his death with shock and sadness. Campus Ministry arranged a memorial service for the University community that evening.
Fr. Nicholas is survived by his monastic confreres; his mother, Bernice, Clear Lake; his older sister, Doris Kamenick, Milwaukee; and his younger brothers, Galen, Aitken; and Terry, St. Cloud.
The Liturgy of Christian Burial was celebrated for Father Nicholas at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, 10 December, in Saint John's Abbey Church with burial in the monastic cemetery.