Rev. Demetrius Dumm, O.S.B., was a monk and priest of Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He was the author of So We Do Not Lose Heart: Biblical Wisdom for All Our Days; Flowers in the Desert: A Spirituality of the Bible; Cherish Christ Above All: The Bible in the Rule of BenedictCherish Christ Above All: The Bible in the Rule of Benedict; A Mystical Portrait of Jesus: New Perspectives on John’s Gospel; and Praying the Scriptures.
He also co-authored, with Father Campion Gavaler, O.S.B., The Sunday Homilies, Saint Vincent Archabbey: Cycle A; The Sunday Homilies, Saint Vincent Archabbey, Cycle B; and The Sunday Homilies, Saint Vincent Archabbey, Cycle C. The books were based on the long-running Sunday Homily column that he and Father Demetrius co-wrote of the Archabbey website, www.saintvincentarchabbey.org.
The Sunday Homilies, Saint Vincent Archabbey, Cycle B, by Father Campion P. Gavaler, O.S.B., and Father Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B., received a Catholic Press Association first place book award in the category Scripture: Popular Studies in 2015. The judges’ commentary noted:
“In this book, two fine scholars write simple, practical homily reflections for every Sunday of the Liturgical year. Each homily reflection provides a concise, insightful summary of the Gospel, obviously the fruit of years of study and contemplation of the passage! Each reflection also includes a wise life application that truly enables the Sunday Gospel to be lived in the ordinary moments of life that occur every day of the week. The insights into the human heart provided in the Life Implication section of each chapter are profound. There are no excess words, which provides an example for homilists.”
He received a doctorate in theology from the Atheneum of Saint Anselm in Rome. After graduate studies at the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem, he was awarded the License in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Commission in Vatican City. Father Demetrius taught Sacred Scripture at Saint Vincent Seminary for over 50 years and was rector of the Seminary for 17 years.