William Menster

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Father William Menster (b. February 10, 1913) is a Roman Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Menster was born and raised on a farm near Cascade, Iowa. He would become the first member of the clergy to visit Antarctica.

Menster was ordained a priest on June 11, 1938. Fr. Menster became a chaplain in the United States Navy at the outbreak of World War II.

Following the war, in 1946 Menster was assigned to Operation Highjump - Admiral Richard Byrd's fourth expedition to Antarctica. He was assigned to the USS Mt. Olympus. In 1947 he became the first Catholic priest ever to set foot on Antarctica, and led the first ever religious service on the continent. During a religious service held in a tent set up on land, he consecrated Antarctica. Ministering to 2,000 men of a variety of religious faiths gave him experience in leading ecumenical services.

Menster wrote the book Strong Men South as a chronicle of his adventures in 1949. He then traveled to Hollywood where he served as a technical consultant when ABC made a documentary about Antarctica named "The Secret Land" - which was based in part on his book.

After the expedition he continued his career in the Navy. During this time he became involved in veteran's work, and served as the national chaplin of the AMVETS organization. After 25 years of service Menster retired as a full Commander.

Once he left the service, he returned to Iowa and served in a variety of capacities for the Dubuque Archdiocese. This included parish work in Iowa communities such as St. Donatus, Waverly, Waterloo, Monona, and Corwith. Menster also served as the director of the Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese. He has since retired from active ministry.