BY CLIFF BRUNT
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Abbot Raphael Walsh is returning to lead Mount Michael Benedictine High School in Elkhorn.

He will replace Brian Osborne, who will become president of St. Albert Catholic School in Council Bluffs.

Walsh, 76, was in charge of the Mount Michael school and abbey from 1966 to 1989. He will officially take over as president next month.

Walsh said Mount Michael is prospering.

"The school is in excellent shape with a good faculty and facilities," he said. "It's not like I'm coming in to solve problems."

Abbot Theodore Wolff, who is in charge of the community, asked Walsh to return and made the final hiring decision.

During his years as abbot of the Mount Michael community, Walsh oversaw the planning and building of new housing for the community and the transition of St. John Seminary into Mount Michael Benedictine School, Nebraska's only college prep boarding school for young men.

Walsh spent several years as associate pastor of St. James Catholic Church in Omaha.

"I've enjoyed my years at St. James, but when you get a call to move, you've got to answer."