He settled in the small town of Doniphan, Kansas, the first monk in the territory, where he established the Church of St. John the Baptist.

Although the small community was declared autonomous the following year by the American-Cassinese Benedictine Congregation of which it was a part, by that time Wirth was alone, as the other two monks had returned to the United States.

[2] Wirth and a companion were invited by John Baptist Miège, S.J., the Vicar Apostolic of the territory, to relocate to Atchison to operate a school for boys.

It was expanded to include commerce subjects to cater to the needs of the local population, which consisted primarily of farmers and miners.

In 1962 the abbey established a daughter foundation in Brazil: Mosteiro São Jose, located in Mineiros, Goiás.