Andreas Amrhein, born in Gunzwil (Switzerland) in 1844, studied theology in Tübingen. He entered the monastery Benedict Beuron in 1870 where he was ordained a priest two years later. In 1884 he founded the Missionary Society of St. Benedict in Reichenbach. In 1887 the congregation resettled on a farm in Emming (Upper Bavaria) where it took the name "St. Ottilien" from the local pilgrim's chapel. In the same year the Missionary Benedictines adopted the southern part of German East Africa for their mission area.
Andreas Amrhein (1844–1927), black-and-white photograph, unknown photographer; source: Archiv Erzabtei St. Ottilien, https://erzabtei.de/klosterfotos.