He was born on September 3, 1907, at Bickenriede, Germany, son of Josef Trapp and Barbara Voelker. He entered the Augustinian College in Munnerstadt on April 1, 1920. He was a good classical student and became the valedictorian of his class. He made his simple profession in the Order on April 28, 1928 and his solemn profession on April 28, 1931. He was ordained to the priesthood on July 12, 1931 in Rome, where he had been sent for Theological Studies. Fr. Damasus finished his post-graduate studies magna cum laude and his Vatican palaeography courses summa cum laude in 1935.

In 1939, he was sent to the United States. While serving as a member of a team of research scholars, he also worked he worked in New York at St. Joseph of Yorkers, Cathedral College, and Our Lady of Victory from 1940 to 1960. During the years 1969-70 Fr. Damasus was Postulator of the Augustinian Order. In that capacity, he published documentation regarding the Good Counsel Shrine at Genazzano outside of Rome, Documentazione Ritiana Antica, and also six smaller volumes of the correspondence of Bartholomew Menocchio (+1823), Augustinian Papal Sacristan and Confessor of Pope Pius VII. In 1969, he was chosen to head an international team of scholars editing the critical edition of the Commentary on the Sentences of the Augustinian theologian Gregory of Rimini (+1358). From 1970-77, he was in Tubingen, Germany, engaged in this task. He was then transferred to Ottawa, Canada in 1977, and after some time in New York, he came to Marylake Monastery, King City, Ontario in 1983.

Beside his lifelong involvement in scholarship, Fr. Damasus remained a priest at heart and never lost his pastoral concerns as was eloquently voiced by those who cared for him in his last illness.

On December 23, 1996, Fr. Damasus Adolf Trapp was called by God after a long and fruitful life as a priest, religious and scholar. He died at the Jesuit Infirmary in Pickering, Ontario. Father Damasus was laid to rest in the Augustinian plot in the Sacred Heart Cemetery in King City on December 28, 1996.

Bibliography of Damasus Trapp

1935

"Aegidii Romani de doctrina modorum." Angelicum 12 (1935), 449-501.

1954

• "Hiltalinger’s Augustinian Quotations." Augustiniana 4 (1954), 412-449.
• "Telógos agustinos alemanes del siglo XIV." Archivo Agustiniano 48 (1954), 277-300.

1955

"The Portiuncula Discussion of Cremona (ca. 1380): New Light on 14th Century Disputations." Recherches de Théologie ancienne et médiévale 22 (1955), 79-94.

1956

"Augustinian Theology of the 14th Century: Notes on Editions, Marginalia, Opinions and Book-Lore." Augustiniana 6 (1956), 146-274.

1957

• "Alfonsus Vargas Toletanus." Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed., J. Hőfer and K. Rahner, 2nd ed. (Freiburg: Herder, 1957-65), I, 334.
• "Clm 27034: Unchristened Nominalism and Wycliffite Realism at Prague in 1381." Recherches de Théologie ancienne et médiévale 24 (1957), 320-360.
• "Peter Ceffons of Clairvaux." Recherches de Théologie ancienne et médiévale 24 (1957), 101-154.
• "Gregory of Rimini’s Manuscripts, Editions and Additions." Augustiniana 8 (1958), 425-443.

1959

• "Dionysius v. Borgo San Sepolcro." Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, 2nd ed. (1959), III, 405-406.
• "Facinus de Asti," Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, 2nd ed. (1959), III, 1337.

1960

• "Gerhard v. Siena." Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, 2nd ed. (1960), IV, 722-723.
• "Gregory v. Rimini." Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, 2nd ed. (1960), IV, 722-723.
• "Jacobus de Appamiis." Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, 2nd ed. (1960), V, 835.
• "Jakob v. Viterbo." Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, 2nd ed. (1960), V, 849.
• "Johannes Hiltalingen v. Basel." Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, 2nd ed. (1960), V, 1007.
• "Johannes Klenkok." Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, 2nd ed. (1960), 1050-1051.

1962

• "Augustine and His Influence." A Catholic Dictionary of Theology, ed., H. F. Davis (London: Thomas Nelson, 1962), I, 209-222.
• "New Approaches to Gregory of Rimini." Augustinianum 2 (1962), 115-130.

1963

• "Angelus de Dobelin, Doctor Parisiensis, and His Lectura." Augustinianum 3 (1963), 389-413.
• "The Quaestiones of Dionysius de Burgo OSA," Augustinianum 3 (1963), 63-78.

1964

• "Gregorio de Rimini y el nominalismo." Augustinianum 4 (1964), 5-20.
• "Notes on John Klenkok OSA (d. 1374)." Augustinianum 4 (1964), 358-404.
• "Simon v. Cremona." Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, 2nd ed. (1964), IX, 766.
• "Simonis de Cremona OESA, Lectura super 4 LL. Sententiarum MS Cremona 118, ff. 1-136." Augustinianum 4 (1964), 123-146.

1965

• "Harvest of Medieval Theology." Augustinianum 5 (1965), 147-151.
• "’Moderns’ and ‘Modernists’ in MS Fribourg Cordeliers 26." Augustinianum 5 (1965), 241-270.
• "Notes on some Manuscripts of the Augustinian Michael de Massa (d. 1337)." Augustinianum 5 (1965), 58-133.
• "Thomas v. Strassburg." Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, 2nd ed. (1965), X, 147-148.

1966

"La tomba bisoma di Tommaso da Strasburgo e Gregorio da Rimini." Augustinianum 6 (1966), 5-17.

1967

"J. Langs ‘Christologie bei H. von Langenstein’: eine dogmengeschichtiliche Untersuchung?" Augustinianum 7 (1967), 525-532.

1968

• Documentazione Ritiana Antiqua, ed. A. Damasus Trapp. Vol. I: Il Processo del 1626 e la sua letteratura, (1968); vol. II: Il Volto veritiero di Santa Rita, (1968); vol. III: Gli Statuti di Cascia Stampati a Cascia nel 1545. (1968); vol. IV: L’Archivio notarile di Santa Rita (L‘ambiente agostiniano), (1970). Cascia: Monasterio di Santa Rita, 1968-70.
• Giuseppe Bartolomeo Menocchio OSA, Prefetto del Sacrario Apostolico, Confessore di Pio VII (1741-1823): Diari e Lettere. Edited by Damasus Trapp and G.L. Masetti-Zannini, 6 vols. Roma, 1968-1970.

1969

Album Santa Rita, (Cascia: Monasterio di Santa Rita, 1969).

1974

• "Dreistufiger Editionsprozess und dreiartige Zitationsweise bei den Augustinertheologen des 14. Jahrhunderts." Cor Unum 32 (1974), 100-107.
• "Rapporto sul SFB 8 di Tübingen." Analecta Augustiniana 37 (1974), 415-417.

1975

"Dreistfiger Editionsprozess und dreiartige Zitationsweise bei den Augustinertheologen des 14. Jahrhunderts." Augustiniana 25 (1975), 283-292. (cf. Cor Unum 32 (1974), 100-107).

1977

"Der Anselmische Gottesbeweis in der Wertung Gregors von Rimini." Analecta Augustiniana 40 (1977), 47-60.

1979

• Gregorii Ariminensis OESA Lectura Super Primum et Secundum Sententiarum. Edited by A. Damasus Trapp and Venicio Marcolino. Vol. I: Super Primum Dist. 1-6 (1981); vol. II: Super Primum Dist. 7-17 (1982); vol. III: Super Primum Dist. 19-48 (1984); vol. IV: Super Secundum Dist. 1-5 (1979); vol. V: Super Secundum Dist. 6-18 (1979); vol. VI: Super Secundum Dist. 24-44 (1980); vol. VII: Indices 1987),. Spätmittelalter und Reformation Texte und Untersuchungen 6-12. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1979-1987.
• "Notes on the Tübingen Edition of Gregory of Rimini." Augustiniana 29 (1979), 238-241.
• "Notes on the Tübingen Edition of Gregory of Rimini II." Augustiniana 30 (1980), 46-57.
• "Notes on the Tübingen Edition of Gregory of Rimini III: The Critical Edition of Gregory (d. 1358) promoted by the SFB 8 of the University of Tubingen advances steadily." Augustiniana 30 (1980), 251-253.

1981

Rita of Cascia. Augustinian Publications, New York and Marylake, 1981.

1984

"A Round-Table Discussion of a Parisian OCist-Team and OESA-Team about Ad 1350." Recherches de Théologie ancienne et médiévale 51 (1984), 206-222.

1985

"Gregor v. Rimini (c. 1300-1358)." Theologische Realenzyklopädie, eds. Gerhard Krause und Gerhard Muller. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1985, XIV, 181-184.

In addition to the above works, Father Trapp published at least 19 reviews of books.