CONCEPTION, MO. ? Printing presses churned out memorial programs and chairs were placed inside the basilica as a northwest Missouri abbey prepared Thursday for the throng of mourners expected to bid farewell to two slain monks.

Investigators continued their probe of gunman Lloyd Jeffress’ background with hopes of determining whether a grudge over a 43-year-old divorce and later annulment fueled Monday’s attack at the Roman Catholic abbey.

A partial eclipse silhouettes the towers of the Conception Abbey in Conception, Mo. Monday's eclipse came after a shooting spree that left two dead.

Lloyd Jeffress, 71, was said to be upset about the way he was treated by the church after the breakup of his five-year marriage in 1959. Investigators suspect bitterness may have led Jeffress to fatally shoot two monks and wound two others Monday at Conception Abbey before turning a gun on himself.

It could be several days before a final determination on motive is ready, Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Sheldon Lyon said Thursday.

As investigators searched for answers, the abbey prepared for Thursday’s wake and Friday’s funeral for the Rev. Philip Schuster and Brother Damian Larson. Both men were well-known: Schuster, 85, of Pilot Grove, had spent 51 years at the abbey, and Larson, 64, of Wichita, Kan., had been there 32 years.

Pews inside the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception accommodate about 200 people. Another 250 wood chairs were set up in anticipation of large crowds at both services, and the abbey’s onsite printing facility produced the programs.

“The monks are keeping busy, and that’s probably therapeutic,” said Dan Madden, abbey spokesman. “It’s the work of hospitality that’s keeping them busy. They’re preparing to greet the visitors.”

Death is the moment that Schuster and Larson have been anticipating all their monastic life, Madden said. The Rule of St. Benedict urges the faithful monk to “keep death daily before one’s eyes,” he said.

“There’s a confidence that comes from their faith,” Madden said. “They’re ready for death because it’s what their lives are about.”

The Rev. Albert Bruecken, monastic vocation director and science professor at the seminary, was selected to deliver the eulogies for both men during Thursday’s service, Madden said. Larson had a passion for meteorology, earning him the nickname “weather monk.” He spent warm months tending the abbey’s 960 acres and working in the apple orchard.

When the weather turned cold, Larson would take up his other hobby: whittling miniature replicas of Roman Catholic basilicas from worn apple crates.

The abbey was preparing some of his creations for public display, Madden said.

Schuster was the first person many visitors saw upon arrival at the abbey, about 90 miles north of Kansas City.

“He was the porter, meaning he was the one at the front door to welcome visitors,” said the Rev. Gregory Polan, abbey abbot. “St. Benedictine says the abbot should appoint a wise man to greet the guests and that he was.”

Two other monks remained hospitalized Thursday. The Rev. Norbert Schappler, 75, of Atchison, Kan., and the Rev. Kenneth Reichert, 68, of Brunswick, were shot in the rampage, but both are expected to recover.

Investigators searching through Jeffress’ background would not elaborate on the church’s treatment of Jeffress. They hoped a review of church papers from the annulment granted 20 years after his divorce would offer insight.

Jeffress’ daughter, brother and ex-wife Della Steward told police he was upset about his treatment by the church after the marriage ended, investigators said.

Jeffress and Steward were married Nov. 24, 1954, according to state records, and were granted a divorce on May 11, 1959.

The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph said the couple was granted an annulment on May 18, 1979. Details of the couple’s relationship are kept private, said Rebecca Summers, spokeswoman for the diocese.

An annulment is a statement by the church that the elements seen as essential for a binding marriage were not present when the couple exchanged vows, Summers said.

A search of Jeffress’ apartment in Kearney turned up nothing to suggest he was preoccupied with the Catholic church, authorities said. He recently had been attending Methodist church services.