Our Deceased

He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, entered Gethsemani as a choir novice in 1947, and was called Frater Dennis, the title Frater (Brother) being customarily used for choir novices at the time. While still in simple vows at Gethsemani he was chosen as the second superior of the projected Genesee foundation, and he set to work preparing for the move.

At this time he learned he had cancer, but continued with his plans for Genesee, and came up with the other founders. He was a tall, friendly, cheerful, very intelligent person and also a skilled carpenter. With the help of several laymen he built Bethlehem chapel as an extension to the original building.

He made a great impression in the Genesee Valley area and Father Joseph Cirrincione, a good friend of the community, read excerpts from Frater Dennis’s letters on his Family Rosary for Peace radio program. Shortly before he would have been ordained a priest, he died of cancer at age 27 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester. He was the first monk of the Genesee community to die.

At that time the liturgy and clerical studies were in Latin, and Frater Dennis often used a Latin motto, Ego amo te (I love you). For many years after his death his mother would write to the community annually around the time of his death, and would always use that motto, Ego amo te.

He was born in Lebanon, Kentucky not far from Gethsemani, the twelfth of thirteen children of devout Catholic parents of African-American descent. As a boy he often visited Gethsemani with his father, who worked there as a plasterer, and early in life he determined to become a Trappist at Gethsemani eventually.

In 1921 he entered the seminary of the Divine Word Society (S.V.D.), and was ordained priest in May, 1934, Kentucky’s first priest of African-American descent. He spent several years in the active ministry in various parts of the country, much appreciated for his parish work and the many missions he preached. In 1948 he finally did enter Gethsemani, and was a quiet, cheerful, and well-liked member of the large group of novices. He was given charge of the beehives, and did not seem to mind being stung by the bees.

Father Simon made his solemn profession on May 20, 1951 and a few days later was appointed novice master of the new foundation of the Monastery of Christ the King in Piffard, New York. Though he found the cold weather difficult to bear, he obeyed cheerfully. He was known for giving short, and very good and helpful sermons.

He had a heart attack on March 22, 1952 and was rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, New York where he died a few days later. His funeral took place on a cold, snowy day, and for his burial he was carried from Bethlehem House, where the community was living at the time, to the original cemetery within the present Abbey enclosure.

“The Valley of Mary’s Smile” was the name given to the Genesee Valley area where the monastery is situated by its founding superior and first abbot, Dom Gerard McGinley. He had been born on the family homestead near Baldwin, Wisconsin and as a teenager moved with his family to St. Paul, Minnesota. Both his parents died when he was young, and he was then raised by his older brothers and sisters.

He entered the Paulist novitiate in Oak Ridge, New Jersey in 1925 but transferred to Gethsemani in January, 1926. He made solemn vows in 1932, was ordained priest in 1935, and served the Gethsemani community as novice master and prior. Abbot James Fox of Gethsemani appointed him first superior of the projected foundation of Genesee in 1949.

Fr. Gerard led several groups of monks from Gethsemani to Genesee in the spring of 1951 and quickly got the community off to a vigorous start, spiritually and materially. He made many friends in the area, began the buildings of the monastery, established its work program of farm and bakery, and gave strong spiritual support to the monks and novices. When the monastery became an abbey in 1953 he was elected its first abbot on October 13, and received the abbatial blessing from Rochester’s Bishop James Kearney on November 9.

His death from complications of diabetes and a heart condition at the 1955 General Chapter at Citeaux was a profound shock to the young community. Dom Gerard formed the monks of Genesee into a warm, happy, loving community and this spirit of his remains an integral part of its heritage to the present day.

He was born in Rochester, New York and later lived in Geneva, New York. After graduating from Canisius College in Buffalo, he studied at Syracuse University and earned a degree in law. He then practiced law for a few years.

He entered the fledgling Genesee community in December, 1951 while it was still living at Bethlehem House, and was the first person to enter the community here at Genesee and persevere. He was a serious, perceptive monk who concentrated on all that he was doing in the daily monastic routine, and also related well with others in the community.

He developed prostate cancer while in simple vows, but continued his studies for the priesthood. He was already very weak when he made solemn vows in August, 1957. He then spent some time being cared for at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, where Bishop James Kearney of Rochester ordained him to the priesthood in November, 1957. Father James then returned to the Abbey, and died in the Abbey infirmary on February 22, 1958.

He was born in nearby Batavia, New York. He married and he and his wife had two daughters. After she divorced him, he entered the Abbey as a laybrother oblate in 1954. His former wife and his daughters visited him regularly at the Abbey, on friendly terms.

Brother Herman was serene, pleasant, tranquil, and observant of the Rule. Before entering the Abbey he had worked at metal lathing. In the monastic community he worked in the bakery office and as bookkeeper. Also, he drove the Monks’ Bread truck to town several days a week, taking a box lunch with him and always returning in time for Compline.

He developed cancer and was cared for at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester. When near death he returned to the Abbey and died very peacefully in the infirmary, after many in the community had visited him and spoken with him.

He was born in Denver, Colorado. As a young man he entered the Jesuits, studied theology at a seminary in Spain, was ordained a Jesuit priest, became a seismologist, and taught seismology at a Jesuit college, Spring Hill College, Mobile, Alabama for many years.

In the late 1940s he entered Gethsemani, and came to Genesee in the early 1950s as one of the founders. He served the Genesee community as prior, professor of theology, and guestmaster, and was much appreciated as a confessor by many both inside and outside the community.

In April, 1960 he suffered a major stroke, and was paralyzed on his left side, and largely bedridden, for the rest of his life. Because he had a rather active temperament, his prolonged illness was a real trial for him. But he fought the good fight of serving the Lord, referring to himself as “The Old Warrior,” listening to Spanish music, and continuing to serve as confessor for many in the community.

He died in his small room in the old infirmary, in the presence of Abbot Jerome Burke. Many friends from outside the community attended his funeral, which was held on a cold, snowy winter day.

He was born in Chicago, Illinois, the next to youngest in a large Polish-American family of nine or ten children. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago, entered Gethsemani in 1949, and came to Genesee as a founder in the early 1950s.

Fr. Bede was cheerful, friendly, and thoughtful of others, a good community man. He was solid in his monastic observance, with an especially fervent devotion to our Lady. He was novice master for awhile in the 1950s, and prior in the early 1960s. Somewhat frail physically, he served the community by distributing mail, helping the porter at the gatehouse, hearing guests’ confessions, and giving spiritual guidance to guests at the retreat house.

His final illness was quite difficult. Due to the condition of his health, he had to spend a few months in hospitals in Batavia and Buffalo, and then several days at a nursing home in Geneseo, where he died. He bore this final cross with courage and his accustomed good spirit.

He was born in Paterson, New Jersey and was a high school biology teacher. After his marriage ended in divorce, he entered the community on three different occasions over a period of twenty years or so, the final time being in September, 1978. On this third attempt to follow our way of life he had great determination to stay in the monastery, which he loved very much.

Brother William was a hard worker, a good cook, and a fine craftsman in wood. He was very friendly and personable, a good community man. And he struggled mightily to overcome a natural tendency to flare up in anger.

On Easter Friday in 1980, while still a novice, he had a major heart attack and died at 3:00p.m. in the Abbey’s old infirmary before an ambulance, which had been summoned, could arrive. His sudden death was quite a shock to the community. He had persevered to the end in a rather unique way, and he was remembered with much admiration and affection.

He was born in California and grew up in Kansas. As a young man he entered the Catholic Church, studied at a seminary, and was ordained to the diocesan priesthood in 1944. He entered Gethsemani in 1946 and came to Genesee as a founder in the 1950s.

Father John was a calm, quiet person who served the community as refectorian and by working in the library. He was an avid bird watcher and could often be seen in the woods behind the Abbey with a pair of binoculars draped over his neck, carrying a book describing various types of birds to be seen. He had had rheumatic fever as a boy and was in frail health throughout his life.

By his own description of himself, he was a loner in community life, but was always peaceful in his relations with others. ln the last few months of his life, as his health declined due to his rheumatic heart condition, he awaited the Lord’s coming with quiet, even eager, anticipation. And on the very day of his death he grew in his ability to relate with others in a friendly way. He died in his room in the old infirmary while the community was celebrating Vespers and Mass on a bake day.

He was born in the bayou country of Louisiana and as a young man entered the Benedictines at St. Joseph’s Abbey, St. Benedict, Louisiana. He was sent to Rome to study theology at Sant’ Anselmo and was ordained priest in 1932. He transferred to our Order at Gethsemani in 1948 and was one of the original founders of Genesee, leaving Gethsemani on April 4, 1951 with Fr. Gerard and Brs. Alexis, Paschal, and Sylvester, staying overnight in Cleveland, Ohio, arriving in Piffard on April 5, and staying for the first few weeks at Westerly, the Porter Chandlers’ summer residence nearby.

Father Ambrose served the Genesee community as sacristan, Father Master of the Laybrothers, and subprior for many years. He was reliable, devout, and sincere. A few years before his death he developed dementia symptoms, and had a series of slight strokes.

In 1982 several members of his family, who had visited him on a number of occasions before, came from Louisiana to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of his priestly ordination. This proved to be their final visit. He died during the night of September 20-21, 1983 seemingly of a stroke, in his room in the old infirmary.

Brother Elias died on August 23, the same day of the year as Brother Paschal, and they had both been born on the same day, February 21. Brother Elias was born into a large, closely-knit Lebanese-American family of Melkite rite Catholics in Cleveland, Ohio and spoke Arabic fluently. He was a paratrooper in World War II, and also a professional prizefighter. He underwent a profound religious conversion experience while living in Lebanon, and entered Genesee as a laybrother in 1954.

His life in the monastery always had an eremitical tone to it, and it was a real experience to see him praying in church. He would be totally absorbed in prayer, seemingly oblivious of his surroundings, for long periods of time. In the late 1960s he received permission to live as a hermit on the Abbey property, and his small hermitage on the ridge in the woods behind the Abbey is still known as Brother Elias’s Hermitage.

He 1ived a very austere life, but was able to blend this with an extremely warm, friendly, brotherly spirit which he manifested quite openly. He died of cancer, and suffered a good deal during his final months. His large family visited him often during his illness, and filled the church for his funeral. A man of deep prayer, he made a very real impact on those who knew him.

He was born in the province of Québec, Canada, the youngest member of a very large French Canadian family. He became a young oblate at the monastery of Mistassini in 1926, entered the community of Mistassini in 1934, made profession of solemn vows in 1941, and was ordained, priest in 1944.

He was elected abbot of Mistassini in 1960 and served in that role until 1965. He then spent a year or so at the monastery of Prairies, in the province of Manitoba, Canada but because he had a heart condition the climate there was too cold for him. He came to Genesee in 1966 and changed his stability to Genesee in 1971. For a number of years he spent several months each winter at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Conyers, Georgia, and would return to Genesee for the summer months.

Dom John, as he was known, was a very cheerful, friendly man. He liked vigorous outdoor work and did some of this in his first few years at Genesee. But he was eventually unable to continue this because of the many health problems which increasingly marked his later years. He bore these infirmities, and the difficulties of living outside his native land and speaking a language other than his mother tongue, with courage, fortitude, and grace. He died during a hot summer night while sitting on a bench outside the old infirmary, seemingly of a heart attack. He is remembered with a good deal of respect and affection.

He was born in Norwood, Ohio and served in the U. S. Navy during World War II. He entered Gethsemani in l946, made solemn vows there in 1951, came to Genesee a year or two later, and was ordained priest at Genesee in 1954. Father Paul, who was known as Father Luke for many years until he returned to his baptismal name of Paul in the 1960s, had a very real devotion to our Lady. He was a talented worker, doing especially well at carpentry.

In actual fact, it was difficult for him to live peacefully with other people. Because of this, in 1966 he was required to leave the property on an exclaustration, Subsequently he built a hermitage in Texas and lived there as a hermit, faithful to his monastic commitment and his priesthood, for the rest of his life. During these years a number of the monks kept in touch with him by mail.

After he died it was discovered in his will that he had requested, if it be possible, that he be buried in the Abbey cemetery. Abbot John Eudes readily arranged that his remains be returned to the Abbey. A funeral mass was celebrated for him in the Abbey church, and he was buried in the Abbey cemetery.

He was born in Queens County in the city of New York and as a young man served in the U. S. Navy during World War II. He entered Gethsemani in 1947 as a laybrother and while still in simple vows became one of the original group of founders of Genesee, leaving Gethsemani with Fr. Gerard McGinley and the other founders on April 4, 1951 and arriving in the Genesee Valley the next day.

Brother Paschal once said that he found it easy to be cheerful, and he had a special gift for rejoicing with those who were rejoicing. He saw the brighter side of things, and had a good brotherly spirit. He also loved animals, and cared for their needs. He was a man of real simplicity, and made special efforts to understand other peoples’ needs, and not to offend other people.

He had great devotion to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and followed her Little Way faithfully. He developed cancer, and in his last months was very much at peace, trusting in God’s love for him. He died very peacefully in his room in the old infirmary in the presence of Abbot John Eudes and two of the brothers, who were saying the Prayers for the Dying for him.

Brother Alexis was Germany’s gift to Genesee. Born In Offenbach am Main, Germany in 1910, he moved to Chicago with his family in the late 1920s and entered Gethsemani as a laybrother in 1938. He was at Gethsemani’s first foundation at Conyers, Georgia for awhile, but returned to Gethsemani. He was then one of the original group of founders of Genesee, arriving in the Genesee Valley with Fr. Gerard and the others on April 5, 1951.

Brother Alexis worked as cook, kitchen manager, and accountant and always took his work with the utmost seriousness. He seemed largely oblivious of the fact that some in the community were not able to take work quite as seriously as he did. His devotional life, especially his Marian devotion, was marked by tenderhearted piety and had a definite emotional tone. He loved to write out his thoughts on various spiritual topics, and would gladly share them with anyone who was interested in reading them.

He was generous in his consideration for his brother monks and for the community’s guests, and very regular and faithful in his daily monastic life. He had some health problems in his final years, but stayed in his room in McGinley Hall rather than move to the infirmary. He died during the night, having been in church for Compline the previous evening.

Born in Italy, he entered the Franciscans in his youth, studied at a seminary in Spain, was ordained to the priesthood, and served as a missionary in Colombia. In the 1950s he entered our Order at Viaceli in Spain, but soon transferred to Genesee, which he had visited on his way from Colombia to Viaceli.

He made solemn vows at Genesee, and served the community as sub-master of choir novices and as an assistant cantor. He was also a talented craftsman, especially in wood. In the mid-1960s he studied moral theology at the Alfonsiana in Rome. Soon after returning to Genesee he asked to live as a hermit living off the property, and pursued the eremitical life in a number of places, eventually in British Columbia, Canada. He visited Genesee at this time, and then returned to his hermitage in British Columbia, where he died. He lies buried in the cemetery of Genesee.

He was born in Louisville, Kentucky and became a lawyer. He entered. Gethsemani in 1942, made solemn vows, and was ordained a priest in 1947. He served at Gethsemani as novice master for the choir monks. He came to Genesee in the 1950s, and was later sent to Rome for studies, and then spent two years helping at the Generalate of the Order in Rome.

Father Urban then spent a very long time, over twenty-five years, on an extended leave of absence. While away from the Abbey and the monastic life, he developed Alzheimer’s disease. He returned to Genesee in 1992 and was cared for in the Abbey infirmary. Shortly before he died in the infirmary, though no longer able to speak, he was able to communicate his appreciation to the visiting nurse, and to those in the community who helped care for him.

He was born in Manhattan and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. As a young man he worked on Wall Street, in New York’s financial district. He entered Gethsemani in 1945, and came to Genesee as a member of the founding group in 1951.

Brother Hugh was, throughout his entire monastic life, one of the most deeply loved and respected members of the community. A naturally friendly man, with a warm smile and an agreeable manner, he was devout in his monastic life, always generous in serving the community, and very humane in all his ways. Everyone seemed to like him and to appreciate his good monastic spirit.

He was an avid reader, and kept in touch with both traditional classical works of spirituality, and lively accounts of current Church and world news. In his later years he experienced a number of health setbacks, including the amputation of his left leg below the knee a few years before he died. He bore all this with patience and cheerfulness. He died in his room in the Abbey’s old infirmary, having been cared for by a community which loved him very much indeed.

A few years after Brother Simon died, one of the monks who had lived with him for many years said: “I can’t imagine anyone not loving Brother Simon.” Calm, patient, tranquil, gentle, inoffensive, he was a very easy man to live with. He had been born in Cincinnati, Ohio the sixth child in a family of seven children, His parents had been born in south China. They were not Christians, but his older brothers and sister had been baptized as Catholics while attending a Catholic school and they had him baptized as a baby.

As a young man he visited Gethsemani frequently, served in the U. S. Army, and worked in the family business. He entered Genesee in 1960 and for many years was faithful to the daily round of liturgical prayer, lectio divina, and manual labor. In the 1980s he received permission to live as a hermit in a small hermitage on the monastic property, which became known as Brother Simon’s Hermitage.

In his later years all his good qualities reached a certain fullness, and his very presence seemed to radiate a spirit of quiet contemplative wisdom. He was silent but friendly, a good brother. In the fall of 1997 he was diagnosed as having cancer of the pancreas. His last several months were made easier by chemotherapy, and he was a cooperative patient, loved by all the doctors and nurses who cared for him, and very much appreciated, and eventually missed, by his brother monks. He died during the night in his room in the old infirmary.

He was born in Canton, Ohio, served in the U. S. Army during World War II, entered Gethsemani in the late 1940s, and came to Genesee as one of the founders of the community. Brother Quentin served as sub-master of laybrother novices, and later of all the novices, for many years. He was a talented handyman, and very generous in serving others, the first one to volunteer when extra work needed to be done.

He was a man of great simplicity and guilelessness, friendly, reliable, solid in his devotion, and with a good brotherly spirit at all times. Some in the community considered him to be a kind of personal embodiment of the spirit of the community.

He was the last one to die in the old infirmary, before the new infirmary was ready for occupancy in January, 1999. He was sorely missed at his passing.

He was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in the Bronx and in Valhalla, New York. He served in the U.S. Army for the duration of World War II, and later worked as a gardener, and at road construction, helping to build the New York State Thruway in the 1950s. He entered the community in 1960 as a laybrother, and was always inspired by the ideal of the working brother. He worked faithfully in the bakery, and was in charge of the laundry, and later of the garage.

Brother Michael had a lively personality, and throughout his monastic life he struggled manfully to practice patience, a virtue which did not come easily to him, as he himself often stated, sometimes emphatically.

In the mid-1980s he developed Parkinson’s disease, and later, dementia symptoms. He struggled with his illness, eventually accepted it, and in the last several months of his life he became a patient man. He was the first member of the community to die in the new infirmary, surrounded by Abbot John Eudes and several members of the community.

Born in 1909 in Rutherglen, Scotland, of mostly Irish ancestry, he was the oldest of seven children and moved with his family to Norwood, Ohio in 1928. As a young man he was a Golden Gloves prizefighter, and also loved to bowl. He served in the U. S. Navy during World War II.

He entered Gethsemani as a laybrother in 1948, and was one of the original founders of Genesee, leaving Gethsemani with the founding group on April 4, 1951 and arriving in the Genesee Valley on April 5. For many years he served as porter, and was well known to many people in the local area for his quiet cheerfulness, friendliness, and good sense of humor. Within the community he was known for his silence, fidelity to the daily monastic observances, and good brotherly spirit.

He often said that on three occasions he heard the Lord say to him: “You are my friend,” and that he had not expected that when he entered the monastery. For the last twenty years of his life he suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, which he bore with peace, patience, and his accustomed sense of humor. A much-loved senior of the community, he died peacefully at the age of 91.

He was born in Englewood, New Jersey, and also lived at various times in Massachusetts and North Carolina. As a young man he married and he and his wife had two daughters and a son. After a particularly painful divorce he waited several years, continuing to work as an engineer and to enjoy boating and playing in a band, and then entered the monastery in 1973 at age 50. He made solemn vows in 1979 and was ordained priest in 1984.

Father Joseph had many talents, especially in the field of engineering. On a few different occasions he spent an extended stay at Genesee’s daughter house of Awhum in Nigeria, where he taught theology and constructed a hydraulic water system to deliver clean water from a nearby stream to the monastery and to the entire village of Awhum.

For the last several years of his life he suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, eventually experiencing marked cognitive impairment. At an early stage of this disease he affirmed that he accepted everything that had happened, was happening, and would happen. During this illness he was supported by his monastic community and also by his family. He died at the Sisters of Saint Joseph Infirmary in Rochester, New York where he had been sent for a respite stay. Abbot John Denburger was with him when he died.

He was born in Louisville, Kentucky and as a young man entered the Jesuits. After twenty- two years as a Jesuit, eleven as a scholastic and eleven as a brother, he entered Gethsemani in 1950. He came to Genesee as a founder in the early 1950s, and was ordained priest in 1954.

Father Regis was a profoundly spiritual man, and always very much respected and loved in the community. His mother had died when he was only nine years old, and the pain associated with this event remained with him throughout his entire life. This may have accounted for his deep interiority. He was a man of prayer and a man of compassion, and an inspiration to all who knew him.

As prior, he guided the young community in the difficult days following the death of Dom Gerard McGinley in 1955. And from September 1963 to May 1964 he again guided the community during a difficult stage in its history, this time as acting superior. He was novice master and prior alternately for many years. He had special concern for all the former members of the community, many of whom had been his novices, and whenever any of them would come back to visit the community they would invariably ask to see him.

His last several years were marked by a number of health problems. He died in his room in the new infirmary in the presence of two members of the community, one a former novice of his and the other the community’s only novice at the time, He was a novice master to the end.

Wonderful was a word which fell very frequently from Fr. Thomas’s lips and is perhaps the best word to describe him. His presence to others in the community was uniformly cheerful, encouraging, thoughtful, and genuinely charitable. He had been born, the youngest of three brothers, in Washington, DC and raised there and in Los Angeles.

He entered the Dominicans in 1932, was ordained to the priesthood in 1939, and then sent to Manila in The Philippine Islands to teach and do further studies. He spent the years 1941-45 as a prisoner of war in The Philippines, and then returned to the USA, where he taught at a Dominican college in Ohio, having earned a PhD in philosophy along the way.

He entered Gethsemani in 1948 and was one of the founders of Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina in 1949. He came to Genesee in 1964 to teach moral theology, also taught philosophy here, and wound up staying here, changing his stability to Genesee in 1969. He was guestmaster for a number of years, and a much-appreciated confessor to monks and guests alike.

He became unsteady on his feet in his mid-90s and moved into the infirmary in 2001. He remained lucid and cheerful and was looking forward to his 100th birthday on July 18, but died rather suddenly on June 10, seemingly of a stroke. A niece and her husband, who had visited him several months previously, were present for his wake and funeral. He is remembered, as a wonderful monk.

Brother John Baptist, or JB, as everyone called him, was born in Columbus, Ohio the third of seven children of a lively German-American family whose members all remained very close to each other throughout their entire lives. As a young man he tried his vocation as Franciscan brother three times, and then entered Gethsemani on three separate occasions, finally remaining in the monastery, and making solemn vows in 1952.

He spent a number of years at New Clairvaux Abbey, Vina, California and then came to Genesee in 1970, and eventually made his stability at Genesee. JB did well in many fields. He was a mechanic, a violinist, a singer, a cook, and a calligrapher. But mostly he was a very generous, friendly, cheerful monk, quick to help others, and always very popular in the community. He also spent long hours in prayer, and had a particular love for the Psalms.

The last decade of his life was marked by many illnesses, which he bore with patience and a very joyful spirit. He died very peacefully in his room in the infirmary, in the presence of Abbot John Denburger, several other monks, and a good friend of the community. Many of his relatives and friends came for his wake and funeral.

He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, served in the Army Air Force during World War II, and married a few years later. He and his wife Phyllis raised eight children and in 1983, when the children were in their 20s and 30s, and with his wife’s written consent, he entered our community.

In 1989 he received special permission from Pope John Paul II to make solemn vows as a monk while remaining a married man. He was able to combine total commitment to the monastic life with an ongoing love and dedication to his wife, children, and grandchildren.

Brother Andrew had a good spirit. He was cheerful, devout, generous, and thoughtful of others. He was responsible for seeing to the needs of those who came to the Abbey seeking financial help, and always showed them a humane welcome and profound respect. He was very concerned about a number of social causes, such as pro-life, peace with justice, and care for the needs of the poor.

He remained physically active through­ out his monastic life, dedicated to serving the needs of the community, especially by helping in the kitchen. He died, somewhat unexpectedly, from a massive heart attack while recuperating from surgery for a broken hip. His wife had died a few months previously. His children, several grand­children, and many friends in our area attended his funeral.

He was born in Detroit, Michigan and at the age of 16 entered the Christian Brothers. As a Brother he taught at schools in Brooklyn, New York; the Philippines, where he was novice master and president of a college; Detroit, Michigan; and Syracuse, NY.

He entered Genesee in 1978, made solemn profession in 1980, and was ordained priest in 1981. Father Raymond served the community as prior, and as novice master, and worked in the laundry and the accounting office. He was known for his steady perseverance, and his wry sense of humor.

He loved vigorous outdoor work, specializing in removing tree stumps. In the last several years of his life he made the section of woods between the cow barn and garage into a beautiful park, now known as Father Raymond’s Park.

In 2003 he was diagnosed as having Parkinson’s disease, and later developed dementia symptoms. Other health complications led to his hospitalization at Highland Hospital in Rochester, New York, where he died peacefully in the presence of Abbot John Denburger, having completed seventy years in the Lord’s service.

Br. Henry was born in Lockport, New York, the eldest of six children. Several years after he was born his family moved to a nearby farm. He served in the U.S. Army for two years, and entered Genesee as a laybrother in 1955 at age 30.

He worked on the monastery farm, and also worked in the bakery, serving as bakery manager for awhile. He raised bees for many years, and treated the communmity to honey and honeycombs. For a number of years he served as submaster of novices.

Brother Henry did not seem to find the monastic life easy. The various monastic observances were a challenge to him. But he persevered in the monastic life for 56 years, celebrating the 50th anniversary of his solemn profession in April 2011. He was always very devoted to the rosary, and often would make rosary beads and give them to people as gifts.

His health condition for the last several months of his life was such that he had to be cared for at a nursing home in nearby Mount Morris, New York. He died there peacefully, with the assistant infirmarian and a good friend of the Abbey with him. He had his rosary beads in his hands.

He was born in Boonville, Indiana, spent his early boyhood years in the Detroit area, and then moved with his family to the Bronx, New York. Upon graduating from New York’s Regis High School in 1940, he entered Maryknoll, ws ordained a priest in 1949, and then spent 30 years as a missionary in East Africa. During these years he also earned a Ph.D. in anthropology and linguistics from Syracuse University.

He entered Genesee in 1981, and made solemn profession in 1984. As a monk of Genesee, he spent time at a number of OCSO houses, including a year and a half serving as a chaplain to the nuns of Butende in Uganda.

Many in the community found it quite a challenge to live with Father Robert. He was keenly aware of how the actions of others affected him, but at times he seemed unconcerned about how his own actions affected others. But the community showed him a good deal of acceptance, patience, and love. And he himself was always faithful to prayer, being careful to recite privately any Hours of the Office he could not attend in church.

His last 15 or 20 years were marked by a number of health issues, including hallucinations. When his response to these became dangerous to himself and others, it was necessary to have him reside at two different nursing homes. Yet he was able to return to the community 10 days before he died in our infirmary, his last word having been: Abbey. He had always had a very traditional devotion to Mary, and he died on a Saturday in May.

He was born in Philadelphia, Pensylvania the sixth of eight children of a devout closely-knit Irish-American Catholic family. He graduated from Northeast Catholic High School for Boys in 1946, and then worked for three years in a paper mill, where he showed great zeal and ardor for work.

Brother Theodore entered Gethsemani as a laybrother in 1949, and came to Genesee as one of the founders in 1951. For many years he played a major role in the bakery, feeding the oven and doing other work in the bread bakery, and developing a number of fruticakes, cakes, and cookies. He did all this work with tremendous energy, as an expression of his love for God and the community.

He also did a lot of bookbinding work, and kept the Abbey Chronicle for a long time. He loved to walk in the woods, saying his rosary. And he planted many evergreen trees along the banks of Salt Creek.

Brother Thedore was always very faithful to prayer, both liturgical and solitary, and to lectio divina. He was very reliable, a true spiritual pillar of the community. He died in the Abbey infirmary, and his funeral was attended by a large number of members of his family.

He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the third in a family of five sons, and as a boy moved with his family to St. Paul, Minnesota. After attending Cretin High School in St. Paul, he entered the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity and spent some time with them at a seminary in Alabama.

He entered Gethsemani in 1949 and came to Genesee as a founder after making temporary profession in 1951. He made solemn profession here at Genesee in 1954 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1956. Father Francis then studied dogmatic theology at the Gregorian University in Rome from 1963 to 1965.

For many years he served the Genesee community as prior, professor of theology, guest master, and novice master. In the late 1970s he spent more than a year teaching at Genesee’s first daughter house at Awhum, Nigeria. In the late 1990s he was instrumental in founding the Genesee Lay Contemplatives, a group of lay people associated with the Abbey. For the last decade of his life he suffered from a number of health problems and received care in the Abbey infirmary.

Fr. Francis was a cheerful man. He was very devoted to prayer and lectio divina, and was a real mainstay of the community. He was the last surviving founder of the Abbey to live with us for over sixty years. He died peacefully in the Abbey infirmary.

Our Father Marcellus died at Strong Memorial Hospital after a long and painful illness which he bore ever so patiently on Thursday, September 15th around 4:00 AM just as the monastic community was concluding the Divine Office of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Father Marcellus was born February 20, 1931 in Battle Creek, MI the son of Elwyn and Bernadine Wells Earl. He was a US Air Force Korean War Veteran. Father Marcellus studied music at Michigan State University and played the French horn in the US Air Force Band.

A native of Michigan he entered Genesee in 1954, made his solemn profession in 1959 and was ordained a priest in 1963. Fr. Marcellus was 86 years old, had been in monastic vows for 57 years and 54 years as a priest when the Lord called him. He is survived by his sisters, Helen Ross of Largo, FL and Elaine Earl of Ludington, MI, many nieces and nephews and fellow Brothers at the Abbey of the Genesee.

His many contributions to the community include that of cantor, writer of liturgical music for the choir. For several years he eagerly managed the Abbey’s black Angus herd. He spent several years helping out at Novo Mundo, our daughter house in Brazil, translating the liturgy into Portuguese and composing music for the Divine Office and Mass. Several years ago he published three volumes of his homilies, Walking With The Lord, which are still available on Amazon.

The day of his burial in the Abbey cemetery, September 19th, is the anniversary of the death of our founding Abbot, Dom Gerard McGinley in 1955 and the day of our annual commemoration of all our deceased brethren.

It was on the Feast of the Presentation, February 2nd, when a few of the brethren were gathered in his infirmary room saying the prayers for the dying that our Br. Cyril passed away as the Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen) was being said. A fitting send off for our kind and gentle Brother Cyril.

Br. Cyril (Charles, Philip Anderson, Jr.) was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. During his senior year in high school he was drafted into the Marines and served in the Western Pacific. He is one of the few survivors of the Battle of Iwo Jima. At age 28 he joined the Trappist community of Holy Trinity in Huntsville, Utah and made solemn profession on August 15, 1957.

During his monastic life he worked at many chores of his abbey. In 1972 he helped in the foundation of the Trappistine Sisters in Santa Rita Abbey, Arizona. Then in the 1980’s he responded to a call for volunteers to help with the foundation of Butende Monastery in Uganda during the civil war. He was an invaluable help to the Sisters during the five years he was there after which he returned to his monastery of Holy Trinity.

In the year 2011 it was decided to close Holy Trinity due to lack of vocations. Whenever a community has to close the members of the community are able to transfer to another community of their choice. Br. Cyril choose Genesee and arrived in the community on November 3rd at age 88. He made his stability to Genesee on September 8th 2016.

Shortly after his arrival his health took a sudden turn for the worse and he took up residence in the Abbey infirmary. In keeping with his good humor he joked that he went from 39 to 89 all at once. During his prolonged illness Br. Cyril, with his cherubic smile, maintained his usual gentle and cheerful self . He will be missed by the community.

Father John Eudes was born August 24, 1926, in Latonia, Kentucky, the son of Joseph Fredrick and Dorothy O’Donovan Bamberger. He volunteered for the US Navy at the age of 17 and completed his training as a physician.

He entered Gethsemani in 1950, made his solemn profession in 1955 and was ordained a priest in 1956. He was elected the Secretary of the Consilium Generale in 1969, an office he held until 1971 when he was elected the fourth abbot of Our Lady of the Genesee.

He served the community as its abbot for 30 years. During his tenure in office, he oversaw the building of the abbey church, a new infirmary and chapter house. He was involved in the establishment of two foundations, one in Lapa, Brazil (1977), which was transferred to Campo do Tenente 4 March 1982. The other in Auhum, Nigeria (1978). Both, while unique in the origins, required the expenditure of much support and personnel from Genesee. In the late 1980s, an attempt was made to found a monastery of men in Korea. Despite the best efforts of the founders, this foundation failed to grow.

He suffered an aortic aneurism on June 2, 2000. When he reached his 75 th birthday he submitted his letter of resignation to the Abbot General in accordance with the Constitutions of the Order. His resignation was accepted by the Abbot General, with the consent of his Council, on 4 September. His resignation is effective as of 14 September 2001.

After his retirement, Later he was named Superior ad nutum of Guimaras (Philippines) which he served from Feb. 28, 2002 – August 15, 2003. He also served as Editor of Cistercian Studies Quarterly 2007-2009.

For some time, Dom John Eudes lived the life of a hermit at the monastery. He spent much of his time reading and praying in solitude, coming to the monastery for meals and offering spiritual direction to several individuals. As his health continued to fail, he took up residence in the abbey infirmary. He regularly participated in community prayer and liturgy. He passed away on Friday, February 21, 2020. He was 93 years of age. His body was received by the community on Monday, February 24, 2020. His Funeral Mass was celebrated on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, at 10 AM. He was buried in the Abbey Cemetery.

The Word who is incarnate in Christ who gave himself so fully for us on the cross, and offers his love to us in his Spirit, deserves nothing less than our whole heart. In so loving him, we are united in affection with those who belong to him, above all those whom he calls to love together in his service and in the same community. (Fr. John Eudes Bamberger).

Patrick Ryan was born on January 12, 1943, in New York City. He entered the Genesee Community on September 26, 1961. He did not see himself as a lay brother, neither did he aspired to the priesthood. Following his lights, he sought admission to the monastic choir as a brother and not a priest. He made his solemn profession on August 31, 1969. In the years following his profession, Br. Patrick served the community as Junior Master, Infirmarian, and sub-prior. He served the U.S. Region as the secretary for formation.

Br. Patrick had a great love for the Cistercian Fathers. He also felt the need to help strengthen the formation of monks at our daughter houses in Nigeria. From time to time, he traveled to Illah and Awhum to assist them in their formation by teaching and example. He adapted well to the Nigerian culture and was well accepted by the brothers. He was effective in his work and his spiritual life seemed to thrive. Eventually, it was decided that he would remain at Illah permanently. The initial plan was for him to maintain his stability as a monk of Genesee.

In 2017, after prayerful reflection, Br. Patrick decided to change his stability to Illah. He served the community of Illah as vocation director and novice master. He energetically held these positions until he broke his hip, an accident that left him bed-bound. He was admitted to the hospital where he died with Dom Ogechukwu Ibe at his side on September 19, 2021. Brother Patrick was 78 years old and had been in monastic vows for 57 years when the Lord called him. As his body lies buried in Illah, may his heart envelop the community of Genesee, and may his soul find rest close to the heart of Christ our true King whom he served.

Walter Frederick Thomann was born September 22, 1940, in Trenton, NJ., the son of Walter and Johanna (nee. Andres) Thomann. He had two sisters and one brother: Trudy, Mary, and Thomas. He attended St. Mary Cathedral grade school, Trenton Catholic High School, and Newark College of Engineering. He enlisted in the Army and served in Germany as an NCO (SP5). He entered the monastery on January 12, 1971. He made his solemn profession on the Feast of the Transfiguration, August 6, 1977. Over the years he served as cantor, electrician, and liturgist. Br Walter was a private man who loved the community. He never imposed himself on others, but he faithfully served the community. He was quietly available and utterly dependable, traits the community often took for granted. He nourished his soul by reading and rereading the Imitation of Christ. He was often the first in the church before Vigils for an extended period of silent prayer, He also had a great devotion to the Mother of God. You could set your clock by Br Walter’s routine. At the end of work, he would silently slip into the little niche on the main cloister that houses a statue of Our Lady of the Genesee. His devotion to our One true King and His Mother sustained all the days of his life.

As he neared the end of his life, the devotion with which he surrendered to the motherly care of the Blessed Virgin allowed him to surrender to the care and concern of the nurses who attended to him. The nurses commented how he would thank them for all they did for him. When death came, an aura of peace flooded his room. May he find a resting place close to the heart of Christ.

Wife of Porter Ralph Chandler. She and her husband both came from prominent families in the Geneseo, New York area. In the late 1940s she encouraged her husband to donate to the Abbey of Gethsemani a tract of land of some 600 acres in Piffard, New York, east of River Road, for the purpose of enabling Gethsemani to make a foundation.

When the original founding group of monks arrived in the Genesee Valley on April 5, 1951 to found the monastery of Our Lady of Christ the King, later known as Our Lady of the Genesee, she and her husband welcomed them to Westerly, their estate south of the hamlet of Piffard.

The monks stayed at Westerly several weeks until Bethlehem House, on River Road north of the hamlet of Piffard, was ready for occupancy. She lies buried in the cemetery of Genesee, next to her husband.

Husband of Gabrielle Chanler. Born into a landowning family in the Geneseo, New York area, he graduated from Harvard, was a lawyer with a New York law firm, and played a prominent role in public life.

With his wife’s encouragement, he donated a tract of land in Piffard, New York, east of River Road, to Gethsemani in the late 1940s, thus enabling Dom James Fox, another Harvard graduate and abbot of Gethsemani, to make Gethsemani’s fourth foundation, Genesee.

At the urging of Father Gerard McGinley, founding superior of Genesee, he was instrumental in purchasing the Burnside farm, west of River Road, and the Sherwood farm, on nearby Retsof Road, with funds donated by Captain Kinnarney of Louisville, Kentucky, another generous benefactor of the fledgling community. These two tracts of land were thus added to the original tract donated by Porter from the earliest days of the monastery. Throughout his life he kept up a lively interest in the welfare of the community.

In his declining years he suffered from Parkinson’s disease, and could often be seen and heard shuffling into and out of the Abbey church, where he prayed very devoutly. He lies buried in the Abbey cemetery, next to his wife.

He was the older brother of Dom Gerard McGinley, founding superior and first abbot of Genesee. In the early spring of 1951 Syl, as he was known to one and all, heard that his brother, Fr. Gerard, would soon be leading a group of monks from Gethsemani to begin the foundation of the new community at Piffard, New York.

He and his wife Madeline offered to come to the site of the new foundation and spend a month there to help in whatever way they could. Their stay was extended, and they wound up staying for the rest of their lives. Syl and Madeline helped the monks in many ways, running errands, helping with the farm, and serving the needs of the monks’ families at the family guest house.

Syl was always friendly, cheerful, very devout, and had an excellent sense of humor. In his later years he retired from active work, but he and Madeline continued to live in a house on the monastic property until his death. He is buried in the Abbey cemetery next to Madeline.

She was born in the Bronx, New York into a very Catholic, Irish-American family. She married Sylvester (Syl) McGinley, older brother of Dom Gerard McGinley. When she and Syl heard of the plans for Gethsemani’s fourth foundation, to be located in Piffard, New York they responded favorably to Fr. Gerard’s suggestion that they might come for a while and help the monks get started.

They wound up staying for the rest of their lives. For many years they helped with chores of various kinds. Madeline welcomed women guests to the ladies’ guesthouse and cared for their needs. After retiring, they continued to live in a house on Abbey property until Syl’s death in 1980.

Madeline later moved to a nursing home in Rochester with her sister, Mrs. Dorothea Butch. She and Dorothea came frequently to the Abbey for mass and to meet the members of monks’ families, some of whom they had known for many years. A loyal friend of the community throughout the entire course of its first fifty-five years, she died peacefully at the nursing home in Rochester, having been visited by Abbot John Denburger and a number of the monks during her final illness.

A funeral mass, attended by many family members and friends, was celebrated for her in the Abbey church, and she was buried in the Abbey cemetery, next to her beloved husband Sylvester.

Composed by Brother Patrick Ryan, O.C.S.O., monk of Genesee