- ST.
NORBERT ABBEY
- DE
PERE, WISCONSIN, U.S.A.
- Brother
Hroznata A. Ghekiere, O. Praem.
- b. Saturday, Feb. 7, 1903 – d.
Monday, July 16, 1973
Our brother Hroznata
"Rosy" Ghekiere (GECK-ee-air-ee) was born
in Beveren, Belgium
in 1908. The family immigrated to
Williams, Montana
in 1913. Hroznata began his
postulancy in the Order in 1931, was vested in 1932, and solemnly professed in
1937.
Having only attended
grammar school, “Rosy” spent his life at the old abbey until 1959, doing
maintenance work, repairing and building, keeping bees and gathering honey,
planting and harvesting the abbey garden, and occasionally working in the
kitchen. When the abbot insisted
Rosy had to take a vacation, Rosy went to a farm in Appleton, worked there for
two weeks, and on returning to the abbey, gave his wages and vacation money to an
astounded abbot!
Being a very humble
man and eager to get back to work without delay, Rosy always sat at the end of
the refectory table, his plate of food a mixture of whatever was served, and all
stirred together, the raw with the cooked, over which he poured his coffee.
Five minutes later, he would slip out and go back to work.
When he waited on table, his jello salads could always be recognized by
his thumbprint in the middle of the serving!
When the novitiate
in Madison
was moved to DePere in 1959, Rosy took up residence at what was re-named “The
House of Studies”, for those attending the university.
Here he continued with his manual labors.
In 1962, Rosy was transferred to Daylesford Abbey, and after building a
shed in the woods for his multiple needs, continued on as usual, being very
devoted to his everyday jobs and prayers. He
died
Monday,
July 16, 1973 at the age of 65.
