Br. René was born in Windsor, Ontario Canada on 26th of April, 1928, and moved with his family across the river to Detroit when he was two years old. He entered the community of Gethsemani on the 18th of April, 1950 as a lay brother. He took his temporary vows on All Saints Day, the 1st of November 1952, and his solemn profession on the same date in 1955.

Although he entered as a lay brother, when the unification of lay and choir monks took place, he became a faithful member of the choir. He never missed an office, even when he was having difficulty getting around in his later years.

He had a great devotion for Mary and the rosary was his constant companion. He set up a small “Rosary Museum” in the monastery which he enjoyed showing to retreatants and visitors. And he is famous for his handmade rosaries, crafted from various materials, such as Job’s tears and especially rose petals, which he ground and made into beads by hand. He was featured in a documentary on the use of beads in religion called “World on a String,” which aired on PBS.

He liked to quote Dom James Fox, who was abbot at the time he entered: “There are only two people in the monastery – me and Jesus.” For Br. René, every brother, every retreatant and every visitor wore the face of Christ.

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Photo Credit John Cremons