- ST.
NORBERT ABBEY
- DE
PERE, WISCONSIN, U.S.A.
- Rev.
Martin H. Philipsen, O. Praem.
- b. Wednesday,
Dec. 30,
1914 – d. Friday, Aug. 21, 1998
Our brother
Martin Philipsen was born in DePere in 1914, attended St. Norbert High and after
a year at the college, joined the Order in 1936.
Marty was
assigned to Southeast Catholic in 1939, spending his summers at Camp
Tivoli
as a counselor until 1941. In 1943,
he was transferred to Central Catholic, then back to Southeast in 1948, where in
addition to teaching Latin, was also moderator of the basketball team until
1958.
While on the
East coast, Southeast Catholic became Bishop Neumann, and Marty served as
sub-prior of the new priory during the ‘60’s.
One of his jobs was to clean-up after the "Third Friday"
bashes, and he always treated those who helped him wash the glasses and clean up
to a post prandium refreshment in the
basement storeroom! There was no
lack of volunteers!
1967 found
Marty on the faculty of Abbot Pennings High, and in 1969, at the House of
Studies in Madison
. Marty
was the assistant at
St. John’s
in Essexville in 1970, pastor of St. William in Shelby
, Montana
in 1971, of Our Lady of Ransom in Hingham
in 1978, and at St. Benedict in Roundup in 1983.
In
1992, he joined the confreres at St. Moses the Black Priory in Jackson
(now Raymond), Mississippi
, where he filled in for the confreres and other diocesan priests whenever a
substitute was needed for sacramental ministry.
His kindness and wit were much appreciated, especially since he was
usually a very quiet and unassuming man.
Troubled
by heart disease, Marty died suddenly while out for his daily walk in
Jackson
on Friday, August 21, 1998 at the age of 84.
