“Br. Willie” is a nickname? He stopped for a minute, and then decided with a smile, “I think that’s the best one I got.”

His memory may be fading, but Br. Willie will never lose his sense of humor and passion for his faith.

Br. Jerome Borgerding, 92, or “Willie,” became a priest on July 11, 1937. Did he ever consider any other path? “President,” he joked with a chuckle.

In 1939, he was named herdsman and put in charge of the abbey’s Holstein dairy operation. In 1966 he was given the responsibility of night watchman, a duty he carried out for over 30 years.

Not too long ago, Willie could be found down in the carpentry shop. He said he mostly “made things that people wanted … but I don’t get down there anymore.”

He now lives in St. Raphael’s Hall, the retirement center in the Quad. He struggles with his hearing and is slowly losing his memory. Yet he still has his sense of humor.

“Willie likes to joke around,” said Laura Hanson, a nurse at the retirement center. She said his favorite thing to say is, “Heaven-hi, hell-lo.”

Everyone who has worked with Willie has only positive things to say about him. “He always says ‘God bless you’ at Mass,” said Katie Peterson, a St. Ben’s senior. She describes the “sweet old man” as humble, independent and quite the jokester.

Even as recently as a few years ago, you could see Willie around campus looking through trash bins trying to find cans to recycle. Peterson said he’s always been “into rummaging and recycling.”

“He’s high-spirited … he’d like to always be on the move,” said Rachel Spicer, a nurse assistant who often works with Willie.

Now, due to his medical state, it is sometimes difficult for Willie to remember the simple things. When asked about Sexton’s Br. Willie’s Pub, which is dedicated to him, Willie paused and said, “Hmm … never heard of it.”

He took his time trying to remember. He joked, “Well, how long do you have? Hours? Weeks? Months?”

Although Willie did strain to answer many simple questions, one thing he never had a struggle with was answering questions about God. His difficulties remembering were temporarily lifted when the subject of faith and religion was presented.

What philosophy does he live by? Without hesitation, Br. Willie said, “If we live like God wants us to live, we’ll be in good condition.”

The thing he loves most about being a monk is he gets “to live like you’re supposed to.”

Willie’s hobbies reflect his priorities.

“I pray. That’s number one,” he said.

He started out in the cow barn, put in 70 years of service to this community, and is now in his 90s and residing at St. John’s.

He offers his humor and passion for his beliefs to all those who encounter him. Even though he doesn’t remember or understand why BWP would be named after him, we won’t forget why. Next time you step into the Pub, have a drink for Br. Willie.