There is no exact record of his date of birth but about 1952 he arrived at the front door of the Union City, New Jersey monastery and asked for employment. He had come to the United States as a war refugee through Catholic Relief Services and could speak German, Russian, Slovak, Lithuanian and Polish which was his native tongue. He was employed as a dish washer at the monastery. After several years he became a tailor and many in the province referred to him as John the Tailor. He had learned that trade as a prisoner of war under the Germans and Russians. From 1955 until 1976 he made over 2,500 religious habits. He became a United State citizen which made him extremely proud. He was buried in a Passionist religious habit. He considered himself to be a lay member of the Passionists. His last days were spent at the Shrewsbury Nursing Home, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.
Birth Date:
January 1, 1970
Death Date:
March 21, 1977