|
Volume 32, Number 2 |
Richardton, ND 58652 |
April 2004 |
Fr. Eugene Hornstein
1918-
by Terrence Kardong, O.S.B.
Fr. Eugene Hornstein died at 6 p.m. on Friday, February 20 in the Richardton Health Center where he had been a patient for several months. Although he suffered from multiple ailments, the probable cause of death was old age (85). Bernard Hornstein was born in 1918 at Rugby, North Dakota, the son of Bernard and Elizabeth Hornstein. He was one of ten children in the family, some of whom became prominent public figures. For example, one brother was editor of the local newspaper and another was a professor of music at Minot State University. When he was in his teens, Bernard's parents died, leaving him an orphan and dependent on his married siblings. It was said that in some ways he never got over this sadness in his early life.
Bernard came to Assumption Abbey in 1936-
Having made first vows in 1941, Fr. Eugene studied theology at the Abbey and was
ordained a priest in 1946. His first years of ministry were spent as a curate in
several local parishes. Lefor and Hague and Salem (SD) needed a priest-
Although he was a school administrator, Fr. Eugene's main impact on the students
was as an English teacher. In that role, he emphasized correct grammar and punctuation.
Indeed, he was something of a legend for his stern punctiliousness in those matters.
Almost every student that passed through his classroom learned the exact right way
to do things, and they never forgot it. In 1971, with the closing of the Abbey schools,
Fr. Eugene's life took a dramatic turn. He became the Catholic Chaplain at the Jamestown
State Mental Hospital. Of course, this required a huge shift in his activities, but
he nevertheless carried over his fundamental work habits. He claimed that in twenty
years, he never missed a Sunday Mass at the Hospital. He also confided that once
when he was distributing Holy Communion, he managed to trip up an inmate about to
escape through an open door-
In 1991, Fr. Eugene retired from the Jamestown hospital, but only to resume chaplain
work at St. Alexius in Bismarck. Even after his return to the monastery in 1996,
he still drove every day to St. Joseph's Hospital in Dickinson for more of the same.
Things went well enough until one day he blacked out behind the wheel and plowed
into another car in our yard. This accident resulted in head injuries that required
many operations, culminating in open-
A big part of this life was centered upon the card game called pinochle. He liked nothing better than to match wits with the brothers at the card table. By and large, the monks found him a good confrere. He was a grandfatherly presence to the junior monks, and he seemed to have acquired a thicker skin over the years, making it easier for him to bear the push and shove of life in a cenobium. No doubt twenty years in Jamestown had some part in that. May he rest in peace!
