In Deo bro. Gerard Hermans, FIC by bro. Wim Swuste, FIC.

17.03.2022 18:28:37 4611x read.
INMEMORIAM

In Deo bro. Gerard Hermans, FIC by bro. Wim Swuste, FIC.

In Deo

Gerard Hermans

Johannes Andreas Gerardus

By Wim Swüste

Gerard was born on 17 June 1931 in Maastricht.

He made his Vows to the FIC on 15 August

1951. On 12 December 2021 he died at

the MUMC+ hospital in Maastricht.

The words from the Gospel today tell us that a

concerned mother fell on her knees to ask the

Man from Nazareth for a first-rate place for two

of her ten sons. Jesus does not get angry, he

doesn’t mock her. But he firmly explains such a

request is not in order. “Dear lady, that is not for

me to decide, that is in the hands of my Father

in heaven.”

He also says “Don’t try to be a boss, try to be of

service. That way you’ll be precious in My eyes.”

From the lecture out of Proverbs we get the

same idea:

“Keep my commands in your heart, for they

will prolong your life many years, and bring you

peace and prosperity. Let love and faithfulness

never leave you; bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you

will win favour and a good name in the sight of

God and man.”

It seems as if King Solomon, writing these

words, had Gerard’s life in mind: a life in goodness,

faith, loyalty and service. In these dese of

unrest, ignorance, and guessing at solutions,

such people are very rare. That makes us especially

sad on this day, because we have to let go

of this man, a man with such gifts, our relative,

friend, fellow Brother.

We can find some comfort in Gerard’s own

words, words he spoke recently at his jubilee,

when we commemorated his 70 years as a Brother:

“I’ve had a good life. And I am grateful for

all those I have met in my life.”

Among his papers, we found a hand-written biography.

“In our family we were five children: my

four sisters and myself. I was born in Maastricht,

my father had a shoe repair shop. The Aloysius

school was where I went to school.” In 1943,

Gerard told his parents he wanted to become a

Brother. He writes: “My parents weren’t exactly

pleased; my father had hoped I would succeed

him in the shop They felt regret to let me go to

the monastery, but once I was there they were

soon quite proud of me.”

Gerard had been born with many talents. And

he used them all to help others. He was a valued

teacher at the Jeanne d’Arc secondary school

in Maastricht, was superior in various communities,

and for twelve years he was part of the

General Council. During his stay in Malawi he

was twice appointed Provincial Superior.

After his return to the Netherlands, he joined

the Capucijnengang community in Maastricht.

He became a welcome volunteer in the Rooden

Leeuw project, having a delicate sense of how

to deal with people who needed attention and

deserved respect. Gerard radiated peace and

wisdom. So it was completely logical for him to

become an official confidant at the Care Home

De Beyart. He was very modest about that kind

of appointment. Modesty and wisdom were his

strongest assets.

Recently I asked him what had been the most

difficult moment in his life. “That was the attack

on my life in 1998 in Malawi. I came home that

night to find the door open, and in the next moment

they were shooting at me. I was hit in my

stomach, in my arm, in my bottom.

An armed robbery it was, five men who had

thought there would be lots of money in my

house. My heart almost stopped, you don’t

know if you’ll survive such an attack. I could

have died. Helpful people put me on a lorry and

sent me to the hospital. Fortunately I’ve recovered

completely.” And if I hadn’t asked, he’d never

have told me, he wasn’t one to tell tall tales.

He kept his simplicity, also where his talent for

singing was concerned. “At the Aloysius school,

I was popular for singing at parents’ evenings.

I’d be a soloist, with Bro. Diëgo conducting. And

in school plays I’d be given the prime role because

of my voice.”

For years, Gerard himself conducted the Beyart

choir, which provides music for the prayer services.

Even last week, he did this, with Corrie

Dam playing the organ. As a conductor he was

talented, and he was always patient and mild towards

the choir members.

In our community at Capucijnengang, he was a

quiet leader. He was always ready to help with

the shopping, and enjoyed eating what was put

before him. In community meetings he’d make

balanced contributions, evidence of his wide

experience in life and his deep faith. He was

always willing to listen, and interested in what

people said. And we’d gladly ignore the loudness

of the sound in football and tennis matches

on TV when he was watching.

He was a faithful participant in all prayer services,

and every morning we’d find him in our

prayer room in the attics of our ‘In de Rooden

Leeuw’ house. That was one of the supports of

his life, this faithfully communing with the Eternal.

After twelve years on the General Council, he

took a course of religious formation in 1988-89

at St. Anselm’s College in Cliftonville, England.

He wanted to ‘recharge the battery’ of his religious

life. And he did the same with his daily

meditations and prayers. “in praying, I find it

is important to do that in a very quiet, almost

meditative way. I’m glad there is growth in my

prayer life. I often feel a need to commune with

the Eternal, quietly, often without words.“

Now, Gerard may rejoice in a wordless eternal

peace near the One he searched for all his life.

He may now experience that his faith and goodness

will never leave him again, because he was

a good man in the eyes of God and of his fellow

human beings.

May we keep Gerard in our hearts, after his blessed

life, in affection and gratitude. I feel that he

deserves that very much.

Dear relative, great fellow Brother, precious

friend, Fare well!

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