✝ RENÉ GEYSKENS SDS
RIP: 27/01/2025 - Hamont-Achel, BG
He was 83 years old and had been professed for 63 years.
Father René was born on March 20, 1941, in Ellikom, Belgium. He died in Hamont-Achel on January 27, 2025. He made his first profession on January 6, 1962, in Kessel-Lo and was ordained a priest in Ellikom on July 11, 1981, through prayer and the laying on of hands by Bishop Aloysius Zichem from Paramaribo (Suriname).
After his military service, he worked for about 15 years on the monastery farm. The hard work there filled him with wonder at the power of nature, which was able to bring the lush meadows and fields into bloom. It was there that René ultimately found his inspiration to become a priest, so that he could proclaim this message of grace to others. After ordination he spent several years working in Suriname alongside his two brothers, Josef and Gerard, also Salvatorians. After several years, he returned to his home province for good.
Later, he was admitted to the Hamont-Achel nursing home. There, Fr. René enjoyed the little things in life, just as he had proclaimed the Good News of Jesus in a human way as a missionary. Despite everything, he kept the words from the Epistle to the Romans in mind: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” He lived by this faith and drew strength from it, even though his strength declined considerably throughout his life. He was 83 years old, professed for 63 years, and a priest for 43 years.
