SPENCER – Brother Berchmans, OCSO, a Trappist monk of St. Joseph's Abbey, 167 North Spencer Road, died Tuesday, December 3, 2013 at St Mary's Health Care Center in Worcester after a long illness.
Born in 1927 in New York City, Lawrence Bernard Risi graduated from Brooklyn's Lafayette High School. He entered the Trappist monastery of Our Lady of the Valley, Cumberland, R.I., in 1948, moving with the monastic community to St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer after a disastrous fire in 1950 destroyed the Rhode Island monastery. Eight years later he left monastic life to pursue a career in antiques and interior design, but he re-entered the monastery in 1981, finally professing vows in 1983.
Over the span of years he lived at St. Joseph's Abbey, Brother Berchmans served it in many capacities. Even before the abbey's Trappist Preserves industry began, he produced mint jelly for sale at the Porter's Lodge. He was also a designer and tailor of liturgical vestments at The Holy Rood Guild, Porter at the Abbey's bookstore and gift shop, the Abbot's Secretary, distributor of Cistercian Studies Quarterly, a gardener and community cook, as well as taking a stint as cook at the order's headquarters in Rome.
In addition to his brothers at the Abbey, Brother Berchmans is survived by several
family members, including cousins, nieces and nephews. The brothers at the Abbey wish to express their gratitude to the staff of St. Mary's Health Care Center for the very attentive care they gave to him.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, December 6 at 2 P.M. at St. Joseph’s Abbey. Burial is in the Abbey Cemetery. J. HENRI MORIN & SON FUNERAL HOME, 23 Maple Terrace, Spencer, is directing arrangements.