As All Souls Day, November 2, 2007, was coming to an end, just before midnight, fortified with the Sacrament of the Sick and the prayers of his confreres, Brother Andrew (John) Sorensen, O.S.B., died peacefully. Brother had been suffering many of the ailments that come with being 86 years old. Brother Andrew was a member of one of the first profession classes of Mount Michael Abbey; he professed his vows as a monk on March 16, 1962.

     Brother Andrew was born and raised in Omaha. After graduation from South High school he worked at a series of jobs until World War II broke out. At that time he answered the call to serve his country by joining the Marines; as a Marine, Brother served in the South Pacific for over two years. After the war he pursued his interest in drafting and worked as a draftsman for fifteen years. It was during this time that he began to feel restless; he felt as though something was missing in his life. In his own words Brother Andrew said, “I could see many things happening in the world that were terribly wrong – wars, weak moral standards, drugs, crime, etc. I thought that perhaps the best way that I could be of influence for the better was to let God do it, and that meant that I should be more devoted to a life of prayer. So I naturally turned my thoughts to entering a monastery."

     Thus in 1960, Brother Andrew joined Mount Michael as a postulant. He entered the novitiate in 1961. Brother did not come to the Abbey early in life, but abandoned a career as a draftsman and pattern-maker at Eaton Metal Products of Omaha to pursue his monastic calling. During his monastic life Brother Andrew’s main work was that of abbey carpenter, an indispensable position in any monastery. Many of the desks, tables and bookcases around the abbey and school are testaments to his careful and meticulous work. Brother’s quiet contributions to the Abbey and School have been invaluable. Over the years Brother Andrew’s gifts and talents were exercised in different forms such as grounds keeper and for having started the Mount Michael Christmas tree farm. Both within the monastery and out, Brother was perhaps best known as the founder and supervisor of Mount Michael’s Christmas tree farm. This was a special project for Brother Andrew; it was conceived and initiated in 1968; the first Christmas trees were harvested and sold in 1975.

     Brother’s work as a carpenter was unparalleled. His last major carpentry project was building monastic coffins. Many of our deceased monks are buried in the beautiful hand-made wooden coffins crafted by Brother Andrew. His penchant for detail and tendency toward perfectionism made each coffin a work of art. The monastic community is lucky to have a cache of Brother’s coffins stored away ready for future monastic funerals. Brother Andrew was laid to rest in our abbey cemetery in a coffin he had set aside as his own.

      Brother Andrew’s quiet and unobtrusive dedication to God, to his monastic ideals and to his community is a source of Grace and inspiration for all. Brother was once asked “quotable quote” – something he would like to say after more than forty-three years of monastic life. He said, “My life would be pretty empty in any other occupation or vocation.” He added that after forty-three years “I am beginning to get the hang of it.”

     A wake service was at Mount Michael Benedictine D.J. Sokol Chapel on Sunday, November 4th at 7:00 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at Mount Michael on Monday, November 5th at 10:00 a.m.

Abbot Michael &
Community