b'WORTHY of IMITATIONMarianist Brother Delmar Jorns humble approach to life and ministry has earnedhim admiration and respect among his Marianist Brothers and friends.By Alex Z. SalinasW After passing a psychological exam, he was acceptedhen it comes to Marianist Brother DelmarJorns years in ministry38 of which into the novitiate, without having met a Marianist,he spent in Nepal and Indiathe Illinois he says with a trace of wonder. Brother Del thennative takes little credit.hopped on a train for the first time and headed toI dont seek out things, he says. But there is a pat- the Marianist novitiate in Galesville, Wisconsin. tern: I respond to Gods will through my superiors. My mother took it hard, he remembers. SheBorn during the Great Depression and the youngest thought she was never going to see me again.of four siblings, Brother Del, 83, recalls a At the novitiate, Brother Dels experiences on a farmHere I am, a country boy very simple life. Growing up on a small came in handy. Thats why the late Marianist Brother Joewho traveled to Asian capitals farm near Hillsboro, Illinois, he attended Barrett asked me to take care of the chickens, he says.and hiked to a Mt. Everest a one-room country schoolhouse in which After the novitiate, Brother Del attended St. Marysmost of the dozen kids or so were my University in San Antonio to complete his bachelorsBase Camp. I could never have relatives, he says.degree in history. It was there that Marianist Brotherimagined the life Ive lived. Self-described as shy around friends, Arthur Goerdt, a librarian, recognized Brother Dels Brother Delmar Jorn, SMpartially due to his 5 foot, 3 inch build, interest in library and archival work and asked him tohe was more animated when playing pursue it. high school baseball. Ive been a base- So, at the direction of his superior, in 1960 Brotherball fan since age 8 and have followed the St. Louis Del headed to Washington, D.C., to attend CatholicCardinals since 1946, he says. I became a late-night University. He remembers trudging through theperson as a result of listening to their radio broadcasts. snow and cold in 1961 to witness the inauguration ofIn 1955, he enrolled at Bradley University in Peoria, President John F. Kennedy, he says.Illinois, where Brother Del joined the Catholic-based In 1963, a pivotal year in his life, Brother Del earnedNewman Club and cheered on the universitys sports a masters degree in library science and professedteams. During his sophomore year, he began regularly perpetual vows in the Society of Marysadly, theattending daily Mass and seriously considered religious same year of President Kennedys assassination.life, though he knew the priesthood wasnt for him. After serving as a librarian at Marianist-sponsoredschools, he was asked to travel to South Asia in theMoved by the Marianist story early 1980s to help expand the Marianists globalOne day, a conversation with a chaplain at Bradley reach. Having struggled with foreign languages changed Brother Dels life forever. The chaplain arranged and cognizant of missionaries needing to learn newfor him to meet a former Marianist Brother. Having languagesBrother Del initially hesitated. But thebeen so moved by the Marianist story, Brother Del late Marianist Father David Fleming, then provin-wrote to the Marianist vocational director. cial, told him not to worry. So, in January 1982, off 14 Call 1.800.348.4732'