Fr. Luke Kot
Founding Father At 98, the last of the original Founders of Holy Spirit Monastery
"Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life"
(Proverbs 16:31).
Father Luke Kot is one of the original founders who arrived here in 1944 from Gethsemani Abbey. He is the oldest in the community at 98 and continues to participate in communal activities giving valuable moral support to all. Fr. Luke, 70 years a monk and still full of pep in his walk. He still works in the tailor shop as he's done for over 50 years.
"He is the son of illiterate Polish immigrants, whose father worked as a carpenter and mother as a midwife. He knew early he wanted a life in a monastery. A magazine he got at home in Niagara Falls , N.Y. , introduced him to the Cistercians, formally known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance..." "I decided that was the life I would lead," he said.
Read News Articles
August 6, 2011
READ: Father Luke's Birthday - In The News.
SEE: Slide show by Rockdale News
Last living founder of Georgia Trappist monastery recalls its history
Catholic News Service - By Andrew Nelson
A Founder Observes The Monastery's 65th Birthday
Andrew Nelson, Georgia Bulletin - Published: March 23, 2009
See Slide Show
The Last of the Founding Fathers
Rockdale Citizen - by Linda Reynolds
Jubilarian Mass Honors Decades of Priestly Service
Stephen O'Kane, Georgia Bulletin - Published: May 22, 2008
Memoriam -- The Triumphants