St. Benedict Monastery Online: Memorials

Father Hilary Conti (birth name Ronaldo) was born in Collamato, Italy in 1925 and it was there that he felt the call to serve the Lord as a Benedictine monk. Even before he had finished his studies for the priesthood, the congregation chose him and Fr. Theophilus Gregori to go the U.S. and help our Benedictine congregation here. In 1950, after finishing his studies at the Benedictine Abbey in Kansas, he received the priestly ordination. In 1957, he was sent to the newly established Holy Face Monastery in Clifton, New Jersey. During the years he remained there, he worked constantly, promoting the Shroud, leading visitors in devotional prayer, being a confessor to them, guiding the monks as Prior of the monastery and encouraging the younger monks to persevere in their monastic vocation. Even though the amount of work diminished for Hilary as he grew older, his impact was nonetheless as great!

Fr. Hilary Conti, O.S.B.

On March 12, 2001, our dearly beloved brother-monk, Fr. Hilary Conti passed away from congestive heart failure. The previous week, Father was taken to the hospital as he was suffering from what appeared to be pneumonia and his struggle for breath took its toll on his already weakened heart. The doctors noticed this and transferred him to emergency care but their efforts were not enough. Fr. Hilary’s impact on our lives as monks in the American Priory and the community of people he served in New Jersey for many years cannot be overestimated. Fr. Hilary was the third priest to be ordained for our congregation here in the U.S. (after the late Fr. Thomas Toomey) and worked with fellow monk and long-time friend, Fr. Theophilus Gregori in making Holy Face Monastery in New Jersey, the prayerful refuge that it is today. By his fascination and devotion to the Shroud of Turin, Fr. Hilary worked to promote it as an imprint, a love letter, as it were of our Lord’s divine love for humanity. For many years Hilary shared his knowledge of the Shroud with groups and individuals who came to the monastery. He was an ardent advocate and defender of Catholic teaching and doctrine, but his vigor for the faith was balanced by his gentleness and humility.