World's oldest priest says strict routine basis of long life

Reuters ^ | July 10, 2016

[NYer]

ather Jacques Clemens attends a mass at St. Benoit church in Nalinnes, Belgium, July 10, 2016.

NALINNES, Belgium A strict daily routine is the recipe for a long life, according to the world's oldest priest, Belgian Jacques Clemens, who will celebrate his 107th birthday on Monday.

Clemens, who has also celebrated his 80th anniversary as a Catholic priest, gets up every morning at 5.30 a.m. and goes to bed at 9.00 p.m.

When Clemens was about to retire at 75, his bishop asked him to remain in service until they found a successor - he only stopped holding regular church services at his parish in the southern Belgian village of Nalinnes last year.

[nomorelurker]

107’me also wow.

[Gerish]

Great photos at link. God Bless him, and I mean that sincerely!

[needtopraymore]

I had Fr Kostka as a teacher at St. Joe’s in the early 80’s. He was a wonderful and kind padre, but he seemed ancient even then. It’s hard to believe he is now over a century young. My brother is a padre in his order and thinks the world of him.

[Mom MD]

Good genetics and luck (or lack of luck) Personally I don’t want to live that long unless I could do do with faculties intact Even then I would rather be home with my Lord I imagine it gets quite lonely outliving all ones contemporaries by 20 years or more

[Tax-chick]

Or, “stay active,” which is sort of like: “Play basketball. It makes you taller.”

Like when people are asked, "How have you reached your 75th wedding anniversary?" "Marry young and live a long time," is the key point.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Happy birthday to him.

BTW, doesn’t he look like Uncle Junior from the Sopranos ? ;-D

[NYer]

I had Fr Kostka as a teacher at St. Joe’s in the early 80’s. He was a wonderful and kind padre, but he seemed ancient even then. It’s hard to believe he is now over a century young. My brother is a padre in his order and thinks the world of him.

Thank you for posting and sharing your memories of Fr. Kostka! I was entering my senior year of HS, when VCII ended. The nuns were in full habit when we set off for summer vacation and in lay clothing when we returned. I was quite surprised to see how young some of them were. 25 years later, even the ones that seemed old when we graduated, were still active. :-)

[GreyFriar]

And Father Esser climbed the water tower on his birthday every year until the late 70s, when he was ordered to stop it because of his age.