Fr Casimir was born of Polish immigrant parents in Indianapolis, Indiana on September 10, 1915. He entered the novitiate at St Meinrad in 1936. While studying for the priesthood, he contracted tuberculosis. Like other St Meinrad monks who suffered form the same illness, Fr Casimir was destined to go to the Indian missions where it was presumed that Dakota air was rehabilitating. Fr Casimir was ordained to the priesthood on May 26, 1942.

In 1943 he was assigned to St Paul's Mission at Marty. He remained there for a year, and was then recalled to St Meinrad as assistant office manager at the Abbey Press. The following year he returned to work in the Indian ministry. His mission assignments were always in South Dakota. At Immaculate Conception Mission, in addition to his duties as a field missionary, he helped in the appeal office and for several years he was the Stephan postmaster. He later became the first resident pastor at Fr Thompson. In 1966, when he returned to Marty for the third time, he held the position of school registrar.

In 1970, after having served in the mission for twenty-five years, Fr Casimir came to the abbey to take charge of the mailing department of the newly centralized fund raising program for the missions.

While in residence here, he served as pastor of St Mary's Parish at Wilmot from 1983 until 1986. Poor health terminated his pastoral work and his work in the BCM addressing room. He continued, however, to jar the honey sold at the abbey.

Fr Casimir was a good-natured man. He was even able to laugh at a Polish joke. His tastes and needs were simple. The money he was given for a trip to Europe on the occasion of his silver jubilee of ordination, was sent to the Propagation of the Faith. This, though, did not mean that he had no appreciation for jubilees. He liked to emphasize that a jubilee was to be celebrated for the entire length of the year. He did not live out his golden jubilee of profession on this earth.

He described his heart condition as "a time bomb that can go off any day," but he remained calm as he faced what remained of his life here on earth. He had an expression which summed up his acceptance of matters trivial and major. "That way." Whatever the result --- that way was all right with Fr Casimir. He was in and out of the hospital so often during the last couple of years before his death, that the trip to Watertown on the afternoon of October 21 seemed like routine, but the time bomb had gone off. For several years Fr Casimir built the coffins in which we bury our dead. His health prevented him from continuing this work in which he took great pride. He was laid to rest in the last of the coffins he had made.