Reverend Robert J. Zimney, CM

1917-2009

From the small town of LaSalle, Illiniois, the Congregation of the Mission has received a number of vocations. From the time when the Vincentians first came to St. Patrick’s Parish there in 1838, a steady stream of priests and brothers have come from that area. Robert Zimney was one of these.

He was born in 1917 to Anton and Helena Zimney, one of six children. It was most probably the urging of the Daughters of Charity who taught in the parish school, and the Vincentians who served in the parish, that moved him to enter the minor seminary in Cape Girardeau for his secondary education, and then continue to St. Mary’s of the Barrens where he joined the Congregation of the Mission.

Father Robert Zimney, CM, was ordained a priest in 1942. Other than a short term as associate pastor in his home parish, he spent his entire priesthood in the education apostolate. In succession he taught at St. John’s Seminary in Kansas City, St. Louis Prep Seminary, DePaul Academy in Chicago, and St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Lemont, Illinois. His last assignment was his longest – 27 years!

Along the way he earned a master’s degree in Latin from The Catholic University of America and another master’s degree in Spanish from Loyola University in Chicago. Never one to let his mind rest, at the mature age of 59 Fr. Zimney earned a doctorate in Education from Loyola.

Although he was strict and gruff in the classroom, most students from Lemont will remember him walking around the seminary grounds, golf club in hand, getting his daily walk and kindly ignoring any students who were breaking the rules.

In 1992, at the age of 75, Fr. Zimney retired to St. Mary’s of the Barrens, where he was noted for his devotion to prayer and generosity to many Catholic ministries and non-profit organizations. Fr. Zimney died on September 22, 2009 at the age of 92. He is survived by two brothers and an extended family of nieces and nephews.