Witness of Faith: George Gibert

MADISON — To say he’s a fixture at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Madison would be an understatement. For 48 of the parish’s 69 years of existence, George Gibert has served as the head usher at the parish.

He was honored on the weekend of January 18 and 19 for his many years of faithful service. He is stepping down as head usher, but he will continue to be an usher at the 5 p.m. Saturday and 11:15 a.m. Sunday Masses.

Thanks for his service

Msgr. Ken Fiedler, pastor, thanked Gibert for his years of service at the end of the 5 p.m. Mass, presenting him with an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary with Jesus.

Nick Beerntsen, who is succeeding Gibert as head usher, said the other ushers wanted to “do something special for George.”

He said, “We decided to take up a collection among the ushers and raised $3,170 to be given to the Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC) as a tribute to George.”

A large facsimile check was presented to Andy Russell, CMC director, at the Mass.

Motto: be prepared

Beerntsen has worked with Gibert for 10 years as an usher. “Through George I have learned that one should always be prepared,” said Beerntsen.

“George made sure that new ushers were well-trained, and that including making sure that ushers were able to get certified for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) so as to be prepared for any emergency.”

Beerntsen said he also learned to be well-organized from Gibert. “George’s background as an engineer at WP&L (Wisconsin Power and Light) came in handy as the ushers are always well-organized,” he noted.

“There was never any ambiguity as to what our duties were. This was particularly helpful during Advent and Lent as many activities take place then.

“I feel honored to work with George, and this is something I heard from many ushers at  Queen of Peace.”

‘Extremely dependable’

Renee Forrest, parish director of music and liturgy, has worked with Gibert for 14 years.

“He’s extremely dependable,” she said. “He’s here for Mass every day of the week, no matter the weather.”

In fact, she said that people at the parish worry if Gibert is not there. One time he didn’t show up for daily Mass, so Forrest and a priest went to his home to check on him. They learned that he had fallen and was at the hospital.

Gibert has also been a long-time member and a former chairman of the parish Liturgy Commission. He is also currently serving his second term on the Pastoral Council.

Gibert’s late wife, Ginny, was also involved in the parish. “She was a Mass coordinator and then became the first sacristan,” he said.

Native of Madison

A native of Madison, Gibert graduated from Blessed Sacrament Elementary School and West High School in Madison.

After graduation from high school in 1943, he entered the Navy during World War II, serving almost three years.

He served at various places in the United States before leaving on a ship for Japan and later to Shanghai, China. “I returned by ship on the ‘great circle route’ that went through the Panama Canal to New Orleans,” he recalled.

After his time in the Navy, he returned to Madison and studied mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating in 1950.

He got a job at Wisconsin Power and Light, now Alliant Energy. He worked there for 38 years, starting in Beloit and then working in Madison.

Meeting his future wife

Gibert dated a woman who had a friend named Betty, who in turn met his friend Marv Bayley. Although Gibert broke up with the woman he was dating, Marv and Betty ended up getting married.

“At their wedding, I was the best man and Ginny Zeier — Betty’s sister — was the maid of honor. Ginny and I met at the wedding and got married a few years later in 1955. When she died in 2007, we were close to celebrating our 52nd anniversary,” said Gibert.

Ginny’s father and brother built a house for the Giberts on Madison’s west side in 1960. They then joined Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish. “Our house was just inside the boundary for the parish,” recalled Gibert.

Involved in the Church

Ginny was originally from St. Bernard Parish on Madison’s east side, where she sang in the choir. George had gone to Blessed Sacrament Parish and did some ushering there.

“We were used to being involved,” said Gibert. “It was part of going to church.”

He ushered at Queen of Peace for a couple years. “Then my friend, Dave Ryan, asked me to be head usher. I took Jack Kroeger’s place. Both of them are still ushers,” said Gibert.

There are 20 usher teams at the parish, each with a captain. “The usher captains are the backbone of the program,” he said.

He met with the captains regularly to go over what would be happening at the five weekend Masses and at special liturgies.

There over 150 ushers at the parish, with six to 10 per Mass working on every weekend. They are needed because the church has 10 sections, explained Gibert.

He has encouraged more diversity in the ushers. “We are open to young and old, male and female,” he said. “We even have some young people who are ushers.”

Increase reverence

Gibert said the ushers’ main role is to make things run smoothly to increase the reverence of the people worshipping.

For example, he developed a plan for veneration of the cross on Good Friday. “I noticed that people were crossing in front of each other, so I developed a plan that helps people move in a more orderly manner and helps them focus on the veneration of the cross.”

The ushers are also available to answer questions for visitors and help in emergencies.

He has enjoyed being involved at the parish. “It’s been very pleasant. I’ve met so many wonderful people, including the priests. It’s been a great experience, especially after Ginny died. It’s meant a lot to me to be involved.”

At age 88, he feels he still can contribute. “I’m the oldest member of the Pastoral Council, and I can give a different viewpoint.”

At the recent Mass honoring him, Gibert sat in the front pew for the first time. “It gave me a different perspective,” he said.