Fr. Harold Geers, OFM, 93, passes away

Fr. Harold Geers, OFM, 93, a missionary friar with a humble heart, passed away on June 2, 2026, due to complications from pneumonia. For more than 60 years, he lived in the Philippines, bringing the message of the Gospel to rural communities. He also co-founded the Franciscan Handmaids of the Lord (FHL), a religious community of women dedicated to spiritual, educational and social missions across the Philippines. 

The Funeral Mass will be celebrated in the Philippines on June 6 at 2 p.m. at the FHL Chapel in Mt. La Verna, officiated by his friend, Most Reverend John F. Du, Archbishop of Palo in Leyte.  

Fr. Harold was born on Sept. 23, 1932, in Cincinnati, to Joseph and Lauretta (Stolz) Geers. His father worked with his hands, fabricating and repairing metal objects as a tinner, and his mother took care of the household, which included Harold and his four siblings.  His parents enrolled him at St. Clement Catholic School, followed by St. Francis High School Seminary, both in Cincinnati. He made simple vows on Aug. 16, 1952, professed solemn vows on Aug. 16, 1955, and was ordained a priest on June 7, 1960. He briefly served at Sacred Heart Parish in Farmington, New Mexico, and St. Louis Parish in Batesville, Indiana. Then in 1962, he became a missionary assigned to the Philippines. 

He learned to speak and write Cebuano and Waray fluently. Cebuano is a commonly spoken native language in the Philippines and Waray is one of the major regional languages of the Philippines. He even published a book about the Mass in Waray and a book about the Stations of the Cross in both Waray and Cebuano.   

He spent 64 years in Leyte, the eighth-largest island in the Philippine archipelago. As a missionary priest, he served at various rural parishes in the role of pastor or associate pastor. Part of his legacy includes the construction of a new church and parish hall in Maripipi, Leyte, and a new chapel in Almeria, Leyte.  

In a video interview from 2013, he described his missionary outreach as wanting to “uplift and teach” the people he encountered. However, he also spoke about the importance of listening and learning from others. “To really enculturate, you have to spend years learning the culture of the people, the thinking process, the relationship process of the people you’re serving,” he said. 

In that same video, he spoke of a scripture passage he holds close to his heart. 

“I like the words of St. Paul to the Romans. ‘If we’re living or dying, we belong to the Lord.’ I think that’s a beautiful statement,” said Fr. Harold. 

Fr. Harold’s last assignment was as spiritual father and chaplain to the Franciscan Handmaids of the Lord in Palo, Leyte. He is predeceased by his parents, siblings, and the late Fr. Frank Geers, OFM, a cousin. He is survived by 16 nieces and nephews, as well as the Franciscan Handmaids of the Lord and his brother friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.