The Crosier Fathers and Brothers mourn the loss of our confrere.
Fr. Eugene “Gene” David Plaisted, osc, was born July 15, 1935, in St. Paul, Minn., to Michael and Victoria “Dora” (Gothman) Plaisted. He was one of five children.
Fr. Gene died peacefully CURA of Onamia (formerly Mille Lacs Long Term Care) in Onamia, Minn., on Sept. 21, 2026. He was 91.
He attended elementary school in Mora, Minn., before entering Crosier Seminary in Onamia. He graduated from high school in 1953 and continued at Crosier Seminary until 1955, when he entered the Crosier Novitiate in Hastings, Neb. He made his first profession of vows Aug. 28, 1956, in Hastings and moved to the Crosier House of Studies in Fort Wayne, Ind., to complete his philosophy and theology studies. He later attended the San Anselmo Liturgical Institute in Rome from 1964–1966 and studied at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., and at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., in the 1960s and early 1970s.
He professed solemn vows in Fort Wayne on Aug. 28, 1959, and was ordained to the priesthood on May 27, 1961.
After his ordination, Fr. Gene began a career of teaching: Archbishop Stepinac High School in New York (1962–1963); Crosier House of Studies in Fort Wayne (1966–1969); and Crosier Seminary in Onamia (1976–1984). He left the classroom to serve as Crosier vocation director (1963–1964); socius (1966–1969); assistant vocation director (1967–1969); and director of novices (1972–1975). Fr. Gene was called to leadership and served as prior of the Crosier Community of Onamia (1969–1972). Later he served as rector of Crosier Seminary in Onamia (1984–1986) and for the Crosier Community of Chicago (1988–1989).
From 1981–1982, Fr. Gene provided weekend assistance at St. Peter’s Church in St. Cloud, Minn. After concluding his term as rector in Onamia, Fr. Gene moved once again to Hastings, where he ministered at the Crosier retreat center from 1986–1988. He then assisted at St. Stephen’s parish in Anoka, Minn., from 1989–2000. During that time, he also served as a provincial councilor.
In 2000, he provided pastoral assistance at the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center and worked there for three years. As a member of the Crosier Community of Onamia, Fr. Gene served as sacramental minister of his hometown St. Mary’s Church in Mora as well as the neighboring parish of St. Kathryn in Ogilvie, Minn., from 2005 until his retirement in 2019.
Fr. Gene had the opportunity to live Crosier Religious Life with confreres in many different Crosier communities: Syracuse, Ind., and White Plains, NY (1962); Fort Wayne (1963–1969; 1975–1976); Hastings (1972–1975; 1986–1988); Chicago (1988); St. Paul (1989–1992); Anoka (1992–2004); and Onamia (1969–1972; 1976–1986; and 2004 until his death).
For more than 40 years, Fr. Gene refined his craft of capturing life’s rich tapestry through the lens of a camera. In the early 1980s, he took courses at St. Cloud State University and completed an internship in the audio/visual department at the Liturgical Press in Collegeville, Minn. He called it a radiant kind of ministry to preserve the spiritual beauty of stained-glass windows. Whenever he traveled, he always had his camera with him. Whether visiting the great United States or in Europe, he sought out church windows to be photographed. Fr. Gene developed an extensive library of stained-glass photography, and his pictures appear in many national Christian publications today.
He was grateful to the Crosiers for instilling in him an appreciation of art, history, liturgy, music and beauty. In what began as a hobby for him, Fr. Gene became an accomplished photographer who viewed the art of religious photography as a ministry of preaching, teaching and inspiring.
He is survived by his nieces Patricia Plaisted (Bonnie Augusta), Donna Plaisted (Mike Maresh), Mary (Todd) Arnoldussen and Barb Willard; nephews Mike Plaisted (Mary Jo Saul), Jim Plaisted, Bob (Sandie) Howes and their families; cousin Mary Ann Lewis; and Fr. Gene’s Crosier confreres in Onamia and Phoenix and around the world. He is preceded in death by his parents and his siblings Kenneth Plaisted, Phyllis Willard, Viola Howes and Mildred Meyers; nieces Barb Plaisted and Joanne Willard; and nephews Rolland Meyers and Joe Howes.
Funeral services for Fr. Gene will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Crosier filial priory in Onamia, with the Office of the Dead at 9:30 a.m. (Morning Prayer) followed by visitation. The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. with a private inurnment at the priory cemetery columbarium after Mass. A luncheon reception will follow.
Memorials are preferred to the Crosier Fathers and Brothers, Box 500, Onamia, MN 56359-0500.