Fr. Bertin Miller OFM

FATHER BERTIN (WILLIAM) MILLER, O.F.M. 1936-2024 Fr. Bertin (William) Miller, O.F.M. died on February 14, 2023 at Mercy Hospital South in Saint Louis County. William Ellsworth Miller was born on May 15, 1936, the son of William Miller and Mary Marguerite (Peg) Miller (nee Hanrahan). He began his Franciscan studies at St. Joseph’s Minor (High School) Seminary in 1950 and entered the Sacred Heart Province of the Franciscan Order in 1956 when he was given the religious name, Bertin. Fr. Miller received a B.A. degree from Quincy College in 1960 and a Bachelor of Theology degree from the U.S. Campus of the Franciscan Pontifical University of St. Anthony in Rome in 1964. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1964. After ordination, Fr. Miller served as associate pastor in parishes in Jordan, Minnesota; Saint Clare, Missouri; and Jerseyville, Illinois. He also served as hospital chaplain at St. Anthony Hospital in Saint Louis, Missouri, and as resident retreat director at St. Michael’s Paraclete Foundation in Sunset Hills, Missouri. Since 1973, Fr. Miller has resided in Dittmer, Missouri. He was the founding director of Evergreen Hills Homes in Dittmer, a long-term residential care center for court assigned youth. He was also the founder and director of Il Retiro in Dittmer, a spiritual renewal center, and was the founder of the Wounded Brothers Project and RECON, where he served as Executive Director. He has also served as chaplain to the Cedar Hills (Missouri) Fire Department, to Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, Missouri, to the Farmington (Missouri) Correctional Center, and to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. He served as confessor and spiritual director for many priests, deacons and religious of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Father Miller was a charter member of the Association of United States Catholic Priests. As a Franciscan, he served as Assistant Provincial Director to the Secular Franciscan Order, the Director of Friar Formation, working closely with the men of the Sacred Heart Province, and later as a member of the governing council of the Sacred Heart Province of Franciscans. He also served as Guardian (Superior), Vicar, and bookkeeper of his local Franciscan community in Dittmer for several terms. Fr. Miller was a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus and had membership in both the Elks Club in Cedar Hill, Missouri and Lions International in House Springs, Missouri. He has been listed as a noteworthy priest and social administrator by Marquis Who’s Who. For the past few years, Fr. Miller had suffered health difficulties and was diagnosed with cancer in 2023, a condition which caused his death. On Valentine’s Day, he welcomed Sister Death with a true Franciscan spirit. Fr. Miller was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Thomas, his sister Mary Jo Janc and his brother-in-law Anthony Janc. He is survived by his niece Kris Elkins, great niece Alysa Elkins, great Nephew Cody Elkins, his Franciscan brothers, and many cherished relatives and friends. In lieu of flowers, Fr. Miller requested that donations be made in his name to Il Ritiro, P.O. Box 38, 7935 St. Francis Ln., Dittmer, MO 63023.

Fr. Bertin Miller OFM

May 15, 1936 - February 14, 2024