Fr. Gabriel (Richard) Gates of the Sacred Heart was born on May 6, 1914, in Wenatchee, Washington to parents Harvey and Eurenia (nee Saindon) Gates. He entered the Carmelite Order on September 3, 1936, took his studies in the monastery and was ordained in Washington, DC by Bishop J. M. Corrigan on May 28, 1942. After ordination, Father Gabriel volunteered to go to the Philippines. He was one of the original six Carmelites who opened a mission there shortly after World War II and their foundational work lives on today.

Following his work in the Philippines, Father Gabriel’s priestly ministries included: Vicar and Pastor at St. Florian Parish, Milwaukee; Prior for the Novitiate in Brookline, Massachusetts; Superior of Holy Hill and Pastor of St. Mary of the Hill Parish, Hubertus, Wisconsin; Superior in Hinton, West Virginia; Local Treasurer in Waverly, New York and later in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He was last assigned to Holy Hill and from there, as chaplain to the Carmelite Nuns in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This list of the many ways in which Fr. Gabriel served is impressive, but underlying them all is a common thread, his readiness and willingness to serve the Province and the Church in whatever way he could.

Fr. Gabriel died on June 9, 1997, and is buried in the Carmelite Cemetery, Hubertus, Wisconsin.