Br. Joachim (Leroy) Nickerson of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was born July 25, 1943, in Malden, Massachusetts to parents Wilfred and Helen (nee Monahan) Nickerson. He entered the Discalced Carmelite Order in Brookline, Massachusetts in August 1961. Br. Nickerson made his first profession of vows on March 14, 1964 in Waverly, New York, made his solemn profession on March 14, 1969 in Brookline, Massachusetts and went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College in June 1971 with a major in Sociology.

Brother’s ministries as a Carmelite include assisting those with addictions prepare for high school equivalency exams, teaching second grade to children in the inner city of Boston, assisting Asian refugees in resettlement and acting as Administrator of Religious Education and Pastoral Associate at Holy Angels and St. Alexander parishes in Barrington, Rhode Island. Within the community, Brother was Cook and Procurator at the monastery in Brookline.

Br. Joachim Nickerson died on September 3, 1998, and is buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.