FEAST OF ST. BENEDICT
Today Brother Delfin Mogeyeng made solemn vows at the community mass. He comes to us from a very distant part of the Philippines that is still a rather wild area. His family would have to cross seven rivers before they could get to a city where they might get a bus. None of his family managed to come for the event. He felt the trip would be too much of a hardship for them and so discouraged their visit. He himself became a convert when 14 years old by walking four hours to a village where there was a priest. He had to resist his grandfather who was chief priest of the pagan religion in his home village but held firm. Later he spent seven years living a kind of monastic life with a priest in an informal 'monastery' where only the two of them lived. Perseverance in seeking God would seem to be his special grace. He left home at an early age and supported himself putting himself through college before entering the religious way of life.
We had two professors from the Augustinian University music department, a violinist and an organist, friends of the monastery, who played during the mass and gave an elevated tone to the celebration. Attached is a foto of Brother Delfin. The lilies were an offering by Dr. Bretana, a good friend of the monastery.
