From Eloise to Bonaventure

by Vincent | Jul 14, 2021 | Reflections, Religion

I’ve been meaning to write this for a while!

Just over a week ago, as I got ready for daily Mass in Kilmovee, I noticed Brother Bonaventure coming into the church. He’s a native of the parish, Michael Frain from Rusheens, and is a Religious Brother. He taught for many years in Sligo and is now living in Dublin. He had been home for a few days, and joined us for Mass on Sunday when we prayed for his brother and sister-in-law and remembered them around an anniversary.

I remember many years ago, when his brother died, Bishop Christy Jones spoke to me about Bonaventure and held him in very high regard, as do I. He’s a likeable and good man who has served the Lord without holding back for all of his life.

As he came into church that day for morning Mass, I was struck by the slowness of his walk and that the years have told their story. The energetic young teaching Brother is in there somewhere but not visible to the naked eye. That side of his life is well and fondly remembered and, more than once, I have met people through the years who connect Kilmovee with Brother Bonaventure and the best of their school memories, in which he holds a central and pivotal role. I was always proud to hear his name so mentioned.

He took his place in church, reverently greeting the Lord and, I have no doubt, looked forward to encountering him in Eucharist.

In the seat just behind him, there sat a mother and her two young daughters. A few days earlier, the younger of the two daughters had received her First Holy Communion in another parish. Her mother had stopped in to see me on their way to the church and I was happy to see Eloise in her First Holy Communion dress. The one she wore that day was her own and special to the day and the celebration that was about to take place. It was not the first time she had worn a First Holy Communion dress though! She wore her sister’s last year!

She wore it and ran in it – 10K – to raise money for the Hospice and in memory of her daddy who died nine years ago when she was just a baby. She ran with her mother and sister that day and, even at the height of COVID restrictions, people supported from a distance and as close as circumstances would allow to wish her well, let her know we were proud and to support a worthy cause. She raised more than €30,000.00. Incredible. She could not have done it without her mother and sister and the support of a community and family. She ran in her sister’s First Holy Communion Dress to commemorate the day she should have worn her own and received her First Holy Communion, cancelled, like so many other things, because of COVID.

In recent weeks she wore her own dress, joined her classmates and friends and said “Amen” to the Body of Christ. I was happy for her and thankful that her mammy took a moment to stop with me on their way to the church.

Now she and Brother Bonaventure sat a seat apart at a daily Mass and I admired both, was thankful for both and had the chance to share Eucharist with both. I thought of how quickly she ran, in contrast to Bonaventure’s measured steps and of how faithful he has been to that day when he, for the first time said “Amen” on his own First Holy Communion Day.

I thought they had much in common and hoped that Eloise will continue to be a light (her sister Lucia’s name means LIGHT) and that she will make a difference in life as Bonaventure has in his. I hoped that in years to come, on a day scarcely imaginable to young Eloise, she might walk slowly into a church, take her place and maybe notice the young mother and children in the seat behind her and that, on that day, she will give thanks for the difference she has made in life and that there will be someone to say thanks to her for that difference.

Between Eloise and Bonaventure – there is a lot of good to be done and much good has been done.