On Thursday we returned our brother Augustine to the earth from which he came. Father Augustine Healy died in a hospital in Ft. Worth Texas. He had lived in a Franciscan retirement village in Crowley Texas for the last years of his life. The last weeks of his life were spent in the hospital with IVs, feeding tubes, and on and off a respirator. Life ultimately became more of a hastle than it was worth keeping up with, and our brother Carmelite died last weekend. After three funeral Masses in Crowley, Ft. Worth and in Dallas, Gus arrived at Marylake Wednesday evening, where we laid him out in our chapel. He might not have died with his boots on, but we made sure he went back to the earth with them on. I will write his obituary in a separate posting and publish the pictures of his burial Mass here at Marylake then.

Meanwhile on the Katrina front, our six refugees pose in our kitchen for a group photo before going their separate ways. From left to right: Sam, Vicente, Augustine Kizhakkedam, Gregory our Provincial, Juan and Joseph Marie. Vicente Lopez, the diocesan seminarian from our parish in Oklahoma City joined our own Brother Joseph Marie whose family live there. They drove to Oklahoma with our Brother Joseph Le who had come for Augustine Healy’s burial. Sam and Juan remain behind waiting for word as to when they will be allowed to return to our House of Studies in New Orleans. Then Joseph Marie will re-join them to make the trip back home and see what’s left. Latest word from the seminary was that the National Guard let the academic dean in. He was relieved to find the seminary had not been looted. We continue to pray we find the same situation when we are allowed back in.

Finally a word from our nuns in Covington. The report that had gone out over some wire service that riotous bands were attacking supplies into the area was greatly exaggerated. The prioress is able to call out now sporadically on her cell phone as services are slowly being restored north of the lake. She told our Father Provincial they are all well, and invited our friars back. New Orleans’ Notre Dame seminary is planning to set up headquarters for this semester at St. Joseph’s abbey Retreat House in Covington.