Newsletter
for alumni of The Abbey School, Mt. St. Benedict, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.
Caracas, 28 of December 2013 No. 634
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Dear
Friends,
Finally,
something on Fr. Peter. Thank you, guys.
Now,
maybe someone can give us an insight on Fr. Bernard?
We must
remember that the newer Old boys did not meet him as a Headmaster.
Also,
I have included the list of the deceased clergy in the Monastery´s cemetery.
Can
anyone tell me why there are three dates on some of the plaques?
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On Monday, December 16, 2013 6:30 PM,
Sterwest <Jon@sterwest.com> wrote:
Amigos, Hermanos del montana!
You have to read this account I have not shared with many!
I can vouch for the respect and awe we all had for this most
wonderful example of what all the monks should have been like!!
At least we had one amazing example, inspiration and holy memory
to carry away after our years of incarceration in the ‘prison on the hill’
(That’s what we used to call it in when we sang in the VW bus
coming back from an outing or scout trip with Skull driving, singing the
marching song with our own words).
I remember it well.
He would come into the big study hall to give us in Form 1 (1956)
our classes in religion.
And, as Andres said, he would draw the most beautiful scenes in
coloured chalk on the wide blackboard as he related bible stories and the like.
I always remember when he come in to give the class we were
always talking, shouting and fighting one another, throwing paper and being a
pain in the ass.
He would walk in quietly and smile at us and stand quietly in the
middle at the front.
He would bow his head in prayer it seemed and have hands
together.
Waiting patiently for us to be quite and to stop frigging
around!!.
Most times we did, but on the occasions we ignored him he would
look up and quietly say, “Boys, boys!” in a gentle and kind way.
And if we did not stop he’d repeat it after waiting and if it got
to a third time he’d raise his voice almost to a shout and look sternly at us
and say, “Boys, let us begin!”
Those were the only rare occasions we ever heard him speak loudly
and firmly and it always had the same effect.
We were filled with a holy fear and froze.
He would then say the opening prayer, and after Amen we’d have a
great class.
On one occasion he told us about exorcism since I guess as the
closest to God of all the monks he was the only one who had the power to
exorcise evil spirits.
One story I remember vividly was when he told us about an
occasion when he used to go the Rest House (you remember that building for
visitors just below the church and next to the grave plot where the monks are
buried?)
He said they would occasionally bring possessed people up from
the village, and the place they chose to do the exorcism was the rest
house.
I suppose, after the church experience related below which I did
not know about, they found a better venue since it was the place they used
until about 1955.
He told us of an occasion when they brought this young woman to
him who was in quite a state and they took her into the rest house, closed all
the doors and windows and he stayed alone with her began to pray and rebuke the
devil.
He said the woman became like an animal screaming and shouting at
him, and the tables and chairs began to move and started smashing with force
against the walls at great speed, Out of nowhere!
He continued praying strongly, ignoring the damage that was going
on and the chaos and damage happening inside the Rest House.
Then, he said, he heard loud crashing on the galvanize roof of
the Rest House which other monks on the outside said they witnessed and huge
stones and boulders came crashing down onto the roof from the sky on a clear
day, no rain or clouds.
This went on for a while inside and outside as he continued to
defy the devil with his prayers and exhortations, and then everything went calm
and the woman passed out.
When she was revived she was healed and acted very naturally and
could not remember anything, and peace came on the Rest House but a great deal
of damage had to be repaired.
He said this was the most terrifying experience they all had, but
they did God’s work and succeeded.
Apparently, other exorcisms he and another monk did never got to
that level but this was an exception to remember!
No one could speak during that class as he related this story
with great humility, and we remained in shock even after the class ended.
But, that was this Saint of a man and the one I think most of us
who knew him remember with great pride and respect.
God bless him, and we hope to meet him again one day in the next
life! Amen!
Jon Golding
1955-1961
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From: Glen Mckoy [mailto:mckoy43glen@hotmail.com]
Sent: 16 December 2013 20:21
Subject: The Holy One / Fr. Peter / Our Saint.
Thank You, Sir Bandit.
This is no Tale. This is
the real McKoy, hombre. This is the
truth, this is the Mount some of us knew, eh, Bandit,
I heard an exorcism in progress, me and another buddy from south.
We were hiding right outside the window, I was so scared, man.
The Mount is one of the only places in Trinidad that could have
dealt with such rare situations.
The Mount is still a Secret in Trinidad, maybe one of the Holiest
places in the region. How would they
know, unless they come with open hearts.
They did once.
What happened??
Did God leave the Mount?
Best regards, my brothers,
Glen.
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From: calypsobandit@live.com
Subject: THE OFFICIAL ANSWER ????
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2013 14:09:09 -0500
Andres,
Wow -- is that strange? -- We old boys from 1944 and up always
though and considered Father Peter a saint.
His demeanour was completely different from all the other priests
or brothers. As a big boy in the 1950s
he would tell me and another student, Donald Boyd, strange stories that
happened at the church.
I remember one up to this day, and at the time and even now I
still wonder if it was true and it was not the first of many strange stories
about encounters with SATAN --THE DEVIL, which was told to us by father Peter.
This story went like this.
In those days, many people went to the Mount with family to drive
out devils -- It was very, very secretive but I know it happened often, as it
also happened to a friend of mine´s sister.
That’s another long story for another time.
Father Peter told me and my friend that a woman was brought to
the church to have a devil driven out of her -- The woman was black, shaking
and cussing the priest in the worst filthy language you can imaginable – The
priest knew it was not the woman but the devil and kept praying and commanding
the devil to leave -- Get out of the woman! -- When suddenly the woman started
walking up the walls of the church.
I questioned father Peter in disbelief – Father, how can she or
anybody walk up the walls of the church to the ceiling of the church.
His only answer was in his usual gentle voice, “My son, you have
no idea of the power of the devil” – And, he did not continue to say anything
else –
I and Donald walked away questioning the truth of what this
saintly priest had told us and both concluded that it must be true for we could
not doubt whatever came from the mouth of Father Peter –
Up to today I still think he was a saint and my mind still
questions what he told us, and I still cannot say what he said was not
true.
At a later time I was a witness to an exorcism -- Not pretty—
"bandit"
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Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2013 13:45:09 -0400
Dear Brothers and Father,
I met Fr. Peter, already a very old monk by 1959 and 60.
He used to give us Religion and was very well loved by all of us
students.
He had a very mild character and condition, was always smiling.
He used to give his class with a lot of coloured drawings of the
themes treated.
Very many drawings.
I still recall the beautiful images as angels, crosses with lambs
and the like. I just do not know why but he became like my kind of Confessor.
I used to come to his cell which was a very sober monk´s quarters
in the enclosure to chat whatever.
His cell did not impress me very much for I had in an earlier
stage of my life visited a cloistered nun, my mother´s cousin, in a cloister
convent somewhere in POS.
I remember a sign indicating CHARITAS in that place.
Something which impressed me very much was the quantity of
shelves full of books that adorned the entire passage to Fr. Peter´s cell in
the enclosure area.
Books from floor to ceiling!!!
I was by that time already a classic book worm.
This is all I recall of Fr. Peter ... have always thought of him
placidly ... he stills enacts in me this kind of indulgence in myself!!!
A saint?? Do not know, but for me :
Saints must be very near to him!!!
Cheers!!!
Andres (Freddy) Freites
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From: mckoy43glen@hotmail.com
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2013 19:23:33 +0000
My Dear Brother, Fr. Harold,
You are a True Monk, what a wonderful story of pure blood, sweat
& tears, my brother, you are a gift to us.
In you we have a Monk, a Father, a Teacher, a Knight, our
Brother.
Father, God has blessed this Club of Knights, for about 16 years
now.
I am so sorry to hear of some of our brothers passing away
lately.
Over the past few years, many of our younger brothers, left us at
such young ages, 30's, 40's, 50's, friends my age, quite a few in my group, we
have had some major hits.
Now the older brothers, 67-77 yrs. old, seem to be smarter and
take better care of themselves, also more religious to some extent, also coming
from a more disciplined world, and it shows in this Club.
They are also at a more relaxed stage in their lives.
Many retired and enjoying that peace and tranquillity we all
seek.
The funny thing in this Club, is the older the brother, the more
intelligent he is, ha! ha!,
The one reunion I've ever been to, was in Toronto a couple of
years ago, not one guy from my time, but I felt like we were all there the same
time,
I never met any of these guys before, Sir Nigel, Sir George, Sir
Cornel, Sir Freddy & Sir Trevor. We
were hugging when we were leaving, we never got to discuss any serious stuff,
as Sir Nigel had we laughing for at least 3 hours, ha! ha! I can't even
remember the music that was playing. Tthe
food was good, what a good time, looking forward to doing it again.
Cheers.
I think you know Fr. Peter?
I don't know much about this Monk, but any time I saw him, I
would always go over and say “Hello Father.”
He would always say, ‘God Bless You My Son”. After being blessed by this Monk, I don't
need no more blessings. He was a saint
to me. I think Freddy (Andres Freites)
knew him well, I would like to know more.
Now, about the Rome statement I made, I am sorry, but I remember
one year an auditor came from Rome to the Mount, maybe around 1968. Well that's what we were told, is this just a
story??
So, that's where my statement came from.
Now, you know the Benedictines, like the Jesuit Monks, did not
always see eye to eye with Rome, but that is another story, ha! ha!
However, this new Pope, what a breath of fresh air. I hope he stays for a long time. He has the vision, and the creative mind, to
put a new paint job on a very old wall, and he is connecting with the young
generation and understands these times, that they live in, as he knows, from
Argentina & South-America.
Father, I always talk too much, so I must stop and thank you now,
for sharing such a personal part of your life with us, in this letter, only
reassuring us, of what it takes, to be a True Knight.
As we walk in the Light, May God Bless Us All,
Amen.
I remain your humble Brother, Cheers, Mis Amigos –
Adios, Glen McKoy. (A Member Of The Writers Of Knights).
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On Tuesday, December 17, 2013 3:07 PM,
Anthony Cintra <celandaal@hotmail.com> wrote:
Dear Colleagues,
The Bandito is correct.
I recall Anthony Llanos and I with two other boys, chaplet in
hand, looking at Fr, Leo doing an exorcism.
At a point we ran like blazes and agreed to keep it a secret.
I heard of the lady flying out the church window and Fr. Peter
bringing her back.
I always thought Fr. Peter was saintly, even after I returned as
a lawyer and would visit the Mount.
The man was a saint. However,
as you know, many saints are not recognised.
All the best
Kind regards,
Anthony
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Ladislao Kertesz at kertesz11@yahoo.com,
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Photos:
MSBAP24MI6512, Mount Inside
13UN0001FPA, Archbishop Pantin
13UN0009CEMETERY, List of the dead in the
Monastery´s cemetery
57DB0001POOLGRP, New pool and kids
