Brother Martin Returns Home
A lot of sadness and concern surrounded Father Martin Bernard's departure for his home province in Kerala, India. Father Jude Thaddeus, a friar from Martin's 
povince, arrived here on Monday night and is accompanying Martin on this journey. Frs. Julian, Matthew, and I took Martin and Jude to the airport this morning where Martin began this long and arduous trip. Martin stayed overnight here at St. Francis Friary. Thanks to Fr. David Songy's travel arrangements, the check-in went flawlessly. Martin and Jude are expected to arrive in Newark around 6:00 p.m.After a short layover, they will board a plane for a fifteen hour flight to Mumbai where they will stay overnight. Then they will make the final three-hour flight to Trivandrum, India, where Martin will reside in a friary that is, as I understand, very near to a hospital
povince, arrived here on Monday night and is accompanying Martin on this journey. Frs. Julian, Matthew, and I took Martin and Jude to the airport this morning where Martin began this long and arduous trip. Martin stayed overnight here at St. Francis Friary. Thanks to Fr. David Songy's travel arrangements, the check-in went flawlessly. Martin and Jude are expected to arrive in Newark around 6:00 p.m.After a short layover, they will board a plane for a fifteen hour flight to Mumbai where they will stay overnight. Then they will make the final three-hour flight to Trivandrum, India, where Martin will reside in a friary that is, as I understand, very near to a hospital With the rapid deterioration that Martin was experiencing here, the doctors felt that he might be in the last couple of weeks of his life. Martin wanted to return to his
- Martin enters "security" before the flight home.
Martin endeared himself to many people during his summers in the province. During most of the year (October-May) he was studying psychology in Rome while staying at the Internation Capuchin College of St. Lawrence of Brindisi. He served at St. John's Parish in Lawrence during his first summer. Parishioners at St. John's still keep in touch with Martin. His name was on their prayer list almost immediately after his diagnosis. For these past three summers, he was an excellent addition to the staff at the Catholic Chapel at the Citadel Mall. Fr. John Cousins is the guardian at Solanus Casey Friary where Martin stayed. John, along with concerned, physicians from St. Francis Parish, and numerous volunteers and parishioners in Colorado Springs attended to Martin during this past month. We will miss him.
Let's pray for a safe trip "home."
