Hey! I used to go to school with that guy
December 7, 2010 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Now this is pretty amazing. Dave Beaumont was in my class (’78) when we both attended “Our Lady Queen of Angels” high school seminary in San Fernando, CA. I haven’t seen or heard from him since those long ago days, though I did hear from some classmates of ours that he had entered the Capuchin order.
And just now, I see Dave turn up in, of all places, the Washington Post as Fr. Dave Beaumont, O.F.M., Cap. I’m not surprised at all to learn that he’s a dedicated friar engaged in some wonderful, grueling, sacrificial, and quite dangerous work, ministering to his flock in rural northern Mexico — right in the heart of where the drug-related violence is raging. I doubt you’ll ever see this post, Dave, but you sure can count on my prayers for protection and guidance. May God reward you. Siempre adelante!
I have seen him in person, to be honest and clear, we almost run him over once. We were driving on a narrow dirt road in the town of Yecora, in the State of Sonora, Mexico, and he came out of the woods and into the road a few meters ahead of us. We were startled to say the least but managed to hit the brakes. He smiled and walked across the road and into the woods on the other side.
I saw him again later, this time at the local VIPS (somewhat of a diner) in teh city of Hermosillo, the State's Capital. It was odd to see him in the city now and in a restaurant, but you could tell that even when he was there, he really wasn't… He was very quiet, ate very little, spoke not a word and seemed to be gazing beyond the buildings across the street. Yes, It's not polite, but I guessed I stared at him -it's not common to see monks out in the street in Mexico – and noticed all of this. I was also surprised to now see him in the Washington Post.
What a lovely picture! Que nuestro Dios lo proteja de todo mal y lo guie siempre. Que a traves del Espiritu Santo lleve palabras de sabiduria y de entendimiento para otros y convierta a muchos corazones no creyentes. Dios lo bendiga.