The Domincan Fisherman

As the evening sun settled in, the little elderly man hopped out of the passenger side of a truck and opened the gate to the parish center. His gray hair and wrinkled face belied by his spry manner.

He and the driver approached and shared a few quiet moments with me checking email on my porch before they headed on their way once more.

The next day I ended up riding along with this elderly gentleman. To my surprise and dismay, he jumped out of the truck more quickly than I to open the gate of the facility we were visiting. I made sure to explode out of the truck the next time we came to a gate – beating him out of my seat but only by the slimmest of margins.

I hadn’t the pleasure of accompanying this small unassuming man on any more of his travels in the country side surrounding Banica and Pedro Santana. But I know he traveled far and wide; fording creeks, bouncing along rugged, raggedy roads, crawling high and deep into the mountains.

You wouldn’t know it by his quiet, humble demeanor, but I am told he is a real-life “Energizer Bunny”. He tirelessly travels all over, spending hours with townsfolk and country folk and listening to their troubles and concerns. Occasionally even, he reminds them of some concerns they have managed to forget in their excitement at his visit – for he knows them and their lives well. He makes it his job to know.

During his time here with us, I baked my 2nd ever chocolate-cake-from-scratch. While it wasn’t the disaster of my first attempt 20 years ago, it is also true that it wasn’t something you’d find in a fine restaurant either. But you’d never have known that from this simple fisherman’s compliments about it. And he was most happy to enjoy a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie of Virginia origin, compliments of my godmother!

Yearly his visit here. Yearly his visit everywhere in this diocese – this humble fisherman, Bishop Grullon of the diocese of San Juan de Maguana, DR.