Covid-19

Jubilee

11 July 2021, I finally was able to celebrate my golden jubilee of profession of Benedictine monastic vows. The celebration in July 2020 had been postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

I was delighted that my brother, Bro. Benedict FSC on my right above, and Bro. Charles Gresh FSC, former HS teacher, came from La Salle University, Philadelphia, 9-13 July. Charles, 88, had been on campus more often than Ben, 82.

The booklet for the ceremony is online, and YouTube has the video at <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUEnb9o0iFo>.

+Bro. Benedict Oliver FSC MA (1938-2021)
Sadly, exactly one month later, my brother died, 11 August 2021. He had devoted his life as a De La Salle Christian Brother to Catholic education, spending 30 years, at different times, at his beloved Central Catholic High School, Pittsburgh, PA. May he rest in peace.

Moderna Vaccine

This morning a medical technician from Walgreens Pharmacy, Sauk Rapids, injected the staff and monastic residents of St. Raphael Hall with 1.5 ml each of the Moderna vaccine against the Covid-19 virus. The injection was imperceptible, and I experienced no after effects. The second immunization shot is scheduled for 13 February 2021. All residents have tested negative ever since the weekly Wednesday nasal swabs began.

Today I learned that I am still negative for Covid-19. The test was Wednesday morning, 21 October 2020. That was about the fifth test I’ve taken. Episodes of bilateral pneumonia in March and August 2020 offered all the symptoms of Covid-19, but all tests, including one for antibodies, have proven negative.