A long story, short.

There were quite few “look alikes” standing behind the alter. One priest in long white robes looked a lot like Kevin Costner, only shorter and with very large hands which were noticeable when he prayed.

The priest who conducted the ceremony itself, a tall charismatic , oaty type, resembled a chubbier version of John Cleese.

My attention was obviously wandering.

When John Cleese wasn’t speaking, the sound of a choir filled the little church. It was loud enough to fill a cathedral.

It was extremely hot and stuffy and a powerful pong of an elderly, unwashed priest filled the air. Most of us were flapping our little booklets to get rid of it, to no avail.

The ceremony was in honor of S. and D. who were taking vows, in the process of becoming missionary priests.

Stefano is their godfather and this is how it all came about:

The twins were 9 years old when we first met the them.
S and L, two little boys, playing among the rock pools while our boat was moored in the little bay where they lived.

First we became friends with their father who made a humble living with a little fishing boat. His accent was so thick that we could hardly understand a word he said, but we took an instant liking to the man and became family friends almost immediately.

M the elder sister was 11 years old at the time.

G, the father went to work on a water tanker in order to earn more money as the children began to grow. M had to go to the mainland for schooling and money was in short supply. More expense.

After a year or two, the father went back to school, and studied with great determination and in the space of a few years, he became captain of the water tanker, which was no mean feat since he’d only a few years of primary school behind him when he began.

M sailed school and through university on grants, got an honors degree in molecular/cellular biology and is now doing exiting research on melanomas – watch this space!

Back to the twins, S is on his way to becoming a priest and L will become a Franciscan monk next year.

I do hope they will be happy! I'm sure their mother would prefer them to marry and have children and they are such handsome young men too.

As I sat through the service and listened to the priest’s words, I realized how far I have travelled in quite a different direction and how strange it all seemed to me.
:-/