Servant love, work and prayer realized in a fraternal community: this is the life vocation of the Capuchins. After a forced break of twenty years, the monks were now able to return to the country's second most visited place of worship, Máriabesnyő. A staff member of Magyar Nemzet talked to Father Sergio Tellan about the brothers' everyday life and their relationship with the Virgin. We look at it.
Brother Sergio Tellan is talking to workers on the phone when we arrive at the Máriabesnyő church. He cordially guides us around the monastery, we can even get a glimpse of places that are closed from prying eyes, but we cannot go into the monks' quarters either. He tells us that among his parishioners, József Virth is Hungarian, Augustin Dogaru is from Moldova, and Patay Jakubrafael is of Slovak origin, but they converse with each other in Hungarian. They usually get up between six and seven, pray together three times a day, and eat together. He emphasizes that it is not important who knows what, but that they share the tasks among themselves, which is why there is no boss among them, everyone is equal, that is, they are brothers to each other.
Jesus said: "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve"
therefore, we must serve God's people according to our abilities and share the Lord's mercy with people - the monk points to the vocation of the Capuchins, in which the lives of their two predecessors, St. Pio of Pietralcina and St. Lipot of Mandić, set an example for them.
If I have experienced God's mercy, then I can simply share it with others, and other times I can only share my weakness with people - says brother Sergio modestly, highlighting how important the relationship with Jesus is, because in prayer we can receive God's Holy Spirit.
Sergio Tellan is not only outwardly similar to Padre Pio, but also in his origin, as he was born in the area of Venice, Italy, although he says he prefers the mountains to the sea. He talks about how he obtained a degree in theology after completing his secondary school studies, and then taught minor priests for 25 years. In 2007, he was still active as a parish priest in Venice, when his provincial superior and his religious colleagues put him at a crossroads: he had to choose between Greece, Jerusalem and Hungary, where he could continue to serve - recalls the monk, who now also speaks excellent Hungarian, and who, by his own admission, did not know a word at the time in our language. On the other hand, he had no problem with communication, because he spoke to the older ones in German and to the younger ones in English. Because he became the leader of the Italian community in Budapest, it took him a little longer to learn the Hungarian language, he says.
I thought that if the children could speak Hungarian, it would work for me too
- declares the Capuchin brother with a smile, who was later appointed head of a Hungarian parish, which also helped him learn the language. He also tells about how he later returned to the capital's Italian community after spending three years in the Capuchin monastery in Mór.
If I am cheerful, every place is beautiful, because God helps me to establish a relationship with everyone
- confesses the monk, who also mentions that after the provincial chief of Máriabesnyő died in 2002, the young Capuchin brothers had to move from the place of worship.
I worked for years to allow the monks to return here, but God did not allow it and all the doors were closed. When I stopped planning, all the gates opened
Brother Sergio remembers. When they returned on August 1, they cleaned the premises and began the service, and also organized the farewells for the Assumption and the Assumption Day, as the Virgin Mary, whose life was also service, also plays an important role in the life of the Capuchins, he explains.
For us, service is our charisma, because God shows us through the Virgin Mary how we can meet Jesus and serve him in our brothers and sisters. That is why we try to accommodate all pilgrims and there is also a great demand for confession, so we have a lot of work, but we give thanks to God, because in addition to fatigue there is also joy, because he blesses us and works miracles through the faithful.
- says the monk, who, together with his companions, trusts that two more Capuchin brothers will come to them from Indonesia and Belarus next year, so that they can provide spiritual guidance to families with children, the elderly and other age groups.
Source: Hungarian Nation
Featured image: MN/Máté Bach
