“Salesian Sands,” the Oblate house in Ft. Myers.
My first assignment after ordination was to teach at our high school in Fort Myers, Florida. Shortly after arriving, our principal and the Oblate pastor across the street went for a drive to look at a small house on Fort Myers Beach. In order to attract young Oblates to southwest Florida, they wanted a place for the Oblates and their families. It was a small three-bedroom rancher very close to the beach. The Provincial agreed to pay for the place with the proviso that we would send $50 per Oblate each month until the mortgage was paid.
Another Oblate and dear friend, Hugh, and I were the first “caretakers” of the house. We gradually furnished the house in a modest, yet comfortable way. On Fridays, we loaded our laundry baskets in the car during the school day. We were the first off the property to enjoy a weekend at the beach. Others joined us when available. The parish priests used the place during the week. One of the parishes we assisted on the weekends was just around the corner from our residence. Three doors exited to the pool with its screened lanais. One was from the laundry room where minutes before exiting the pool on a nightly swim, we would put towels in the dryer for comfort when exiting. We were living like kings!
Growing up, I knew no one who had a pool. Life was good! Our students knew we had a place on the beach and were determined to locate it but never did. Personal money was tight but The Munch Box, around the corner, made great hot dogs. There was time for sleeping on the beach, a dip in the pool, college and pro football, card games, and great camaraderie. Classes for the week always were prepared as well. At about 7:00 PM on Sundays, we cleaned the house thoroughly and had dinner at Perkins on the way home (always ham and cheese omelets). A guest calendar became quickly booked for visiting family, friends, and fellow Oblates. What started out as a place of respite, relaxation, and renewal for those in the high school and our parish across the street, grew in the 30+ years to include three other Oblate parishes. It was a gathering place for Oblates.
The ceramic Oblate shield was part of the living room floor in the Oblate house.
After the hurricane, Hugh sent me three short videos taken from what was our front door. Everything was gone. You could make out the pool sans lanais. To the right were the washer and dryer, now outside. All was outside, as there was no inside. All three videos ended on the ceramic Oblate shield that was part of the living room floor. Central was the cross. Perhaps it symbolized the loss suffered, as we all need to participate in Christ’s suffering. Perhaps, it symbolized the victory won for us by Christ that gave us this place to enjoy God’s presence, especially in those with whom we recreated.
This house was built on sand (figuratively) and could not withstand this hurricane. Many times, the Oblate caretaker went down to close the shutters for an impending storm. We did this with Ian but mother nature was too powerful. We never tired of this gift known as Salesian Sands. We cherish the memories of the laughter and the good food shared with our Oblate family and, by extension, our own families and friends. Those moments and stories (often exaggerated as the years grew) will sustain us and continue to give us grateful hearts.
But, many lost their only home. As is always the case, the poor (e.g., the shrimpers who lived on boats) suffered the greatest. Our prayers go out to all those who lost their possessions, homes, and livelihood. Above all else, we pray for those who died and for their loved ones who mourn their loss.
Hurricane Ian is proof of Saint Francis de Sales’ maxim to “Live Today Well.” Let us live it well in love, sharing, accepting, and forgiving. Let us live it praying for an end to violence, discord, enmity, and hatred. We need to hold on to memories of compassion, understanding, and kinship. Never has the demand been more expedient to “Live Today Well.”
“For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes.” -Dag Hammarskjold
Father John Fisher, OSFS
Pastor
Our Mother of Consolation Parish
Philadelphia, PA
