I Will Always Remember You
By Gee-Gee O. Torres
I’d worked with Father Niall in Misyon for almost nine years, but why do I find this very difficult to write? There’s so much to tell about him but I don’t know how to begin. I refuse to think that he’s not with us anymore. I am afraid that if I do, he’d be part of yesterday and it would mean that he would become someone to remember only once in a while — I don’t want that. If I could only hold back the time, I would. I’d like April 23 of this year to last forever. This was the day when he sent me his last email. He told me that he was looking forward to Tuesday because they were going to do an ultrasound on him. He said that things were looking brighter though there was still a long way to go. This gave me high hopes that he’d make it and that I’d see him again. However, April 25 we received the news that he had a bad fall from his wheelchair, then April 27 his sudden death. I felt empty . . .
The eldest brother of Father Niall, Fergus, brought home his ashes to the Philippines
I was a fresh graduate from college and eager to land a job. I applied for a part-time job in Misyon magazine. I came to Father Niall’s office for an interview. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t bite you,’ was his greeting to me, aware of the anxiety written on my face. He asked me how many books I’d read in the past five months. When I said, ‘Six,’ he smiled from ear to ear. I was hired. Since then I got addicted to reading even more.
