Dear friends,
I am writing with some sad news. Our beloved church cat Beppe has not been seen since last Thursday. Although I hope and pray that he will return, that is doubtful. Bella, his girlfriend, is bereft, and so are we. Beppe has been an integral part of life at St. Dunstan’s for the last three years. He was one of our greatest evangelists. Every Sunday morning he was ready to greet people as they came to church. He attended AA meetings and choir practice. He was a member of the flower guild. He came to the Tuesday morning study group and vestry meetings. He not only went to yoga, he stretched out on the floor and did the exercises. On more than one occasion he came into church Sunday morning and sat in the lap of a visitor. Many Sundays he traveled from pew to pew, including the choir loft. I could always tell when he was in the service because people’s faces would light up as he walked by. One of my last memories of him was from a couple of Sundays ago. He was stretched out on the walkway after church. Eli was plopped down beside him, petting him. Most cats are not big fans of toddlers, but Beppe was happy to be the recipient of Eli’s attention.
For me Beppe is also a connection to Joe. During the long weeks that Joe was in the hospital I received texts telling me that a young orange tabby was hanging around. He would hiss at anyone who looked at him. He wanted food, but no petting. On my first Sunday back after Joe’s death, this hissing cat suddenly started coming up to people on the walkway, wrapping himself around people’s legs, and allowing them to touch him. It was a dramatic conversion, kind of like Paul on the way to Damascus. Since Joe was a great cat lover, and this conversion happened on my first Sunday back, many people suggested that Joe was sending us heavenly cat vibes. And so I named him after Joe. The name Joseph in Italian (where all four of his grandparents were from ) is Giuseppe. The shortened version is Beppe.
Bella is much shyer than Beppe, but if you see her around please give her some extra pets. She is devoted to Beppe and will really miss him. We all will.
With love,
Tricia
