​Up North And Personal: A Man Of Compassion

Up North And Personal: A Man Of Compassion
By Ken DeLaat

Ron Mousel contacted me a few months back about a story he 

thought worthy of ​​telling.

Ron and his wife Betty have been supporters of the clean water initiative founded by Father Peter Omogo who served as parish priest for All Saints in Fremont and St. Joseph’s in White Cloud and is now serving at St. James in Montague. It was a project I had heard about but never gotten acquainted with. Ron set up a lunch meeting and a post meal get together to allow Father Peter to explain the initiative further.
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We met at the Moondance in Fremont and after introductions.  I recalled having been to one of the masses he presided over when my Mother-In-Law was visiting us and we attended All Saints. What I remembered was the way he was able to reach the...

Pictured Above, Father Peter with Ron and Betty Mousel

...congregation that day. Not being a regular church-goer and having the good fortune to convince my lifetime spousal companion Lil to  marry me some 4-plus decades back, my exposure has primarily been as a vicarious Catholic attending various masses over the years from regular weekly ones to the wedding funeral, baptism varieties.

From my recollection they all were pretty ok but his service had always stuck with me because Father Peter possessed the ability to communicate his deep sincerity when he spoke. There was something about the way the words rolled out from him that compelled you to listen because you knew he was giving it up from his heart.
At lunch Ron and Father Peter greeted each other and spoke as long time friends do and together the three of us  talked about many things. Father Peter has a profound gentleness to him combined with a passion for doing the work of God. Possessed with a wonderful sense of humor and an indomitable nature he is refreshingly upbeat and eternally optimistic.

After lunch we went to the office of Ron’s wife Betty and Father Peter began the story of how the wells had come to be.

It is an astounding story chronicled by the photographs showing the celebrations that occur when another well providing a village with clean water is completed.  The cost of these wells are kept at a minimal due to the collaborative efforts put forth and their presence in these villages has been a life-changer of epic proportions.
Father Peter named the Samuel Omogo Foundation after his late brother and as Ms. Gager so eloquently described in her article for N3 their work has brought something most of us take for granted about, access to clean water, to over 100,000 fellow human beings.

So this, my friends,  is a commercial. Go to the Summer Fundraising event  being held at The Shack on August 1 at 6pm  and witness for yourself the accomplishments of the SFO. Hear the presentation by Father Peter and listen to the passion that exists in this man to do good for as many as he possibly can whether in the region of the world he grew up in, his parishes past and present, or anywhere he encounters people in need.

But before you go think about our easy access to clean, usable water. How we are blessed with an ample  and seemingly endless supply  to not only drink and cook with but to bathe in and do laundry with and even water lawns with for pity’s sake.
And how life altering it would be to be denied that access.

Then if you get a chance, ask the Mousel’s about the wells.

There are wells in that distant land that exist because of the contributions made by Ron and Betty and numerous other wells  been sponsored by individuals, couples, families and groups. They might be in memory of a loved one, perhaps to honor or recognize someone, or even anonymously given, but each well is part of a great story of compassion and love and benevolence and has the happy ending of villages with access to the clean water essential  in  building healthier communities and improving the quality of life for the people who live in them.

Come hear Father Peter tell this story of how the Samuel Omogo Foundation, beginning with a small group of dedicated people, set the wheels in motion that has and continues to  transform the lives of so many people.
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One well at a time.

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