Let me begin with an excerpt from an email he sent on April 13, 2007 to a relative. It was apparently written when he was recovering at Xavier University after an “accident” (which he mentions in the email) in which he fell down in his room. The email reads: 

Yesterday the stitches were removed from my head wound (five stitches) and so the ugly patch that I have been wearing has now been removed.  My friends in Malaybalay where the accident happened claim (falsely) that the chair against which I hit my head was totally destroyed.  There are some also who claim that the floor was dented.  These are slanders.  I tell them that it is better to be hardheaded than softheaded.”

M. A. Bernad

That was him - innately witty, congenial, he was fond of teasing people, and one who could describe any episode, ordinary and extraordinary, quite interestingly. I found him always interesting company, whether engaging in conversation with him, or reading his books, articles and other writings, or just being with him in particular occasions. 

To many of us here, he was known as “Father Bernad”, to his fellow Jesuits, he was “Father Mike” or “Father Miguel”. To his close relatives, he was simply “Nonon” or “Padre Nonon”, and to his nephews, nieces, grand nephews and grand nieces, he was our “Tito  Nonon.” 

He was the third of 10 siblings, after my mother. He was the eldest of three brothers. I believe Tito Nonon was very fond of my mother. Whether she was the favorite sister, I can’t say for sure, because Tito Nonon was very good in disguising his feelings. Also, I won’t dare say it, because there are still three sisters who may hear what I say here.

Many times I heard my mother and Tito Nonon converse in Spanish, which many of us in our generation could not fully understand. At my parent’s golden anniversary, Fr. Bernad celebrated the Mass with us in Ozamiz City. He, of course, gave the homily, unusually lengthy (without glancing at notes). The first part was in Spanish, and it was particularly addressed to my mother. The second part, in English, was addressed to everybody. After the mass, we asked him, what in God’s name did he say to our mother? He promised he would translate it and would give us copies of it. No later than the following day, it was given to us. To my surprise and delight, it was the full homily -- the translation, and, the English part, verbatim, as I heard it during the Mass. That was Father Bernad – no doubt a great mind. His memory was astounding (photographic as people would say).

I was always awed by this brilliant scholar. Sometime ago, he handed me a book and asked me to write a review on it. I never got to do it because I was afraid it would not be up to his standards. Nagpalimot-limot lang ako. I am sure he never forgot and was expecting me to hand it to him sometime. But he never pressed me nor reminded me about it. The book remains with me, and you can imagine how I feel every time I see that book.

A few years ago, I was sending some of my writings to a local “periodico” which published them. One time, Father Bernad was riding with me (I was driving and he was on the front seat beside me). Friends of ours were seated at the back. While we were conversing, one of the friends asked: “Father, what do you think of Boy’s writings?” (How I wished he did not ask that!) Nevertheless, I was anxious to hear what Father Bernad, the great scholar, had to say.

The reply came candidly and simply, he said: “At least people read him!”

That was Father Bernad -- direct, candid, honest, but not in any way offensive at all! Since then, I knew where I stood with this great scholar.

I did not have the fortune to meet and know my grandfather because he died before I was born. It was Father Bernad who “introduced” me to him through his article entitled “Amateur Historian” (Solidarity, May-June, 1987). In that paper, he mentioned about his childhood and the influence of his father, their walks together in the town, meeting and talking with the town-folks, visiting some places, looking at various sites and things, etc. Let me make this short by quoting Father Bernad:

What I did not then realize, and what my father himself did not consciously advert to, was that I was gradually and indirectly being influenced, formed, educated by a man of wide culture. In the best and noblest sense of the word, my father was an amateur historian. He did not, like me, dabble in historical writing, but he knew history; he had the historian’s curiosity to know the facts, and the historian’s desire to know them with accuracy… But more than mere accuracy, he had the cultural historian’s perspective, for he saw the people’s life in its totality; including the land that they must till, the crops that they must plant, the crafts that they must learn, the fish that they must catch, the roads that they must travel, the rivers that they must cross, the mountains that they must climb or from which they must get their lumber. In short, he was interested in everything that comprised a civilization.” (Bernad, 1987) 

I suppose Father Bernad’s love of nature somehow arose from that background. He loved to climb mountains and then to write about the adventures and the particular places and people in historical perspective. He climbed Mount Manunggal in 1957 (after President Magsaysay’s fatal plane crash), Mount Apo in 1958, Mount Kanlaon in 1961 and 1963, and Mount Mayon in 1963. Detailed accounts of these expeditions are found in his books that you probably have read.

There was one mountain he wanted to climb but never got to do it. In 1958, he planned an expedition to the summit of Mount Kitanglad. He invited me to join that expedition. At that time, I was a third year high school student here at the Ateneo. He bought me a pair of rubber shoes for the climb.  Everything was thoroughly prepared for the climb, and we were all set. Unfortunately, the expedition was cancelled due to bad weather, very much to our chagrin.

However, on March 25-26, 2007, a party of seven nephews and nieces organized a climb to Mount Kitanglad. We dedicated that memorable and enjoyable climb to our Tito Nonon on the occasion of his 90^th birthday (May 8, 2007). A detailed account of that expedition was jointly written by the climbers and published in a local newspaper (“Mount Kitanglad, A Climb for Father Bernad”, 2007).

In a sense, Father Bernad, the author, remains alive with us today, and perhaps for generations to come; in the same way that other immortals, whom Father Bernad greatly admired, are as alive today in their indelible and enduring works and legacies, e.g. Jose Rizal, William Shakespeare, Dante and many others. In our library at home, we have at least 26 of Father Bernad’s books (not to mention many short articles). He will certainly continue to live with us. If I may say so, we are all admirers of his writings.

Of all his books and writings, there are two, I believe and I would venture to say, that would give a clue to where Father Bernad’s heart really was. The first one bears the title “Unusual and Ordinary” (published in 2006). The other one is entitled “Benigno P. Dagani, SJ” (published in 2007). These books are a tribute to his fellow Jesuit priests whom he greatly admired. They were men of God who served the Lord and His people. Father Bernad dedicated the book about Father Dagani to the “Missionaries – Priests, Brothers, Sisters, Lay Persons – Who since 1596 Have Worked in Mindanao.” The other book, “Unusual and Ordinary,” was similarly dedicated, as Father Bernad put it:

          “The men whose biographical sketches are given here belong to four nationalities: Spanish, American, Italian, Filipino. They had one thing in common. They were Jesuits who worked in the Philippines.

          A few of them were outstanding. … But, the majority of the others were little known.

           In wartime, relatively few members of the army are heroes who get medals. But a war is not won by heroes. It is won by a multitude of ordinary soldiers who march and fight and risk their lives and get killed, unknown men and poorly rewarded. Similar to them are most of the Jesuits whose biographical sketches are given here.”…

…This book is a tribute to them.” (Bernad, 2006)

I would like to end with a “Thank You” note, on behalf of the Bernad family, first, to Father Villarin and Xavier University for launching this “First Fr. Miguel A. Bernad, SJ Memorial Lecture”. Likewise, to Dr. Ambeth Ocampo (Chair of the National Historical Institute, and Professor of the Ateneo de Manila) for giving us the first Memorial Lecture. I am also grateful to the organizers of this event for the opportunity to give my “Reflections on Father Bernad.” Last but not least, we thank all of you, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and friends of Father Bernad, for your gracious presence.

One of Tito Nonon’s favorite expressions was “wonderful”. This event is really wonderful!

(Delivered at the launching of the “First Fr. Miguel A. Bernad, SJ Memorial Lecture”, part of the “Society of Jesus-Philippine Province Sesquicentennial Celebration of the Return of The Jesuits to the Philippines”, Xavier University, January 20, 2010)