Post by The Exodus on May 26, 2012 22:52:01 GMT -6
Character: Father Maurice Mowbray
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Occupation: Priest
AI: Ralph Fiennes
Personality: Maurice would be described by any who know him as a good listener. He often jokes, lightly and quietly, that it’s in the job description. However, Maurice does believe that when he’s not talking, he does his best thinking. Whether that thinking comes from listening to what someone else is saying or just by processing his own thoughts or even silent meditation is immaterial. Maurice is a private and soft-spoken man. He is also very intelligent and considers himself a bit of a walking Trivial Pursuit. His personal library lines a full wall in his tiny apartment and it is not uncommon for him to try to share his knowledge with others. Many times, a book will be read and loved by him before being passed on to a friend or parishioner for their use. However, to call Maurice a dreamer would be inaccurate. Maurice is a doer through and through. If he could be physically helping someone—by building a house, tending to a sick person, or providing words of comfort—he’d rather do that. He lives in this world, no matter how much he aspires to be in the next.
And honestly, the more he lives in the world, the more questions Maurice has. Since his accident, he’s wondered if there was something he’s missed out on, being so sure of his path since childhood that would lead to a richer, more fulfilling and lasting experience.
History: Maurice Alain Mowbray was born in Alençon, France in the south of Normandy. His mother, Hermine and his father, Richard, owned a small farm, which was filled with apple orchards. In the fall, Maurice would climb up to the top of the tree and eat apples and listen to the church bells ringing down the road. It was in that apple tree, while trying to get away from his sister and her friends that he decided to become a priest. Maurice felt at peace, nestled between rust-colored leaves and listening to the tolling down the road. And just like that, he knew he wanted to be as close to God as he could ever get. He was twelve.
From then on, Maurice devoted himself to both religious and academic studies. He attended college to study theology and philosophy. After four years, he entered a seminary and at twenty six, was an ordained priest in the Catholic Church. Instead of contenting himself with a small, French parish, Maurice took opportunities to do missionary work, first in Romania, later in Uganda, Kyrgystan, and India. There, he built houses, helped children learn to read, and assisted in medical facilities as well as offering spiritual guidance to those who asked. He felt that it was his calling to offer whatever aid he could to those less fortunate than himself and the next fifteen years of his life were spent utterly devoted to both the Church and to upholding the principle of the Golden Rule.
However, last fall while in India, Maurice broke several ribs while helping to rebuild the roof on a house that had been destroyed in a fire. The doctors recommended he return to France for recovery and Maurice was sent to Paris—as close to his family as possible. There he recovered his health and was assigned to the Sacre Coeur Church and her parish. Maurice is the youngest priest there and many of his superiors aren’t too fond of his liberal interpretations of the gospels and Old Testament. However, Maurice’s kind nature often has others turn a blind eye to his diverging views.
In truth, Maurice is starting to question his own beliefs and values, desperately hoping to feel the way he did at twelve, sitting in his parents’ apple tree.
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Occupation: Priest
AI: Ralph Fiennes
Personality: Maurice would be described by any who know him as a good listener. He often jokes, lightly and quietly, that it’s in the job description. However, Maurice does believe that when he’s not talking, he does his best thinking. Whether that thinking comes from listening to what someone else is saying or just by processing his own thoughts or even silent meditation is immaterial. Maurice is a private and soft-spoken man. He is also very intelligent and considers himself a bit of a walking Trivial Pursuit. His personal library lines a full wall in his tiny apartment and it is not uncommon for him to try to share his knowledge with others. Many times, a book will be read and loved by him before being passed on to a friend or parishioner for their use. However, to call Maurice a dreamer would be inaccurate. Maurice is a doer through and through. If he could be physically helping someone—by building a house, tending to a sick person, or providing words of comfort—he’d rather do that. He lives in this world, no matter how much he aspires to be in the next.
And honestly, the more he lives in the world, the more questions Maurice has. Since his accident, he’s wondered if there was something he’s missed out on, being so sure of his path since childhood that would lead to a richer, more fulfilling and lasting experience.
History: Maurice Alain Mowbray was born in Alençon, France in the south of Normandy. His mother, Hermine and his father, Richard, owned a small farm, which was filled with apple orchards. In the fall, Maurice would climb up to the top of the tree and eat apples and listen to the church bells ringing down the road. It was in that apple tree, while trying to get away from his sister and her friends that he decided to become a priest. Maurice felt at peace, nestled between rust-colored leaves and listening to the tolling down the road. And just like that, he knew he wanted to be as close to God as he could ever get. He was twelve.
From then on, Maurice devoted himself to both religious and academic studies. He attended college to study theology and philosophy. After four years, he entered a seminary and at twenty six, was an ordained priest in the Catholic Church. Instead of contenting himself with a small, French parish, Maurice took opportunities to do missionary work, first in Romania, later in Uganda, Kyrgystan, and India. There, he built houses, helped children learn to read, and assisted in medical facilities as well as offering spiritual guidance to those who asked. He felt that it was his calling to offer whatever aid he could to those less fortunate than himself and the next fifteen years of his life were spent utterly devoted to both the Church and to upholding the principle of the Golden Rule.
However, last fall while in India, Maurice broke several ribs while helping to rebuild the roof on a house that had been destroyed in a fire. The doctors recommended he return to France for recovery and Maurice was sent to Paris—as close to his family as possible. There he recovered his health and was assigned to the Sacre Coeur Church and her parish. Maurice is the youngest priest there and many of his superiors aren’t too fond of his liberal interpretations of the gospels and Old Testament. However, Maurice’s kind nature often has others turn a blind eye to his diverging views.
In truth, Maurice is starting to question his own beliefs and values, desperately hoping to feel the way he did at twelve, sitting in his parents’ apple tree.
