By Michael Motes

Happiness at the child's good fortune of career advancement, but remorse at the thought of the move that will cause family separation is a typical and innate maternal attitude.

Such is the attitude of Mrs. Helen Kozlowski Beltran, mother of Bishop-elect Eusebius J. Beltran. But Mrs. Beltran, whose son becomes Tulsa, Oklahoma's second bishop on April 20 in ceremonies at Tulsa's Cathedral of the Holy Family, is far from a typical mother.

With eight living children, two of whom are priests and one a Sister of the Bernardine Order of Saint Francis, Mrs. Beltran has become accustomed to the comings and goings of her large brood.

"I'm sad and I'm glad," she said while discussing her son's appointment. "We're happy for him, but we're sorry that he's going to leave us. All of my life my children have come and gone and that's their life.

"As vicar general, Father Zeb," as the bishop-elect has been known for years, "has traveled a lot, so I'm accustomed to him being away. But I will miss our Tuesdays together."

The "Tuesdays together" are very special for the widow and her friend, Mrs. Helen Berlew, who shares Mrs. Beltran's Decatur home.

Mrs. Berlew, with whom Mrs. Beltran grew up in their native Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, is also a widow and lost her sight several years ago. She has lived with Mrs. Beltran for a number of years and so close are the family ties that all of the Beltran children affectionately refer to her as "Aunt Helen.'

Each Tuesday morning at 6:30, Mrs. Beltran and Mrs. Berlew are picked up by the bishop-elect and driven to Saint Anthony's rectory, the vicar general's pastorate since June, 1972.

They spend their day "housekeeping for Father Zeb," says Mrs. Beltran. "We love going there. Mrs. Berlew takes care of the living quarters and I do all that I can to help. We have a wonderful day together and return home in the afternoon."

The Beltran family has always been a close-knit and deeply religious family unit. The late Joseph C. Beltran, head of the clan, was a native of Spain, where he once studied for the priesthood.

Arriving in the United States to visit his brother in Pennsylvania, the late Mr. Beltran met Miss Helen Kozlowski.

"I met Joe through a cousin," recalls Mrs. Beltran. "The Beltrans lived around the corner from us in Wilkes-Barre and my cousin told me about the visitor from Spain. When we first met, he had very little to say and was rather shy. He spoke little English, but was well-educated, having studied for the priesthood in Spain and later deciding to become an engineer."

The initial meeting with "the visitor from Spain" developed into courtship and marriage and left Mrs. Beltran with fond memories of her in-laws.

"I've always said that I owe it to my mother-in-law that I have two sons who became priests," Mrs. Beltran said.

The senior Mrs. Beltran had wanted her Joe to become a priest. When the younger Beltrans' son, Joseph, decided to enter the priesthood, he told his parents, Grandma always prayed for a priest in the family, so she's getting her wish!"

Actually there had been several priests on both sides of the Beltran-Kozlowski family, including three brothers on Mrs. Beltran's side who were all Missionaries of Saint Augustine in Spain.

"God has always helped us and always kept us closely together," Mrs. Beltran says. "We have had long periods of sickness in the family and my husband, who was a miner, was without work at times. But God has always provided and we've stayed happy and close."

Mrs. Beltran further elaborated by saying that when Father Joe was in seminary, he was known as "the Lord provides Beltran," having been instilled with this attitude from his mother and constantly repeating it in times of need.

The Beltrans try to get together as often as possible especially on major holidays and for Mrs. Beltran's birthday, which she will celebrate on April 8, less than two weeks before her son becomes Bishop of Tulsa.

Having lost one child in infancy, the Beltran clan numbers eight children. In addition to the bishop-elect and Father Joe, there is Sister Mary Sponsa of Reading, PA, whose work as a missionary of the Sisters of Bernardine of Saint Francis has taken her to many remote areas of the world, including West Africa. Miss Helen Marie Beltran is a teacher in Eatonton, Georgia. Angeline is Mrs. Henry J. Cebulski of Conyers; Delores is Mrs. Gerald Carrier of Philadelphia; Mary Ann is Mrs. Carey Florence of Atlanta, and the baby of the family is Atlanta attorney Frank J. Beltran.

Twice during the years of rearing a family, Mrs. Beltran "took a break" of seven years between giving birth. "But," she says, "we would start wanting a baby in the house again, so along would come Delores, or Mary Ann, or Frank … "

Babies are always special and Mrs. Beltran pointed out that Mary Ann, the youngest girl, has always been "our little queen" and the last-born Frank will always be "the baby."

Babies are also responsible for the Beltran family becoming residents of Georgia. After Angeline Beltran became Mrs. Henry Cebulski, she and her husband moved to Georgia where Henry was employed in Gainesville.

Following the birth of the first Cebulski child, Angeline called to ask her mother if she could come to Gainesville to help with the new arrival. With three small children of her own at home, Mrs. Beltran declined the invitation, but volunteered her husband to go "to baby-sit."

Mr. Beltran liked Georgia, became an employee of the Western Steel Company in Gainesville and before long the Beltrans were Georgians. That was in 1953 and two years later Father Joe was ordained at the Cathedral of Christ the King. Father Zeb was ordained at the Cathedral in 1960.

Although she does not drive, Mrs. Beltran was once given a new automobile by her children. "I was happy with the car, but never did learn to drive it!" she related.

She relies on family and friends for transportation, and both she and Mrs. Berlew keep active.

"We used to go on short trips with Father Zeb. That was his way of repaying us for taking care of him, but we don't travel much anymore," she said.

"So many people think we don't have anything to do, but Helen and I stay very busy. We have done a lot of work for the Cancer Home, but don't go there much anymore. We do sew pads for the home, however, and do what we can to help."

With two sons serving as priests in the metropolitan area, Mrs. Beltran divides her time between their two parishes. A typical weekend finds her at the Saturday Vigil service Father Joe's new All Saints Parish in Dunwoody and at Father Zeb's Sunday service at Saint Anthony's.

She likes to go to Saint Anthony's on Sundays because it gives her the opportunity to gather her son's laundry, prepare it on Monday and return it on their "Tuesdays together."

Is Mrs. Beltran looking forward to attending her son's ordination and consecration in Tulsa?

"We'll see what happens," she said. "The children have already told me to buy a new dress and get ready for the trip, but I just take one day at a time."

Somehow, we feel that she will definitely be there on April 20, to further delight in the latest honor to come to a member of her adored and adoring family.

A recipient of the Cross Pro Ecclesia Pontifice from Pope Paul VI in 1965, Mrs. Beltran is very hesitant to discuss her own past achievements and honors.

"I will look for credit when I go upstairs, not before," she said.

And credit in abundance will surely be Helen Kozlowski Beltran's!