This weekend was intense. Frs. Stan and Steve, Bro. Peter, and I drove down to New Orleans for Mike's wake and funeral. We arrived a little before dinner time on Thursday just as Msgr. Jim Robinson, SSE pulled into the hotel parking lot. What a joy he was! I had not met him before then. I've known few folks as jolly as he, and he was so excited to see all of us. We went out to a little Cajun restaurant and had way too much spicy food.
The wake was Friday. For 6 hours straight people came in to view Michael's body and say last goodbyes. It was incredible how packed St. Peter Claver was. The wake was absolutely beautiful. The choir, Voices of Peter Claver, is out of this world. The sang stunningly. When they sang I Shall Wear a Crown I couldn't keep it together. There's just something about those lyrics that are just so the story of Michael being welcomed to his eternal home. "I'm going to put on my robe, tell the story of how I made it over, soon as I get home." It was so emotional. For me the hardest parts was seeing Msgr. Robinson, who the day before had been laughing and joking and smiling to no end, crying during the service and saying, "Mikey was too young for this. He was just too young." Bishop Fabre, Michael's closest friend in New Orleans, gave the homily during the wake. He is generally quite reserved, even when Michael would be sitting there poking all the fun in the world at him, and he'd just smile and say, "Mmmm that's nice Michael." He made it almost all the way through the homily, but during the last two minutes he broke down and wept as he said his last goodbyes. It's so hard to watch someone part ways with a best friend. That was the other thing that made me break down.
The funeral was incredible. The entire church was packed. There wasn't even standing room. The school auditorium, in which they had a live feed of the funeral, was completely stuffed. There must have been at least 100 priests from the diocese there, never mind the Edmundites, and members of other religious orders. One of the most striking things was the entrance of the pall-bearers. They came in with the top of the casket, while the choir sang I Shall Wear a Crown. They weren't dancing, but each step they took they'd stop together and then step again. It was so rhythmic and ritualistic. They did the same thing as they headed out in the procession. Fr. Dave Theroux, SSE gave a terrific homily, in which he nailed Mike's ministry and life on the head and urged the community of Peter Claver to continue what Mike had so marvelously begun. The archbishop of New Orleans had nothing but the kindest words when he spoke. He was very impressed with Michael as a person, a religious, a priest, and a pastor. "Let me tell you, never once did I go to a city meeting where Michael wasn't there putting up a significant stink about the injustices of the poor," he reported. "He was their voice, their advocate." After the funeral, as is the tradition in the passing of rather significant figures in New Orleans, a horse-drawn buggy brought Michael's body throughout the Treme neighborhood, led by a jazz band, and followed by hundreds of people--families, parishioners, priests, even the four bishops fully vested. "It was a hell of a sending off," Fr. Steve said as we headed home to Alabama.
The burial will be here in Selma tomorrow afternoon. There will be a big group of folks coming up from New Orleans, including Bishop Fabre. Fr. Steve will lead the graveside service.
We just received word that Bro. Francis (George) Huyer, SSE passed away from cancer today. He was the oldest member in the community. I never met him, for he had been in a nursing home in Florida since before I entered novitiate. We're having a funeral for him on Wednesday at our chapel in the Mission house. "Well, you sure are getting a lot of experiences of funerals," our superior general said to me today. I think this will be enough for awhile.
On a brighter note, I am so glad to be home. This weekend was draining and it's good to get back to the parish and ministry here. It's also splendid not sleeping in a hotel. The community life here truly is a blessing.
Some news: Fr. Stan will be moving out of the Mission House on Wednesday. He is becoming the pastor of St. Joseph parish in Tuskegee, AL. I will miss his presence, though we'll still see plenty of each other this summer!
And now, here's one of my favorite songs ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5rJ9ciH4OM
No comments:
Post a Comment