Brother Benedict 5

Our beloved 1st Abbot, Abbot Gabriel, died on March 27, 2010.
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Click on the picture above to read about his amazing life and to see a photo essay of his funeral which was held at Saint Cecilia Church, Leominster, Mass. on April 10, 2010.

Father Anthony's Homily
for Brother Benedict's Funeral Mass
May 18, 2011

We are here to pray this greatest prayer, the Mass, this Requiem Mass for our dear Brother Benedict, for the repose of his soul. What makes this the greatest prayer is that at each Mass the Son, Who is God, offers His life to the Father, Who is God, in the one sacrifice of our redemption. We who are in communion with God join in this prayer at His invitation.

We wanted to have this Mass here, in our own chapel, since here is where Brother Benedict spent himself. He prayed here, prayed especially for so many of you who are here today. Here he prepared the vestments, linens, wine, hosts, incense, candles, books, palms, ashes, oils, relics. He prepared the Mass intentions, he cleaned, polished, and arranged all the necessary props of our many ceremonies celebrated here throughout the liturgical year, both for daily Mass and extraordinary events: baptisms, receptions into the Church, monastic professions, and funerals.

Why talk about Brother Benedict's life? Because we have been blessed to have known this little guy who has suffered so much for so long in our midst. And because in all this suffering he put on Christ, and as another suffering Christ lived out his monastic vows to the end. And that is why we come here to pray for the repose of his soul at this Mass, where we make present Christ, Who offered up his suffering to His Father for our salvation.

Fr. Anthony, who had taken care of Br. Benedict through his many illnesses gave a beautiful homily at his funeral Mass.

We began this ceremony by putting the pall, the large cloth covering, over the casket. The Church recognizes a close connection between this pall now over Brother Benedict's body and the white garment that was placed over him at his baptism. This reminds us of what we heard in our second reading from St. Paul to the Romans, "We who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death; we shall also be united with Him in a like resurrection."

Brother Benedict was destined to come to our community - and what a journey it was, beginning from his earliest years. Fr. Tom Hamilton, Brother Benedict's grade school buddy, told Fr. Peter and me about serving daily Mass with his little friend. They had been serving the early Mass before the start of school for several years together. One day he asked Brother Benedict, "What do you do when your Mom picks you up right after Mass, then brings you back to school just in time for class?" He replied, "When we kneel for Mass the sores on my knees open up. My mother takes me home to re-dress my wounds, change my bloody pair of pants, and return me to school."

It was Father Giles, one of our many Dominican friends, who asked Abbot Gabriel to consider receiving this suffering servant. When Brother Benedict arrived, he said to Abbot Gabriel, "What you see is what you get." And we soon found out what he meant. I would often tell people, "If he were healthy, we would all be in trouble!"

When Mr. Vernon Hirsch, a Pearl Harbor Survivor, came for Brother Benedict's solemn profession, holding back tears he told me how proud and happy he was for his son who never gave up answering God's call to this vocation, despite all the obstacles. Even after the head of one seminary had told him, "Come back in three years," he didn't give up. Three years passed, and there he was, knocking at the door again, only to be told, "I didn't think you'd be back." But all that disappointment led to that day, November 1, 1992, when Brother Benedict raised his arms during his profession singing out three times in Latin, "Receive me, 0 Lord, according to Your word. Do not disappoint me in my expectations."

Our community is in great debt to Dr. David Felson [and to his vocation as Dr. Felson the Great]. He has made Brother Benedict's life in this community productive and fulfilling. Many a time I heard Dr. Felson ask Brother Benedict when crossing another hurdle, "How much do you want to do or to participate?" Then he would juggle the meds and develop a new plan.

And implementing those plans were especially the nurses who tending to Brother Benedict from the early 1990's to just recently, Jean Baumgart, Jean Creer and Jane Reed. They realized he was in charge to the point that he would decided if it was a good day to be weighed or not.

These nurses covered those ten years of IV nourishment - T.P.N. - and all the years of operations, ulcerations, skin grafts, pulmonary hypertension, lung disease and that broken hip from the fall carrying the palms his side-kick Brother Stephen was supposed to be carrying.

The pall on Br. Benedict's casket had been the pall Br. Benedict had placed over his own mother's casket. He had always hoped that if God ever called him to the priesthood, that pall would be refashioned into his first chasuble. It did serve as the white garment which ushered him into Eternity.

LEFT: Fr. Anthony gave the homily at his funeral Mass and Fr. (then Brother) Anthony was Master of Ceremonies when Br. Benedict made his first monastic vows at the Abbey.

RIGHT: Sr. Clare Provost has been such a loyal friend to Br. Benedict, attending all his great milestone achievements.

Sometimes side-kick, sometimes chauffeur, sometimes confidant, all the time good friend, Oblate Brother Stephen, Howard Cannon, brought much joy to Br. Benedict's life, especially when his sickness would drag down his spirits.