Posted on 06/08/2002 4:15:32 PM PDT by Siobhan
Dear Friends,
This is a terribly sad day and joyous day. First, we learned of OxfordMovement's son Michael having died. Now I must tell you that my father who was known as the Freeper history-matters has also died today.
At 2 o'clock my family gathered in my father's hospital room for my son Finn to announce that he and Aileen are engaged. They have only known each other a few weeks. Aileen was my father's nurse in ICU. She is young, Irish, and a Gaelic speaker. My father instantly told me she was the one for my son Finn. I introduced the two, they were instantly smitten, and today they made this announcement.
My father gave them his Gaelic blessing and then announced we would all say a Rosary in Gaelic as a thanksgiving and a prayer for Finn and Aileen. When my father announces something, we all jump to it. Indeed, if he said 'jump' to this day we would all say, 'how high, Sir'. Bless him.
We said the Rosary, and at 3 we were still there so we joined him in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. At the end, he fell asleep and we all quietly left the room and went outside into the atrium to congratulate Finn and Aileen and to make a fuss over them.
At about 3:30 the nurse went in and discovered that my father had died in his sleep. She was very upset and weeping. She had come to care for my Da just as most folk do. We ran back into the room. Da had a smile on his face. There was the overwhelming aroma of roses. Even the nurses commented on it.
It hasn't really sunk in yet with me. He had suffered so much in the last couple of years. And his face was the picture of peace. The Maronite priest was in the hospital, and he came by just intending to call on his old friend my father. He is such a saint of a man. He prayed for Da in Aramaic and Arabic. It was very beautiful and perfect given my father and mother's service to the Church in the Holy Land. Father was a great comfort to my dearest mother.
Everyone of the nurses was wonderful to my mother, and for her part she cried but more because she was happy for my father to see Jesus face to face. She is actually older than my father and not in the best of health either. She is resting just now, and my brother Kevin is handling various arrangments that were made from when Da had his surgery. There was such a likelihood that he wouldn't make it through that surgery that he had prepared everything. We just didn't know that we would need it at this time.
As you all know, I only lately came to FR to fill in for my father who was so worried about the Catholics on FR and the troubles in the Church. I have tried to do some of what he wanted, but I know I haven't been able to do nearly so well as he.
He cherished many of you and kept you in his prayer intentions. He would want me, in the most Irish way possible, to bless all of you on behalf of my family for your kindness to him. And so in the name of good St. Patrick and sweet St. Brigid, I bless you all and your loved ones too, and I thank you for your prayers and your many kindnesses in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit..
I came home to find your letter telling us that history_matters had died and was heartbroken. Your Dad was a joy and inspiration to so many.Each day I checked to see if he was back at it. And while you too are gifted with a grace and an intellect that is extrordinary,I missed your Dad. It was hard to realize that he was not going to be encouraging and enlightening us with his knowledge,thoughts and prayers. I read what you wrote and realized that he did have what we all pray for,a peaceful,beautiful death with his family surrounding him and was now with God.And,I was especially happy that you also pictured Michael,in Mary's arms until your Dad got there.
I was immensely moved to find Oxford's message to you expressing his comfort in knowing your Dad would take care of Michael while he was unable to be with his son. I can go to sleep tonight thinking how God works in His mysterious ways. Love and prayers.sara
Until we meet again, Greg, pray for us and the Church. Say hello to my mom and dad, Roger and Antoinette.
A Marine too. Rest in peace & Semper Fi.
You dad was a special man! he and I often has doctrinal disagreements...but he was always so warm and knowlegable..Know that on this Sunday I will pray that your family have peace at this time..
Dia duit
We can all take comfort in knowing that there are two more intercessors in Heaven at a time when the world grows more and more crazy around us. We are truly blessed.
Well said and I totally agree. Please accept my deepest sympathy and condolences. I offered an intention for your dad at Mass this morning. God Bless you and your family.
Fr. White (from Ireland and a missionary for 20 years or more to Nigeria) was back from retirement to celebrate the Latin Mass today. I shall drop him a letter with your family's intentions in the hopes he will keep you in his prayers and maybe offer some Masses for you. I know he will.
In Christ's love and with continued prayers,
Chris.
Journey of the Magi
T.S. Eliot
A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times when we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities dirty and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wineskins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.
In paradisum, deducant te angeli; in tuo adventu, te suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam, Jerusalem. Chorus angelorum, te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro, quondam paupere, aeternam habeas requiem.
This text is set by both Durufle and Faure. The edge goes to Durufle because of his leaving of the 2nd of the scale on the word 'aeternam;' the chord never resolves (that is, it portrays eternity.)
Shaw/Atlanta Symphony does both, I believe. Worth purchasing for a real lift at this time.
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