Monastery- Greensboro, Vermont
June 8, 2009
- Angela Manno, June 9, 2009 with some revisions by Gail Worcelo,sgm
The weather at Green Mountain Monastery on June 8th, the day of the funeral
mass and burial of our dear friend and teacher Thomas Berry was impeccable.
With bright blues skies and a few puffy white clouds, the mist from the
early Vermont morning had burned off completely by the time people had
assembled in front of and to the side of the monastery entrance, greeting
each other in wait for the toll of the bell to signal the commencement of
the service.
Upon hearing the monastery bell, all fell silent and began to follow one by
one as Sr. Gail Worcelo led us in a silent walking meditation down a balsam
lined path circumambulating the steel statue of St Francis and the Birds
donated by Frederick Franck in 2006 to Green Mountain Monastery in honor of
Thomas Berry. After circling the lower meadow and mid-sized evergreens,
people gathered in front of the statue. The dedication by Franck was read
aloud:
"I dedicate this steel icon to the deathless spirit incarnate in one of the
most precious of my contemporaries.
Like that of St Francis of Assisi, Thomas Berry's life testifies to the
indestructible human spirit, the surviving triumph of human wisdom over all
the follies and cruelties of our generation."
Then we left single file once more and filed into the monastery for the
Eucharist Celebration and Burial Mass, whose celebrants were listed as: "
The Entire Earth Community."
In the center of the room, surrounded by the people that loved him, lay
Thomas's casket with a single lit candle placed upon it.
Musician Paul Winter pierced the silence with his soprano sax in a prelude
that was part lament, leading participants into a state of presence and
contemplation.
Then Sister Gail (co-founder with Fr. Thomas Berry and Bernadette Bostwick
of Green Mt Monastery)came to the podium and welcomed us. She reminded us
about how , "At the age of eleven, Thomas had a life altering experience
when he came upon a Meadow filled with white lilies in his home town of
Greensboro, NC." This experience Sr Gail said, " was not so much an
epiphany but 'a geo-phany' , the sudden revelation of the numinous
presence of the Divine penetrating the Earth."
"Thomas dedicated his entire life to this Geo- tific vision. Whatever
preserved the meadow was good, whatever opposed the meadow was not." " The
Meadow," Sr Gail said, "was an archetype for the entire Earth Community."
How fitting it is that he would be laid to rest, she told us, "in our
Meadow, which today takes Thomas back to itself in a full embrace."
When Gail's welcome was at an end, the response of "O Thou who Clothes the
Lilies" was sung by Sr Kathleen Deignan. During this song, Sisters
Bernadette and Gail laid upon the coffin three objects sweet with symbolic
and ordinary significance: a vase of white lilies, Thomas's well-worn navy
blue jacket and his black loafers. I had a sense of both history and the
future, where his items of dress, so familiar to those who knew Thomas,
would become treasures in the years and centuries to follow.
We were then graced with the recorded voice of Thomas reflecting in
anticipation of when we would all be gathered together for this moment:
"It is a touching moment, a poignant moment a person might say. Together
with you all here, in a sense for the last time that we would meet in such a
large assembly with those of us who have been associated with each other
over all these many years.
I came across something not long ago, it was a story of an Indian whose name
was Rubin Snake, a rather large person, he did so much for his tribe. I'm
not sure exactly what tribe?
He was talking with someone and they were venturing on something of
monumental importance. The other person was reflecting on it and said,
'dear, this is something awesome to try to do,. There's you and me, and we
are nothing. and we must be very foolish to even think of such a thing.
The old Indian, in a gruff voice said, 'Yea, but we'll find good companions
along the way.
And so in my own life venture, I've found good companions along the way. And
from moment to moment the number has gathered until it seems almost
limitless the number of good companions."
Moments of silence followed in which we marveled at the truth and goodness
of Thomas's comforting words to us.
The mass proceeded with a call to prayer by Fr Steve Dunn, cp and three
verses of a Song of Blessing by Coleen Fulmer that began:
"The whole of the Earth will be blessed by you; in God you have made your
home. The stars will dance as they call out your name; your heart always
laughing with joy, your heart always laughing with joy."
The Gloria was from the Mass in the Ecozoic by Jan Novotka and the first
reading was done by Kaiulani Lee from the Gospel of Thomas:
Jesus said to his disciples, "Compare me to something and tell me what I am
like."
Simon Peter said to him, "You are like a righteous angel."
Matthew said to him, "You are like a wise philosopher."
Thomas said to him, "Teacher, my mouth is utterly unable to say what you
are like."
Jesus said, "I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become
intoxicated from the bubbling spring that I have tended."
Following was the Psalm , "The Ways of the Universe" also by Jan Novotka,
and the Psalm reader was Brian Brown.
Then came the Alleluia "Journey's Ended, Journey's Begun" from the
recording Spirit Alive (Weston Priory)
"Journey's Ended, Journey's Begun to go where we have never been, to be
beyond our past, moments of lifting up transcending death, rising in
transparent light to the fullness of God's presence."
The Gospel Reading was Matthew 6: 26-28, which was read by Fr Steve Dunn,cp
who followed this reading with a homily focusing on the cosmological
perspective needed to answer Thomas' often posed question: "What time is
it?"
"What time is it? " Steve asked. "In this case, for the lilies of the
field and birds of the air, as well as the Green Mountains, especially the
Green Mountain Monastery, and each of us honoring Thomas' 94 years."
Ann Berry Somers, the niece of Thomas Berry then gave the Eulogy. Her Eulogy
was filled with warmth and humor and the reflection from a close family
member, someone who met with Thomas weekly once he came home to North
Carolina after his years of teaching and directing in New York City, was
heartwarming and informative to the many present who had not participated in
this aspect of Thomas's life.
Though her whole talk will be on the Thomas Berry website shortly, one story
stands out in this writer's mind:
Ann told us that she was on numerous occasions able to press Thomas on some
of the utterances he would make that begged elaboration. One instance was
about the small self (each individual component of the Universe) and the
Great Self -- the Universe in its wholeness. Thomas mentioned the meaning of
it all.
"Well, what does it mean?" she asked her "uncle Brother" point blank.
In time Thomas replied that the meaning is in "the attraction between the
small self and the Great Self" a theme that underlies his often quoted
statement that the Universe is not a collection of objects but a communion
of subjects and one of the great mysteries of existence.
She also told some humorous tales from Thomas's life: Once as the family
was gathered around -- nieces and nephews and their children -- as he
celebrated mass, he became "so animated by his own words" that he almost
went up in flames as he gesticulated and his sleeve ignited from the flame
of a nearby candle!
When Ann stepped down, we then rose to recite the Litany of the Saints
written by John Becker in 1987, words adapted by Sisters Gail and
Bernadette. This special Litany was recited at the Dedication and Blessing
of the Monastery not long ago and it goes so deeply to the core of the human
struggle that many people around the room were moved to tears.
This recitation lists the growing number of saints including now Thomas
Berry himself and his contemporary, Ewert Cousins who passed away two days
before Thomas. Many of us who had been mentored by Dr. Cousins shed an extra
tear of joy and sorrow to see his name so tenderly added to this list that
began with the Holy Family, all the archangels, continuing through the
martyrs, reformers and leaders of the Church throughout the centuries, to
holy men and women outside Church canon: Black Elk, Rachel Carson, Albert
Einstein, to victims of violence, genocide and environmental (natural and
manmade) disasters, and ended with this prayer:
God give new life
To this planet
To the Earth Community
To all children of the future
Send your spirit
In its fullness
That we may awaken
As one planetary body
Following theLitany of Saints , Sister Gail then invited everyone to anoint
Thomas's casket with pine infused oil that lay in a small bowl to one side
of the casket. Each person dipped a finger into the scented oil and drew
close to the casket, marking their own glyphs of love and farewell onto the
simple wooden box: hearts, spirals, crosses within circles. It was a deeply
fulfilling and meaningful gesture.
The mass continued with more pieces from Mass in the Ecozoic and communion
was accompanied with more music from Paul Winter who was stationed in the
rafters above the congregation with all the other musicians and singers. A
beautiful a capella piece of a poem by Mary Oliver was sung by Elizabeth
Thompson and Amity Baker - "I don't know what a prayer is- but I do know how
to lay down in the grass and pay attention."
At the closing, Sr Gail asked for women in the room who had had a heart
connection with Thomas to come up, surround the casket and dance in a circle
to the closing song, (Songs of the Angels by Bob Dufford). We danced, hands
clasped together, walking to the right and then to the left, swaying for a
moment and then back in the other direction. Another simple gesture of
embrace and tenderness.
Then Sr Gail asked for some able bodied men to come up and carry the casket
to Thomas's final resting spot in the upper meadow. Outside the monastery,
at the foot of the ascent, Sister Bernadette sounded the Ram's horn to
initiate the final climb. Sr Miriam MacGillis and Mary Evelyn Tucker also
helped carry the casket . Before the final ascent, we passed through a
ritual threshold where two women blessed us all with the smoke of burning
cedar as a final purification before the act of burial.
At the summit, Paul Winter played his soprano sax as people prepared to
lower Thomas into the Earth. The monastery bell tolled, one that is only
rung when someone has died, and Thomas was lowered into the fresh Earth by
those gathered.
To the side of the gravesite was a large bowl of red earth from Thomas's
birthplace -- the red earth of Greenbsoro, North Carolina which
Srs Bernadette and Gail had collected on one of their visits to Thomas.
Once the casket had been lowered, Sister Gail invited everyone to toss a
bit of this earth from "Greensboro South" to mingle with that of
"Greensboro North." Red roses were present so that we could also bid
farewell with delicate rose petals. Shovels were ready for those who wanted
to help fill up the grave. This went on for a long while, as people shed
tears and said their final good-byes.
A final song was sung,
"Our brother is here; we give him your hand."
"Bathe him in your love
Clothe him in your care
Send him along
With the wind and a song
And the rains of the earth in his hair."
- from Bathe Him in Your Love, by Joe & Maleita Wise
Slowly people gave their leave and made their way down to the tent for the
sharing of food.
The day honored the spirit of Thomas in every way and allowed those who
loved him to participate intimately in committing him to the final embrace
of his beloved meadow.