Rosary and Eternal Rest

Oct 22

NOW & AT THE HOUR OF OUR DEATH….

Last week, I was in Fort Myers, Florida, for the viewing and funeral mass of Fr. Stanley Dombrowski, OSFS. Fr. Stan was a much-loved priest, pastor, and presence in Southwest Florida for over 25 years. The evening funeral Mass was beautiful. The church was packed with people, young and old; the music was well chosen and uplifting, 25 priests con-celebrated at the altar, and the Most Reverend Frank Dewane, Bishop of the Diocese of Venice, was in attendance and offered his prayers and condolences to the whole community. It was a memorable celebration of the love and devotion of a shepherd and his people.

The memory and image that most inspired me that evening was the simple Rosary Service that was held before the Mass began. Praying the rosary before a viewing or funeral Mass is an old Catholic tradition. For centuries, before the Mass was in the vernacular, it was the best way people could pray in their own language. When many people could not read or write, it was a beautiful way to express sadness and support for families who had lost a loved one.

While I have seen the rosary prayed at wakes and before the Requiem Mass, I had never experienced a communal rosary for the dead on such a large scale. Before the funeral Mass began, a representative from each of the parishes where Fr. Stan had served led the congregation in praying the rosary. Each parish reflected on one of the Luminous Mysteries. This traditional act of prayer was a way to unite the people from the surrounding parishes in their grief, to pray for the soul of a deceased pastor, and to trust that a beloved pastor and friend is being accompanied into eternity by the Virgin Mary.

Catholics are used to seeing a rosary in the hands of a deceased person in the coffin. Even in death, it appears as if the deceased is still thumbing his beads. It is a tangible sign of the link between the living and the dead – a real reminder of the communion of saints. With the rosary in our hands, we believe that we are connected to each other now and at the hour of our death.

During October, the Church asks us to pray the rosary as much as we can. We are asked to meditate on the mysteries of the life of Christ. We are reminded of the importance of seeing God at work in the joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious moments of our own lives.

Last week, as I witnessed about 500 people pray at St. Cecelia Parish in Florida, the people of Fort Myers reflected on the presence of God in the life of Rev. Stanley J. Dombrowski, OSFS. I saw people from all over Southwest Florida come together, support one another, and express their faith, hope, and love.

At St. Cecelia Parish, I saw heaven and earth linking hands and hearts, praying now and at the hour of our death.