Sunset at St. Benedict's Monastery
This week this dimension of life lost two men, both Benedictine Monks and Priests, whose lives enriched those of many of us.
Father Thomas Keating with me on retreat at the Snowmass Retreat Center at St. Benedict's and Fr. Thomas alone.
Last Sunday morning I happened to check e-mail early and had a Caring Bridge notice that Abbot Joseph Boyle of St. Benedict's had died early that morning after a valiant battle with cancer. Abbot Joseph was three years younger than me. He was always a welcoming presence at the Monastery, speaking to groups of all sizes. He prided himself on remembering our names and was temporarily flummoxed when my friend Mary Ann appeared with me at her side rather than our friend, Judith, who had accompanied her on many retreats. "You are not Judith," he said, then rubbed his nose as if that would bring my name to mind. He later got as close as Margie, not bad since I hadn't been there in four or five years. After that he did not forget my name.
This morning I opened my e-mail to find three notices of the passing of Fr. Thomas Keating who had moved to the abbey in Spencer, Mass. to get more effective care several months ago. Fr. Keating was born in 1923. When asked how he was for the past several years prior to his departure from St. Benedict's, he had smiled and said he was dying.
At the retreat where he is pictured, he had spoken with vigor to our group at the retreat's closing circle and announced at the end that he would be happy to stay for a few minutes for photographs. We hadn't known that he would be able to meet with us so the picture taking opportunity was a bonus.
Humble, compassionate, wise, with eyes that sparkled with joy as he spoke--these words could describe both of these men. Abbot Joseph was known primarily to the St. Benedict's Community--those who regularly and occasionally attended mass there and the hundreds of us who made retreats in that beautiful valley. Fr. Thomas was known not only to the Christian Contemplative world but to many in other traditions.
As my friend Mary Ann said today, they had served well and long and deserved their rest. However, this world has lost two lights that spread Divine love and light to all they encountered. Fr. Thomas' books and the centering prayer practice he founded with two others changed my life at a fragile time and enriched my life in the twenty plus years since.
I last saw them both in July of 2015, shortly before I moved from Colorado to Nashville. Mary Ann and I were on a private retreat at St. Benedict's and were invited to a memorial service for Abbot Joseph's sister. Ft. Thomas slipped into the back of the sanctuary in time for communion and stood in the bookstore waiting to receive hugs and greetings as we left the service, announcing to all who asked that he was dying.
It is with a heart broken open that I acknowledge their passing and with the deepest gratitude that I honor the gifts they brought into my life.
Rest in Peace dear brothers in Christ.
PS: Tomorrow I will write about my trip to the Galapagos. I simply couldn't let the passing of these religious men pass without notice.
No comments:
Post a Comment