11 July 2006

...And The Humble Shall Be Exalted

Mother Philomena and pall bearers prepare for the entrance procession.

Yesterday morning at 11.00am the Rite of Christian burial was celebrated for our beloved Sister Anne Marie. In attendance were close to 400 of Sister's "closest friends," principal celebrant Rev. Jon O'Brien, sj, 12 concelebrants and her loving family and community.

At the conclusion of a beautiful homily about the raising of Lazarus, Fr. O'Brien shared with us "a mischievous fantasy" he has been entertaining:

Saint Peter approaches Jesus and says, "You'll never believe this, Lord, she called me 'dearie.'" Jesus looks at Saint Peter and replies, "She's been calling me 'dearie' for years!"

As a member of the monastery and vibrant presence in the school community for over 69 years, Sister leaves an inestimable loss. Mr. Daniel Kerns, jr remarked in one of the eulogies, "None of us here has ever known Georgetown Visitation without the presence of Sister Anne Marie." Well said.

The monastery community is deeply grateful for the many people who shared their time and resources with us in order to make Sister's wake and funeral such a profound experience for all present.

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