{pretty}
The flowers sent for Grandpa's funeral were absolutely beautiful. Even my in-laws sent flowers, which was so kind!
The receptionist at the funeral home is Catholic, and she was telling Grandma that there is a lady in this area who will take your dried flowers and make rosaries from them! Grandma isn't sure if she wants a rosary, or chaplets for her and all of her children. I'm really curious to learn how that is done, because that would be a beautiful thing to do for any special occasion where you have flowers!
{happy}
We were so blessed by all of the people who came out to pray for Grandpa's soul! I think there were over 200 people in attendance.
Grandma with her children. They were trying to get a family photo before Grandpa passed, but it never worked out with two of my uncles living out of town. He looked so awful towards the end, though, that it might have been more difficult to have a family photo with him in it.
{funny}
This isn't funny, but it makes me smile, so it's going under {funny}. Father and his posse of altar servers. I love the parochial vicar at my parents parish! He has the most beautiful traditional vestments, and wears the biretta like Don Bosco.
{real}
The funeral home did a pretty good job with Grandpa. He looked very peaceful.
The final blessing! The Traditional Mass is the most beautiful thing in the entire world to me. I love all of the sacraments, the symbolism, the Latin, the music...it's just amazing. I was so excited when Grandma chose a sung Requiem Mass in the Old Rite. The schola sang Dies Irae, to Grandma's great delight, with Panis Angelicus and O Sanctissima as the Communion hymns. None of the modern garbage so often played at funerals today. No eulogy. No "Hal is in heaven" nonsense. Oh, and the BLACK PALL! And vestments. We're here because someone died, and we need to pray for their soul! Not because they've died and gone to heaven. My Grandpa was a good man, but good isn't good enough to take you straight to heaven. God save us from the false theology so prominent in today's Church.
I am not a radical traditionalist, even though it might sound like it. I'm not an angry Catholic, either. The lack of proper catechesis and the misunderstanding of many Catholic teachings makes me very sad, and I long for the days when priests taught the whole truth, and not this watered-down-make-people-feel-good fluff.
Because the black pall was just so awesome.
The rosary thing is curious. I've never heard of that.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like it was a wonderful Mass. I said a prayer for your grandfather.
I know what you mean -- you don't know how consoling a funeral Mass can be until you encounter one with all the old bits left in. For me, it was the Melkite funeral for my husband's father. He was well and truly prayed for!
ReplyDelete