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Although Seamus had been to Father Kennedy's presbytery many times in Ireland, he had never been to a priests' house like the one at Saint Dominic's in Benicia. The presbytery at Mastergeehy was large enough for only one priest while the house at Saint Dominic's was home to almost 60 priests. Seamus also noticed that while there were so many people living at Saint Dominic's there was a calm about the house that amazed him. Father Murphy took him upstairs to what he called the infirmary.

"Pardon, Father, but what is an infirmary?"

"Well, it's like a hospital section. If someone is sick, they stay here so that one of the brothers can take care of him and help him a little easier."

Seamus nodded his understanding and quieted down as they came to Brother Matthew's room. Two priests were inside praying the Rosary while Brother Matthew was lying on top of the bed. He had his Dominican robes on with the addition of a large black cape. His hands were crossed over his stomach and had his rosary entwined in them. In a very soft voice Father Murphy spoke,

"Brothers, this is Seamus Gilchrist from Saint Patrick's. He is going to build the coffin for Brother Matthew, but first he need to measure Brother Matthew."

With a ruler that he had taken from his home in Port Costa, Seamus proceeded to measure how tall and wide Brother Matthew had been. Under the watchful eyes of Father Murphy and the two Brothers, Seamus made several notes on a piece of paper. When he had gathered all of the information necessary, he looked at Father Murphy and said,

"Thank you. I have the information I need."

Seamus then turned towards the body and made the Sign of the Cross, quickly saying a prayer for the happy repose of the soul of Brother Matthew.

When Father Murphy closed the door to Brother Matthew's room, he put his fingers to his lips and motioned Seamus to follow him. They went into a small dining room where Father Murphy poured a glass of water for Seamus and asked him,

"Do you think that you can make a coffin for Brother Matthew just like the one you made for Paul Walsh?"

"Sure, Father, I can do it. He wasn't a large person so that will make it a lot easier than Paul's coffin. When can I get started?"

"How long do you think that you need. We wanted to pray the Rosary and have Vespers for the Dead tomorrow evening in the Church."

"Vespers?"

"Vespers is a special kind of prayer that priests say. Your priest back in Ireland said Vespers privately from a book, but in a community of priests like we Dominicans, Vespers is sung together in the Church."

"Oh, ok, but can I come?"

"Indeed you can come, but how long do you think you will need to build the coffin?"

"Father, I can have it finished no later than noon tomorrow. It'll be a little hard since I will have to come over early from Port Costa, but it can be done by Noon."

"Seamus, since this is an important task, you can stay the night in one of our guest rooms so don't worry about getting up early. We get up very early for prayers in the Church, but you don't have to do that."

Seamus smiled and said, "Good. Now where is the wood shop you told me about?"

"Come then, I'll take you there now."

Father Murphy led Seamus back to the entrance of the priests house, the priory he was told was the proper name, and around to the rear of the building. There, directly behind the Church was a small building that Seamus was told was the wood shop. Father Murphy let him inside and told him,

"I think that you'll find everything you need. Do you have any questions? Do you need anything?"

"No, Father, thank you. I'll just get to work and see how fast I can make this coffin for the dead priest."

"Dead brother. Brother Matthew was not a priest.. He was a lay brother."

"But he had the robes on like you."

"Yes, he was a Dominican, but did you notice that his scapular, this long white cloth we wear was black, not white? That is the sign that he was a brother. Not a priest."

"A brother? What is a brother? What did he do? Did he say the Mass?"

"No, Seamus, a lay brother takes care of the house and does other things so that the priest can be free to preach and say Mass and hear Confessions. For many years Brother Matthew was the cook and he was a very good cook. But now God has called him to his eternal reward and he needs a coffin before we bury him.

"And a coffin he will get, a good coffin, a beautiful coffin, just like Paul Walsh's, just like my Da's!"

Father Kennedy smiled and then said,

"Fine, I'll leave you to your work."

With that Seamus removed his coat and began to work on his second coffin in just a week. Because he had just made one for Paul, the coffin for Brother Matthew was much easier to make. He gathered his wood together, measured out the lengths he required, and began to cut the wood to the necessary lengths. All afternoon he quietly put together the box portion of the coffin. Several times priests came in to see what he was doing. Seamus tried to answer their questions while keeping working. He knew that he did not have a lot of time. The priests were all very encouraging to him and he was able to keep working right along.

By late afternoon Seamus had finished the basic part of the box. Just then Father Murphy came into the wood shop and was very pleased with what he saw.

"Excellent, Seamus, this is quite good, but you must be very hungry. I brought you some dinner here."

"Thanks, Father, but I've been so busy that I have not even thought about eating."

Father Murphy smiled and said,

"So, you don't want to eat then? I can take the tray back to the kitchen."

"No, no! I don't mean that. I just mean that I have been busy and haven't thought about eating, but I am hungry. Please don't take the tray!"

"Good, then take a break. I'll be back after our dinner."

After saying a quick prayer before eating, Seamus sat on a bench and began to eat his meal. Father Murphy must have thought that he was a horse since he brought so much food, but to his own amazement, Seamus ate everything on the plate, even the funny purple colored vegetable. As he was eating, he studied the coffin under construction and made some notes to himself about improvement that could be made. This project had to be perfect.

As he was nailing the handles onto the sides of the coffin, Father Murphy came back and said,

"I think you need some ice cream for dessert, or have you given it up for Lent?"

"Father, you should know that Lent isn't a few more months yet and so I don't have to be worrying about giving it up, do I?"

Father Murphy laughed and said,

"No, indeed you don't have to worry about that right now. I hope you like it."

"It couldn't be better."

When Seamus finished his ice cream, Father Murphy took the bowl, but watched him finish nailing the handles to the coffin. Finally he said,

"Well, it looks like you know what you are doing. I'll be back after Compline to see you."

"Compline?"

"That's our nighttime prayers just before we go to bed. Sometime you can come in the church and listen. It's all in Latin though."

"Well, I don't know any Latin except what I learned to serve Mass for Father Kennedy back home."

"Ah, Pater Noster..."

"qui es in coelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum..."

"Very good, very good indeed, but right now maybe you want to get back to work. I'll be back later."

"Sure, Father."

With that Seamus went back to work and made sure that all of the nails were solidly attached and that nothing was loose. He began to lay out the wood necessary for the lid of the coffin and cut the pieces to the right length. He nailed them together and just as he was making the first fitting of the lid on the box, Father Kennedy came back to the woodshop.

"Seamus, you've been working a long time and you need some rest. We have a guest room all prepared for you. You can finish this in the morning. Come now."

Seamus wanted to say that he would stay and continue working, but he was tired and so he put the tools away and tried to clean up some of the mess he had made. Father Murphy then took him back inside the priory building. Near the kitchen Father Murphy opened a door and said,

"Here it is, then, your room for the night. I'll be by tomorrow morning so that you can finish the coffin. Is there anything you need?"

"No, Father, I'll be fine."

"Good! Have a restful night. You've had a long, hard day! May Almighty God bless + you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

Seamus made the Sign of the Cross and said "Amen! Good night, Father."

When the door was shut behind Father Murphy, Seamus took off his clothes and lay on the bed. Before long he was sound asleep and the troubles of the day were behind him.

The next morning Father Murphy knocked on his door and after getting dressed, Seamus headed off to the kitchen for some breakfast. Brother Robert was the cook and as he served him his meal, he asked,

"So you're the fella that's making Brother Matthew his burial box huh?"

"Yes, Brother, I am making the coffin for Brother Matthew. I should be finished around Noon today. At least I hope to be finished. Father Murphy said that the Rosary is this evening so I've got to get to work soon."

"Well, just so you know, Brother Matthew was a great man. He did the laundry here for many years and before that he was in San Francisco. Have you been to San Francisco?"

"No, not yet, but I hope to go soon. I just came from Ireland after my Da, I mean, my father died. He was a carpenter."

"And he taught you how to build things? Good!"

Seamus finished eating and with a quick good-bye to Brother Robert he headed out the back door and across the plaza to the woodshop. After about an hour's work he finished the lid of the coffin. He went over the entire coffin and made sure that there were no imperfections, that the nails were all secure, and all rough edges sanded down. Once this was done, he found some stain in a cabinet and carefully painted the coffin. Stepping back to admire his work, he said to himself,

"Well, Da, what do you think? Is this good enough for the Brother? Do you like it? What do I need to do now? I want this to be perfect."

Just then he heard the bells of Saint Dominic's ring and he wondered what they were for. He looked out the door of the wood shop and saw a number of Dominicans heading across the plaza into the Church. Seamus wondered why they were going into the Church at this time of the day. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to work and before long decided that if he did anything more to the coffin he would be wasting his time.

As he applied the last dab of stain to the coffin, Father Murphy came in and admired his work.

"You've done well, Seamus. Brother Matthew would be happy."

"Thank you, Father, but now I need some cloth and a pillow. I want to make sure the inside of the coffin is nice. Do you have something I can use?"

"Cloth...Hmmmm...I guess that I will have to go to the laundry and see what I can find. You know, Brother ran the laundry for many years and maybe he has something hidden away that we can use. I'll be back in a moment."

As Father Murphy went to the laundry, Seamus noticed a small imperfection on the bottom of the coffin. Even though this would not be visible, Seamus did not like the idea that there was anything wrong with his work. He sat on the floor and rubbed the area with a small rag and then applied several dabs of stain until the coloring was even.

When Father Murphy brought the cloth for lining the coffin, Seamus asked him if he wanted him to make a cross for the outside of the lid or did he want to use something from the priests house?

"Right, I had forgot about that. Let me go get the cross that Brother had in his room for many years. That's what should adorn the outside of his coffin."

Within just a few moments Father Murphy returned with the cross and watched as Seamus carefully measured the distances and nailed the crucifix to the lid. He then told Father Murphy that the coffin would be ready in about an hour.

"Fine, I'll be back then."

Seamus first cut off a piece of what looked like a fine table cloth and carefully folded it into place on the inside of the lid. He then put the rest of the cloth inside the box and tacked it down. He then set the pillow in place and said,

"Now I think that the Brother will be comfortable in this coffin."

Seamus began to clean up his mess and when Father Murphy came into the wood shop he proudly asked him,

"Is this acceptable, Father? Do you think that Brother Matthew will be comfortable in it?"

"I am sure he will be, I am sure he will be! You've done fine work, Seamus. I'll be back in a moment."

Father Murphy headed out the door and returned with four Dominicans who picked up the coffin and headed out the door. Father Murphy motioned for Seamus to follow.

"I want you to see you work in use."

They went in the back door of the house and down the corridor to the room when Brother Matthew's body was still lying on the bed. When they entered the room with the new coffin, the brothers that had been praying the Rosary stopped their prayers and stood up. The coffin was laid on the floor right next to the bed. As Seamus watched from the door, two brothers carefully, even reverently, lifted Brother Matthew's body off the bed and turned around to place it in Seamus' work. Just as they went to set the body in the coffin they noticed that it was turned the wrong way. Two brothers immediately bent over and lifted the coffin out of the way and then turned it around properly. They set Brother Matthew into the coffin and the two brothers who had turned the coffin around got into place along side the coffin. One of the brothers quietly said,

"On the count of three...one...two...three"

With that they lifted the coffin and carried it out the door. Father Murphy led the down the corridor and out the door. They headed across the plaza and into Saint Dominic's Church. Seamus followed at a distance and inside, he slipped into the first pew. Brother Matthew's coffin was carried into the sanctuary of the Church and set on a catafalque that was between six large orange candles, just like the ones used at his father's funeral in Mastergeehy Church. The only thing that seemed odd to Seamus was the fact that there were pews in the sanctuary of the Church and they were facing sideways instead of facing front. While the priests in the sanctuary were praying in Latin Seamus thought back to his father's description of the Black Abbey in Kilkenney. His father had told him that the Black Abbey was a monastery and that monasteries had these special pews right next to the altar. Seamus would have to ask Father Murphy about this later.

When the prayers were finished, Father Murphy came over to Seamus and said,

"You coffin is without a doubt superb work."

"Thank you, Father, but can I stay for the Rosary tonight and then the Funeral Mass tomorrow morning. I still need to finish cleaning up the wood shop. Also, Father,t here is something I want to ask you.?

"Yes?"

"Before I left Ireland my friends over there took a stone from the old Church where my father is buried. They carved their names on it and I would like to make a frame for it so that I don't loose it. There is a lot of scrap left over from the coffin."

"Seamus, make your frame and make a good frame. If that rock has your friends names on it, make it as a good a frame as Brother's coffin. I'll come and get you for dinner later."

With that Semaus headed back to the wood shop and spent some time cleaning up the mess from the coffin and then he began to make a frame for his friends rock from Old Dromid Church. He tried different ways, but finally he realized that he needed to have the stone with him before he could properly do the job. Well, thought Seamus, if I work here for the priests, I'll be coming back to this wood shop again.

After Brother Robert took him into the kitchen for dinner, Seamus was told that the prayers for Brother Matthew would begin at Seven-thirty. He would hear the bells ringing in the Church at about Seven-fifteen and that would be the signal to come immediately to the Rosary.

After cleaning up a little, he helped Brother Robert wash some of the pots in the kitchen and at the sound of the bells, headed out the back door and across the plaza and into the Church. The lights were all turned on and the church seemed very much aglow. Seamus marveled at the sight of so many priests standing in the pews in the Sanctuary, all dressed in their robes and with their flowing black capes. At one point he heard someone knock on one of the pews. At this noise, the priests all stood and turned towards the altar. Seamus hurriedly stood and made the Sign of the Cross, but he had no idea what was going on in the sanctuary. He continued to stand until he saw one of the priests turn to him and motion him to sit down. Seamus remained sitting as the priests sang their prayers back and forth in Latin. This, Seamus thought, is certainly different from Father Kennedy's Mass back home!

After about twenty minutes of singing in Latin, all of the priests knelt in their pews and Father Murphy began to pray the Rosary. At last Seamus knew what do it, but then even here they did something different. Instead of beginning with the Apostle's Creed liked he was used to, the priests began the Rosary with a Hail Mary. Don't they do anything normally around here?

When the Rosary was finished, Seamus went back over to the kitchen and to his guest room in the priory. He was tired, not so much physically, but mentally. He was determined to make sure Brother Matthew's coffin was perfect and he was pleased that the priests were very satisfied with his work.

The next morning Seamus was awakened by the sound of the bells of Saint Dominic's. It was still very dark outside and when he peaked out the window he saw the priests hurrying over to the Church. Well, he thought, I'll say my prayers later. Right now I think that the good Lord wants me to be asleep. So he got back into bed and was able to sleep until Father Murphy called him to get ready for Brother Matthew's Funeral Mass.

"You can have something to eat after the Mass."

Brother Matthew's Funeral Mass was much longer than the Funeral Mass for his father. Rather than reciting everything like Father Kennedy had done, the priests sang everything. Even though at times the singing seemed to go on and on, but Seamus tried to pay attention to what was going on and to pray for Brother Matthew as best as he could. Most of the time, however, Seamus prayed for his father and for Paul Walsh and for his family back home. Here he was in a monastery church, but what were his brothers and sisters doing right now? What about Brian and Harry or Liam and Pat? Or what about the guys from Room 104 on the Baltic? What were they up to?

When Father Murphy came down to give Holy Communion at the Altar rail, Seamus joined the small number of people in the Church in coming forward. It was sad, Seamus thought, that there were even fewer people at this Funeral than were at Paul's Funeral. Well I didn't know him, but I can still pray for him, right dear God?

At the end of the Mass, when all of the prayers had been finished, six priests come to the coffin and at Father Murphy's direction lifted the coffin and began to carry it out of the Church. The other priests began singing a hymn, Salve Regina, and followed behind the coffin. To their left, on the right side of the Church, there was a small monastic cemetery. It was surrounded by a small picket fence and a stone crucifix was at the back side of the graves. Brother Matthew's grave was right on front of the crucifix, in the second row. The priests carried Brother Matthew's coffin and laid it on the ground right next to the open grave. It has certainly been easier to get to this grave than it was to go to Paul Walsh's grave. Since the cemetery was small, Seamus remained outside the picket fence, watching and listening to the Burial Ritual.

When Brother Matthew was finally lower into the grave and the dirt filled in, Seamus started to return to the guest room. Father Murphy interrupted him and said,

"Seamus, come and have something to eat before you return to Port Costa."

Seamus gratefully accepted the offer of a meal and followed Father Murphy to the kitchen. After eating, Father Murphy came to take him back down to the docks so that he could catch the small ferry back to Port Costa

As they were riding to the docks, Father Murphy asked,

"So, do you think that you would like to work for us? If you come at least four days a week, I am sure that we can keep you busy and anytime you are over here working, Brother Robert will always give you something to eat in the kitchen.. We will pay you a decent salary in cash every two weeks. What do you say?

"Father, I've been thinking about this since you spoke to me over on the Snake Road. I like Port Costa and I want to live there, but since I can get across the Strait pretty easily, I would like to work for you."

Seamus then started to laugh. Father Murphy was not too amused at this outburst of laughter and so he asked,

"What's so funny?"

"Well, you see, one day some friends of mine over there in Port Costa were swimming and I said that someday I wanted to swim across the Strait to Benicia and back again. They thought I was crazy, and maybe I was, but I made them promise that if I ever did just that they would have to take me to a restaurant for dinner and buy me a beer. So, I was just thinking about me swimming to work sometime and collecting on my bet. That's all, Father. I wasn't trying to be rude."

Father Murphy smiled,

"Seamus, if you are going to do that, please let me know so that I can watch you swim to the docks here. That should be quite a sight! Anyway, I do hope that you will wait until its a lot warmer than it is now."

Laughing Seamus said,

"Indeed I will, Father, and I'll make sure that they bring you to dinner too."

"Fine, fine!"

When they arrived at the Benicia docks Seamus was left to wait for the ferry by himself. Thankfully, he did not have to wait too long and soon enough he was back in Port Costa, heading up to his home. Not Paul Walsh's home, but his home. Incredible! Seamus wondered what might have happened if he had not come over from Ireland to this new home. Well, he thought, the angels must be watching over me like my Ma always prays.

After cleaning up the mess of wet leaves all around his home, Seamus went inside and began to write a letter to him mother and family.

After finishing his letter Seamus addressed an envelope and went to the Post Office. He was glad that it was till open so he sent the letter off to Ireland and then proceed to climb his favorite hill overlooking the Carquinez Strait and Mount Diablo. With this grand vista before him, Seamus went over the events of the past few days and was amazed again at how lucky he had been. He knew that he could be out begging on the streets of some great city like San Francisco or still going to school in the Valley of Cummeragh, but here he was in America with a new job and a new home that was all his own.

"Da, can you here me up there even though I am on this hill? I do not know what to say, but thanks for teaching me something about being a carpenter. I'm not as good as you, but I tried to do my best to Paul Walsh and for Brother Matthew. If you see them up there, will you ask them how they liked their coffins? Maybe they aren't too fancy, but I did my best and that is what you always told me to do.

Da, I hope Ma and the rest are all right back home. I still hope that maybe some day she will marry the constable. He was pretty nice to all of us after you died. I hope you know that I don't mean that I don't love you anymore when I hope that Ma marries the constable. I think he's a pretty decent man, not as good as you, but still pretty good.

And, Da, I hope you'll say some prayers for me. I'm taking the job with the priests and I want to do the best for them. I'll try to live the way you taught me, ok?"

Seamus continued to think about his new life in America and how the Good God had blessed him. He asked God to do the right thing and not to make the Fathers in Benicia angry. As he was thinking this way he became more and more relaxed until he finally drifted off to sleep. That didn't last too long because as he lying there on the ground, several cattle came towards him. All of a sudden Seamus felt the wet nose of the cow right at his cheek. He opened his eyes and stared into the face of what seemed to be an enormous black cow. He jumped up, cried our "Oh sh.." and ran down the hill. By the time that he was at the bottom of the hill he was completely our of breath, but at least he was able, when he had caught his breath, to laugh. What a sight it must have been to see a cow trying to smell him. Seamus was just glad that the cow decided that he would not be a good dinner.

For the next ten months or so Seamus would take the ferry across the Strait to Benicia. Some days he repaired things in the priory and other days he helped take care of the gardens. One more priest died, Father Clement, and he built the coffin for him too. The only difference was that Paul Walsh's and Brother Matthew's coffin were made from Pine and Father Clement's was made from redwood. Seamus had never seen this kind of wood before, but he did think that it made a much more handsome coffin than the pine.

After Father Clement had been buried, Father Murphy called him into his office and told him,

"Seamus, the graveyard outside the Church is way too small. Before long, we will not have any room out there and, thanks be to God, we have may priests and some day they are all going to need to be buried. So, I've been talking to some people in the parish and one family, the Barry's, said that they would like to help us. Anyway, do you know them?"

"Is he the local doctor?"

"You've got him right. He is the doctor. Well, he owns seven acres up on Hillcrest Avenue and he wants to give it to us for a cemetery that the priests here and the nuns at Saint Catherine's Academy can be buried in. He only wants to be able to have his family buried there too. So I told him that we were very grateful for his gift to the Fathers and so that property up there is going to become Saint Dominic's Cemetery and I want you to move all of the priests and the nuns up there. You'll need to build new coffins for many of them and then get them buried up there. The brothers will help you, but you're the best carpenter here and so I want this to be your special project. What do you say?"

"Father, do you think I can do this? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I think you can do this and I know that I am sure I want you for this job. Right now I want you to go up to that property and look it over and see what you think needs to be done. Then I want you to go and order enough lumber to get started making the new coffins."

"When will we start moving the graves? Right away?"

"No. Not right away. But I do want you to get working on the coffins. We can store them away until we're ready for them. First, I want you to go look at that property and see what you think we can do with it. Only when we are ready will we begin to move the graves. Also, tomorrow you should go over to Saint Catherine's Academy and talk to Mother Goemere. She's the Reverend Mother and she will show you the nuns' cemetery and when we are ready, you can help move them too. All right?"

"Father, if you're sure that I can do this, I'll do my best for sure!"

"I'm sure, not get going before it turns dark. You don't want to miss the last sailing of the ferry back to Port Costa! Don't forget that the young people are having a dinner at Saint Patrick's tonight after the Novena!"

"I'm off, Father!"

With that Seamus left Father Murphy's office and headed up I street towards Hillcrest Avenue. It didn't take him too long to find the site of the new cemetery. He looked over the area and walked all over it. He wondered how it was going to look in a few months. Right now there were a lot of weeds and only a few trees on several gentle, slopping areas of land. At the moment, Seamus did not have any real idea what could be done to make this a decent burial ground, but he did remember a catechism lesson that Father Kennedy and taught him a few years ago. There were Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy that Christians are supposed to do and one of the Corporal Works of Mercy was "to bury the dead." If the Good God in heaven was going to let him move the graves of the dead priests and nuns to this spot, then he would try to do his best to be reverent and respectful to these people who had tried to serve God in their lives.

This was going to be, Seamus knew, a sacred responsibility and before he left the site of the new cemetery he knelt down and asked God to help him to a good job as he tried to fulfill this corporal work of mercy, to bury the dead.