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Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
At Ten O'clock the bell of Mastergeehy Church began to call the residents of the Valley of Cummeragh to Colm Gilchrist's Requiem Mass. Hearing the bell, Seamus hurried out of Old Dromod Cemetery and up the hill towards the Church. He glanced inside the Church and saw that his mother had not yet arrived. He was relieved that he had arrived before she did for his father's Requiem Mass.
Earlier that morning, Seamus got out of bed before anyone in the house was awake. He hurriedly got dressed and went downstairs. He found a piece of bread and some water in a pitcher. He would have liked something better for breakfast, but this would have to do. He wanted to get out of the house before his mother was up. He needed time by himself today since he had an idea of what was coming. This was not going to be an easy and he wanted to be well prepared.
After finishing his quick breakfast, Seamus pulled on a sweater, grabbed his father's cap off the hook by the fireplace, and quietly went out the door. Carefully and silently he carried his bicycle out to the road and walked west for about one hundred yards. He thought that this would be far enough away for that he wouldn't wake up everybody in the house. What he did not know was that his mother peaked out the window and saw his leaving the house. She made the Sign of the Cross and prayed to herself,
"Seamus, may the angels of God watch over you today and everyday. You're a good boy."
Thankfully the day was not too cold as Seamus rode his bicycle towards Old Dromod Cemetery. When he got to the cemetery he leaned his bicycle against the outer wall and walked into Dromid Church. He knew that Dromid Church had not been used for Holy Mass for several centuries, but it was still a holy place. Is grandfather was buried here. So too were other relatives. He was especially honored that his father's uncle Henry was buried within what would have been the sanctuary of Dromid Church. This was a high honor, not just for Uncle Henry, but for all of Seamus' family. This would be a good place to say some prayers and think and to get ready for the coming day.
Seamus walked up the nave of Dromid Church, carefully noting the names on the gravestones. So many families he knew had relations buried here! Some of these families had been in the Valley of Cummeragh for so long that Seamus thought that they must have been here for centuries and centuries. Maybe they had been here from the time of Blessed Patrick himself! This place was really home for them. As he found Uncle Henry's grave in the sanctuary of Dromid Church Seamus thought, "This place is also my home. This is where I belong."
Seamus knelt on Uncle Henry's grave and made the Sign of the Cross. He didn't pray the Rosary; he just knelt there and thought. He thought about how this Church had been built in the Fourteenth Century. He thought about how priests and families for so many years came here for Mass and baptisms, weddings and funerals! He wondered what it was like when they tried to take this church away from the families of the Valley and make it a Protestant Church. He thought about how they ran the Protestant Minister out of the Valley, telling him that they did not like his ways, that they knew the right way to pray. He thought about how the British tried to build a fence around Dromid Church to prevent the people of the Valley from using their church for Mass or any other purpose. He thought about how several families met together one evening and conspired how they might assert their rights to Dromid Church. He remembered his grandfather telling him how one night, under the cover of darkness several families came down to Dromid Church and climbed over the fence. They dug a grave on the right side of the church, near where is grandfather lie buried and where in a couple of hours his father would be buried, and buried an old man. He smiled as he thought that even the British authorities would not disturb that grave. He could just imagine the men that night, as they buried the old man, thinking, "If Dromid cannot be our Church, it will be our burial ground. Our fathers and mothers built this holy place and now they will make it even holier by resting here in peace."
Seamus went up to what must have been the sacristy of Dromid Church and went out on the left side of the Church. He wanted just to look at the graves and see who was here in Dromod Cemetery. For almost an hour Seamus walked slowly from grave to grave. When he saw a family name that he knew, he made the Sign of the Cross and uttered a quick prayer for them.
Finally he moved around to the right side of Dromid Church and headed towards his father's grave. He again checked to make sure that it would be long enough and deep enough for his father's casket. He made sure that the ropes were nearby so that they could easily lower the casket into the grave at the right time during the burial service. He laid the shovels behind his grandfather's grave so that they would be able to cover the grave quickly.
As he stopped to make one final inspection of his father's grave, Seamus felt that call of nature. He panicked, "What am I going to do now?" He thought that this must have happened before, perhaps even that night when they buried the first old man on the grounds of Dromid Church. He figured that the dead people would not mind too much so he looked around and saw that nobody else was in the cemetery. It was still much too early, though Seamus had no idea of what time it was. He went to the north wall of the cemetery, took care of things, and felt much more comfortable. As he zipped himself up he told the good Lord that he did not mean to desecrate the cemetery, but he just did what he had to do and he hoped that God wouldn't mind too much.
Returning to his father's grave, Seamus knelt down, took out his rosary and prayed for his father and for strength to get through the day. When his rosary was finished, Seamus continued to walk around the cemetery and see who was buried where. He did wonder what time it was, but he was not worried. He knew that he would be able to hear Mastergeehy Church's bell at Old Dromod Cemetery. And so he did.
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
As Mastergeehy's bell began it tolling, he quickly got to the front entrance of the cemetery, hopped on his bicycle, and rode up to the church. He put his bicycle on the side of the Church and waited until his mother and family arrived with the McCarthys.
Seamus did not have to wait too long. Soon enough he saw the McCarthys coming up the hill towards the Church. He saw his mother and brothers and sisters sitting in the back of the carriage. He hoped that his mother would not be too angry with him for leaving so early from home without telling her where he was going. He ran up to her and hugged her and began to apologize for leaving earlier that morning without saying anything. She stopped him mid-sentence, gently rubbed her hand on his cheek, and said,
"Seamus, it's all right. I saw you leave while it was still dark. I prayed that the angels would watch over you and protect you. I knew that you were going to the cemetery to check out your work. I wasn't worried. I knew the angels would protect you."
Seamus was a little embarrassed at hearing this and so he cleared his throat and said,
"Ok, Ma, maybe we had better get inside of the Church. Maybe Father Kennedy is waiting for us."
When Seamus stepped inside of Mastergeehy Church, he was surprised to see that his father's casket had been moved to the vestibule from its place on the catafalque up front. Why did they move it? The catafalque was still up front and the six orange candles around it were still burning brightly. Why did they move him, Seamus wondered?
As the Gilchrist family moved up the center aisle, Mabel Povey began to play the organ. Seamus was happy to have the music as it made the funeral seem a little softer. He hoped his mother liked the music too. And she did. He noticed that she was humming along with Mabel and Seamus was glad for that. He did not want his mother, or the rest of his family, to be too sad today. Music always seemed to make things a little happier.
Seamus knelt in the pew and buried his face in his hands. He was trying to pray, but he was also getting pretty tired. He had been up a long time and now he was beginning to pay the price.
Her was jolted back to reality as the altar boy rang the bells by the sacristy door. The congregation immediately stood as Father Kennedy came out of the sacristy, genuflected in front of the Altar, and then, led by the altar boy with the processional Cross, went to the back of the Church where Colm's casket lay. The altar boy with the Cross halted and Father Kennedy went in front of the Cross and began some prayers. Seamus wished that he knew what Father Kennedy was saying, but he was not too worried about it. He figured that either God understood Latin or that he had some angel or another who did understand Latin and they would translate for Him.
Just as Father Kennedy sprinkled some holy water on the casket, he turned around and caught the attention of Seamus and motioned him to come back to the vestibule. Seamus wondered what was going on, but he went back anyway. Father Kennedy motioned him to stand to his left, right by the casket. When he finished the prayers, Father Kennedy handed Seamus the black funeral pall and asked him to open it on his father's casket. Seamus was nervous, but very proud to be able to do these things for his father. As he spread out the pall, he paid in his heart, "I love you, Pa! I'll miss you, but I will be a good boy wherever I am."
As Seamus smoothed out the last little wrinkle in the pall, Father Kennedy motioned him and three other men to carry the casket up to the front of the church. With the cross leading the way, Seamus solemnly carried his father for his final Mass at Mastergeehy Church.
Arriving at the catafalque, Father Kennedy watched them carefully as they placed the casket between the orange candles. As he indicated that they could now go to their places in the pews, Father Kennedy entered the sanctuary began the Requiem Mass.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine; et lux perpetua luceat eis!
Though Seamus did not understand the words that the small choir was singing, he found them strangely comforting. He thought of all the times that he had come to Mass in this Church. He thought of how his father helped fix the church after the terrible storm a few years before had knocked some trees onto the roof. His father had been able to fix the roof so perfectly that nobody even knew that there had been some damage.
Dies irae, dies illa; sovet saeculum in favila; teste David cum Sybila!
The haunting melodies of the Dies Irae made Seamus think about the finality of death and to pray for his father. He prayed for his mother. He knew that this was a hard time for her, but he knew that his father was in a better place and he prayed that God would take care of her. He prayed for his brothers and sisters. He was the oldest; he had more experience. He would be able to take care of himself, but what about them. He prayed that God watch over them.
As he looked up from his prayers he saw the altar boys coming down to put the cloth over the communion rail. Seamus knew that this meant that he would be able to stand and walk a bit and that was a good thing. As he knelt at the altar rail waiting for Father Kennedy to bring him Holy Communion, he prayed for the strength he needed. As Father Kennedy came near him, he heard the words "Corpus Domini Nostri Jesu Christi..." The Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ... As he received Holy Communion, he thanked God for giving him a good father and he prayed that he could always follow his father's example.
He returned to his pew and prayed some more. He was not aware too much of what he was praying. Mostly he was just praying that he would be able to live a good life. He didn't really know what to say, but he put that in God's hands and let Him worry about that. God knew what was in his heart.
Father Kennedy finally came down to the casket and began the final prayers of the Requiem Mass. One last time he sprinkled the casket with holy water and waved the incense all over it. Seamus couldn't help but wonder if Father Kennedy was using a lot of incense because he was worried that his father might stink up the church since he smelled pretty bad there in the casket. Seamus smiled to himself and then realized what he was thinking. He was worried that he might have offended his father, so he prayed, "Sorry, Pa, for thinking that you stink here in the church. I really didn't mean any offense, Pa! You know that!"
As he finished apologizing to his father, Father Kennedy motioned him to come out of the pew and carry his father's casket out of the church. As the people sang his father's favorite hymn, "Holy God we praise Thy Name," Seamus and three others carried his father out of Mastergeehy Church for the last time. By now, the McCarthy's carriage was parked right in front of the Church. He carefully placed the casket on the back of the carriage and waited for his family to come outside. He would liked to have ridden with his father to Old Dromod Cemetery, but he knew that this time his place was with his mother and family. He waited until they came out of the Church and then they walked behind the carriage to the Cemetery. Thankfully, the cemetery was not too far from the Church so it only took about fifteen minutes for them to walk. Father Kennedy led the quiet, sad procession with the altar boys and the rest of the people followed behind the Gilchrists.
When they arrived at Old Dromod Cemetery, they hitched the horse to the gate of the cemetery and then Seamus stepped up to the rear of the carriage and motioned for three others to come and help him carry his father to his grave. They carefully carried their precious load, trying not to step on any of the grave, but this was impossible. They just hoped that the dead people knew that they meant no disrespect. When they arrived at the front of Dromid Church, they laid the casket on the ground next to the grave. Seamus was pleased when he noticed that they had actually laid his father's casket right on top of his grandfather's grave. He was sure that Grandpa would not mind.
As he stepped beside his mother, Father Kennedy began,
"In nomime Patris..............."
The Burial Rite was not too long and Seamus was glad for that. When Father Kennedy indicated that he was finished with the prayers, Seamus went and got the ropes that they would use the lower his father's casket into the grave. He gently lifted the casket so that Brian McGinty could place the rope under it and the loop it through the handles. They moved to the other end of the casket and did the same thing. When they were finally ready, Brian and Seamus lifted the front rope while Harry McGinty and his father lifted the rear of the casket. Ever so gently they moved the casket over the grave and began to lower it into the ground. Margaret Gilchrist gasped and began to cry and Seamus' brothers and sisters began to whimper. Father Kennedy loudly prayed,
"Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord," and the people gathered around the grave automatically answered, "and let perpetual light shine upon him" Father Kennedy continued, "May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace" and the people responded with, "Amen!"
Seamus and Mr. McGinty carefully and slowly pulled the ropes out from under the casket. As best as they could they tried not to jostle the casket too much. When they had the ropes out of the way, Seamus spoke up,
"Uh, folks, I want, I just want to thank you for coming and being here for me and my family. This is a kindness that we can never repay. All we can do is say, thank you!' Uh, if anyone would like to help bury my Pa, maybe you can come over here and get some dirt and toss it in the grave. I know that my Pa would not like having dirt be tossed on some beautiful woodwork, but this time I guess that it is ok."
The people in Old Dromod Cemetery smiled at this and a few stepped forward and tossed some dirt into the grave. When it looked like people had tossed as much dirt as they wanted to, Seamus motioned to his fourteen year old brother Martin to come and help him fill in the grave. It took them about fifteen minutes of hard work to complete the task. Several people offered to help Seamus, but he gently them,
"Thanks, but I have to do this. It's my duty."
When they were finally finished, Seamus stomped on the grave to level off the dirt. One by one people left the cemetery and many of them came over to Margaret. Some hugged her or one of the children. Some offered to help her in any way they could. Many stopped and told Seamus how proud they were of him and of how he was going to be a blessing for his mother. Seamus did not like this, but he smiled and kept repeating, "Thank you."
When only the McCarthy's and Seamus' family were left, he gathered up the shovels and ropes and began to them over to the McCarthy's carriage. His mother called out to him,
"Seamus, Seamus! Come here!"
Seamus tired to ignore her, but she called out again,
Seamus! Please, come here! Please!"
Mr. McCarthy finally came over to him at the carriage and said,
"Seamus, you've got to go and talk to your mother! Get over there now, boy!"
Seamus slowly walked back to the grave, knowing, he thought, what was coming. As he came closer to his father's grave, he mother shooed the rest of the family away.
"Go to the McCarthy's carriage. Seamus and I need to have a little talk."
Seamus' brothers and sisters, their eyes still red from crying, went to the entrance to the cemetery where the McCarthy's carriage was hitched. They glanced back at their mother and Seamus, wondering what was going on.
"Seamus," his mother began, "Seamus, you've got no future here." You've got to go."
"Ma, this is my home, this is where I live! This is where I am from. This is my family. I can't leave. What are you going to do?"
"Seamus, I don't know what I am going to do yet, but I know what you are going to do. You are going to leave here and have a better life in America. You've got no future here. Go, Seamus, go in peace!"
"Ma, I can't go. I can't go and leave you all alone. Who'll take care of you?"
"God will take care of me, Seamus. God will provide. You know that."
"I know, Ma, I know, but God is up there in heaven and we are here. What are we going to do here?"
"Seamus, listen to me. I do not know what I am going to do here, but you are going to go to America. Make a life for yourself! Make your father proud of you! These past days I have been watching you. I know you are a strong boy, you are the best son that a mother could ever ask for and now you have to listen to your mother. Leave here! Go to America! Have a good life! Pray for us, yes, pray for us, but go to America."
"Ma, how are you going to support yourself? Martin and Yvonne and all of them can't help. They're too young. What can they do?"
"Seamus, one last time, you must listen to me. You must leave here and make a life for yourself in America. You can send us some money once in awhile, if you can. If you can't, well, that's ok too. God will take of us. I know that, you know that!"
Seamus started to walk away from his mother. He did not want her to see him crying. He knew that this was coming. From the first moment his mother had told him that she was sure his father had died, Seamus knew that his mother would tell him that he was going to have to go some place else. But how could he leave his family behind? How could he leave his home? How could he leave his life behind and go someplace where he knew nobody. Here he knew everybody, even the people in the cemetery. They were his family too. How could he leave them all behind?
He turned to his mother and said,
"Ma, I'm only sixteen. I'm too young. I can't go away from you. I need you. You need me."
Just at that moment Seamus looked into his mother's eyes and saw them full of tender love for. She motioned him over and drew him close to her breast. She kissed him again and again. She began to cry and Seamus did too. For what seemed like forever, Margaret and Seamus hugged each other. Finally Margaret gently pulled away from Seamus and grasped his shoulders and said,
"Seamus! I love you more than you will ever know! And now I'm telling you again. You must leave this place and have a better life in America. You are not leaving your family behind. I know that you will always keep us in your heart and in your prayers. I know that you will not forget us and we will not forget you. No, Seamus, I love you very much, but you must go to America."
For a moment Seamus said nothing. What could he say? He wanted to remain here in his home. In the Valley of Cummeragh, but maybe he had to go. Maybe he could have a better life in America and then he could return and help his family have a better life here in Ireland.
"Ma!"
"Yes, Seamus?"
"Ma, I want to stay here with you more than anything in the world. I like it here. This is home!"
His mother started to protest, but a wave of his hand kept her quiet.
"Ma, I want to stay, but I will go. I will go to America and I will make you proud of me. I don't know how I am going to do it, but I will make you proud of me."
"Oh, Seamus, my dear Seamus!"
With that Margaret again pulled close to her breast and hugged him and smothered him with her kisses.
"Ma, don't be getting mushy on me now, please!"
Margaret did not know what to say so she just pulled Seamus close to her yet again. This time Seamus pulled away and said,
"Ma, I also want to make another promise."
"What is that, Seamus?"
With a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes, he said,
"Ma, I promise that I will always wash my hands!"
A few days ago Margaret had been unable to swat Seamus on the behind when he seemed to be mocking her as he told his brothers and sisters to wash their hands. This time her hand landed square on his butt with a good, swift and even hard hit.
She laughed and said,
"Get going, boy! We have work to do!"
"Ok, Ma"
With that, Margaret and Seamus walked to the gate of Old Dromod Cemetery, both wondering what life would be like in the months ahead.