It is with such hope and faith in Christ's victory over death that our monastic community bids farewell to our brothers when they come to the end of their life's journey in the monastery. When the death of a member of the community occurs, a bell is tolled and the Abbot officially announces his death at the next gathering of the community for prayer. After the body is prepared for burial, the community gathers at the entrance of the monastery to welcome the deceased monk home for the last time. The Abbot receives the body in its simple casket, the Word of God is proclaimed and the community prays for the deceased. The body of the monk then lies in state in the front parlor of the monastery, beneath the victorious sign of the cross and between images of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica, until the funeral mass.
Visitors are welcome, and are encouraged to pray and remember the deceased.
The hymns, psalms, antiphons and readings for these periods of prayer speak of God's promise of salvation for those who believe. The culmination of our prayer is the celebration of the Mass of the Resurrection, celebrated in the Abbey Church. The community gathers in the parlor to close the casket and to take one final walk with their deceased brother down the hallway of the monastery to the Church, a short journey that has been a regular part of the monk's day for the many years that he lived in the community. At the end of the Funeral Mass, members of the monastic community carry their deceased confrere from the church to the abbey cemetery that is adjacent to the church. The Easter Candle leads the procession, proclaiming Christ's victory over death.