All Ends are a Beginning

We are sorry for leaving you all hanging for the last few hours. The funeral on Wednesday was obviously an incredibly packed day. And we left early Thursday morning for the airport thinking we would have time to blog while we waited for the plane. But naturally we got a flat tire on the way that put us behind schedule, so that didn't happen. (: One last treat to keep us on our toes...comes to be one of our favorite things about being there though!

The funeral was beautiful of course. I was amazed at the number of songs they sang from the CD "Liberacion"...so many of us Americans were able to sing along and participate. To number the people present for the procession into the city, funeral, procession to the cemetery, and burial, would be futile. We are guessing upwards 30-40,000 people. The Archbishop gave a beautiful homily, as did Fr Giovanni and Fr Greg Schaffer "Junior," Fr Greg's nephew who is currently serving the MN Archdiocesan mission in Venezuela. Chona was even able to say a few words, before the Archbishop had to hurry on to Guatemala City for the funeral of the Cardinal who passed away this week as well.

The procession was amazing. Somewhere around 40 blocks looping through the city before we arrived in the cemetery. We were so honored that they asked us "gringos" to take a block. They were so helpful, getting us all in line and laughing at us as we tried to figure out how to navigate the rocky landscape and turn the corner to hand Fr Greg off to the next group.

The cemetery was completely packed with people, so the police had to close it. Of course, Guatemalans are resourceful (: so we gathered in the streets in front of stores who had TV's playing the footage being recorded from inside. Many tears were shed both inside and outside the cemetery as we watched our beloved Fr Greg placed to rest in the beautiful Mausoleum with Fr Thomas Kavanaugh that the people of the Parroquia designed to look like the church of San Lucas el Evangelista. As the final brick was laid, and my heart ached at the thought that we would never see his beautiful, wood-carved resting place again, the sky broke loose and an incredible, torrential downpour sent us all fleeing for shelter. Tiendas handed out blue tarp to passersby to help us shield ourselves from the rain. I had the good fortune of being able to jump down from on top of the Mausoleum I was standing on and stand under the ledge of it. After about 45 minutes, I peeked around the corner of it, to find that a few people were holding a tarp over the mausoleum to shield the few people left in the cemetery, as well as the man sealing the mausoleum with cement.

 They smiled and waved me over and I went splashing through the giant mud puddles to safety. As we cried together, watching the last brick of the tomb sealed with cement, an immense crack of thunder echoed through the sky, and Juan, a worker at the mission standing next to me smiled and said: "Adios Padre." (: He then looked me dead in the eyes, smiled and said: "one last gift from our Padre." I asked him what he meant and he said: "the rain...the rain is MUY good for the mission, cleans the streets, helps the coffee grow, the corn grow... it's good for EVERYTHING! The rain is our last gift from Padre Greggorio." Wow.

Chona, and many, MANY of the women at the mission had been working on a meal for the many people who would be in attendence. They made Fr Greg's favorite soup. The work began days ago for this meal so that no one would be turned away. Fr Greg used to say: "Jesus NEVER turned anyone away who came to him in need." I was humbled and amazed at the fact that in our last commemoration of this man's incredible life, the people of San Lucas did that same thing. They gathered together at table, on the curbs, and in the streets around great kettles and dined together. No matter who we were, what our social standing or relationship to the mission was...we were all equals. Simple people affected in some way or another by the life of this man...but not simply what he "did." It was his Christ-like, unconditional love for all of us that united us that day.

And it will continue to unite us. Because when we love one another, that love cannot die. And so despite the end of Fr Greg's life, we know his love continues on, and is the beginning of something new.

I can't still feel it now, can't you? (:

Well done good and faithful servant, and rest in peace Padre, you deserve it! We've got it from here. (;

Lori