Holy Souls, a backyard graveyard, and why we keep the dead near to us
Holy Souls, a backyard graveyard, and why we keep the dead near to us
Have you ever envisioned having a cemetery in your backyard? This is often a practice seen at Benedictine monasteries. Specifically, we frequently inter our departed members on the premises of the monastery, in close proximity to the structure where we reside.
This is not carried out with any sinister intent. Instead, it fulfills several beneficial purposes. For instance, having the graveyard on the monastery grounds allows the monks to encounter it frequently, which serves as a prompt to pray consistently for their departed brothers. Additionally, the sight of the cemetery serves as a poignant reminder of their own mortality. Ultimately, it is where their own remains will rest. This reminder aligns with St. Benedict’s guidance to his monks in his Rule: “Daily hold up death before your eyes.” Our time on earth is not everlasting. It will come to a conclusion, and we will stand before God’s judgement seat. With this awareness, let us be diligent in our journey of following Jesus. Let us engage in actions now that will enrich us for eternity, as St. Benedict advises.
Having the burial ground on the monastery’s grounds also encourages a connection with the monks who have preceded us. In a sense, those monks who have passed away remain my companions. We continue to share spiritual blessings. If they are in heaven, they are interceding for me. If they are in purgatory, my supplications assist them. Furthermore, by praying for them, I am adhering to the Second Commandment to love my neighbor as myself. Ultimately, I desire for others to pray for my peace after I depart! Charity must still be practiced between the living and the departed members of the monastery.
Perhaps this sense of connection with departed individuals is the reason why Benedictine monks played a key role in establishing All Souls’ Day. Within a century of St. Benedict composing his Rule for Monasteries and founding the Benedictine order in the sixth century, Benedictine monasteries began to hold memorials for their deceased members. Various dates were observed over the years, but ultimately, around the year 1000, St. Odilo, the abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Cluny, opted to hold the commemoration on Nov. 2, following the celebration of All Saints on Nov. 1. This observance spread to other monasteries and subsequently throughout the Latin rite of the Catholic Church.
Consequently, November has evolved into a month for Catholics to honor and pray for their departed loved ones. There exists a tradition of visiting the graves of these individuals and having Masses offered on their behalf. At my monastery, we have the practice of gathering as a group to our monastery’s cemetery one morning early in November. As the abbot, I guide the gathered monks in a prayer service dedicated to all the deceased monks. Following an introductory prayer and a Scripture passage, I walk throughout the cemetery, blessing the graves with holy water and then incensing them. In the meantime, several monks chant the names of all the departed monks while the others express their prayers for the deceased. As one ages and spends more time in the monastery, one tends to recall from personal experience more of the deceased monks who are mentioned!
The Second Book of Maccabees mentions that when Judas Maccabeus made offerings for his fallen comrades, “he acted in a very commendable and honorable manner, considering that he had the resurrection in mind” (2 Mac 12:43). In remembering the deceased, we keep the Resurrection in our thoughts. Through our connection with departed colleagues and loved ones, we aspire to go “all together to everlasting life” (Rule of St. Benedict, 72:12). We look forward to the moment when the graves are opened and cemeteries are cleared, reuniting our bodies with our souls. At that time, we will fully exist, body and soul, in the presence of the risen Lord. Death will no longer exist.
Abbot Austin Murphy, OSB, is the abbot of St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, Illinois.
