Mortality & Community - A Reflection

I want to be up on the hill with those guys -
who made bricks here, who milked cows,
fixed pipes,
who taught and preached,
and lived in this community,
coming together on good days and bad to praise the Lord.

I want to be with those who baked the bread,
made the sausage and apple pies,
who taught countless students,
and baptized, married, and buried,
who made music and a community of faith in Jesus Christ.

-Abbot John Klassen, OSB
Homily, June 6, 2008: Dedication of the Cemetery Expansion