Ready for departure… not yet

This morning when I arrived in the chapel for the 6.30 prayers and mass, I was surprised that the remains of Ottorino Pasquato were already lying in state in front of the altar. Open coffin, as is done here; no post mortem and no embalming. The sisters of the infirmiry had washed and prepared the body, dressing him in alb and white stole.

Things that I could not remember yesterday came to mind during the prayers (for my place in chapel is in the first bench on the left of the altar, and so I was right beside the remains of Fr Ottorino during the whole prayer time.

Second surprise was that the chapel was filled with flowers and that even the coffin had been engraved with his name and date. Somebody worked over night for this.

Ottorino Pasquato
Priest Salesian
* Camin (Padua) 14 December 1931
† Roma-UPS, 21 January 2008

That's right. We celebrated his birthday just before Christmas, and he presided at Mass that day, which was the memorial of St John of the Cross.

Yesterday, in fact, I concelebrated with him for the feast of St Agnes… I remembered this morning that I had greeted him when I came into the sacristy.

And in mid-morning, I had a doctoral student in my office and needed to print some bibliographic material for him, so I ran into the photo-copy room, and Fr Ottorino was busy photocopying passages from a book on the Fathers. He let me interrupt his work so that I could take several sheets to use on my office printer. He wished me well in my work, and I did the same to him. The little pleasant things that we say to one another. He did not strike me as ailing or tired. All was very normal and even exciting, in an academic sort of way.

All these incidents came to mind during the mass… things that were said over the past three years… things from my student days when I was enrolled in his course on the history of Ancient and Medieval Spirituality… Yesterday, none of this came to mind; today at prayers so many incidents presented themselves, and I relived them.

Throughout the day these thoughts have returned, even as I worked on grading the last of the class work of students, backing up my computer documents, cleaning my office or packing my bags.

In a few minutes I'll go for the rosary at the chapel. Don Ottorino's sister and nephews have arrived from Padua. So has the Rector Major. After all that I must then finish the packing process. Departure tomorrow on United Airlines is at 10.55.