On behalf of the St. Bede community, I am pleased to announce a new opportunity.  The monastic community has agreed to open its Abbey Church to funeral services with burial elsewhere. Accompanying bereaved persons is an important ministry in the Church.  We want to extend that ministry to the People of God offering the comfort of the Gospel and the assurance of eternal life in Jesus Christ.

St. Bede Abbey is not a parish, having independence from the diocese and independence from the kind of support a diocesan parish would typically have.  Yet, over time and due to the influence of the monastic community, bonds of pastoral concern, friendship, and charity have developed between the monks and the people associated with the abbey’s apostolates: alumni/ae of the academy, oblates, current and former employees, friends of the abbey and academy, current students and parents to name a few. It seems natural that the monastic community would want to offer its abbey church as a place to express its pastoral concern for the faith community which has developed at St. Bede. 

As with all new opportunities details need to be clarified which will happen over time. I offer five guidelines to begin. First, a funeral home director can contact one of the monks at the abbey to begin the process of scheduling. The funeral home directors in Spring Valley, LaSalle, and Peru have our contact information on file. Second, the St. Bede Abbey Church is used for different services and events making the scheduling of services on a space-available basis. We ask that families be flexible with dates and times for a service.  Third, the monastic community can supply a priest unless one’s parish pastor is preferred. Fourth, the abbey is unable to provide personnel for music for funeral services, although musical instruments in the abbey church, such as the organ, can be used. Finally, we are willing to collaborate with each bereaved family to accommodate funeral service needs.

God’s peace be with all of you!