Thursday, December 31, 2009

In Memoriam

In memory of my dear Aunt Nanny,(Helen Lenox Springer), who died on 1 January, 2004, and to my beloved maternal grandparents, John Mason and Edith Helen (Sheely) Hopkins, who died forty years ago, I offer this hymn in honor of them.




"Be Still, My Soul" was sung at my grandparents' funeral in August of 1969. It expresses their faith in the Lord, and my own faith, given to me by God, through them.
May Aunt Nanny, Grandpa and Grandma Hopkins rest in peace. Amen.

11 comments:

Adrienne said...

Prayers offered...

Ummmmmmmmm, my maternal grandma was a Hopkins. Are we related from some distant past??

Fr. John Mary, ISJ said...

Adrienne: Wouldn't it be lovely?:<)!
My Hopkins relations are from central/southern Illinois. And then directly back to England in the 1840-50s.
What was your grandma's name and where was she from? (I do have a family tree that goes back quite a bit).

Maria said...

I've given much thought to the great debt I owe my parents and grand parents for my faith.

The hymn...Oh Padre. What a beauty. Thank you.

Donna said...

Are you related to the Jesuit poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins?

Fr. John Mary, ISJ said...

Donna: Oh, how I wish! I do not know if, in fact, we may be related.
But my English ancestors, many of the them Anglican ministers, could well be related, and so would I be.
I love Gerard Manly Hopkins; read his biography and pray to him.

Donna said...

Oh Father, isn't it wonderful to think you may have that connection? I love him, Walker Percy, and Flannery O'Connor. Right now, I'm reading the Gooch biography of O'Connor. In some ways, I feel like I'm reading through a mirror. I'm praying to her to help me with my dissertation! Ha!

Fr. John Mary, ISJ said...

Donna: Flannery O'Connor is one of my favorites. Really. She is such a profound Catholic writer. She will answer your prayers, I am sure!
How much she loved and served the Lord. How much she suffered! Will add our prayers for your success!

Maria said...

Donna: Sorry Padre. I am MAD about Walker Percy. The day he died, I was out to dinner on a date. I was so upset, I had to leave the restaurnant in tears. He once said that " we have to cultivate a sense of horror". What a remarkable man. The Second Coming is a true work of art. Oh. I cold go on.

Donna said...

Father,

Thank you so much for your prayers. I'm writing on the appearance of religion in the writing classroom--as revealed in recent scholarship and in the history of writing education. As you can imagine, it will involve some contentious areas. I've been struggling with it--because of the topic itself and some at-home issues.

Donna said...

Father,

Thank you so much for your prayers. I'm writing on the appearance of religion in the writing classroom--as revealed in recent scholarship and in the history of writing education. As you can imagine, it will involve some contentious areas. I've been struggling with it--because of the topic itself and some at-home issues.

Donna said...

Maria,

Incredible he was. I attribute him to my coming into the Church. His essay, "The Delta Factor," is the most beautiful meditation on the human condition that I have ever read. I could go on forever, as well.