Our Farewell Ritual
Our Farewell Ritual
for our brother and friend, Michael Kelly
Michael Bernard Kelly
Born 27 July 1954
Born deeper into Mystery 14 November 2020
This is a very special day for us. The way we farewell Michael today expresses much of the way he lived. You are part of that. This celebration is also our gift to our brother, our mentor, our lover, our spokesperson, our priest, teacher, our friend. Please join us in making it beautiful and worthy of him.
Procession
Michael’s body will be brought in procession to the graveside by family and friends.
Song: Be Thou My Vision
1 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art--
thou my best thought by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
2 Be thou my wisdom, thou my true word;
I ever with thee thou with me, Lord;
thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
3 Be thou my battle shield, sword for the fight;
be thou my dignity, thou my delight,
thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tow-er:
raise thou me heav’n-ward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.
4 Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
thou mine inheritance, now and alway:
thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure thou art.
5 High King of heaven, after victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heav’n’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all
6 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art--
thou my best thought by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country: Noelene
Introduction
Michael’s sister Maureen will share some introductory reflections and invite Bob Hinkley to call us to gather in the spirit of friendship Mike shared with us all.
Sharing of the Word
Friends and family will share scripture readings that speak to them of Michael - his life, his work, his many gifts - offered so courageously and elegantly to the world.
First Reading John 10:9-10: Terry Walshe
I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: they will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
Second Reading Ephesians 3:14-19: Rose Marie Prosser
This, then, is what I pray, kneeling before our Creator, from whom every family, whether spiritual or natural, takes its name:
Out of infinite glory, may you be given the power, through God’s Spirit, for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.
Musical Interlude: Ashokan Farewell
Third Reading Song of Songs 2:10-13, 16a: Will Day
My beloved lifts up his voice, he says to me, ‘Come then, my love, my lovely one, come. For see, winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth. The season of glad songs has come,
the cooing of turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree is forming its first figs and the blossoming vines give out their fragrance. Come then, my love, my lovely one, come. My Beloved is mine, and I am his.
Fouth Reading Psalm 40: 8,10-11: Noelene Kelly
‘Here I am! I am ready!’
I have never kept your righteousness to myself, but have spoken of your faithfulness and saving help; I have made no secret of your love and faithfulness in the Great Assembly.
Prayers of the Community: Peter
Eucharist
Bread broken and shared
The sharing of eucharist was central to Michael’s life. We learn again the depths of ‘presence’ and ‘sacrament’ as we share this bread with one another and, in new ways, with him - and with all our ancestors in faith.
Barry Moran of the Catholic tradition, John Rolley of the Old Catholic tradition, and Irene Wilson who, with John and Michael, led the Emmaus Community at Abbotsford Convent, will lead us in this sharing of the consecrated bread of eucharist.
Distribution of Communion: We invite all to share this sacrament with us. Please wait until all have received so that we can eat eucharist together.
Song: Breathe on me Breath of God
1 O Breathe on me, O Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love the things you love,
and do what you would do.
2 O Breathe on me, O Breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until my will is one with yours,
to do and to endure.
3 O Breathe on me, O Breath of God,
My will to yours incline
until this selfish part of me
glows with your fire divine.
4 O Breathe on me, O Breath of God,
so I shall never die
but live with you the perfect life
for all eternity.
Prayer after Communion
Prayer of Commendation and Farewell
Barry
With faith in Life, we reverently bring the body of our brother to be buried in its human imperfection.
We give thanks for the man we have known and loved in this human vessel of clay.
We now give it back to the Earth. Michael needs it no more. We reverence it for the love we have known through it.
Water
Jo and Maria will bless Michael’s body with water. All life on this planet is nourished by the gift of water. Jesus used it powerfully as a symbol of Life and renewal, of healing and transformation.
Incense
Peter will now give Michael a good dose of incense. All that exists is holy. This body - Michael’s body - is holy and worthy of honour. We have known so much and been given much through this body. We reverence it as we prepare to lay it down.
Barry:
Michael, we are with you, and today, with joy and with sorrow, we send you on your way with a loving farewell.
The journey that began 66 years ago in Middle Park reaches its fulfillment today as you pass into the arms of love and transformation.
We call on all those who have gone before us, on the whole community of Life, to welcome you - fully and joyfully - into the ‘mysterious cosmic dance’.
All: Go forward now, Christian soul!
May the angels lead you into paradise.
May the martyrs come to welcome you.
May all the saints lead you, with rejoicing into the holy city where we will meet one day in the presence of our God.
Committal (As Michael’s body is being lowered)
Barry
Having known and loved Michael, we come now to give his body back to the Earth.
Michael, into the dark warmth of the Earth
ALL We lay you down
Into the arms of your ancestors
ALL We lay you down
Into the great cycle of living and dying and rising again All We lay you down
May the Earth cover and protect this treasure which we now place in her care.
ALL May the God of Life gather you into fullness and joy.
We give thanks for the depth of life and love we have shared with Michael. We give thanks for how we have been changed because of him. May we carry his legacy forward.
May we continue to speak his name.
ALL Amen
Noelene: Invitation to fill Michael’s grave.
Thank you for sharing this day with us and for making this such a rich and personal celebration of Michael’s life.
Michael said many times that, as a gesture of thanks for all the personal and practical support he received throughout his illness, he wanted to shout us all lunch at a ‘tasteful’ Sorrento venue.
Please join us on the West Deck of
The Baths Cafe/Restaurant at 1pm
to share food and drink and memories. See you there!
Michael was to me
always a friar minor in his concern for the disenfranchised, the abandoned, the sick,
the misunderstood, the persecuted. He was their champion. This concern extended to the earth in deep appreciation for our home. Kevin ofm
‘O captain, my captain’. Mick was our ‘Dead Poets Society’ teacher …..and later, our ‘gay Gandhi’. Anthony
The Lord brought
people into his life like a flock. We were so hugely varied but
united in our friendship with Michael. Kevin
I love the memory of having you in my home in Jerusalem for that Advent gathering. I remember looking around at the room and realizing there were almost more non-straight people there than straight people, but that none of them knew about each other. They had told me alone, because they knew I was “safe”. Just like you were safe for me. Carrie
He was truly a
gift from God who showed so many a way to have a truly deeper relationship with the Creator. I
will always treasure my fraternal
relationship with Michael. Dennis
He was a great blessing in my life. If there is any consolation in his death, it is in the fact that his work will continue to inspire, guide, and console so many for years to come. Bryan
I am joyful that Michael’s decades of faithfulness and audacity are soon to be rewarded in the peace that
passeth all understanding. Shalom, good friend, and Godspeed. Jay
I remember
Michael at my wedding with
Tom. After the readings and being interviewed by RTE television, he has his tie off and is in great form on the dance floor. Brendan