I have never been much in the way of a math and science guy. I have always found them interesting, but they were not generally the subjects in which I got my best grades. Since this relegated me to the study of the humanities, I spent the majority of my higher education being told by STEM major peers of mine that everything I was learning was useless, and I would always be poor. Once I entered seminary, I realized that I was in one of the few places where my background in Classics, Theology, and History was invaluable. During one particular Biblical studies class, the professor asked if anyone could recite the
prologue of the Canterbury Tales in Middle English, and I knew I was in the right place.That must be why I now make the big bucks…
 
One of the things my liberal arts background gave me was an appreciation for Latin, if not an actual proficiency in it. Even though it is no longer so
universally used in the Church, there are still many prayers and traditions we have as Catholics that rely on the use of the mother tongue of the Roman Catholic Church. One of these that I get to trot out fairly often is the chanting of the In Paradisum, which is a prayer taken from the Traditional Latin Requiem Mass. It is prayed by priests offering the sacrifice of the Mass for our departed brothers and sisters, and it is often chanted by the choir as well. I highly recommend you go online and find a simple plainchant version of it, as it is a beautiful melody as well as a beautiful prayer.

At the conclusion of every funeral I celebrate, I take the opportunity to chant this prayer of the Church, and each time I am thankful that it is part of our tradition. In addition to drawing all those present into the mysteries of life and death, it does a number of other things. It recognizes our need for beauty, especially in times of loss. It provides the opportunity for a solemn moment of farewell, where we express our grief in music deeper than our own words may provide. It also serves as a reminder of our responsibility and privilege to pray for our departed brothers and sisters, that they may be purified of their sins and welcomed into God’s eternal embrace.
 
For your edification, and in a spirit of asking the entire region to pray for the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, as well as the repose of the souls of all those from our parishes who have died, I reproduce the text here, in both the original Latin and the translation. May we as a parish remember all those who have died during this month of prayer for the faithful departed, and may we all one day be reunited when this vale of tears gives way to God’s unspeakable joys.
 
Prayers always,
Fr. McCullough