I earned my degree in Canon Law in 1997 from St. Paul’s Pontifical University, Ottawa, Canada.  In Book 1, General Norms, canon 27 is a very important one.  It reads, “”Custom is the best interpreter of law.”  Attending the funeral of  a wonderful Catholic gentleman made me think of the canon.  The customs observed for the rites of Christian burial in this small alpine  village make this simple text come alive.

I mentioned previously that the church bells ring for a full 15 minutes when the time of a funeral has been set.  People come to the parish church, San Bernardo, and read the announcement as mentioned in the previous post.  Mr. Giuseppe Rossi was prepared at the hospital, and held in a special room prepared for the family and closest friends.  On Friday, Graziano picked me up in the train/bus station in Tirano, Italy, where we had lunch and spoke of his Dad and his quiet passing to the Lord.  Crossing the border into Switzerland was not a problem.  We went to the hospital for a quiet moment, recited some prayers, and I blessed  Giuseppe.  Since the funeral takes place within days, the body is not embalmed.  A custom-made sealed cooling unit is placed over the wooden casket until the funeral.

The body is taken to the church in a hearse, the casket is extended slightly from the vehicle, and parishioners and friends come forward to offer a prayer and console the family.  The European casket is wider at the top and narrows towards the bottom.  On the exterior of the casket above the head, a panel that is on a hinge is moved to expose the face through a piece of plexiglass.

As Don Davide, Don Pietro the pastor of San Carlo Parish, and I walked through the church to greet body and bless it with holy water, Graziano had the honor of closing the viewing window for the last time.  The Church was full and the overflow stood quietly outside the church.

Don Davide graciously asked me to prepare some remarks which he translated and read.  My reflections were very personal remarks of my visits with Giuseppe and Catarina over the years.  I shared with them one of the first words I learned in the dialect spoken in the valley.   Those in attendance chuckled and got the point. I’ll post those words, too.

We walked to the cemetery with the choir leading and singing along the way.  Giuseppe was laid to rest three places from his wife.  Don Davide blessed the grave, and the casket was lowered some 8 feet into the earth.  All three priest sprinkled holy water, and  family and closest friends also are invited to come forward and do the same. Finally, a spade full of earth is placed onto the casket, and the ritual is concluded.   We went to Briditta and Sergio’s home for a private family gathering.

Rest in peace, friend of God.  For the faithful, life is changed, not ended. If we live, we live for the Lord, and when we die, we live with Him forever.