A Memorial Funeral Service

based on the

1928 Book of Common Prayer

for

MARIAN RUBINO NESSI

[1920 + 2005]

at The chapel of the Chimes,

hayward, CA

January 2, 2006

INTRODUCTORY MUSIC

The Priest: The Lord be with you.

The People: And with thy spirit.

The Priest: Lord, have mercy upon us.

The People: Christ, have mercy upon us.

The Priest: Let us pray

Into thy hands, O merciful Saviour, we commend the soul of thy servant, now departed from the body. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech thee, a sheep of thine own redeeming. Receive MARIAN RUBINO NESSI into the arms of thy mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the Saints in light. Who livest and reignest, world without end.

The People: Amen.

The Priest: Let us pray

O God who hast bidden us to honour our father and mother: of thy mercy have compassion on the soul of this mother and wife, forgive her sins, and grant that we may behold her in the joy of eternal brightness. Through thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

The People: Amen.

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

A. A READING OF PSALM 23

B. THE BENEDICTUS

[recited by the People in two choirs:]

1. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people;

2. And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us, in the house of his servant David;

3. As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets, which have been since the world began;

that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hands of all that hate us.

4. To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

5. To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham, that he would give us;

6. That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies that might serve him without fear;

7. In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

8. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

9. To give knowledge of salvation unto his people for the remission of their sins,

10. Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us;

11. To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

12. Rest eternal grant unto MARIAN O Lord. And let light perpetual shine upon her.

C. THE GOSPEL: LUKE 15/4-7

MEMORIES AND TRIBUTES

D. HOMILY by Fr. Ariosto Coelho

E. "TRIBUTES" by Anyone Who Wants

PRAYERS AND BLESSINGS

The Priest: The Lord be with you.

The People: And with thy spirit.

The Priest: Lord, have mercy upon us.

The People: Christ, have mercy upon us.

The Priest: Lord, have mercy upon us.

The Priest: Our Father,

The People: who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.

[The Priest may sprinkle the body with holy water and say] O Merciful God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Resurrection and the Life; in whom whosoever believeth shall live, though she die; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in him, shall not die eternally; who also hath taught us, by his holy apostle Saint Paul, not to be sorry, as men without hope, for those who sleep in him; We humbly beseech thee, O Father, to raise us from the death of sin unto the life of righteousness; that, when we shall depart this life, we may rest in him; and that, at the general Resurrection in the last day, we may be found acceptable in thy sight; and receive that blessing, which thy well-beloved Son shall then pronounce to all who love and fear thee, saying, Come, ye blessed children of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Grant this, we beseech thee, O merciful Father, through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer.

The People: Amen.

The Priest: The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant; Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.

The People: Amen.

The Priest: Rest eternal grant unto her O Lord.

The People: And let light perpetual shine upon her.

The Priest: May she rest in peace.

The People: Amen.

The Priest: May the Angels lead thee into Paradise; and the Martyrs receive thee at thy coming and bring thee into the holy city Jerusalem.

The People: May the choirs of Angels receive thee, and mayest thou, with Lazarus once poor, have everlasting rest.

The Priest: May her soul, Z and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

The People: Amen.

CONCLUDING HYMN:/MUSIC

Salve Regina sung in Latin by Fr. Coelho

A Tribute

to A Wonder of Love

MARIE LYMAN ELVIDGE

[1913-2007]

Homily & Eulogy by Fr. Ariosto Coelho

Crosby-N. Gray & Co Funeral Chapel

Burlingame CA. December 16, 2007

The Third Sunday of Advent

Marie, welcome into the Kingdom of Heaven,

"for whatsoever you did to the least of my brothers and sisters, you did that to me"

says the Lord. [Mt 25/35]

Dear Family, Friends and Neighbors of Marie, Thank you for responding to the invitation "to attend a prayer and a blessing" [San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 15, 2007, B5] for Marie Lyman Elvidge. I’ve prayed for Marie in the company of her dearest family and friends every October 29, her birthday, since 1994. As we pray for her today, I want to remind all of us what "a prayer and a blessing" Marie has been to all.

A Prayer

Very simply I define prayer as breathing with attention and intention. Marie has breathed over five hundred million breaths since her first breath at Farmersville, IL on October 29, 1913. As I traveled with Marie over the years, I’ve heard her describe to me and share with me many of her breaths: • learning from her parents as a child: breaths of fun and freedom; • graduating and serving as a nurse: breaths of accomplishment and service; • marriage to James David: breaths of love, romance and sacrifice; • raising Larry, Ollen, Wanda and Kevin: Best Breaths of acceptance, responsibility, commitment, surrender and happiness; • retirement: breaths of further fun and freedom with grand children, especially Vernee and Karina, and all who came in contact with her • cooking: breaths of nurturing care, dedication and presence • traveling: breaths in Alaska [‘99], Mexico [‘00], Italy [‘02], Sicily, [06], ... • shopping: breaths of curiosity, generosity and anxiety; • gardening: breathing with and sharing plants, bulbs, flowers, seeds, pots, insects, experience, expertise, ... Consciously or not Marie breathed God’s Breath/Spirit seventeen thousand times every single day. She was attentive to God’s ways and her intentions were always the best. What a Prayer!

A Blessing

If grieving River, her last faithful canine companion since 1993 who along with Charo witnessed her last breath in Burlingame on December 12, could speak, I wonder what he would say to us! I know what my wife Vivian has said: "It’s been my honor to have Marie as my best friend from the day my son was born 27 years ago. I do not know how I’m going to live without my girl." I’ve read a number of email messages my wife has received from people who met Marie in Italy, Sicily, and elsewhere. They all shared that Marie was an amazing 94 year-old woman who lived life to the full. My sister Sylvia, who visited Marie in 1997 and with whom she continued corresponding over these years, called me from Goa, India, last night and said "Marie was very special. She was a wonderful woman" and, if I may add, A Wonder of Love!

Terry, a skillful carpenter but homeless and without a steady job, experienced first hand Marie’s care. It did not matter to her whether Terry was a criminal, an addict, or in and out of jail. She genuinely loved him. She continued to send him cigarettes wherever he was, simply because she loved him. Marie accompanied me all over the Bay Area as we ministered in convalescent homes and reached out to people with or without a religious affiliation. Marie had no difficulty in communicating and showed a genuine interest in their needs. Little wonder then that Walter Marston, who participated in my wedding to Vivian as the Best Man along with Marie as the Maid of Honor, wrote "She was such a lovely lady. I always admired her. She was old, but she was young at heart. Always with a smile, and always with a word of encouragement. Always ready to be of help to others. Oh yes, if anyone deserves the welcome words of Our Heavenly Father, it is Marie. Welcome my good and faithful servant, enter into the kingdom prepared for you." What a Blessing!

Today, may the wonder of Marie’s love be reflected in our faces and in our lives. May she reach out to us in our sorrow and offer consolation. Please allow me to conclude this homily and eulogy by sharing the concluding verse from the Epistle of today’s liturgy according to the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, which Marie prayed while at St. John’s Anglican Catholic Church in Hayward since 1997. "Now, the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost," Spirit or Breath. [Rom 15/13]

A Rite of Baptism

Copyright © 1995-2010 White Robed Monks of St. Benedict

Part I. Jewish Naming Ceremony

On altar: simple white cloth, Torah or Old Testament. Father comes forward holding Child in his arms. Mother, already standing at side of altar then reads:

A reading from the prophet Ezekiel:
Thus says the Lord God: I will take you away from among the nations, gather you from all the foreign lands, and bring you back to your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you. I will refresh your heart and enhance the spirit within you, enlivening your natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statues, careful to observe my decrees. You shall live in the land I have given your fathers; you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

[Priest to Father, with Mother standing at Father's side:] And what is to be the name of this child?

[Father with child turns with Mother, faces family and friends and says:] The name of our child is _______.

Father with child and Mother turn so as to face each other.
[Priest with arms raised in blessing prays:] Our God and God of our fathers, preserve this child to his/her mother and to his/her father, and let his/her name be called Child son of Mother and Father. As it is written, "Let thy father and thy mother rejoice, and let her that bore thee be glad."

[Family and friends gather around parents and child and with arms raised in blessing as priest says:] Creator of the Universe! May it be Thy will, that this be regarded, accounted and accepted as that Child's heart be wise and open for Thy holy Land, like the opening of a hall, that he/she may learn and teach, keep and fulfill Thy laws. This little child Child, may he/she become great, loving, generous, and kind and succeed at all he/she sincerely sets out to achieve.
[Everyone present then says together:] With the sanction of Thy Law, pure and clear, which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded us to be a heritage, we give You thanks: Blessed be the Lord.

[The Priest places his hand on child's head, gives the Blessing:] God make you as Ephraim and Manasseh. The Lord bless you and keep you: the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: the Lord turn his face unto you, and give you peace. For length of days, and years of life and peace shall they add to you. The Lord shall guard you from all evil; he shall guard thy soul.
Everyone: Amen.

[Priest then adds:] May the All-merciful bless Mother and Father, may they be worthy to raise Child, to initiate him/her in the precepts of the Law of Compassion, and train him/her in wisdom. May the Lord his/her God be with him/her.
Everyone: Amen.

II. Christian Baptism

On altar, Bible, unlit baptismal candle, white garment, oil stocks, large bowl, two hand towels. At side: lit candle. Father with child and Mother come forward with Godmother at Mother's outside and Godfather to Father's outside.

New Testament Reading (1 Cor 12, 12-13): (Reader #1)
A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians : The body is one and has many members, but all the members, many though they are, are one body; and so it is with Christ. It was in one Spirit that all of us, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, were baptized into one body. All of us have been given to drink of the one Spirit. This is the word of the Lord.
Everyone: Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm: Reader 2:
Please repeat after me: Come to him and receive his light!
R. Come to him and receive his light! I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. Let my soul glory in the Lord; the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Come to him and receive his light!
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. Taste and see how good the Lord is; happy the person who takes refuge in him.
R. Come to him and receive his light!

Gospel
Priest: May the Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.
Priest: A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
People: Glory be to you, O Lord.
Priest: One of the Pharisees, a lawyer, in an attempt to trip Jesus up asked him, "Teacher, which commandment of the law is the greatest." Jesus said to him:
"You shall love the Lord you God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments the whole is based, and the law of the prophets as well."
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Everyone: Praise be to you Lord Jesus Christ

Homily
A reading from the Book of the Essenes:
Blessed is the child of light who is pure in heart,
for that person shall see God. For as the heavenly Father has given you his Holy Spirit, and your earthly mother has given you her holy body, so shall you give love to all your brothers and sisters. And your true brothers and sisters are those who do the will of your heavenly Father and your earthly mother. Let your love be as the Sun which shines on all the creatures of the earth, and does not favor one blade of grass for another. And this love shall flow as a fountain from person to person,
and as it is spent so shall it be replenished. For love is eternal. Love is stronger than the currents of deep waters. Love is stronger than death. And if human beings have not love, they build walls between themselves And the creatures of the earth. Amen.

A. Reception

Priest to Parents: What do you ask of God's Church for this Child?
Parents respond: Baptism.

Priest: You have asked to have your child baptized. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of educating him/her in the practice of the law of compassion. It will be your duty to bring him/her up to keep God's commandments –specifically, to love God and neighbor. Do you understand what you are undertaking?
Parents: We do.

Priest to Godparents:
Are you ready to help the parents of this child, Child, in their duty as compassionate parents?
Godparents: We are.

Father gives Godmother Child, Godparents stand together, parents step to side.

B. Intercessions

Priest: My brothers and sisters, let us ask the Lord to look lovingly on this child who is to be baptized, on his/her parents and Godparents, and all who live the law of compassion.
Lord, by your compassion, bathe this child in light, give him/her the new life of baptism and welcome him/her as your child and an heir of Heaven.
Everyone: Lord, hear our prayer.

Priest: Lord, by the light of compassion lead him/her to the joys of your kingdom.
Everyone: Lord, hear our prayer.

Priest: May the lives of his/her parents and Godparents be examples of compassionate love to inspire this child.
Everyone: Lord, hear our prayer.

C. Cleansing and First Anointing

Priest: Almighty and ever living God, we pray for this child: set him/her free from delusion and make him/er a temple of your glory and send your Holy Spirit to dwell with him/her. We ask this in the name of Compassionate Love.
Everyone: Amen.
Priest anoints Child with Oil of Catechumens. Priest places his hand on child.

D. Celebration of Sacrament

Priest: My sisters and brothers, we now ask God to give this child new life in abundance through water and the Holy Spirit.

Priest then blesses the baptismal water. With hands joined, he prays the following:
Father, you give us grace through sacramental signs, which tell us of the wonders of your unseen power. In baptism we use your gift of water, which you have made a rich symbol of the grace you give us in this sacrament. At the very dawn of creation your Spirit breathed on the waters, making them the wellspring of holiness.
The waters of the great flood you made a sign of the waters of baptism, that made an end of delusion and a new beginning of goodness. Through the waters of the Red Sea you led Israel out of slavery, to be an image of God's holy people, set free from delusion by baptism, In the waters of the Jordan your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Spirit. After his resurrection he hold his disciples: "Go out and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." By the power of the Spirit give to the water of this font the grace of your Son. You created humans in your own likeness: cleanse them from delusion in a new birth of innocence by water and the Spirit. [Priest lowers Easter Candle into water three times as he continues:] We ask you, Father, with your Son to send the Holy Spirit upon the waters of this font. [Priest holds the candle in the water:] May all who are with the Lord rise also with him to newness of life.
Everyone. Amen. [As candle is taken out of water, everyone says:] Springs of water, bless the Lord. Give him glory and praise forever.

E. Renunciation of Delusion and Profession of Faith:

Priest asks Godparents and parents:
Mother and Father, Godmother and Godfather: you have come here to present this child for baptism. By water and the Holy Spirit he/she is to receive the gift of spiritual life from God, who is love. On your part, you must make it your constant care to bring Child up in the practice of compassion. See that the divine life which God gives him/her grows always stronger in his/her heart. If your compassion makes you ready to accept this responsibility, renew now the vows of your own baptism. Do you reject delusions, false beliefs, remembering instead your own true nature as a child of God?
Godparents/parents together: I do.

Priest: Do you reject illusions, false perceptions, remembering instead that you are the creator of your own perceptions being a child of God?
Godparents/parents together: I do.

Priest: Do you reject allusion, false stories about yourself, remembering instead the absolute reality of your natural love and compassion as a child of God?
Godparents/parents together: I do.

F. Baptism

Priest to

Godparents/parents:
Is it your will that Child should be baptized in compassion?
Godparents/parents together: It is.

Priest baptizes child, saying: Child, I baptize you in the name of + the Father, and of + the Son, and of + the Holy Spirit. Amen.

G. Anointing with Chrism

Priest says: God the Father has freed you from delusion, given you new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and welcomed you into his holy people. He now anoints you with the chrism of salvation. As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life.
Everyone: Amen.
Priest anoints child with sacred chrism.

H. Clothing with White Garment

Priest says: Child, you have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Compassion. See in this white garment the outward sign of your dignity. With your family and friends to help you by word and example, awaken to that dignity that is already yours as a child of God.
Everyone: Amen.

I. Lighted Candle

[Priest hands Godfather unlit baptismal candle. As Godfather lights baptismal candle priest says:] Receive the light of Compassion. Mother and Father, Godmother and Godfather, this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. This child of yours has been enlightened by Compassion. He/She is to walk always as a child of the light. May he/she keep the flame of compassion alive in his/her heart.
Everyone: Amen.

J. Prayer over Ears and Mouth (Ephphetha)

Priest says as he touches the ears and mouth of child with his thumb:
The Lord has made the deaf hear and the mute speak. May he now touch your ears to receive his word and your mouth to proclaim the law of love and compassion, to the praise and glory of God the Father.
Everyone: Amen.

III. Blessings

Priest blesses mother now holding her child in her arms.
God the Father, through his Son, the Virgin Mary's Child, has brought joy to all Christian mothers, as they see the hope of eternal life shine on their children. May he bless the mother of this child. She now thanks God for the gift of her child. May she be ever one with her child as Christ prayed to the Father: May they all be one, as you are in me and I am in you that they may be on is us.
Everyone: Amen.

[Mother gives child to Father. Priest blesses father now holding child.] God is the giver of life, human and divine. May he bless the father of this child. He and his wife will be the first teachers of their child in the ways of compassion. May he and his wife be also the best of teachers, bearing witness to the law of compassionate love by what they say and do.
Everyone: Amen.

[Priest blesses the assembly of family and friends.] By God's gift, through water and the Holy Spirit, we are reborn to everlasting life. In his goodness, may he continue to pour out his blessings upon these sons and daughters of his. May he make them always, wherever they may be, compassionate members of his holy people. May he send his peace and compassion upon all who are gathered here, in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Everyone: Amen.

Priest: May almighty God, + the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit bless each and everyone of us.
Everyone: Amen.

Priest: Go in peace and serve the Lord, this Baptismal Ceremony is complete.
Everyone: Thanks be to God.