After the body has been lowered into its
final resting place, each of the monks
is invited to help shovel dirt back
into the grave.

The Burial of a Monk

The bier is carefully placed atop four straps that have been laid across the grave which was dug by hand by several of the brothers. Next to it is a mound of fresh dirt and five or six shovels. Standing at the head of the grave, the abbot prays while blessing both the body and the grave one last time with holy water and incense. A white cloth is placed over the body and then it is carefully lowered into the grave while the community sings Psalm 138. When the body has been lowered all the way to the bottom of the grave, the straps are pulled back, the brothers step aside, and the Abbot throws the first handfuls of dirt onto the body. The shovels are then handed from brother to brother in order for the entire community to take a turn at filling in the grave. In recent years the brothers have invited anyone who is present for the burial to come forward and participate in this final act of closure and farewell.

Before leaving the cemetery the Abbot invites all who are present to join him in praying the Lord's Prayer prior to concluding the burial by singing once again, the words of the Resurrection Song "And I will Raise Him Up."

At the conclusion of the song, the burial has come to an end. There is no procession back to the church, and no reception that follows, (although relatives and friends are invited to gather in the Abbey's Guesthouse for coffee and light refreshments.) The monks return to their ordinary lives of work and prayer within the monastery and are soon caught up in their normal routines. They have just buried one of their brothers secure in the belief that he will rise again, and they know that he is at rest in the love of Christ.