Loading...As some of you will already know, this week, I was offered the library of Fr Bob Pursel, a priest who died several years ago. I accepted it on behalf of and for the benefit of the Diocese before I quite understood what I was agreeing to. Far from being a small pile of books, this collection filled a large room and spilled into several others.
You will almost certainly hear more from me in the coming months about the adventure of moving, cataloging, and disposing of the books. Several Saint Paul’s people have already been drawn into the work. My hope is to raise a sum of money to be used as a memorial to Fr Bob and Janice, his wife.
But for now, I think this is as good a time as any to remind everyone – including myself – about the need for planning for the future, including the disposition of our worldly goods. This is, in fact, one of the duties of the clergy. The Book of Common Prayer, in the service of Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child (BCP Pages 439-445), directs the “Minister of the Congregation” to remind parents to make provision for the welfare of their children and to exhort “all persons to make temporal wills, while they are in health, arranging for the disposal of their temporal goods, not neglecting, if they are able, to leave bequests for religious and charitable uses.”
As I wander through Fr Bob’s books, I am in no doubt as to how much he loved them and the ideas and images that are in them. I have found a few that ought to go to the Historical Society, other clergy, other parishes and dioceses, and I have only scratched the surface. And I am only guessing – I can only guess – what Fr Bob would have wanted. For the most part, my eye must be on a kind of worldly value that can offer little tribute to the collector and his passion for the collection.
How much greater would be the joy – and how much lighter would be my work! – in disposing of this symbol of a life lived in faith and ministry if I had some instructions from the person who knew and loved it best. It might not have been a happy task, but it could have been one with a good measure of joy.
I won’t belabor the point, nor will I apply too much guilt-laden pressure about bequests to the church. Each of us should know his or her own circumstances – and heart – well enough to make such decisions. But I will urge you to make the plans necessary to ensure that the love accumulated over a lifetime – for people, pets, possessions, and yes, the church – can become a worthy memorial when your earthly life is done and your heavenly life has only begun.
If you have questions about how to go about any of this in a faithful way, I am available for discussion and prayer.
Blessings
Howie+
