The cathedral was packed. It was standing room only for the funeral of the Bishop. A large choir made up from several different congregations throughout Monrovia sang "The Hallelujah Chorus" and also a beautiful rendition of the Twenty Third Psalm. As it was an Episcopalian service, this was high worship: incense was smoking; Mass served to all; several long processionals; robes, tassels, hats, and uniforms; responsive readings and great hymns sung by the congregation. Pastors from different denominations participated. Many dignitaries were in attendance, as was the President of Liberia.The service lasted for five and a half hours. Yes, five and a half hours!
The Bishop died in January, in the States, after a short illness. His body was flown back to Liberia, and about a month after his passing, this "celebration for his peaceful home-going" was held.
After the hundreds of people spilled out of the cathedral, the crowd took to the street. The parade of humanity surrounded the hearse as it inched down the avenue. The people stayed with the hearse for several blocks, and then the body was driven on hour out of Monrovia, to a church-owned cemetery for the Bishop's final resting place. It was a magnificent send-off for a man who had lived a full life of service to the Lord.
Death here, is a regular occurrence. Yesterday, at a local hospital, in a ward of seven beds, two young children died two hours apart. Right now, as I write this, we hear wailing coming from a neighboring village; someone just died. This past week, two employees attended funerals of relatives: a groundsman's cousin was buried, and a mama's aunt died. Both of these people were buried within 24 hours, as those funerals took place in the bush. No mortuary was involved, and so then there is no way to keep the body from decomposing quickly. For this reason, burial is usually done soon. It occurred to me as we sat in the grand sanctuary of that impressive cathedral, attending the Bishop's funeral, what a contrast this event was to most funerals in Liberia.
Often times, in a village, there are tombstones right next to the huts. The tombs are really monuments and there are graves scattered throughout the jungle. Most every village has a few tombs tucked nearby. We have seen the tomb of a beloved school principal right in the middle of the school playground, and we have observed a tomb three feet from the front door of a stick hut in the bush. There does not seem to be zoning laws for cemeteries or burial plots! It seems that if you own the land, you can bury your loved ones.
Next month, it will be Decoration Day. Prior to the holiday, people will clean up the grave sites. Weeds will be cut or pulled; crypts will be painted bright colors; flowers planted nearby. And then families will come to visit the graves on Decoration Day. They might stay for a short visit, or some families might have a picnic there at the grave, lasting for hours. On Decoration Day, the dead are remembered and mourned again.
