Livestream Funeral Mass Thomas Burgess

[Music] be patiently the cross of grief or pain leave to thy God to order and provide in every change he faithful will remain be still my soul thy best thy heavly friend through Thor ways leads to a joyful end be in my soul thy God take to guide the future as he has the fast thy hope thy conidence let nothing Shake [Music] onious shall be bright at last Be Still My Soul the waves and winds still know his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below Be Still My Soul the hour is hting on when we shall be forever with the Lord when disappointment grief and fear are God sorrow for God Love's purest Joys restor Be Still My Soul when change and tears are best all is safe and blessed said we shall meet at [Music] [Music] last I love you Lord for your mercy never fail me all my days I've been held in your hand from the moment that I wake up till I lay I will sing of the goodness of [Music] God all my life you have been [Music] faithful and all my life you have been so so good with every breath that I am made oh I will sing of the goodness of God I love your voice you have led me through the fire in Darkest Night you are close like no other I've known you as a father father I've known you as a friend and I have Liv in the goodness of [Music] God all my life you have been faithful yes all my life you have been so so oh god with every breath that I am a oh I will see of the goodness of God your goodness is running after it's running after to me your goodness is running out of it's running out to me with my life laid down I Surrender now I give you everything your goodness is running out it's running after me your goodness is running after it's running after me oh your goodness is R after it's fun enough to me with my life laid down I Surrender now I give you everything your goodness is running after it's running after [Music] me cuz all my life you have been fful all my life you have been so so good with every breath that I am aable oh I will think of the goodness of God I'm going to [Music] see cuz all my life you have been faithful oh yes you have yes all my life you have been so so good with every breath that I am able oh I will sing of the goodness of God yes I will I'm going to see of the goodness of God in spite of the pain I will sing of the goodness of [Music] [Applause] God good morning welcome to St Ignatius would you please now stand and join in singing our opening hymn that is number 614 How Great Thou Art number 614 oh Lord my God when I in awesome Wonder consider on the worlds thy hand have made I see the stars I hear The Rolling Thunder thy power throughout the Universe display then sings my soul my savior God to thee how great thou How Great Thou Art then sing my soul my savior God to the how great thou are how great thou when through the woods and Forest Glades I wonder and hear the bir sing sweetly in the trees when I look down from lofty Mountain bre and hear the brook and feel the gentle then sings my S My Savior God to the how great thou How Great Thou Art and sings my soul th savior God to the How Great Thou Art How Great Thou [Music] Art and when I think that God his son not sparing sent him to die I scarce can take it in that on the cross my burden gladly he bled and died to take away my S then sings my soul myor God to thee How Great Thou Art How Great Thou Art then sings my soul my savior God to thee How Great Thou Art how great [Music] th we welcome in a very special way way the family the friends the guests of Thomas Burgess we come together to celebrate his life his passing his glory in the Lord we do so in music in memory in stories in passages from the New and Old Testaments in Reflections by people who will share those reflections with us during our celebration we begin with the thoughts of a wonderful Bishop a bishop of Northern Italy from the 4th Century the bishop of Milano said these words we have loved them during our life let us be with them until we escort them by our prayer near the house of God that's what we do this morning for Thomas by our prayers and our music our presence our stories our memories which we share we escort Thomas into the house of God Thomas of course came out of the Catholic tradition of North Carolina and as all Catholics do when we begin our service we sign ourselves as the sign of Christ's Victory as we say together in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit amen let us pray an opening prayer gracious God you have called Thomas home to the home he has always desired the home to be at the side of Christ in the midst of the father and the Holy Spirit and with all those whom he loved during his lifetime who have gone before for him be with him now bless him with your love and your care help us who are left behind to indeed remember him as your gift bless us now as we listen to the eulogy as we listen to the words from scripture as we share together our prayers and our music we pray this prayer now in the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord amen we now will have our first eulogy good morning church and thank you all for coming Tommy was a fighter all of his life as many of you probably know Tom was born premature after just 32 weeks in 1956 which was no short of a miracle that he was here for as long as he was he was born at the base hospital at the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry porn weighing only 3 lb and 2 oz as a newborn Tom was read his last last rights twice by priests and spent his first uh weeks in an incubator the only incubator that was on the base at that time his parents were told that he would most likely be developmentally delayed and intellectually challenged uh because of his start in life after about 5 months Tommy's parents um George the Lake George and Annette Burgess brought him home in a bread basket because he was so small Tom would go on to lead most of his childhood life as the smallest child in the room but he always had the largest personality in the room when he was a Youngster uh his sister Charlene who was born a couple years after him um was very shy and Charlene didn't really speak to people she would speak to Tommy and then Tommy would speak for her behalf and they were very close as small children most of you you know that Tom was a Weather Bug and watched The Weather Channel as soon as that came out constantly for a couple of reasons one he just loved the weather um so that he could drive down to North Carolina and be with his mother when a storm came ashore um but he just loved the weather and precept at any time and this started as a small child his mother told me this story multiple times on our visits to uh his home during the Christmas holidays when Tom was a small kid he'd seen snow but he was so excited when he heard that a snowstorm was coming and so in the middle of the night Tom woke up put on his snow suit woke up Charlene put on her snow Sho soup gra grabbed a pot and a large spoon from the kitchen and went outside and collected snow and he packed the family refrigerator and freezer with snow and uh you know his mother uh always laughed through telling that entire story um his mother often remarked that she loved all of her children she had three um she had four children but Tom's twin brother passed it uh did not shortly after birth but she said that she held a special place in her heart for Tommy because he was her Miracle child from preschool from the eth grade from preschool to the e8th grade Tommy attended anunciation Catholic School in havock North Carolina his mother Annette was asked by the nuns if she would uh teach second grade and she really was interested in pursuing another line of work but Tommy was a very inquisitive child who had a lot of energy and intellectual curiosity and she believed that most of the teachers would not be able to handle his uh NeverEnding asking the question why at the wrong time so she thought by her being in attendance at his school she could keep an eye on him Tommy got into his share of shenanigans as a young boy uh one of the stories that uh stuck with me was when he was about 7 years of age he convinced a couple of his buddies to ride their bikes down to the creek and to go to go skinny dipping and his his friends weren't so sure about the skinny dipping parts so Tommy in true fashion took his clothes off down to his underwear and jumped off this rickety here into the murky water um almost immediately the water around him turned red because his knee hit a a pylon that was below the waterline of the murky water and so the kids saw the blood Tommy saw it and they left to go tell their mothers what had happened and Tommy um said that his adrenaline kicked in and he got pulled himself out of the water got his pants on and rode with one leg to get back home and his mother looked at him and screamed what did you do what did you do and rushed into the ER and uh he had his first knee surgery at age s shortly after that if you look in your program you'll see two columns but beyond columns you'll see a set of photos after the col cols and you'll see a picture of Tommy with his leg extended in an unnatural position I had posted that photo and people said was Tom doing ballet um but Tom was wearing a cast from his ankle to his hip and uh that didn't slow him down one bit as soon as he got out of the hospital he was actually he would ride his bike with that cast because he just had so much energy but uh Tom used another one of his Nine Lives shortly after that not shortly as a as a teenager as a pre-teen really he had a fascination with Automobiles and cars um from a young age and one day he thought he would take the family car for just a quick spin his dad had a brand new Cadillac Tom knew how to drive because they would let him move it around in the driveway so he thought he would take it for a run well he went out drove around around habot for a while but unbeknownst to him when he pulled back into their subdivision Annette and George were in the second family car right behind him so when he pulled into the driveway no issues with the car no run-ins with the police um he looked in his re be mirror and he said his heart skipped a beat and uh father jumped out of the car and just yelled at him out and Tommy was so happy he had chosen the Cadillac because he pushed the lock button his father came and pulled on the door and told him get out of the car now and uh he did what any child at that age would do he waited till his father moved to the other side and then made his run for it made a dash went to the woods and climbed in a tree and watched his father stomp around the woods for 2 hours screaming his name so Annette was able to calm George down and uh when he came back into the house he basically got the I don't know who you are speech and the silent treatment instead of uh knocking his block up but that was uh that was one of his nine lives that he used Tom went to high school in havlock um did the 9th through 12th grade there there are many many funny stories that I wish I could tell you but we are in a church um so one thing that I can tell you is that Tom played the clarinet and uh was in the school marching band but it's my understanding from Tom from countless stories that uh he often found a reason to take showers with the football team after a game because playing with clarinet really you work up a lot of um sweat so that's as colorful as I'll get father amongst his classmates Tom was very popular he was a very compassionate person and uh people loved him for a whole host of reasons again many of which I cannot discuss we're in a church um but Tommy did very well academically he was very bright his mother said he had a genius range IQ and so Tommy went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in food and nutrition and and institutional management from East Carolina University and uh one of his college undergrad friends is here today and thanks for coming um He was largely an A and B student with random C's here and there um there are lots of anecdotal stories from his college Years that I'd love to tell you but again I cannot but uh I will say he had an entrepreneurial spirit in college I'll say that um Tommy went on he did well in undergraduate school graduating with honors and he went on to earn his Masters uh of Science in nutritional sciences and and graduated in 1983 um during this time he met one of his many lifelong friends uh jamshad zanar who goes by Jami who you'll hear from later on in the service uh with a tribute and Jami will tell you some of the PG-13 uh stories of his graduate school years once he graduated from UNC Greensboro Tom moved to Atlanta in a neighborhood called cabbage town and moved in with his best friend who's also here with us um Mark westall and he started his career at a hospital working as a food service manager and later on a nutritional services manager for that hospital from 1983 to about 19 uh 91 and it was in this job where Tom realized that providing nutritional services in an Institutional setting really was his Lan and what he was passionate about um he very quickly became recognized for streamlining processes and improving the quality of food service for employees and then later patients Tommy rejected the notion that there should be anything called hospital food um he felt that just because you had food in the hospital that it could be nutritious and and taste good and he really took that very seriously um he did taste testing himself throughout his entire career and it was also at the Atlanta Georgia hospital where he quite by accident learned how to make his world famous bacon lettuce and tomato soup uh he identified a lot of waste when he was there and noticed that there were large quantities of bacon in the morning and then tomatoes and lettuce that were thrown out in the afternoon after the lunch break and saw an opportunity and instructed staff to save those items put them in a large pot add water and chicken stock and BLT soup was born he couldn't keep enough of it on the line and later he perfected this suit once he got to nbtc in Northern Virginia in 1991 Tom was fortunate enough to be called for an interview at nbtc and thank you there are many of his colleagues that are here today uh he went on to supervise a a staff within his Department that provided nutritional services and was instrumental in revamping the food service service operation um with uh a system and Barbara you have to correct me on this called cook chill I believe I remember coming to visit you all in the office and there were thousands of data points that you were putting into this system for what seemed like forever but it is also my understanding that that was one of the more successful rollouts of the cook program with seabo um at nbtc and Tom and and Barbara and others were recognized for their efforts and he was actually uh recognized as for his expertise and asked to provide consultation to other state facilities to redesign their food service operations and his leadership was instrumental in projects coming in uh on time and under budget he was dedicated to the residents um who were of the population that he himself was predicted to be in as an infant which was very ironic uh he would often ask staff to do tastings of the food and provide feedback on recipes and meals that were served to Residents he always made it to the office uh to make sure that meal service which was provided because it was a 24/7 operation and much like like an ER physician or anybody that's in health care uh if there was a storm coming Tom would pack up the car and uh prepare my meals for the number of days he thought he'd be gone and he was off to nbtc to sleep on a cop so that he would be there to make sure the food service operation ran smoothly most if not all of Tom's colleagues and residents looked forward to the annual Christmas party and summer picnic because the food was always delicious and the themes were Whimsical every year he made things special if you are social media people and happen to have Facebook I tried to post some of his wh Whimsical Creations on social media now in the mid90s and there's been some controversy amongst some of my dear friends um Tom and I believe that we met in 1994 for on May 15th um we definitely met at the subia's pizza I had stopped on a walk uh the's pizza was at Connecticut and Q I bought a slice of pepperoni pizza and a coke and I got to the register and the young lady said your friend paid for your meal and I said I'm by myself I don't know that guy but she wouldn't take my money and she said work it out with him and so just said she didn't want her register to be out of balance but for years I romanticized in my head that there was this notion that I met Tom because of a random act of kindness and Tom's love language was feeding people in food and that's how he met he was offering me food and I would tell that story at countless dinner parties true the Tom in Tommy fashion he would say random act of kindness I was trying to pick you up you you were cute and so so you know he always dashed my uh we we we just agreed to disagree on that you can fill in the blanks but um we uh when Tom and I met that day we exchanged stories about our childhoods and our families Tom spoke about his entire family and even his twin brother who it wasn't clear to me was not alive until our second meeting and during our conversations I had just gone through a breakup and he had gone through a breakup the week before and we kind of outlined you know what we were looking for in a relationship and what he was saying was kind of resonating with me and vice versa but I still wasn't interested in a relationship so soon after I'd gotten out of one but um if any of you are friends with with Tom on Facebook or myself um I've tried to post and document some of our some of our journey um it was almost 30 years um we had four kids one named Ruby and Mom I did not name that dog after you that was Karen beard if she's here that's her fault um um we have another dog Duke and then we have CeeLo and Zer who are still with us today at 16 and 12 years of age and um we we traveled and we love to have dinner parties and love to to have SP spontaneous dinner parties I would set the table and uh invite guests often times and Tommy would just prepare these beautiful menus what most of you don't know is that those menus were based on what was on sale at Giant and early in the relationship I would be embarrassed because you know when you they put the groceries aside that have expired and have the little yellow stickers on you know every every can in our pantry had that yellow sticker on it but we had wonderful times Legendary Times actually and the food was always Savory the table topics were spicy and now I'll miss that I think some of you will too um one of the things that Tom and I learned early on is that we both were committed to our families and we loved the holiday season um my favorite holiday was Thanksgiving Tom and I this past Thanksgiving hosted our 27th Thanksgiving um our gather ings were fairly intimate 60 people the first 20ish years we spent every Christmas with the Burgesses down in North Carolina um sometimes we'd stay with Annette at the family house on Bourbon Lane named after their family burges and the Benjamins that lived next door was a beautiful 50s home built on the Pano sound with just breathtaking view of the sound um other times we'd stay with Charlene and Brian which was was always fun because they had boats and they we'd go island hopping with them and uh catch sometimes catch what we ate um and then at times we would stay with Tim first at his Carolina Pines home and then later at his um I think it's Green Acres Michelle where you are now um we'd stay with them where they where they currently reside but three of Tommy's favorite things was cooking for me traveling but for him especially Miami Beach in Atlanta and Tom's I believe his favorite thing was to hang out in front of our house in DC at the end of a day with a cocktail and just talk to people that our neighbors that came by and the front of our house was like U it was almost like a happy hour and you would find Neighbors in their suits or walking the dogs and they'd have a a glass of wine or a cold beverage and we would just decompress about our weeks and uh got lots of fond memories of that um Tommy was a fighter when it came to his own self-preservation he had five battles with cancer and he faced each of those battles like it was a major project work I was in charge of maintaining the book which contained every business card of every healthare professional every diagnosis every uh x-ray um anything that we could download and put in paper it went into this book and it was my job to to keep those records um but Tom was very prescriptive in his approach to his own care care and took his instructions from his doctors very seriously um I wanted to to publicly thank um Patty are you here can you raise your hand Patty Patty Lee um thank you for coming and Patty and her husband have become dear friends of Tom and I um she's a surgeon at an Nova and she uh when we first met her Tommy used to say your bedside man is terrible and um we would have thought that 16 years later we would have become dear friends and she she saved Tommy really four times and um and helped us Kick the Can down the road for 16 years f for that thank you um but I know I'm pressed for time here but I've been blessed to share most of my adult life with Tommy and uh he has been the The Wind Beneath My Wings and uh I love you Tommy and I love all of you for coming here today to celebrate his life thank you St hello everyone for all of um you that don't know me I'm Alex Ortega a good friend of Tommy um I want to thank you all for being here today um it's nice to see so many friends and family joining today um for Tom um I met Tommy about uh 15 years ago back in the military I had just been stationed uh in DC um I was actually their neighbor and um walking outside of my house I found this super friendly guy sitting in front of his house uh with two big dogs and said hey with a very southern accent um long story short Three Buck confessed this later I never went to the gym which is where I was heading to uh and he invited me to uh to have dinner CU um his partner was working up at 3:00 a.m. so from there I will stop and have a cocktail um after the gym every day uh in the steps in Washington DC and that uh was the beginning of a great friendship um you fast forward about um 15 years uh he saw the birth of both of my kids spent uh countless um holidays together um many sad uh times passing with my mother my sister um and and um he was always there for you he was um a great friend and um he always knew what you needed uh not he was not the kind of person to talk to you a lot but he would show his love with a hot meal uh when you were sad and definitely with a nice B when you were celebrating so um we we are going to miss him and um and he's always going to be in our hearts so rest in peace [Applause] down I'll never forget the first time I met Tommy I had just moved to Washington DC landed my first job at a local hole in thewall sports bar called Nelly's one of Tommy's most frequented and favorite social spots in the city within weeks of working there I realized really quickly I was seeing a local celebrity his Unique Style expressed his confidence his flare his creativity his hair as he would walk through the bar would Shimmer like a tapestry of silver strands each one a testament to a life well-lived wisdom and the passage of time he carried himself with such self assuredness and Youthful energy so much so that his laugh that his presence could fill an entire room but when I finally had the opportunity to interact with the celebrity Mr Burgess the VIP himself it would not be his pensioned for style but his compassion that would leave an indelible mark on my life you see when I moved to DC I had no family very few friends and little to no community and with Thanksgiving just a few days away I plan to eat McDonald's alone in my bedroom after work and when let me tell you when Tommy learned about this I'm sure you can imagine his immediate reaction absolutely not you're coming over to my house right now for my house of Thanksgiving I'm cooking turkey collard greens mashed potatoes we're going to have a house full of friends and family you can't spend Thanksgiving alone and if you knew Tommy then you knew there was no declining an invitation for him to cook for you and when I arrived alone empty-handed but wearing my Sunday's V Tommy immediately greeted me with a warm hug and a casual comment about how I was slightly overdressed watching Tommy in the kitchen was a masterful show he moved with the fluidity of a seasoned dancer each motion a graceful choreography of culinary finesse against the chaos of the kitchen his hands possessed an innate understanding of ingredients he could orchestrate a symphony of flavors that harmonized in perfect unity in each fight Tommy's love language was also his art that when expressed could unite strangers from different cultures new neighbors in the community and even a little stray from a hole in the wall sports bar while Tommy loved cooking he loved one thing or shall I say one person far more than anything else and that was his partner of 30 years Mr Damon Downey what many Saw as opposites attracting I saw in this beautiful corner of their shared time together a profound Bond two halves of a whole whose connection was built upon a foundation of mutual respect and unwavering support as Tommy persevered Against All Odds defying all statistics year after year after year it was Damon that was by his side like a Roman Pillar of Strength and as Damon over the years prioritize the needs of others sometimes at his own cost it was Tommy Who challenged him and constantly so to pause look in the mirror and remember to take care of yourself what a privilege it has been to witness the beauty of their romance and the strength of their friendship and camaraderie and companionship for about 5 years I spent time in China while he was undergoing surgery and while there I learned a Chinese saying sh the this phrase symbolizes how Tommy's impact on my life as the Chinese phrase goes is as high as the mountains and as long as the rivers I miss you [Applause] Tommy good morning my name is Jam sha Jami Zagar as Tom called me Jam shot and we met in 1980 at UNCC greensbor I had just transferred in from Methodist College having come from United Kingdom and somehow ended up from London to faville North Carolina shortly after my arrival to the US the the country of my birth took the American hostages in Iran and it was a very difficult time to be in fville I was communicating with my father and really wanted to go back to England but he said that transfer schools so I transferred to UNCG that's where I met Tom I was the captain of the rugby team he was the Avid swimmer we had so much in common and what he gave me was sort of a confidence that you can make friends and people not going to judge you from where you're from and he also taught me how to cook on a budget once the money got cut off from Iran it was very difficult I had to get my first job at 3:35 an hour and I remember getting my first paycheck and I looked at my manager and said is this all I get I was very British and he goes well what else do you want um over the years last decade Tom visited Atlanta quite often and we have lots of dinner parties because that's also my passion I'm in a restaurant business and uh I think Tom really enjoyed that I was doing all the cooking and he could just hang out and enjoy himself and everybody I introduced him to just fell in love with them there are so many people streaming right now in Atlanta and um it's very strange to me that I've known Tom for almost 42 years I don't think I've met anyone that's sitting here just to show show you the impact he has and has had over those years everywhere he went it's just amazing I was looking around to try to find one person I had met before apart from Damon and there wasn't anyone which just showed me how many lives he touched I'm just going to end saying he'll always be in my [Music] heart and I'm going to quot the one of the last text messages I got and it said and it said can't believe Damon is enjoying watching Barbie it sucks I'm about to shoot [Applause] myself good morning everyone my name is Nicole cook for those of you who don't know me I'm one of Damon's many uh younger sisters um and thank you for allowing me to share this poem that I wrote about Tom it's called made at home in the kitchen at a seat not just good food here to share welcome everyone who shows come for fellowship and Care Bounty offered and received make making sure that there's enough old and new connecting all of them even when it's getting rough labored effort loving striving always taking care of us recipes for joy and more wrapped in hugs making a fuss gardening family friends giving thanks always room for more cooking in sharing with a grateful heart we can relive the moments we adore laugh cry Sharon e family upgraded from one time guests until next time glad to join you just one more thing and then I'll rest good [Music] morning so I can only tell the truth um my Uncle Damon called me and asked personally for me to read this poem in his words he didn't think anyone would live up to the Legacy Maya Angela left behind but but Amanda Gorman came close so I am filling the shoes of the shoes of my Angelo that was my challenge I hope I execute the miracle of morning by Amanda [Music] Gorman I thought I'd awaken to a world in mour heavy clouds crowding a society storming but there's something different on this golden morning something magical in the sunlight wide and warming I see a dad with a stroller taking a jog across the street a bright-eyed girl chases her dog a grandma on a porch fingers her rosaries she grins as her young neighbor brings her groceries while we might feel small separate and all alone our people have never been more tightly tethered because the question isn't if Will weather this unknown but how will weather this unknown together so on this meaningful morning we mourn and we mend like lights we can't be broken even when we Bend as one we will defeat both the SP and disease we stand with Healthcare Heroes and all employees with families libraries waiters schools artists businesses restaurants and hospitals hit hardest we ignite not in the light but in lack thereof for it is in loss that we truly learn to love in this chaos we will discover Clarity in suffering we must find solidarity for it's our grief that gives us our gratitude shows us how to find hope if we ever shall lose it so don't ignore the pain give it purpose use it read children's books dance alone to DJ music know that this distance is what makes our hearts gr fonder from a wave of woles our world will emerge stronger we'll observe that the burdens breathed by humankind are also the moments that make us humans kind Let each Dawn find us courageous brought closer heeding the light before the fight is over when this ends we'll smile sweetly finally seeing intesting times we became the best of beings thank [Applause] you good morning everyone my name is Samuel brunt and I bring you greetings from the historic Trinity Baptist Church which is the church home of Damon's maternal grandmother David and I even though he has second cousins on the program we were raised like um like brothers or first cousins and his mother will tell you about how we were in the play pent together and when they moved away I would visit them during the summer and we separated because I moved away but thank God for Facebook we reconnected and we've been in contact ever since and I'm grateful for that my prayer for Damon and for everyone here is that the Lord will turn your sadness to gladness and your mourning into dancing and I will read from the Old Testament book of Isaiah chapter 25 verse 68 and verses 7 and 8 on this mountain the Lord of host will provide for All Peoples on this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils All Peoples the web that that is woven Over All Nations he will destroy death forever the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole Earth for the Lord has spoken on that day it will be said behold our God to whom we looked to save us this is the Lord for whom we looked let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us this is the word of the Lord let us all say to God [Applause] Amen [Music] the Lord is my shepher there is nothing I shall want the Lord is my sheer there is nothing I shall want the Lord is my shepherd there is nothing I shall want fresh and green are the best where he gives me rep near restful Waters he leads me to revive my drooping Spirit the Lord is my shepher there is nothing I shall [Music] want he guides me along the right path he is true to his name if I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear you are there with your Crook and your stuff with these you give me Comfort the Lord is my sheer there is nothing I shall want you have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my fo my head you have Anointed with my cup is overflowing the Lord is my shepher there is nothing I shall want surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life in the Lord's own house shall I dwell forever and ever the Lord is my sh there is nothing I shall want to my brother from another mother the second reading comes from Romans chapter 6 veres 3 and 4 and 8 and N or don't you know that all of us were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death we were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father we too may live a new life now if we died with Christ we believe that we will also live with him for we know that since Christ was raised from the dead he cannot die again death no longer has Mastery over him Let the church say amen amen please [Music] stand of Jesus Christ glory and praise to you oh Lord Jesus Christ glory and praise to you Lord Jesus Christ I am the resurrection and the life says the Lord whoever beli in me will never die glory and praise to you Lord Jesus Christ the lord be with you and with your spirit Jes a reading from the holy Gospel according to John Glory To You O Lord Jesus said to his disciples do not let let your hearts be troubled you have faith in God have faith also in Me In My Father's House there are many Dwelling Places if there were not would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come back again and take you to myself so that where I am you also may be where I am going you know the way Thomas said to him Master we do not know where you are going how can we know the way Jesus said to him I am the way and the truth and the life no one comes to the father except through me the gospel of the Lord praise to you Lord Jesus Christ in light of the wonderful you given by Damon and by also the wonderful Reflections shared with us the poems the reflections the stories the anecdotes and of course most of all hearing the word of God the word of God in our readings this morning I was going to give a homy but I think I'm going to cut to Simply a prayer a prayer offered by John Henry Cardinal Newman he was an awesome leader of the Church of England in the 1800s he lived from 1801 to 1890 and was a force both in the Anglican church and in the Roman Catholic church and was raised to be a cardinal in Rome he is a wonderful reflection of prayer that I thought I would share with you which I was going to be the end of my homy but night of all the wonderful words said about Thomas I think I'll allow this Reflection from the Cardinal to be the prayer we should end comments thus far in this service Thomas may God support you all the day long now that the shades have lengthened and the evening has come and The Busy World is hushed and the fever of life is over and your work is done then in God's mercy may God give you and all of us a safe lodging and holy rest and peace at the last amen Thomas re es in De may you rest in God's holy peace amen I invite those who are offering the petitions to please come forward good and gracious God we your people offer these in s knowing full well that you will respond in glory and praise and our responses be Lord he our prayer into your hands oh Lord we humbly entrust our brother Tommy in this life you embraced him with your tender love deliver him now from every evil and bid him Eternal rest the Lord he our prayer the old order has passed away welcome him then into Paradise where there will be no sorrow no weeping nor pain but the fullness of peace and joy with your son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever amen Lord he our prayer Lord in our grief we would turn to you are you not the god of love you open your ears to all listen to our prayers for our servant Tommy whom you have called out of this world lead him to your kingdom of light and peace and count him among the saints in glory we ask this through Christ Our Lord amen Lord he our pray almighty God and Father it is our certain faith that your son who died on the cross was raised from the dead the first fruits of all who have fallen asleep grant that through this mystery your servant Tommy who has gone to his rest in Christ may share in the joy of his resurrection amen Lord here our prayer almighty God and Father by The Mystery of the Cross you have made us Strong by the sacrament of the Resurrection you have sealed us as your own look kindly upon your servant Thomas Tom Tommy now freed from the bonds of mortality and count him among your Saints in heaven we ask this through Christ Our Lord amen Lord hear our prayer god of love and kindness listen favorably to our prayers strengthen our belief that your son has risen from the dead and hope that your servant Tommy will also rise again we ask this through Christ Our Lord amen Lord here our prayer oh Father God to whom Mercy forgiveness and salvation belongs to hear our prayers on behalf of your servant Tommy whom you have called out this world and because he put his hope and trust in you command that he be carried safely home to heaven and come to enjoy your Eternal reward we ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen Lord he our prayer most faithful God Lively is the courage of those who hope in you your servant Tommy suffered greatly but placed his trust in your mercy confident that the petition of those who mourn pierces the clouds and finds answers we beg you give rest to Tommy do not remember his sin but look upon his sufferings and Grant him refreshment light and peace we ask this through Christ Our Lord amen Lord here our prayer God of Deliverance you called our brother Tommy to serve you in weakness and pain and gave him the grace of sharing the cross of your son reward his patience and forbearance and Grant him the fullness of Christ's Victory we ask this through Christ Our Lord Lord here our prayer gracious God from our hearts we violently un hoplynn with eternal life we pray this prayer as we always do in the in the name of Jesus living and reigning together with you and the Holy Spirit God forever and ever [Music] amen [Music] you w [Music] on [Applause] [Music] [Music] and my [Music] [Applause] [Music] your for GL [Music] my [Music] GL [Music] my sisters and brothers pray that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God the almighty father may the Lord accept this Sacrifice from our hands to the praise and glory of God's name for our good and the good of God's holy church amen look with favor O Lord on your servant Thomas for whom we we offer you the sacrifice of praise humbly entreating that reconcile with you through these devoted offices and prayers he may Merit to rise again to life in eternity we pray this prayer now in the name of Jesus the Risen one living and reigning together with you and the Holy Spirit God forever and ever amen be of God the Lord be with you and with your spirit lift up your hearts we lift them up to the Lord let us give thanks to the Lord Our God it is right and just it is truly right and just our duty and our Salvation always and everywhere to give you thanks Lord Holy Father Almighty and eternal God through Christ Our Lord in Jesus the hope of blessed Resurrection has dawned that those saddened by the certainty of dying might be consoled by the promise of immortality to come indeed for your faithful people Lord life is changed not ended and when this Earthly dwelling turns to dust an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven and so With Angels and Archangels with Thrones and dominions and with all the hosts and powers of Heaven We Sing The Hymn of your glory as for that end we Acclaim holy holy holy Lord God of host Heaven and Earth are full of your glory in the highest blessed is he comes in the name of the lordana in the highest I invite people to stand until communion time thank you you are indeed holy O Lord the F of all Holiness make holy therefore these gifts we pray by sending down your spirit upon them like the dfall so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ at the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his passion Jesus Took bread gave thanks broke the bread gave it to his disciples and said take this all of you and eat of it for this is my body which will be given up for you in a similar way when supper was ended Jesus Took The Chalice and once more giving thanks gave the Chalice to his disciples saying take this all of you drink from it for this is the Chalice of my blood the blood of the new and eternal Covenant which will be poured out for you and for many for the Forgiveness of sins do this in memory of me the mystery of faith when we eat this bread and drink this cup we Proclaim your death O Lord until you come [Music] again therefore as we celebrate the memorial of his death and Resurrection we offer you Lord the bread of life the challeng of Salvation giving thanks that you held us worthy to be in your presence this morning and minister to you humbly we pray that partaking of the body and blood of Christ we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit remember Lord your church your people spread throughout the whole world and bring the church to the fullness of Charity together with Francis our Pope William our Bishop all the clergy and all the Ley remember your servant Thomas whom you have called from this world to yourself grant that Thomas who is united with your son Jesus in a death like his may also be one with him in his resurrection remember also our other brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection and all who have died in your mercy welcome them into the light of your face have mercy in us all we pray that with the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God blessed Joseph her spouse with the Blessed Apostles and all the saints who please you throughout the ages we may Merit to be coars to eternal life and may praise and glorify you through your son Jesus Christ together through him and with him and in him oh God Almighty father in the unity of the holy spirit all glory and honor is yours forever and ever [Music] amen amen moved by the spirit We join hands together and offer the prayer that Jesus Jesus taught us through the apostles Our Father Who Art in Heaven H 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 Deliver Us Lord we pray pray from every evil graciously Grant peace in our days that by the help of your mercy we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress as we await the Blessed hope in the coming of Our Savior Jesus Christ for the kingdom the power and the glory are yours now and forever Lord Jesus Christ who said to your Apostles peace I leave you my peace I give you look not on our sins but rather on the faith of your church and graciously Grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will who live and Reign forever and ever amen my sisters my brothers the Peace of the Lord Jesus Christ the Risen one be with you all and with with your spirit let us offer each other some sign of that Christ peace Christ peace oh I need we forgot to be this way really need trust me okay [Applause] okay Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world have mercy on US Lamb of God God you take away the sins of the world have mercy on US Lamb of God You Take Away The Sins Of The World grant us [Music] peace my sisters my brothers Behold the Lamb of God Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world blessed are those called to the supper table of the lord lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ amen for those who are going to be receiving the Eucharist may come forward those who are not may be seated thank you I can take itk please join in singing our communion hymn which is number 680 Amazing Grace number 68 [Music] zero Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that Sav a rich like me I once was lost but now I'm found was blind but now I [Laughter] see was Grace that t My Heart To Fear and Grace my fears Rel how pre did that Grace the hour I first believe the Lord has proed good to me his word My Hope secure he will my shield and for be as long as life end you [Music] m yeah for I will live my eyes [Music] to my is [Music] from you me [Music] in of the you are the of my [Applause] strength you are [Applause] of my hands in toal [Music] prise you are the of [Applause] [Music] my you are streng [Music] of to PR to [Music] you [Applause] am [Applause] the first time let us pray for our closing prayer it's not it's iversary that's an anniversary okay Grant we pray almighty God that the soul of your servant Thomas for whom we have offered this sacrifice to your majesty May by the power of the sacrament we have received be cleansed of all wrongdoing and receive from your mercy the happiness of Perpetual life we pray this prayer now in the name of Jesus the Risen one reigning in glory with you and the spirit God forever and ever amen amen dear family and friends before we know our SE ways let us take leave of our brother Thomas May our farewell our AFF before you may ease our sadness and strengthen our hope one day we shall joyfully be him again when the love of Christ which Conquers All Things destroys even death itself our response to these intercessions receive the soul of God the most high receive his soul present him to God the most high saints of God come to Thomas's of the Lord receive his soul and present him to God the most high and Christ who called Thomas to himself the angel speak to the B of Abraham receive his soul and present him to God the most [Music] high and let Perpetual sh upon him receive his soul and present him to God the most [Music] high of angels lead you into paradise and May the Mars come to welcome you to bring you home into the holy city so you may dwell in New Jerusalem May Holy Angels be there at your weling with all the saint who go before you there that you may know peace and joy of paradise that you may enter into Everlasting [Music] into your ofy we Comm our that together all Christ the last day merciful Lord turn toward us and listen to our prayers all the G of par your and help us to remain Comfort one another assur of Faith until we all Christ and are with you and our brother forever amen amen the Ang par you and take you to the city and eternal Jerusalem am amen please join in singing our closing hymn which is number 575 Joyful Joyful We Adore [Music] You Joyful Joyful We Adore You God of glory Lord of love heart alls you opening to the sun above the clouds of sin and sadness dve the dark of Doubt away G of imortal gladness fill us with the light of day all your works with joy you Earth and and reflect your R Hearts andar sing around you Center of unbroken Grace field and Forest fail and Mountain flowy flashing sea chanting and flowing Fountain praising you eternally always giving and forgiving ever bless ever blessed Well Spring of the joy of living oce death the rest Ling father Christ our brother let your light upon us shine teach us how to love each other Lift us to the Joy divine join the Mighty the morning star beus finding within it man ever singing March we onward Victors in the mid of stri Joyful music the sun word in the Triumph song of [Music] love [Music] [Music] spe [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you all so much for question family get and [Applause] thank you so much