Have you ever wondered who makes sure the holy water fonts at the doors are filled and cleaned?
Until recent times, it was one of the many important but often taken-for-granted jobs performed by Pat Le Mottee. Pat passed away on 9 September, and her funeral was celebrated on Tuesday.
Pat was very much engaged in liturgical ministry here in Wentworthville. Despite her reservations, she served as a Minister of the Word and Minister of Communion. She performed many tasks belonging to sacristans, such as washing linen, polishing brassware and keeping plants and flowers topped up with water. Even though she disliked the task, she was ever-diligent in recording the use of overheads for our copyright records and filing them away so music ministers could find them the next weekend. After Mass, on Saturday mornings, Pat would lead parishioners in praying the rosary at the Marian shrine. There is probably even more that she did that I cannot recall, or am simply not aware that she did.
This brings me to the point of my writing about Pat. For those of us in liturgical ministry, Pat gave us an example of humble service. Everything she did was done for the honour and glory of the God she so dearly loved and whom she knew loved her. Never at any time did she draw attention to herself. No matter how seemingly insignificant the task, no matter how much she liked or disliked it, Pat did it humbly out of dedication and love.
Pat’s liturgical ministry and her faith serve as a model for us all.
May the angels lead you into paradise;
may the martyrs come to welcome you
and take you to the holy city,
the new and eternal Jerusalem.
from the Rite of Committal, Order of Christian Funerals
Liturgy 