Marie Zarowny, SSA, Victoria

It’s tempting when reflecting on a long public life such as that of Bishop Emeritus Remi, to focus on his very public major accomplishments. I will touch on those this evening but I invite you first, to join me in reflecting on some characteristics, suggested by this evenings readings, that round out his personality and therefore his presence in our midst

1) Lord, Make me know your ways; Lord, Teach me your paths. I suggest that this plea, expressed in Psalm 25, guided Remi throughout his life. His prayer life was a constant seeking for God’s ways in our world, in our Diocese and in his own day-to-day life.

It also led him to seek and promote ways to help those entrusted to his care to grow in their spiritual lives, such as the Prayer Companions, Faith and Sharing, the Charismatic Movement and the establishment of Bethlehem Centre, all of which continue to this day. He remained involved with and committed to Bethlehem as it evolved into a Centre for “spirituality without borders.”

I believe it was Remi’s prayer life that allowed him to continue to look on our Church and world with love and hope, and in the words of Paul to the Romans, to be patient in suffering.

2) The reading this evening from Gaudium et Spes reminds us that Jesus … worked with human hands, [He] thought with a human mind, acted by human choice and loved with a human heart. Applying these words to Remi, this passage is consoling to me. In some ways, his towering intellect and worldwide perspectives made him seem bigger than life.

Yet, Remi was so very human, with limitations, that like his accomplishments, became matters of public discourse. He was the first to admit that he had to work on his social and interpersonal skills. In so doing, he was an inspiration to all of us to become “fully human” through personal development.

His humanness shone through in his attachment to family and friends and his eagerness to meet with them to share life and to celebrate.

I recall many years ago the delight he had in showing me how to debone a freshly baked salmon – and sharing a good bottle of red wine was a special pleasure for him. I recall, too, how thrilled he was to be acknowledged as a Council Father by His Holiness Pope Francis when he was in Rome for the canonization of Pope Saint John XXIII … and the delight he had in sharing the story.

It somehow seems appropriate that our celebration of Bishop Emeritus Remi De Roo’s passing into God’s eternal embrace take place during the month when in this Diocese we begin our active participation in the world-wide Synod called by Pope Francis.

Bishop Remi’s life of leadership in the Church and the world was profoundly shaped by his experience of the Second Vatican Council and in addition to implementing its vision of Church in the Diocese of Victoria, he introduced processes of engaging all of us, as God’s people, in listening, sharing and discerning, through such events as the Women’s Commission, Interaction 1975 and the Diocesan Synod of 1986-91.

How fitting then, that in this very month, the whole People of God are invited into a process of listening anew to our own inner selves, to one another and to the cries of our world.

Who among us, who are old enough, can forget the joy, wonder and enthusiastic commitment we experienced as we explored a vision of who we are as rooted in the compassionate, inclusive message of Jesus and expressed in a Church of God’s Pilgrim People, each of us called to grow in holiness and to share in Church governance and in the mission of the Church in the world.

We had a shepherd who synthesized these teachings for us and listened to our ideas and questions; a shepherd who encouraged us to explore emerging and diverse worldviews, theologies and spiritualities. We were led into attentive listening to the joys and hopes, the grief and anxieties of people both at home and in other parts of the world and with them to analyze and address the underlying causes of such alienation and oppression.

Especially through the Social Affairs Commission of the CCCB, Bishop Remi fearlessly challenged the prevailing political and economic interests of the time and suggested ways we could all become faith-based agents of change.

Each of us here could identify ways that Bishop Remi stretched us. In every instance, true to the spirit of the Council, we needed to listen carefully to others, make our own insights known and strive to grow together.

As we reflect on Remi’s life and teaching, let us heed the message from Paul’s letter to the Romans: Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Let us remember these words as we begin our new synod journey.

On our behalf, I would like to offer a word to Pearl Gervais: Pearl, you have been a friend of Remi from the time he was a young priest. As years went by, you became a colleague, as you mutually challenged and learned from one another and partnered in giving workshops and retreats.

And in these recent years you became his trusted caregiver. We are deeply grateful to you and assure you of our love and continuing support during this time of loss and transition.

We also thank his cousin Denise De Pape who joined Pearl in supporting Remi as he took up his cross of suffering during these last months.

During Remi’s recent final illness, Pearl asked him if he had a word of wisdom for us before he left. What he said was, Embrace the Present; Welcome the Unknown.

What a precious message for us to carry forward. Remi, we trust you will be with us as we walk into the unknown, obtaining for us the graces we need to be faithful disciples of Jesus in our world of today and tomorrow.

Marie Zarowny was Victoria Diocese first social justice coordinator.