The feast day of Tom Coleman is January 2nd and the feast day of Lucille Coleman is January 29th. They died 27 days apart in 2011.
Tom like many of the men in my class was very active in the church and various church organizations prior to diaconal formation. He and Lucy were strong, hardworking, and deeply committed to a strong belief and faith in God. Lucy was fond of cracking jokes during the class breaks we would have, and she had a very earthy sense of humor. Tom and Lucy suffered a tragedy early on when their only daughter, Teresa, died. Tom and Lucy took comfort in their two other children and in one another. At the end of their lives, they shared the same room in the nursing home.
This “Minuet for Tom and Lucy” is Psalm Offering 3 Opus 5. I composed the piano music of Opus 5 as ordination presents to the diaconal couples of my ordination class in the summer of 1994 (we were ordained on September 24, 1994). While there is no corresponding psalm or other scriptural text associated with this song, I think this prayer composed for deacons expresses the kind of lives both Tom and Lucy led.
“God of mercy,
You gave us Tom and Lucille to proclaim the riches of Christ
through the Word of God
and in service to all of God’s children,
particularly to the poor, the despised, and the hopeless.
By the help of their prayers
may we grow in knowledge of you,
be eager to do good,
and learn to walk before you
by living the truth of the gospel.
Grant this through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and brother,
who lives and reigns with you, and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
January 29th is also the feast of another deacon mentor of mine, Jack Vieman. May he rest in the peace of Christ.
