Free Web Hosting by Netfirms
 Web Hosting by Netfirms | Free Domain Names by Netfirms

Mary Ellen Jennings

Mary Ellen Jennings

Born May 1st, 1930

Called to God October 4th, 2004

 

Funeral on Saturday, October 9th, 2004
at St. James Church in Arlington Hts, IL
Fr. John Chrzan presiding

Pall Bearers
Sean Butler
Aidan Butler
Dennis Butler
Larry Butler
Kevin O’Laughlin
Michael O’Laughlin
Tommy McNicholas
Jim McGreevy

Placement of the Pall
Thomas McNicholas
John McNicholas
Patrick McNicholas
Ann Butler
Philomena O’Laughlin

Offering of the Gifts
Sheila McGreevy
Mary Ellen Lally
Joan O’Roarke
Theresa Connolly

Musical Director
Brian Fife

 

First Reading
Pauline Degrazia (Mary Ellen’s goddaughter)
A Reading From the Book of Proverbs (31:10-30)

A valiant woman who can find her?
   She is far beyond the price of pearls.
Her husband’s heart had confidence in her.
   From her he derived no little profit.
Advantage and not hurt she brings
   All the days of her life.
She puts her back into her work
   And shows how strong her arms can be.
She holds out her hand to the poor,
   She opens her arms to the needy.
When she opens her mouth, she does so wisely;
   On her tongue is kindly instruction.
Her daughter and son stand up and proclaim her blessed,
   Her husband, too, sang her praises.
Many women have done admirable things,
   But you surpass them all!
Charm is deceitful, and beauty empty;
   The woman who is wise is the one to praise.
Give her a share in what her hands have worked for,
   And let her works tell her praises at the city gates 

The Word of the Lord

 

 

Second Reading
Patrick McNicholas (Mary Ellen’s godson)
A Reading from Paul’s Letter to Timothy (2Tim 4:6-8)

As for me, my life is already being poured away as a libation,
   And the time has come for me to be gone.
I have fought the good fight to the end;
   I have run the race to the finish;
   I have kept the faith;

All there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me,
   Which the Lord, the righteous judge,
   Will give me on that day;
And not only to me but to all those who have longed for His appearing.

The Word of the Lord

General Intercession
Larry Butler (Mary Ellen’s godson)

For Mary Ellen, may she find the rewards of her life in the arms of our loving God, we pray to the Lord.
For Larry, may he find peace and comfort in the memory of their married years together, we pray to the Lord.
For their children Evelyn, Brian, Garrett, Larry and Colleen and their families, may the goodness of their mother’s life continue to influence their future, we pray to the Lord.
For all family members and friends, may we continue to support and comfort one another, we pray to the Lord.
For the sick, the elderly, the poor, may our concern for them be a source of comfort, we pray to the Lord.
For all who have gone before us to be with God, especially Winnifred and John McNicholas, Gerard and Mary Jennings, and Mary Ellen McNicholas.
We pause in silence with the prayers that each of us has brought to this funeral mass.

Songs (led by Brian Fife)
“Precious Lord Take my Hand”

“Let It Be”

“Little Flower Of Jesus”
Click here to go to a website to hear a recording
 of Mary Ellen Jennings singing this song.
Words and Music by Mary E. Jennings
Click here to see the lyrics all of her songs

"On Eagles Wings”

Fr. John Chrzan’s Eulogy 

Dear Larry, dear family and friends.  I greet you all on behalf of the entire parish of St. James and I extend to you especially Larry and to each of the members of Mary’s family and to all of her very dear friends our very sincerest condolences at this time of sadness and loss.  We are a sorrowful bunch, a sad bunch as we gather here from the both the US and Ireland and England to say goodbye to our beloved Mary and to thank God, to thank God for the gracious gift of her life and for the witness of her love to each of us which is evidence of God’s love for each of us.  But even in our sorrow and sadness, we can’t help but share a little bit of Mary’s Irish humor.  I loved this story that I read from the program book.  It’s the last story from Brian.  And the story goes like this.  The typical meal growing up in our Irish household was steak and potatoes.  One day I said, “Red meat again?” and Mom replied, “It’s not red, I cooked it.”  I laughed myself to sleep last night even in my tears because I share with you a sense of kinship in your loss – in our loss of our beloved Mary because nine years ago I said goodbye to my own beloved Irish mother who was born and raised in Mayo, the second youngest of thirteen brothers and sisters.  And last year I made a pilgrimage of sorts to Claremorris and visited the family farm where my mother grew up.   And I came back and I told Mary the story of my visit to the old sod as they call it to visit my Mom’s farm.  And Mary was so delighted to hear the story of my family’s trip, so she sort of became my Irish godmother and often times she would call and invite me to celebrate mass at the nursing home down at The Moorings, when I could.  I was always happy to help her out.  I knew that she would be there and that her friend Mary Therese would be there and others.  And it was so much fun, because I knew we would go to Peggy Kinnane’s for brunch afterwards.  But Mary sort of became my Irish godmother and so when I heard the news, I was shocked and deeply saddened and I felt the tinge of loss that I felt nine years ago when I said goodbye to my own Irish mother.  Even in our loss and sadness though, we have much to be thankful for, because Mary knew.  She knew the secret.  She knew the Gospel. She knew that Gospel story so well, the story of Jesus at the end of time separating the sheep from the goats.  And she recognized Jesus Christ in the least of Christ’s sisters and brothers.  She recognized the face of Christ in the elderly and the poor and those who were struggling and those who needed prayer.   She was there for them, every week faithfully; she would make the phone call.  She would arrange for a priest to come.  She would organize the liturgy down there at The Moorings.  She knew, she knew the secret, she knew what The Lord would say to her.  Welcome.  Welcome, receive the reward prepared for you from the beginning of time.  For as often as you went to the nursing home, as often as you went to distribute communion at the hospital, as often as you gathered early in the morning with your friends to say the rosary for those in need, you did that for me, you did that for me.   So even in our sadness, there is reason to rejoice.  Because we have lost a very beloved wife, mother, relative, parishioner, and friend.  But heaven has gained a new angel, and she is looking down on us today.  She gave explicit instructions for whomever the priest celebrating her mass, not to canonize her.  She said, “Do not canonize me.”  Well, I’ll respect her wishes.   We don’t come here today to canonize her, but we do come to grieve together, to share our sadness, to tell stories,  to commend her to God’s gracious mercy, to give her to our Blessed Mother, to whom she was so devoted her entire life, and we come to thank God for the many, many gifts that she shared with us.  And I can’t help but think of the story about my own mother when she passed away.  I spent probably about a year grieving, it was hard, the first year was hard.  I think you’ll find that to be the same.  The first Christmas, the first Thanksgiving, the first Easter.  It’s difficult.  There’s an emptiness there that can’t possibly be filled.  It can’t be filled.  But I remember waking up very early one morning.  This was long before I had entered the seminary.  I remember waking up very early in the morning, and thinking to myself what an impact my mother’s life made on me.  And I realized who is it now that is going to carry on the good work that she started?  And I remember St. Paul’s words, he said: “May the good work that God has begun in you be brought to completion.  May the good work that God has begun in you be brought to completion.”   Today, Mary’s work is brought to completion.  And we take her to her rest.  We commend her to God’s love and God’s gracious mercy.  And we thank God for the gift of her wonderful and charmed life.  And then we also hear the call.  We hear the call to continue that work which God had begun in Mary, which is now completed in her, but which now continues in us.  And so let’s look at her life, let’s look at how she has transformed us, let’s look at all of that good work which she did in the name of Jesus Christ on behalf of Christ’s least sisters and brothers.  And then let us each from this place, at this time; commit ourselves to continuing that good work.  Because somehow God has intended for those gifts to be passed on to us, handed on to each of us: the gift of sensitivity to the suffering, the gift of prayer, the gift of witness to God’s simple and unconditional love for each of us.  We have learned much from Mary’s life.  Even in the short time, just in the year that I knew her, even though she doesn’t want to be canonized, I knew her to be an Irish saint.  Sorry Mary.  I knew her to be an Irish saint.  And there is something about a saint that makes you want continue to carry on the good work that God had begun in her and now that her work, the work of her own heart and hands is completed,  that work continues in each of us.  And so, let’s take one of those gifts that Mary has given to us, the gift of charity, the gift of humor, the gift of kindness, the gift of love, the gift of trust, the gift of devotion to the blessed mother, the gift of faithfulness, the gift of being there, of showing up, of getting the job done, of being reliable, of being humble, of being an example.  And let’s carry on that work, so that The Lord may bring it to completion in each of us as well, so that some day in the distant future when we likewise appear before the King, we will hear him say as we know he has said to Mary: “Thank you good and faithful servant.  Come and receive the reward prepared for you from the beginning of time.  For as often as you have shown up, as often as you have been there, as often as you have prayed, as often as you have extended even the least gesture of kindness and goodness and charity to the least of my brothers and sisters, you have done so for me.”  So Mary, rest in the Lord’s peace.  And may the good work which God has begun in you, which you have brought to completion, be continued in each one of us.  I found a beautiful prayer by an anonymous Franciscan from the 13th century and I thought I would just conclude my remarks with this prayer which is each of our prayers for Mary as well:

“Oh mother, fountain of love.  Make me feel the full strength of thy sorrow so that I may mourn with thee.  Grant that I may bear Christ’s death within me that I may meditate on his passions and on his wounds. Grant me to be wounded by his wounds, to be inebriated by his cross, for love of your son.  Set on fire with love, may I be defended Oh Blessed Virgin by thee on the last day.  Grant that I may be protected by the cross of Jesus Christ, fortified by the death of Christ, and strengthened by his grace.  Grant that when my body dies, the glory of paradise may be given to my soul.  Amen.”

Eulogies from Mary Ellen's children:

Larry:

On behalf of my family and myself, I’d like to thank everyone for being here today, and I’d like to thank everyone for the wonderful stories and the kind words and thoughts that we’ve enjoyed so much over the last few days. To write this eulogy, we sat down together for hours around my parents’ kitchen table, and we shared our own stories, and we laughed and we cried as we remembered our mother. So in a few words we can’t begin to express what she meant to us, but we wish to share a few thoughts with you now.

My mother had an adventurous spirit. She loved music, dancing, people and parties. At every wedding reception you’d find her on the dance floor or circulating table to table talking comfortably with everyone there. She always had a warm and welcoming smile. She always had that smile. And it seems that she had this love always because she’d tell us that back in Ireland she’d stay too long at the dances and have to run back through the fields so as not to be seen.

My mother had a genuine interest in people. Of course she wanted to know how we were doing, but she’d also ask us about our friends and the families of our friends. She’d say, “How’s Nick? And how’s Nick’s father doing?” and follow by saying, “tell Nick I’ll pray for him.” She believed strongly in the power of prayer and as a result so do I. I don’t think I’ve taken a test without asking her to pray for me.

My mom would take every opportunity to invite people to her home for dinner, or a bite to eat, or just a cup of tea. She’d say, “It’s no big deal” and for her it was no big deal because she really loved to do it.

She loved having company and was happiest when we’d all be around. She’d say, “bring the kids and come on over and I’ll fix you something to eat.” And when it came time to leave, she’d be asking when we could come back.

Brian:

Becoming a parent gave me a fuller appreciation of the hard work and sacrifices my Mom made for all of us. Looking back on my childhood memories of my Mom managing the daily efforts of feeding, cleaning and looking after the five of us, I now often wonder how she was able to do it.

The answer of course was the unconditional love she had for all of us throughout her life. Just thinking back when we were kids about an almost daily trek to the grocery store with five kids in tow, must have taken the patience of a saint. Even with life's daily struggles and many trials, Mom's love and devotion went above and beyond our basic needs to give us every opportunity in life whether it was learning piano, swimming lessons, ice skating, Irish dancing, or a top quality education.

Mom's greatest joys were derived from seeing our own happiness and success within our lives and the love and closeness within our families.

The stories we shared this week triggered a memory in me of my first high school admission meeting with St. Viator's principal and my Mom. As Father Render and I discussed the schools programs I looked over at my Mom and saw tears streaming down her face. Even as a 13 year old boy I understood the mix of emotions caused by the realization that her baby was growing up, but my thought at the time was "Oh boy, This is embarrassing."

As I grew older and particularly this week I have grown to understand and appreciate the depth of Mom's love for us and many others and am able to say without any embarrassment, I love you too Mom.

 

 Garrett:

Through our Mother's life, we learned about courage.  After the death of two children and the near death of her husband, she found the courage to raise her children with distinction.  Our memories of our childhood are wonderful and happy.

  There are many thoughts and remembrances in the back of the booklet handed out today, including this next story, which I thought was appropriate here.

  I was a picky eater in the second grade and would only eat bologna sandwiches.  We were out of bologna, so Mom said she would bring my lunch to school.  I was reminded recently that the she didn't have a car and didn't drive, so why she made this promise, I'll never know.  At lunchtime, the other students pulled their lunches out of their desks.  I started to get upset because I had nothing, but the nun had the other students share with me, and just then, my Mom came running into the classroom, out of breath, with a dozen Dunkin' Donuts.  She didn't have time to go to the store, walk home, make the lunch and then walk to the school, but she wanted to make sure I had something.  The other kids got a donut and I was a hero. 

People often ask me, "How did my Mom do it?".  "How did she raise 5 kids so close in age?"  Part of the answer is she simply did the best she could do.  Another part of the answer is that she responded to life's challenges with courage.

 Evelyn:

As I look around the church today, I see so many people touched by my mother’s selflessness. She lived her life in a state of grace that many of us can only hope to achieve. Admittedly, many of you that were at the wake last night saw pictures of my mom in her younger days and you may have noticed that she had about 150 pairs of pumps before she married my father. But those of you that knew her now, know that she was not a materialistic person and that she was extremely giving.

Reflecting on her giving nature, a story came to mind of me as a young girl. I wanted to be the Virgin Mary in our Nativity play at St. Linus School. Sr. Mercita had explained to me that my hair was too short and that I would make a much better Angel Gabriel. So I went back home and cried to my mother cursing my Pixie haircut. Thank God, she had the where-with-all to not mention that Gabriel was a boy. She took out her wedding tiara from her jewelry box and said, “You can wear this as your halo.” I went to school the next day and everyone as in awe. Everyone else had tin foil wrapped-coat hangers and I had a tiara on my head. Sr. Mercita was astonished that my mom would give her wedding tiara to a 1st grader for her school play.

You see she lived sort of a Spartan life. We used to say she was the greatest re-gifter. Some of you today may have received some of her re-gifts. On Christmas morning she would receive gifts and by the next day she had donated them to every charity.

Her greatest gift to us was her gift of time and I know this better than anyone. As many of you know, my mom helped me raise my two beautiful sons, Freddie and Brian. When people ask me how I have been able to balance my career and family, I say that I have been blessed with the greatest gift and that is having someone that loves my children as much as I watch them every day.

When the doctor told us that mom wouldn’t recover on Monday, I prayed to our Lord, please give me just a couple of more years. I knew that she had led a perfect life and that she would go to heaven but I needed her here with me, because you see I am not so selfless. But God had greater plans for my mother and this week, as the week had progressed, my prayers have evolved. I ask our Lord to give me the grace to live my life in a selfless manner, so that I can try to fill the void that is left here on earth by her death.

Colleen:
 
Through our mother's life, we learned about faith. Our mom made sure that religion was a strong force in each of our lives.  Our parents lived modestly which made a private, catholic education a reality for 5 children.  We said the rosary each night as a family and we were taught the miracles of just about every patron saint, in particular, St. Anthony (our mom was a regular customer).

But, it was actually how our mom lived her life that taught us the most about Gods love. This is exemplified by the many stories told to me last night as I met the hundreds of people who came to bid their final good bye.  People, from varied walks of life, shared how our mom reached out to them, inspired them, prayed for them, and genuinely loved them. One woman tearfully told a story of how our mom welcomed her at her very first prayer meeting. Our mom sensed her shyness, her lonliness, and her sadness. While everyone was praying, our mom got up and sat next to this woman at the back of the room.  Afterwards they sat and talked for hours.  The woman said that, within moments she felt a connection with our mom because she seemed to understand her pain.   Our mom had a sincere interest in people and a kind heart.    I know it would make my mom uncomfortable to hear this comparison, but these stories reminded me of the unconditional love Jesus has for everyone. Our mom embraced the word of God and embodied his message of "love one another as I have loved you".

She was always confident that what ever our problems were, it was in God's hands and what will be, will be. As a result, we believed that if we tried our best and just put our faith in God, everything would be ok. We have had a wonderful life because of our mom, because of the sacrifices she made and the constant reminders to each of us that this life is simply preparation for our eternal life in Heaven.

Our mother had an adventurous spirit, an unending love for her family and friends, she was a selfless and courageous person with inspirational and unshakable faith. Our mother believed with all of her heart in the power of Gods love and his promise for life everlasting. While it is overwhelming painful for us to say goodbye today, we stand here confident that our beautiful mother is in the arms of God. And, in that, we have faith

 

Mom's prayer for the dying:

Click here to go back Mary Ellen Jennings homepage

Click here to go to the Twins Page #1

Click here to go to the Twins Page #2

Click here to go to the Jennings Kids webpage

Click here to go the Grandkids Website

Click here to go to the 2002 Pics B Website

Click here to go to the 2003 Pics Website

Click here to see Grandpa and Grandma's Wedding Day

Click here to go to the 2004 Pics Website