We all have memorable moments -- good, bad, funny, enlightening -- during our lives. This blog offers a chance to write about some of mine. (Please, no yawning.)
Let me say this at the top -- I honestly didn't mean to upstage the guy in the coffin. I knew it was his day. Really, I did.
Before I explain further, a little background ...
One of the perks of being an altar boy while attending parochial school was the occasional break from class to serve at a funeral Mass.
Not only that, the funeral servers usually received $5-$10 dollars for performing their duties. I never really understood why cash was involved, but being a good Catholic youngster, I certainly didn't question the Church. :)
Fast forward to this particular morning, when a family was saying good-bye to a loved on.
Shortly after the service began, I found myself holding the holy water while standing next to the priest and in front of candle stand. Unlike today, when most churches have electric candles, my church still had the real thing: nothing but flames and wax.
That last point is a key point.
Unbeknownst to me, the hood of my robe dipped into a candle and caught fire. I quickly deduced this after one of the pallbearers -- a full-time fireman, part-time funeral home employee -- pushed the coffin out of his way while hurriedly leaping around it and then smothered me to the ground.
All we needed was the coffin to tip over, the top open with the guest of honor hitting the tile floor. Now that would have made for a funny blog.
I immediately was relieved of my duties that morning, and spent the next hour in class with my head on my desk, wondering how much hair had been singed. (After all, these were my pre-Procede days.)
The fireman burned his hand and went on disability.
The guy in the coffin took things lying down.
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