Entre los pucheros ... Brother Antonine DiSabella, O.C.D. (1928-2009)
"Entre los pucheros anda el Señor [Among the pots walks the Lord]," St. Teresa had written to her nuns who perhaps imagined God to be more present in the chapel than in the kitchen (Foundations, 5.8). In September we lost a beloved friar who was known to anyone who would have visited our monastery in Washington, DC during the past fifty years. With permission we post here the obituary written in the monastery newsletter by Fr. Marc Foley, O.C.D., prior of the Washington, DC monastery:
In Memoriam. Br. Antonine DiSabella, who has been the cook in our monastery since 1951, went home to God on September 13. Antonine's presence will be sorely missed. His gentle spirit, kind heart, and hospitable nature made the monastery's kitchen a place of welcome for people from all walks of life. Though it is impossible to capture the spirit of any human being in a few words, three come to my mind when I think of Br. Antonine — affability, hospitality and faithfulness.
Affability. Affability is a duty of justice; "it is a kind of debt of decency" (II, II, Q. 114. a. 2.), writes St. Thomas Aquinas. Affability is a virtue of maturity not of youth. It requires the discipline and strength of character to be even-keeled in one's demeanor, regardless of how one is feeling. It is that rare species of charity, the heroic strength that does not inflict one's fluctuating moods upon others. Br. Antonine had the virtue of affability to a high degree. Regardless of how he was feeling, in spite of the fact that he often dragged himself through the day, Br. Antonine was always patient, gracious and courteous to those he met. Thomas Hardy once said that people are like planets. In their orbits, they carry around their own atmosphere. The atmosphere that one breathed in Br. Antonine's presence can be described in one word —welcome. St. Therese once said that when a request is made of you, you should respond in such a manner that the person who has made the request "believes that they are doing you a favor in accepting your services." In this regard, Br. Antonine was a true devotee of St. Therese.
Hospitality. St. Francis de Sales, who after St. Therese was the saint whom Br. Antonine read the most, once said, "When we get to heaven, God will not ask us how much we have reaped, but have we taken time in the sowing." In other words, have we been attentive to the people whom God has entrusted to us? When there were guests in the kitchen, they were not simply served food. That was Antonine's job. His real ministry was how he served it — with graciousness, hospitality and attentiveness. Antonine always made you feel welcomed and never made you feel that you were an imposition. Not to show irritation or impatience when one is on the clock, when one is in a rush, when one is hard pressed to put out a meal on time, is a great grace indeed.
Faithfulness. Evelyn Underhill defines faithfulness as "consecration in overalls tor an apron as in Br. Antonine's case], the steady acceptance and performance of the common duty." Faithfulness is being constant in one's station in life over the long haul. For over half a century, Br. Antonine was faithful not only to his duties as a cook, but more importantly, to his obligations as a religious. He lived a life of quiet fidelity, in season and out of season.
I visited Br. Antonine in the hospital about a month before he died. When he was told that his health no longer permitted him to cook, he heaved a great sigh of relief. Though he loved his work, it was work and it wore on him, especially in his later years as his strength waned. No words are more appropriate than those taken from the second reading at his funeral Mass, "'Happy are those who die in the Lord!' The Spirit added, 'Yes, they shall find rest from their labors, for their good works accompany them’" (Rv. 14. 13). Br. Antonine was truly a good man. He will be sorely missed and fondly remembered. May he rest in peace.