Tonight (Friday) her body will be at our parish for a short Panikhida service and an all-night vigil (as is done on Holy Friday for Christ). Then her funeral and burial is on Saturday.
It has hit all of us really hard in our parish, and most of us are still in a state of shock.
It is only fitting I guess that she reposed during this time. She loved Pascha and the Paschal season. She was very active and helped out with so many things. She personally helped repair the ephitaphios cloth and helped prepared the funeral bier for Christ every year. She oversaw the flowers for Christ and everything. She even repaired the icon of Christ in the tomb that sits on the altar until Ascension.
Its hard to believe that she will soon be right where the bier and epitaphios was just 4 weeks ago which she helped prepare and repair so often.
She was on the altar guild, cemetery board and baked prosphora for Liturgy, and she did so many other things, especially as a part of the altar guild including repairing Father's vestments, making sure candles were supplied and refilled, making sure candles were ready for pascha, fixing up the analogian covers, repairing and cleaning any other fabric, and far more. She dedicated so much of herself to Christ and to his Church and found joy in her labors.
She will be missed so much by all of us, but we all have faith that she will soon become a powerful intercessor for us. Christ will soon have a wonderful soul with him, worshiping and praying at his throne.
Through the prayers and intercessions of Philothea, have mercy on Renee, and have mercy on us! Christ truly has trampled down death by his own death, and granted life to his handmaiden Renee!
