Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Pastoral problem: Minister dies after wedding rehearsal.
An obituary in yesterday's Boston Globe reported that retired UU minister Richard Kimball, 72, died in his sleep while away from home to officiate at a wedding:
Rev. Kimball was in Westerly, R.I., last month to perform a wedding when he died unexpectedly on June 23, hours before the ceremony. He had attended the rehearsal the night before and retired to a bed-and-breakfast. When he did not arrive to perform the ceremony at 2 p.m. the next day, it was discovered that he had died during the night. The wedding was performed by another minister who had been at the rehearsal and had listened to Rev. Kimball interact with the couple.
I'm pondering how that other minister stepped into Kimball's shoes. What an unusual pastoral emergency!
("Richard Kimball, 72, his ministry not limited by church walls," Gloria Negri, Boston Globe 7.24.07)
Copyright © 2007 by Philocrites | Posted 25 July 2007 at 8:29 AM
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Philocrites
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Commentary by Chris Walton on Unitarian Universalism, liberal Christianity, American religion, and liberal culture. Contact me.
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4 comments:
Chalicechick:
July 25, 2007 09:59 AM | Permalink for this comment
How awful. I might have postponed the wedding out of respect, but our minister was a good friend.
Still, wow.
CC
mskitty:
July 25, 2007 11:37 AM | Permalink for this comment
Yikes, what a nightmare! The poor wedding couple and their guests and families------I hope that stand-in minister was able to give them some support and comfort. The guy was a Unitarian Universalist too;his death is a loss to our movement, as well as to the immediate situation.
PeaceBang:
July 26, 2007 01:47 AM | Permalink for this comment
Oh my goodness. So poignant.
Revelz:
August 3, 2007 09:54 AM | Permalink for this comment
How unusual for another cleric to be present at a wedding rehearsal, just to admire the officiant's way of working. Truly, this was in fact God's way of working -- or, as my Seventh Principle buddies call it, "sacred synergy." I cannot imagine what it would have been like in ordinary circumstances -- calling the spouse, telling h/h that s/he is now single -- and "by the way, could you get another minister down here within the hour...?"
No way to plan for this -- it's just too rare. In fact, a case for divine intervention, from start to finish.
This, however, does not take away from the key point that Dick Kimball will be missed in person and admired in memory.
Revelz
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