A Brotherhood Made Whole: Deceased Monks Return to Abbey After Decades in Cemetery

The Rev. Damian Szodenyi rose slowly from the grave, his earthly remains hoisted by the bucket of a backhoe, the chug and thunk of the big machine interrupting his long rest.Buried since 1998, his remains were soon carried to a maintenance area, away from public view. There, his concrete funeral container would be opened, the simple wooden box inside it removed and Szodenyi’s bones transferred to a new casket in preparation for one last journey.In life, he had been a Hungarian immigrant, a teacher, a headmaster, a University of Dallas dean and an artist. But above all, he had been a Cistercian monk.  Continue reading...