Songs from the heart - Br. Bob Lucero, OFM
The most fitting memorial was music
Br. Bob Lucero, OFM, understood the power of music. It can soothe, inspire, enlighten, energize, and even heal. All of this was obvious at the funeral Mass for Bob when members of the May Festival Chorus stood up to sing. The impact of such music is indescribable. It fills your heart; it stirs your soul.
This happened to Bob whenever he sang with the Chorus. And it happened to his family, friends and friars who gathered at St. Clement Church on Dec. 31 to share their grief at his passing. Beyond the heartfelt tributes and eloquent homily, it was the glorious music that gave them solace and, in the absence of a coffin, a sense of closure.
It was a different kind of funeral, with a box of ashes on a pedestal and a holiday backdrop, a field of red and white poinsettias and Christmas trees strung with white and blue lights. Even with some distance between Bob’s death and this service – he died Dec. 20 – emotions were still raw. This wasn’t fair. He was a youthful 64. He had been through this battle before, fighting his cancer with grace and good humor.
Some face a life-threatening illness with denial or withdrawal. Bob faced cancer with the same curiosity and candor that defined the rest of life. He studied it; he even joked about it. Hours after collapsing at a May Festival Chorus concert in March of 2005, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Before his emergency surgery, he said, “I asked if they could put in a special chip to help me learn Russian” for an upcoming concert. In the years that followed he shared his progress and setbacks in thoughtful, expansive e-mails. Never did he ask, “Why me?”
‘The patience of Bob’
With cancer always in the background, “We never heard him complain,” said Fr. Pat McCloskey, OFM, who lived with Bob more than nine years at St. Clare Friary. “I have come to think the expression, ‘the patience of Job’ could well be, ‘the patience of Bob’. Bob was one of the most patient and generous people I will probably ever know.”
Br. Bob in front of Music Hall
Fr. David Kohut, OFM, found “a community of loving brothers” eight years ago when he moved to Cincinnati. “Among them was Bob. I admired a man with such dogged determination for perfection and a desire to reach out to people. I know Bob had many loves: the province he loved and joined as a young boy; the Church; his love of music and the desire to entertain many thousands of people in his 43 years with the May Festival Chorus. The time I spent with this man I will cherish greatly for the rest of my life.”
Raised in New Mexico, Bob was always around friars. “The Franciscan charism touched our family,” said brother Marcos, here with siblings Eloy, Henry and Gene. “My brother, Robert Florentino Lucero, was a faithful Franciscan who worked every day to live the example of St. Francis.”
Bob was eulogized in text and photos on trifold boards labeled “Loving”, “Brother”, “Humble”, “Friend”, and “Generous”. What they couldn’t convey was his mischievous nature. As novitiate classmates, Br. Jerry Beetz, OFM, said, “He and I always got in trouble together. One 4th of July we got in trouble for making noise.” When their superior canceled festivities as punishment, Bob and Jerry climbed onto the roof of the Shrine Hall building. “Bob reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of firecrackers and sparklers. Then he sang ‘Happy Birthday, America’ in his beautiful tenor voice. Sure, he was a great singer, a great perfectionist, but he had a devilish side.”
Finding God in beauty
Bob’s passion for music dominated the remembrance of his life. Celebrant Fr. Jeff Scheeler, OFM, welcomed Bob’s relatives, “his many colleagues and co-workers and friends from the May Festival Chorus” who filled the pews to the right of the altar. Several weeks ago when medical options were exhausted, Jeff asked Bob about his funeral wishes. “I said, ‘Don’t you think it would be great to have some of the May Festival Chorus with us?’ He lit up.”
Music was just one of the things that brought Bob joy, according to homilist Fr. Jeremy Harrington, OFM, a mentor at St. Anthony Messenger Press (now Franciscan Media). “He enjoyed them here and will enjoy them forever.” Years ago in Assisi, “Bob was moved during a visit to the tomb of Francis. One evening he took a blanket and backpack and walked up Mt. Subasio by himself where he could sleep under the stars. It was important to have time to think, to pray” in the footsteps of Francis. “It says a lot about Bob, about how he followed Christ, and his appreciation for beauty. Francis found God in beauty and so did Bob. Bob had an eye, a heart and an ear for beauty.
“He loved to sing in the Chorus. During rehearsals Bob was always in such great spirits.” The son of music-loving parents, as a child he went to bed humming classical tunes. Even in his final days, Bob was wired for sound with Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius a constant companion at chemo.
“Bob grew up in a Franciscan atmosphere,” Jeremy said, “baptized at the Cathedral in Santa Fe staffed by Franciscans. He went to St. Francis Grade School and St. Francis High School; he made the long journey from Santa Fe to Cincinnati.” There he was inspired by music teacher Aubert Grieser, “who was enthusiasm itself.”
Faithful friends
Br. Bob in 1979
For 39 years Bob’s ministerial niche was SAMP, first as an assistant editor, later as a production manager. “He led many of us from electric typewriters to the computer world to the digital world,” Jeremy said. But his most important role was as Brother Bob, “positive, joyful, quick-witted, a confidante, a mentor,” nearby whenever he was needed. That kindness was reciprocated by coworkers during his recovery in 2005. “It was wonderful how they supported him” in every aspect of his care, especially his loyal friend, Sandy Digman. When cancer returned, she and Bob’s former colleagues attended to his every need.
In December a friar brother wrote to Bob, “Jesus is going to be there to welcome you with open arms.” And, Jeremy predicted, “If he isn’t already, Bob soon will be singing with the choirs of angels.” On this day, angels could not have outdone the May Festival Chorus. What Wondrous Love Is This? Was transcendent, so moving and appropriate that listeners sat motionless, awed by its beauty.
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on.
They sang with warmth, with heart, with soul. They sang for Bob, one of their own.
From the SJB News Notes
The Cincinnati May Festival Chorus sings at the funeral Mass of Br. Bob Lucero, OFM. Br. Bob sang in the choir for 43 years.
Posted in: Events, Prayer, Saint Francis
