IN LOVING MEMORY OF DOROTHEA COMER (1925-2024)
FIRST MEMBER OF THE ASSISI PROJECT

By Brother Patrick

Pope Benedict XVI once said: “Led, guided, and surrounded by the friends of God…I do not have to carry alone what, in truth, I could never carry alone. All the saints of God are here to protect me, sustain me, and carry me.” Pope Francis now teaches us that it is not just the saints in heaven who protect us, sustain us, and lift us up. We are also supported by those he calls the “saints next door.”

The saints next door are men and women whose holiness is born in struggle and hard work, but is expressed with joy and contentment. The saints next door are men and women whose holiness is good and true and beautiful, but is sometimes taken for granted by their friends and families. The saints next door are men and women whose holiness is real and heroic, perhaps known to some of us, but unknown to the rest of the world. Among these everyday saints may be the person who lives next door; the person who feels your pain then quietly prays for you; the person who sees your need then offers a helping hand; the person who knows your faults but then shares a kind word.

Pope Francis says: “If the trials in this life have not reached the breaking point, if we are capable of persevering, if despite everything we proceed with trust, more than with our own merits, we owe it all to the intercession of the saints, some who are in heaven, others who are pilgrims like us on earth, saintly men and women who live in holiness. They do not know it, nor do we know it. But they are saints, everyday saints, hidden saints, or as I like to call them: the ‘saints next door’, those who share their lives with us, walk alongside us, and live lives of holiness.’

Our friend, Dot Comer, was one of the saints next door. She was well into her seventies when we met. She was well into her nineties when she left us. Dot was the first member of the Assisi Project. She was our good friend and fearless fellow pilgrim. She was the first and perhaps most active volunteer in the adult and youth faith formation program that I ran for many years at Saint Charles Borromeo Parish in Woburn, Massachusetts. She was the first to arrive, the last to leave, the volunteer who has always willing to help with any special project — as long as there was coffee and pizza on hand!

In later years, our friend, Dot, remained strong in spirit, tough as nails, a true force of nature. Even when her service to the Church was confined to praying, hour after hour and day after day, for her good friends and devoted family, we could still feel her fierce love and boundless generosity.

Up until a few months before her passing, Dot sent me a text message almost every day. She was never shy about offering a word of encouragement or a stern word of correction. Dot sent one last message, one month after my consecration as a diocesan hermit. With the help of a friend, she texted: “I am holding your hand like your grandmother did. I am very happy. I know that God is happy with me. I am so happy that you found your happiness. And we will be holding hands again.” True to form, Dot then demanded to see photos of my three dogs!

I am convinced that the earth continues to spin on its axis and revolve around the sun because of the holy ones like Dot Comer, who loved and prayed their way through life. I am convinced that God continues to be patient with this sick and suffering world because of the holy ones like Dot Comer who loved and prayed their way through life.

The novelist, Leon Bloy, once wrote: “The only great tragedy in life is not to become a saint.” By this standard, Dot’s long journey was a true triumph, a singular sensation, an amazing grace. She was among the saints next door in this life. She is now home again, among the saints in glory, singing with the choir of angels in heaven, praying for you, praying for me, praying for all of us — and still ready to kick our butts from on high!

Loving wife, mother, and grandmother. Friend, fellow pilgrim, and lifelong fellow parishioner. Loved by so many. Missed by so many. An unforgettable person. An unforgettable life. Among the greatest of the greatest generation. May God bless Dot Comer. May God bless all of us. May the Lord bring us peace. Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us! Saint Clare of Assisi, pray for us! Our Lady of the Angels, pray for us!

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Brother Patrick Garvey is co-founder and spiritual director of the Assisi Project. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine, Saint John Seminary, and the Catholic University of America. He is a writer, spiritual director, retreat leader, and university lecturer. He also serves as an Associate Minister in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport in Massachusetts. On October 3, 2023, the Feast of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi, Brother Patrick was consecrated as a diocesan hermit by Bishop Mark O’Connell, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Boston. For more information about the Assisi Project and our ministries with adults of all ages and backgrounds, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com.

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ABOUT US

Founded in 2007, the Assisi Project is a Fellowship of Franciscans in Spirit with friends and followers throughout the world. We are dedicated to helping Christian believers of all ages more faithfully live the Gospel of Christ in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. The Assisi Project is a non-profit, tax exempt charitable organization. Please support our ministry via Pay Pal (see link below) or mail a tax-deductible donation to the Assisi Project, Post Office Box 3158, Gloucester, Massachusetts 01931-3158. The Assisi Project Podcast is produced by the Assisi Project, Inc. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved. May the Lord give you peace!

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In Memory of Dorothea Comer
First Member of the Assisi Project