Address delivered by Fr Placid Whittle at the funeral of the Right Rev. D. Bede Prest, Abbot of St. Mary's York, born Dec. 31st, 1831, entered religion 1849, ordained priest 1856, buried at Brownedge Dec. 3rd, 1903.
Quodcumque facere potest manus tua instanter operare - Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly - Eccles. ix,10
Rt. Rev. Fr. Abbot, Rt. Rev. and Rev. Fathers and Brethren.
Solely in obedience to my Father Superior do I presume to stand here before you to day, and speak a few words in presence of our venerated and beloved Dead. Far sooner would I have preferred to be a silent mourner in your midst. But, to a monk, not only the command but even the wish of his Superior should be to him law. In full submission then I obey; with the consciousness that, though many here could speak more aptly and more eloquently than I, none can have for him, whose remains lie here, greater reverence, esteem and affection.
The Rt. Rev. William Bede Prest was born at Masham, near Ripon, in Yorkshire. Like his great Patron, Venerable Bede, he left the world when almost a child, and went to Ampleforth, a spot he loved so well and worked hard for all his long life of well-nigh 72 years. During his College career - from the age of ten to that of eighteen - I have heard he was remarkable for his blameless life, his deep and prayerful piety, and his ever ready obedience. During those years his sole ambition was to prepare himself to receive the Holy Habit of St Benedict. With this he was clothed on Nov. 1st, 1849, at the age of 18, just 54 years ago. In the year 1850, as you know, the English Hierarchy was established. Up to that time none had been allowed to make their vows publicly, but on Nov. 5th of that year Brother Bede Prest and Brother Aidan Hickey publicly pronounced their vows in the little monastic Chapel some few of us remember and love so well.
Two months after this event, close upon 53 years ago, I first saw Br. B. Prest, when, a small boy, I entered Ampleforth College as a student. During these long 53 years I can speak of our Father with full knowledge and grateful affection; for he was my Master when a student, my fellow Religious in Community, my revered Superior as Prior, my valued and trusted friend on the Mission. He was but 20 when I first saw him, and yet he was entrusted by the then new Prior, Fr Cooper, with the responsible work of Procurator, an office he held till his election as Prior in 1866. It was an office of grave responsibility, and by rule only to be entrusted to a grave Monk. But Abbot Prest even in his young days was ever a grave Monk, as I and others well remember, but young as he was he 'set his hand to do the work' and so did it unceasingly, devotedly, 'earnestly.' At the same time the great, Opus Dei, in Choir, daily meditation, his Philosophical, Theological and Scriptural Studies, were performed not less devotedly and, 'earnestly.' During the whole 17 years he was in Community as a subject, and also during the 8 years of his Priorship, he was never idle. It was ever work, work; and work ever done devotedly and 'earnestly,' because it was done solely for God his Master, for the Community his Brethren, for Ampleforth, his loved Alma Mater. Oh, if ever Fr. Prest had an earthly love it was love for his Alma Mater, dear old Ampleforth, where he passed 35 out of the 75 years of his life.
In 1874, after his 2nd term of office as Prior, he left his Alma Mater never to return as a Conventual. But his love for his old monastic home never diminished. It increased even to the end; for it is a well-known fact that no one outside the Abbey did more than he to make our Centenary Celebration last July so great a success. On the Mission the same untiring and unceasing energy in work displayed itself at St. Anne's, Liverpool, St. Mary's, Woolton, and lastly St. Mary's, Leyland; and many a heart is aching to-day, especially in Woolton and Leyland where he laboured so long; and from hundreds of lips to-day and for many a day will a prayer rise up to the throne of God from the grateful hearts of the poor he has relieved and the suffering ones he has comforted, for good and kind Fr. Prest. For he was good and kind. He was good as a Boy, he was good as a Monk, he was good as a Priest. Only a fortnight ago, when the sad news spread that he had received the last Sacraments, I was speaking to a gentleman who had known him for nearly 4o years, and he said: - 'I cannot imagine Fr. Prest ever doing anything wrong. It seems to me that if anything were the least sin, he would not do it.' My Brethren is not this the echo of our own feelings concerning him? for he was good, ever good - 'Inventus est sine macula.' His life from Boyhood to old age was 'sine macula' - 'without blemish.'
And Fr. Prest was kind and ever ready to do a kindness for any one. Many of you may remember him standing in the Church, 10 years ago last July, and speaking at the funeral of one so dear to us all, Fr. Anlselm Walker. I remember, as if it was but yesterday, the word he spoke. He said of Fr. Walker 'He was so kind'! The little word so before kind had a world of meaning in it. My Brethren, it has not less meaning for him whose body lies here. 'He was so kind'! He was kindness personified!. I have known him spend hours, yea, days and even nights, over and over again, in acts of kindness for his Brethren, for the poor, for the sick, for the outcast. And how gentle, how patient, how forbearing he was. Who ever saw Fr. Prest in a passion? Who ever heard him utter an angry word? Who ever heard of him doing a rude act, or saying an unkind or uncharitable word of any one? Ah no! for he was the gentlest of the gentle, the kindest of the kind, the most patient of the patient. Surely, he had learnt well and practised always the beautiful lesson of his Master - 'Learn of Me, for I am meek and humble of heart.' Yes, he was humble too, - never pushing himself forward, never aggressive in argument, holding himself in the background till all others, even the youngest, had spoken. Responsibilities and honours up to the last were thrust upon him by his Brethren because they trusted him, they believed in his calm, sound and prudent judgment. And though some might differ at times from his earnestly expressed views he never resented it in the least. He was too humble. And from what did this kindness and this gentleness and humility spring? From his perfectly unselfish nature. I think I may safely say without fear of contradiction that we have seldom if ever met a man so utterly devoid of self. - His God, his Brethren, his people were to him first and last; himself nowhere. Hence his perfect spirit of mortification and self-denial, his total indifference as to what was set before him in his home or wherever he went. Over and over again did he go without food for hours beyond meal time, forgetful of everything, absorbed in his work or his charities.
Lastly, he was essentially a man of prayer. Prayer covered the whole of his life from boyhood to old age as with a beautiful garment, keeping it all for God alone. And how earnestly and long he prayed! Those who have lived with him will bear me out when I say that often in the night, and for great part of the night, was he heard praying. Like his Divine Master he prayed whilst others slept, praying for himself and his Brethren and his people.
Such in brief was Abbot Prest in life. His death-sickness came suddenly and found him at work in the confessional. He lingered some fifteen days and prepared calmly for the end. When it came it found him watching with the crucifix clasped in hand, while a fellow Priest blessed him as he passed peacefully away. Possibly, it may be said that I have spoken in too laudatory terms of our good Father. If what I have said be true - and of this I am sure - why not speak of it, now that he has gone, for our example and edification. We have scriptural authority for so doing, for on the Feast of 'All Saints' of our Order we read these words from Ecclesiasticus (44) 'Let us praise men of religion and our fathers in their generation.' Surely, to have lived a life such as I have described is to be indeed a 'man of renown,' and therefore may we 'praise our Father' who has lived such a life in 'this generation.' For indeed he is a credit and an honour to our Benedictine Order and especially to the house of his profession. In him, for half a century, we have had a good Christian man, a model monk, a model Priest. Let us then, each in our own sphere of life, take him as a pattern, in humility, in gentleness, in kindness, in self-denial, in constant prayer. Above all, whatever our hand is able to do, let us do it, as he did it, 'earnestly.' Then we may humbly but confidently look for the reward as he did.
But, my Brethren, where we may see nothing but virtues and good works, the pure and searching eye of God may see defects and at least minor sins still to be cleansed. Therefore if we esteem and love him - and who does not who knew him? - let us pray for him that if he has not yet attained that great reward which must surely be his due, the good God may speedily pardon his sins and defects and take him to his Eternal home. Let all pray for him; but you especially, his bereaved flock of St. Mary's, Leyland, offer up continually your prayers and your Masses. This I am sure is the message your Father would have me give as his last wish. You have come a long way on this cold wintry day to see him laid in the Tomb. To you our special sympathy goes out, for you have indeed lost a kind friend - a good Priest and a gentle Father.
And now, bear him hence to his last resting place. Lay him gently near his dear friends in life who were so like him in disposition. Lay him by the side of the gentle and kind Father Anselm Walker and Father Bernard Jackson, while we pray: 'Eternal rest give to him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.' Amen.
William Bede PREST 30 November 1903 1831 31 Dec Born at Masham, Yorkshire educ at Ampleforth 1849 1 Nov Clothed 1850 6 Nov Professed 1856 17 May Priest 1851-66 Cellarer 1860-66 Subprior 1866-74 Prior of St Lawrence's 1874 St Augustine's Liverpool 1875 St Anne's Liverpool 1880 Woolton 1891 Leyland 1903 30 Nov died 1874 Cathedral Prior of Coventry 1883 Cathedral Prior of Winchester Annalist of the English Congregation 1901 Abbot of St Mary's York