Our readers will have all heard of the sudden death of Fr. Romuald Woods, which happened on the Friday after Christmas Day. He was thought to be in the best of such health and strength as his years and his failing eyesight had left him, and was, at the time, the guest of Bishop Hedley at Cardiff. Whilst walking along Cathay's 'Terrace, the end came without a moments warning. He died of heart failure - so the inquest recorded; we say that his work was done and God called him to his rest. It was the happiest and best of deaths for him, for it was the will of God, and we do not doubt he was then best prepared to meet His Maker. He had spent his years on earth in God's service, and his death was the last, simplest and, we hope, easiest act of this service.
He was buried at Belmont where he had spent the greater part of his life. The good work he did there can only be known to those who profited by his teaching and example. Prior Fowler tells us, in the funeral sermon he preached, how greatly he, in his position of Superior, was edified by Fr Romuald's love of poverty and simple obedience, and how the 'continued reverence and consideration, obedience and affability' of one so greatly his senior made him 'feel that he ought to humble himself before Canon Woods, and not Canon Woods before him.' In spite of his almost complete blindness Fr. Romuald continued to preach and to fulfil such duties as were possible to him and he retained to the end his office of Canon Theologian. He was titular Cathedral Prior of the Cathedral Church of Rochester.
We print, as a tribute to his memory, a letter we have received from Fr. Whittle, an old friend and companion.
Dear Mr. Editor,
You have asked me, as one who has known him so long, to write a few reminiscences of our dear lamented friend Fr. Romuald Woods. I shall chiefly confine myself to his years at Ampleforth, for the present generation can know little or nothing of those days. Of his many years at Belmont I shall say comparatively little. When we consider the great numbers from all our Monasteries who, during the last forty years, have passed through St. Michael's, I do not exaggerate when I say that no one in the whole Order was more widely and personally known than Fr. Romuald Woods.
My first recollections of William Woods, as he was then, dates from January 1851, when I first entered within the old walls of Alma Mater. I was then a wee boy of twelve, and W. Woods a strapping young fellow of eighteen. He was in the first class, and I of course was relegated to the last. It was then, and perhaps for some time after, a great puzzle to me why such big boys were still at school, for he was, I should say, quite as tall then as he ever was in after life. He usually wore a grey suit and, big as he was, a jacket, as was customary in those primitive days. Knee breeches had just gone out of fashion for young men. At the Midsummer of 1851, we youngsters had a good laugh at him and the others his class when they donned long frock coats, at the 'Exhibition Sunday Parade,' preparatory to their 'taking the habit' in the Autumn.
That 'Exhibition' we had King Lear. Our venerable and triple Jubilarian the Very Rev. Paulinus Wilson, took the King's part; Fr. Wilfrid Brown, Edgar; and Fr. Romuald either Goneril or Regan. But I thought he looked a veritable giant in his long and flowing robes. I don't remember the other characters except my own. Being one of the very small boys, I carried the King's train as his Page. Modesty prevents my eulogising the manner in which this important part was performed, but I believe it is on record that, up to that time, no play of Shakespeare's had ever been better acted or staged than the King Lear of 1851. I say 'up to that time,' as I might get into hot water if I did not make this qualification.
In the autumn of that year William Woods, with four others, was clothed with the Holy Habit and became Brother Romuald. One alone of the four survives him. In those days the community was small and the Novices had to take some share in the teaching. I don't quite recollect what Brother Romuald taught me as a small boy, but in the Middle and Upper Part of the School he taught me English Composition and Literature. And let me say here - and in this all who know anything of those days will bear me out - that Ampleforth owes much to Fr. Woods for its pre-eminence in English Composition, English Literature, and love of Reading. He had his favourite books, and amongst these Carlyle's French Revolution was first. O the gusto with which he read to us passages from 'Tommy,' as he affectionately called him! And after some more fiery passage than usual, he would strike his fist on the desk and exclaim excitedly - 'Did ever man write English such as that?' Of course we agreed with him, especially if we were not so well up in our lesson, and hence we generally succeeded in getting him to go on. But this occasional digression from the day's lesson did no harm. It was all in the way of general improvement and the enlarging of our minds.
Fr. Romuald was a great 'Hero Worshipper.' If I remember rightly Carlyle and Dupanloup were his chief heroes. Whether he ever saw Carlyle I can't say, but I know that he and another enthusiastic admirer once went during the vacation on a pilgrimage to worship at the feet of the great Bishop of Orleans.
Besides English, Fr. Romuald taught German, Italian and Spanish. Spanish I never learnt, but during our Rhetoric and Philosophy year in the school we did a fair amount of Schiller, Tasso and Dante, and on the Exhibition Days of 1857-8 one of us had, under his guidance, to declaim in German 'Der Pilgrim' by Schiller and 'Wilhelm Tell's' grand soliloquy by the same author. Shortly after I became associated with Fr. Romuald in the community at Ampleforth. I need scarcely say that besides being a model of regularity in every monastic observance, he was also the life of the community in recreation time. As we all know, he had no end of stories, many of them most excellent, but others scarcely above commonplace if told by anyone else; told however by him in his inimitable way, they were ever enjoyed, even when repeated 'many a time and oft.' And, no doubt, it is in the recollection of many that he always declared his stories were true - 'none of your made-up things.' A certain person, who shall be nameless, and whose stories or versions of stories Fr. Romuald declared were somewhat void of truth, was once beginning a story, when the good Father in his usual straight and emphatic way cried out - 'Now - , out with it, and none of your lies!' The would-be narrator was nonplussed, and collapsed.
In the late autumn of 1869, Fr. Romuald and myself left Ampleforth, he for St. Michael's, and myself for the Mission. Since then we have corresponded, at least on our respective Feast Days, without one single omission, and we have of course often met. Of the nearly forty years that Fr. Romuald spent at St. Michael's, others of the many who have passed through Belmont during that long period, whether Juniors or Canons, could speak more intimately than I. But of this I feel sure that all these hold Canon Woods in the highest esteem and affection. He was from first to last essentially a true monk in every sense of the word. He was a man of extensive reading and sound judgment, but one of ever blameless life and childlike simplicity. In many ways he was timid and sensitive. Hence he shrunk from responsibility; and though once, if not twice, elected Prior of Ampleforth, he refused to accept the dignity. For this he was blamed: but in my humble opinion he was quite justified in refusing. He could never have borne up long under the strain. His life as an English Benedictine Monk was unique, having been a Conventual all his long monastic life of fifty-six years. And he was happy to the end in his quiet home at St. Michael's, with the occasional preaching outside and the giving of Retreats. We have all lost a grand model. May our record be as full as his. R.I.P.
William Romuald WOODS 27 December 1907 1833 6 Oct born 1851 16 Nov Clothed 1852 20 Nov Professed 1859 18 Jun Priest 1907 27 Dec died