Fr. Godfrey Diekmann, OSB (1908-2002)
Remembrances
by Fr. Ron Krisman
Former Executive Secretary
of the Bishops Committee on the Liturgy
Friends,
I just received word that Fr. Godfrey Diekmann,
Benedictine monk at St. John's Abbey, Collegeville, MN, died yesterday,
Friday, February 22, at 2:20 P.M. CST. The funeral will be at the Abbey church
on Wednesday.
Godfrey was one of the U.S. periti at the Second Vatican Council. (While he is known by most everyone today as a "liturgical scholar," actually his lifelong field of academic endeavor was patristic theology.)
In the 1980's
and 1990's the bishops of the United States had several week–long meetings
in the summer at Collegeville. I had many memorable conversations with
Godfrey in those years — and for the first 7 years of
the 1990's while we were both serving on the Advisory Committee of the
International Commission on English in the Liturgy. Most delightful were
his accounts of looking for wild watercress and morels in the woods around
Saint John's!
I will most remember Godfrey for an incident that occurred on the last day I saw him. The ICEL Advisory Committee had a meeting in Rome on June 4-10, 1996. Godfrey made it to the meeting, although he was hobbling somewhat and using a cane. On the evening of the day our meeting had concluded, we received notice that we were invited to Mass with Pope John Paul II in his private chapel the next morning.
I remember well Godfrey once telling me how much he loved the English horn and asking me to write him some music for the "cor anglais." Well, two years ago I was asked to compose a setting of Psalm 63 for use at Morning Prayer during the June 2000 convention of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians here in Orlando. ("My Soul is Thirsting for You, O Lord, is Thirsting for You, O Lord my God.") I decided to add an English horn part, and I dedicated the piece to Godfrey. As divine providence would have it, the piece is now being readied for publication by GIA. A week ago I received page proofs from the publisher; I returned them with corrections — on Thursday of this week.
So Godfrey has been in my thoughts for the past week. He won't need to sing or play my music, however. His thirst has been satisfied.