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Farewell to our beautiful
On December 19th at 2.30 p.m. we returned to God our beautiful Thea.
Thea was born at German Shepherd World, Maroota, New South Wales, on May 20th, 1999. Mother Benedicta Philips (deceased since 2006), purchased Thea when she was three months old. Members of the Narrabeen Parish Prayer Group who have been making annual retreats at the Abbey for over 20 years, gave the donation which covered the cost of this precious puppy. Her name was chosen by Mother Benedicta, who saw her as a gift from God and therefore worthy of the name Thea (of God). Her very gentle nature and beautiful breeding were a blessing, and Mother Benedicta took her natural gifts and built on them to train her as a community dog – to be inside the Church, the Refectory, the Community Room, and generally around the Abbey Cloisters. Mother Benedicta believed that a dog in a Monastic community succeeded in breaking through any rigidity. A dog can change a stern look into a smile. A dog can make people laugh and relate more easily.
In her life time, Thea saw her share of Monastic Clothings and Professions, and kept the secrets of all who spent time talking with Mother Benedicta or Mother Mary. Dogs wag their tails, not their tongues! Emily Dickenson said of dogs, “…they know but do not tell.”
When Mother Benedicta died suddenly in 2006, Thea became insecure until a new Abbess was elected on November 21st of the same year. Mother Mary Barnes, occupying the Abbess’s place in the Refectory and other areas, found that she had a devoted follower on four legs.
As our Church dog, Thea had her own bed, near the Abbess’s Choir Stall. Coming into the church for every Office, she would first of all go to the Visitors’ Chapel and greet our guests before going to her place. She kept this up until the end.
When we did the ABC Production after Mother Benedicta’s death, Thea became known in Television circles as Mother Rex.
Thea started to slow down about 2010. Walks were shorter, her blindness increased, and by August this year we noticed that she had lost hearing. She was on medication for arthritis and for her heart, after suffering a slight “turn” in the early part of this year.
Finally, when her back legs began to weaken, and she no longer had quality of life we arranged with our Vet to return her to God. Our Vet, Aine Seavers, had looked after Thea for most of her life and been a friend to Mother Benedicta. And so, at 2.30 p.m., on December 19th, we said our farewell, and stroked her gently as she died. At the end of Mass on December 20th, Fr. Paul acknowledged her passing, and gave our community a special blessing. Her bed in the Church was covered with floral tributes from those of us with aching hearts as we came to terms with her absence. December 19th was the Anniversary of Mother Mary’s Abbatial blessing. She saw it as a fitting day to thank God for the blessing Thea had been to all of us.
As Thea was in life, so she was in death – gentle and beautiful. Her sensitive nature could always discern distress or pain. She would often come over to Mother Benedicta under these circumstances, and put her paw up on Mother’s knee as if to say: “I understand.” Alphonse de Lamartine wrote in the 19th century: “When man is in trouble, God sends him a dog.” Yes, she was always there for her mistress in times of trouble.
She never killed another living creature, not even the smallest garden lizard. As a young dog, she was seen to be helping a family of ducklings into the dam by nudging them gently from behind. A precious animal was our Thea. We thank God for 12 years and seven months of giftedness.
Rudyard Kipling wrote: “Brothers and sisters, I bid you beware of giving your heart to a dog to tear.” We did just that, and it’s now right to feel the pain of grief.
Farewell beautiful girl. We will miss you.
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