The Boston College community gathered Saturday to remember Rev. Thomas Richard Heath, O.P., BC '43, in St. Mary's Hall. Heath, a Dominican priest working in Kenya, died on Jan. 13 after being stabbed during an armed robbery of his home. He is best known as the author of "Proud Refrain," the celebrated poem about Gasson Hall written during World War II.
Rev. Richard McGowan, S.J., opened the memorial service with prayer and readings. In the homily, he focused on Heath as a man of the light.
"When Father Tom came back in August, he said 'It's always good to be back in the light,'" said McGowan. "He hits me as a person who was always in the light, walking in the light."
McGowan recalled a recent blackout in the dorm he lives in.
"When the power goes off, there is still light," he said. "You become much more attuned to how wonderful light is."
He said light has three qualities - it is absolutely necessary for life, it points the way each person has to go, and it gladdens lives. He saw these same qualities in Heath.
"Light represents life, safety, and happiness," said McGowan. "That's what his life was about. He tried to give life and safety, and he certainly gave happiness to a lot of people. Each of us could be light for one another."
After the communion, John L. Mahoney, Professor Emeritus, concluded the ceremony by reading Heath's famous poem "Proud Refrain." Mahoney grew up in the same Somerville neighborhood as the Heath family and always looked up to the three Heath brothers.
"They were my heroes - smart, dedicated, and they became great priests," said Mahoney. "This is a very different place from what Tom and I experienced when we came here. But in this chapel, there is something that has never changed, and that's spirit. Boston College is about learning, of course, but it is also about spirit, and spiritual values."
At least 10 members of Heath's graduating class attended, as well as many from the years before and after him. Also present were three graduates from Trinity College, class of '54. They recalled how Heath taught their class as his first missionary job.
Heath's poem, "Proud Refrain" also reflected his compassion for fellow classmates. In a previous interview, Heath, a Somerville, Mass. native, recalled, "I don't think any one event inspired it; it overflowed from my love for BC and for my classmates, some of whom has already been called up, and most of whom soon would be."
Edward Costello, Heath's brother-in-law, commented on the many friends Heath had at all times.
"He always had loads of people who wanted to load him with money to send back with him. And after he was killed, the group that accompanied him to where he was buried was almost 1,000 [people]," he said. "He was a determined slave of God, but he laughed. He was always laughing. That was a part of his life."
Rev. Joseph Nolan, the concelebrant of the ceremony, reflected on Heath afterwards.
"I remember him as someone that was very much in love with God," said Nolan, who worked with Heath on Stylus, BC's literary magazine.
"He always struck me as more holy than I was, far more in love with prayer, Mary, and the rosary. A true Dominican.
"He was a very beautiful person," he added.
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