Requiem Librorum

On December 22, 2025 at Saint Martin’s Abbey and University, Father Peter Tynan, OSB, and I, the University’s archivist, buried the cremated ashes of a member of the Catholic faith as well as a collection of bibles in a manner which preserved their dignity. While not strictly mandated by the Catholic Church, the ritual burial on blessed ground of bibles no longer in use acknowledges their sacred spiritual significance and symbolically represents a return to the earth for members of the Catholic faith. These photographs document the event.

Close-up of old, worn books stacked on top of each other, with ornate and textured covers, in a black and white photograph.
Open car trunk filled with stacked books, some with bookmarks, in an outdoor rural setting with trees and cloudy sky in the background.
A man in religious attire, including a stole, standing outdoors near a hole in the ground, holding a document in one hand and a small object in the other, with trees and grass in the background.
Pile of open and closed books, including a Bible, in a hole in the ground.
A man with a beard and mustache, wearing a textured flat cap, looking down, outdoors with blurred natural background, in black and white.
A person holding a piece of paper and a pen, dressed in a white jacket and black outerwear.
Stack of old, worn books with a partially opened book on top, showing a page titled 'THE' in black and white.
Lower half of a person standing on rocky ground, wearing dark pants and black shoes; the person has a decorative white garment with floral embroidery and fringe at the bottom.