I was quite saddened to hear of Bishop Louis E. Gelineau’s passing on November 7, 2024. I recall how Jesus responded when his friend Lazarus died: “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) Bishop Gelineau was my Bishop, Shepherd, confidant and friend. And yes, I cried when I heard the news. I met Bishop Gelineau just a few weeks after his arrival and he said to me: “Tell me your name, son.” I said, “Bishop, my name is Bobby, and I am honored to meet you.” Then I kissed his ring. He said, “We shall be friends, and I ask you to pray for me.” I said I would gladly pray for him, and he said to me, “Merci, Robert!” Over the years I would see the bishop at many religious gatherings throughout the diocese and there is one thing he always witnessed to me and everyone whom he met: “Joy!”
I always recalled what I learned from him, “The fruit of love is joy. Jesus loves us and we should be joyful people, Bobby!” And I recall his Coat of Arms: “Rejoice in Hope!” And when I saw Bishop Gelineau, I always saw the “hope” of Christ in his face, demeanor and speech. But there are some other things I would like to share about our dear bishop, that perhaps might bless others too. I recall we were both at a Providence College graduation and we walked across the City of Providence after it had ended. We talked about his role as a bishop, the challenges he faced with so many not “listening” to the Holy Mother Church, and the need for “orthodoxy” in the face of liberal Rhode Island. I told him I agreed. Then another time I met the bishop at a funeral for another bishop from another faith and we were in a rough area in another city. I asked him if he was parked close by, and he said he wasn’t. So, I walked with him through some challenging areas and realized I was there to protect him and keep him company as we walked many miles. In that walk we talked about the Knights of Columbus, the history of the Catholic Church in the USA, and our educational journeys in English and French. At the end of our walk, he said to me: “Bobby, God provided for us, and we were safe in His care.” I knew he was teaching me again.
Bishop Gelineau was very close to my family and after he retired and when my mom was dying from breast cancer and bone cancer, he came to our home and did a three-hour-retreat for her and me. It was the highlight of my mom’s life. After Bishop Gelineau prayed in English and French and ended our retreat, my mom said: “Please dear bishop and Bobby, bring me to my piano.” We brought her to her piano and she played for the bishop as though she was 16 again. She gave Bishop Gelineau a beautiful concert of all types of music, and it was truly magnificent. Afterwards I walked the bishop to his car and he said: “Bobby, it was just like my own Mom playing her piano for me when I was a boy. I will never forget this moment. God is close to your mom.” We both had tears in our eyes and the bishop said good-bye to me in French and gave me his Blessing.
Then, when my mom died, Bishop Gelineau contacted me and said he just had a knee replacement and was told he could not drive for six weeks. However, he said he would never miss “mom’s wake” and low and behold, Bishop Gelineau drove all the way from Saint Antoine’s in North Smithfield to Edgewood and he was the first person to be at the funeral parlor to pray over Mom. Later that evening Bishop Gelineau told me his Mass the next day in Woonsocket would be offered for my mom at 10 a.m., the time of her funeral Mass at St. Paul’s in Edgewood. I recall my Mom’s Funeral and one of the priests at her Funeral told me Bishop Gelineau was saying a Mass simultaneously for her. I told him I knew that, and I was so grateful to the bishop and all the priests who supported my mom through all of her suffering. After her funeral Mass one of her friends said to me: “Oh, Bobby, what a grand and glorious funeral ... and Mom had 14 priests on the altar!” I told her: “Indeed, but you missed one. Bishop Gelineau was there too, so it was 15.”
Robert E. Burns is a professor in the Communications Department at the University of Rhode Island and a parishioner at St. Paul Parish in Edgewood.
