Memory Eternal (Greek: Αἰωνία ἡ μνήμη; Church Slavonic: Вечная память, Vechnaya Pamyat) is sung at the end of an Eastern Orthodox funeral or memorial service. The same exclamation is used by those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite. It is the liturgical counterpart to the Western Rite prayer "Eternal Rest". The "eternal memory" mentioned in the prayer refers to remembrance by God, rather than by the living, and is another way of praying that the soul has entered heaven and enjoys eternal life.
August 7, 2012 - Xaverian Brothers Generalate: Baltimore Maryland
We learned early this afternoon of the death of Brother Warren Abel (Brother Melvin). The nurse at Xaverian House found him in his room there this morning. Brother Warren had been suffering from a variety of ailments over the past few years, including congestive heart issues, as well debilitating arthritis and lower back pain. He was 80 years old and had been a member of the Congregation for 63 years.
Brother Warren was a native of Brooklyn, growing up in Resurrection Parish in the Gerritsen Beach section of that borough. After attending the parish elementary school, Warren was fortunate enough to attend Regis High School, the all scholarship Jesuit high school in Manhattan. Among his classmates at Regis was Archbishop Tom Kelly, OP, the former Archbishop of Louisville, KY, who predeceased Warren by 8 months. After graduating from Regis, Warren entered the Congregation in September 1949 and was invested with the Xaverian habit and given the name Brother Melvin on the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19), 1950. He made his first profession of vows on St. Joseph Day in 1952, and his perpetual vows on the same day in 1955.
A naturally gifted student, Warren excelled in the sciences, especially Biology. He graduated from Catholic University in 1955 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology, receiving the distinction of Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi. Warren's first mission was to St. John's Preparatory School, Danvers where he taught Science, Mathematics and Religion from 1955-1959. From 1959 -- 1962 he taught at the recently opened Our Lady of Good Counsel High in Wheaton, while also teaching Biology part-time at Xaverian College, Silver Spring. He also began his graduate studies in Biology at Catholic University during the summers from 1960-65, receiving an MS in Botany in 1965. In 1962, Warren was assigned to Xaverian High School, Brooklyn to teach Science, English and Religion until 1964, when he was transferred to Mount St. Joseph, Baltimore where he would be head of the Science department in addition to his duties teaching Science and Religion. He would return to Shore Road, Brooklyn to serve as Assistant Principal at Xaverian from 1968 -- 1982. In 1982, he was appointed acting principal, and from 1983 -- 1993 served as principal until the school's administrative structure was changed to a president-principal model. For the next 9 years he served as the attendance clerk in the school office, officially retiring in 2002.
Brother Warren will ever be associated with Xaverian High School, not just because of the nearly 45 years he was missioned there until failing health brought him to Xaverian House in Danvers, but because of his love for and dedication to the young men of Xaverian High School. He was a superb teacher, an extremely dedicated and fair administrator, and a role model to the young teachers and administrators whom he mentored. His photo has a place of honor in the current president's office. More than a dedicated and talented teacher/administrator, Warren was a faithful Religious who found nourishment
and solace in community prayer and daily Eucharist. Although he was reluctant to leave his beloved Brooklyn, where the sound of operas could be heard floating under his doorway each afternoon, when he settled into life at Xaverian House, he was most appreciative of the community spirit, the sense of prayer, and the excellent care provided by Robin Rowell and the staff at Xaverian House. Although he missed his many friends and former colleagues at Xaverian, he cherished life at Xaverian House, even regretting at times that he had not made the move earlier.
Besides his Brothers in religion, Brother Warren is mourned by the Xaverian High School family and his many friends and colleagues and their families.
