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CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION

Chaplain: Harvey Bermudez, CRM Date: August 19,

EULOGY EXERCISE

General Information:

Name of the Deceased: Br. Harvey Bermudez, CRM

I have always known Kuya Harvey as early as I can remember. To many, he was just an
ordinary person but to us who have known him very well, he is a one-of-a-kind person. I am one
of the witnesses of how he has grown and bloomed as an individual. It was a very beautiful
blossoming, I would think, and it is very sad that we were not able to see more of it. I thank
everyone for being here this morning. Seeing all of you here today, reminds me of his first
profession at this very place. It was a full house like this, and many has witness how he dedicated
himself to God that 13th of May 2017. I am happy to see how the church is filled today as we
celebrate the life of our dear friend and brother. He must be smiling from where he is right now.
It was the 5th of November 1994 when his mother, Tita Judy, has given birth to her first
son. She never knew what true love meant not until he came in her arms; I know that those arms
embraced him even until his death bed. When he grew older his father’s laughter would always
cheer him up even in the middle of the struggles that they have fought together, this might have
been the hardest yet, seeing his son on a coffin, no words would explain how Tito Fidel have
fought for him. He could not find a way to laugh, not even smile, he just stares blankly. He knew
that this is the reality of life and he cannot do anything about it, but he hoped that he can
somehow buy more time and let him feel loved. I also know that Kuya Harvey, if he is still alive,
hope that he could love him even more and let him experience the life that he always wanted
them to have. His younger brother, Harold, has always been their when he needed him, he is a
man of few words, but I knew how he loved him so dearly. He is still young to experience this,
but I know that his death will make him even tougher.
When he was younger, I vividly remember how he with his cousins would always play
“Bunsong Kerubin” and hold mass whenever he was with them. He would always invite his
friends at home and teach them how to pray, reenact a mass and play as a priest. I can truly say
how he was always inclined to the church since then, and entering the seminary, is a dream come
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true because he knew that he was one step closer towards becoming a real priest. Yes, he wants
to become a priest and it was the dream of his childhood. I remember how he would always start
his vocation story with these lines; “This calling started as early as I can remember.” His parents
were active members of the Parish Choir even before he was born; and as a child, his life, most
of the time, was spent in church with them. I would even hear stories from his mom that even
when he was still in her womb his environment has always been the church because almost every
day they would go to church for rehearsals. And he grew up surrounded with all those 'sacred'
music, and a lot of the Church's liturgical and devotional activities. From time immemorial, he
dreamt to become a priest. It was a tedious process but with hard work, dedication and especially
his faith, he became a member of the Clerics Regular Minor, or you commonly known as the
Adorno Fathers and Brothers. People would always have nice things to say about him, but he
would always resist saying that he is still imperfect. But his faith in our Lord is stronger than any
negative thought that he has experience every time.
His family has been very supportive with every decision that he is going to make. His
grandmother, Lola Cianing, loved him so dearly, and would even let him sleep in her chest on
the night that he was born. His aunts and uncles have been there to remind him of the things that
he should do, his Tito Maning would always be at his side especially when it is about the
Philippine politics. His cousins have been his best friends, whom he can confide everything that
he has felt at any given time; they will always listen and give him reasons to fight for life. I knew
that everyone in the family is crying loads of tears today. Harvey is a person who has always felt
tender caresses and love since day one. I have no doubt why he has offered and manifested so
much love for others and for the people who surrounds him.
He considers his seminary life as one of the memorable experiences that he has. At the
seminary, I never knew how he would be so much loved. He was the darling of the crowd, of the
community, maybe because of his bright and light personality. He was the person who was very
easy to reach out that even the most naughty and ill-disciplined seminarian can get along with
him very well. He was close to everyone. Fr. Jason here have stated back then: “Ang galing.
Lahat niyan ka-close ni Harvey. Mr. Congeniality kasi.” He was the noise (in a positive way) of
the community. You can tell that Kuya Harvey is present when there is a boisterous laughter in
the corner of the seminary. Or maybe he is with his best friend Pipoy talking about funny things,
whenever you will hear him laughing out so loud. He was a cheerful person which brightens the
community and it was contagious that you can go through the day just laughing when you are in
his company. Kuya Harvey has lots of mischievousness and Kuya Pipoy can attest to that. It was
so funny that instead of getting mad at him, you will just laugh with what he is doing. He was
known to be the Hari ng Libak in the seminary. But it is so wonderful how he changed that very
negative title into something positive, showing us that it is an unexpressed love of a brother who
on the one hand, wants affection and on the other hand, wants to show affection in a very indirect
way. He was known for his unique and loud bungisngis and of course his million-watt smile. Oh,
how we will miss that smile that he inevitably shows to people as a reminder from him how life
is beautiful to frown and be grumpy. Kuya Harvey, as I have said a while ago, must be smiling to
us at the moment. Despite how energetic he was, I have also seen his somber and serious side.
He is a person who is willing to listen to your stories, your struggles and doubts in life. He was a
good listener, a friend who you can lean on, especially when you are having a bad and rough
day. During those times, the Harvey who is loud becomes the Silent Harvey, ready to lend his ear
and his heart. I remember how he became the go-to-person of seminarians who need to open up
and share something. He was there, he listened and accepted without any judgment. He was a
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gentle giant. He was never assertive nor too emphasizing of his self or his own views and
opinions. Amid his boisterous personality, he is a person who stays still and listen.
As I have said, he was loved so much. Thus, he has also loved so much and his
generosity and his willing to give anything for others are very noteworthy. Who would forget his
generosity and kindheartedness? Kuya Harvey is a selfless person indeed. Sometimes in his life,
he sets aside his own welfare and happiness to give way to others’ good and happiness. He gives
willingly and sacrifices gracefully even up to the brink. As long as he has something left to give,
he partakes and shares what he has. He gives lavishly and without hesitation as long as it is
reasonable to give. I would never forget the times when he used to treat us out. Maybe he is like
this because of his own upbringing back in the family where everything was provided for him
that he also wants to provide as long as he is able. One time, he even granted one of his brother
seminarian’s long-time wish for a cellphone. I asked him once on why he does this? He told me
that he just wants to see everyone happy. He said what will he do if he will not give? Happiness,
for him, consists in giving and seeing others happy as well and with a smile on their faces.
Making others happy suffices for him. Moreover, he believes that generosity is poverty
translated to another word. The vow of poverty, he believes, is manifested not in suppressing
ourselves with material things but it is most nobly demonstrated to our selfless giving of
ourselves, what we have and especially what we are. Moreover, our appreciation of Kuya will
not be complete if we forget his sweetness and his thoughtfulness for others. Kuya Harvey, I can
say, is a sweet and caring person. I can still remember how he would clean the nails of some of
the brothers in the community. Does anyone here know that Kuya would be the one arranging
the beds of his roommates? Or has anyone here have asked Kuya to put a towel on their sweaty
back? Or who here has received a pasalubong or a birthday present from Kuya? All of these,
Kuya did without reservations.
Besides being a happy and joyful person, I would like to specially mention his love for
the liturgy and his faithfulness to the rubrics. Who would forget Kuya Harvey, the ‘liturgist’? He
was never trained as an altar server. He entered the seminary without any idea about the rigorous
world of the liturgy and sacraments. He does not have any idea about serving on the altar. I
remember one time how he walked over and tripped over an electric fan in the sanctuary because
he was so tense for his first serving in the seminary. Who would forget his first experience as a
thurifer? He was so anxious because he does not know how to handle a thurible. It was not
burning, it was not smoking, and his thin surplice got a little bit burned because the coals jumped
out of the censer. He was so upset that time. But those things did not make him lose heart.
Instead he got more interested and suddenly he realized that he has fallen in love with the liturgy.
He started observing. He started reading books about the liturgy. He never hesitates to ask
someone to teach him. Afterwards, his dedication paid off. Early on the formation, he became
the Spiritual Chairman of the community until his last days in college. He was also offered
further studies by the Superior General in Italy. He was always asked: “Do you want to go to
Rome?” But as always, he refuses saying that he is not capable of that, moreover he believes that
he is not worthy of those kinds of privileges. He would just say, “Please, give to others more
capable than I am, more worthy than I am.” He was really a gift though he would not claim that
for himself. Its sad that I was not able to see more of his potentials and abilities.
Kuya Harvey is an artist though he never claimed that he is one. He has done no artwork
nor any masterpiece of the like. He is an artist in the sense that he appreciates work of arts
especially when it comes to music and songs. One thing that we can easily remember when we
hear Kuya’s name is Broadway. He was a great fan of Broadway Shows and Broadway Music
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especially the classical ones. But moreover, he listens more usually to religious music like that of
Himig Heswita and Bukas Palad. Those were the content of his playlist, as far as I can
remember. It was his stress reliever and a source of inspiration and a source of consolation in
rough times. Since he likes music, he is also a good singer. But you will never hear him sing
through videokes at public places. As far as I can remember he only sings at Church and during
liturgical celebrations. Since he believes that he is not good singing, often you would hear him
justifying that his voice was only meant to worship God. On the other hand, with regards to
book, the funny thing about Kuya Harvey is that he was never fond of reading books though he
likes to collect books and put it in his book shelf. He told me that someday, there will be
someone who will see this as useful for himself or herself and he is free to get that from his shelf.
He was once interested with the writings of Scott Hahn or Raniero Cantalamessa, especially
about the Eucharist. But, if there is one thing that he can be proud of, it is that he already read
several times the autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux: The Story of a Soul. He has been
reading that since high school. There was a story behind that and allow me to share this to you.
There was a time in his life when everyone around him seemed to seek for greatness,
recognition, and prestige. Educators taught them to aspire for greatness. He said that he almost
fell into their traps but during those moments of his life, when he cannot find meaning because of
his status, he found the Little Flower who taught him her little ways. She said that great things do
not matter rather little things with great love and those which are hidden from the world are the
only things which please the good and merciful God in heaven. He found the answers and the
great consolation that he is searching for that time. Saint Therese has greatly influenced Kuya’s
upbringing and philosophies in life. It is through her that he has done so many little things but
with great kindness and love, as I have mentioned above.
As far as I can remember, Kuya Harvey also has his frustrations and disappointments in
life. From a defeated contest to a failing grade in academics; From something expected which
was never fulfilled to the most hurtful words he has received, you can choose from those
moments. More than all these his greatest frustration and disappointment is, first and foremost, to
see his family being hurt by other people and secondly, to see his brothers in the community
leaving the seminary and not continue the religious life or the priesthood. Frustrations and
disappointments have taught him not to expect and presume at situations. They taught him how
to see life as it is and wait for the spontaneity and surprises that life can offer. One regret that I
know Kuya Harvey has, was that he became a mediocre to so many things that he has not done
them very well and he was not able to make a change for the better. He was once an easy-go-
lucky person who just go with the flow of life, sometimes never cares or just give a damn with
some things. I can say that one of the greatest dreams that has been fulfilled is his profession of
vows to the Clerics Regular Minor, being an official member of the order. It was an effort, not
merely of him, but he considers it, as a work of God through his grace and mercy. Maybe the
unfulfilled dream that he has not achieve because of his sudden death is his childhood dream of
becoming a real priest someday. Though it was unfulfilled, I believe that he is happy now being
a simple religious. Through the course of years inside the seminary, the innocent dream of a
naive child to become a priest started to change. As the child matured into a man, his only dream
is to follow Jesus just as God wants him to be. Though his desire to become a priest is still within
him, what matters to him now is what God desires of him. It is not priesthood that he wanted to
primarily pursue. More than all these, he believes that his true vocation is to possess God in his
life, to know Him more fully and be closer to Him. There came a point in his life that he realized
that Priesthood is not a prize to be sought for, but it is a gift that God freely gives to His chosen
ones. Indeed, he never made it to the point of becoming a priest, but surely, he has lived a very
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worthwhile life.
If he is alive today, I know he will choose for his epitaph a part of this quotation from the
first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians as read from her first profession of vows:
“Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful,
not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to
shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the
strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count
for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human
being might boast before God.” (1 Corinthians 1: 26-29)
He believes that this quotation summarizes and recapitulates his vocation, the calling he
has received from God. That amidst his imperfections, his shortcomings, his faults and his
failures, God has look upon him with mercy and graciousness that he has chose him to be his
disciple and that he has called him to be his friend. He may not be the most perfect nor the
smartest of his peers, but he has hold steadfast to his faith and believed that God will make
wonders through him. Indeed, God has made wonders in the life of Kuya Harvey. And if I am
going to be asked, Kuya would like to be buried because, first, he is old-school. Secondly, he
sees the body as a very important believing that our bodies are the vantage point from us to the
other. It will serve as a reminder for us of the struggles he has undergone and that he has
triumphed over. He wants to withstand with the culture we have in our country. As we behold
him in his last hours, we will be able to see him happily sleeping knowing that the pain he had
already lost its existence.
God has indeed made the life of Kuya Harvey so bright and beautiful. He has blessed him
with so much grace that it radiates until his last moments on earth. He has been an inspiration to
so many people, his family and his friends alike. He believes that all is grace and his life is part
of that grace given to him by God. I believe that if he ever repeatedly comeback to us, he will
also repeatedly choose the life of grace that he has experienced with us in the past. It was not a
perfect life as it is, but it was a life which taught him to be strong in every circumstance. A life
who taught him to have courage and be kind. A life full of inspiration which touched a lot of
souls. A life of pain and struggles who taught everyone to always look on the cross of Jesus
Christ. A life full of smiles and laughter which brightens people’s days. Maybe, if he is going to
change anything, it will be his mistakes in the past which greatly affected his relationship with
his friends and families. Or maybe, the only change that he would like to make was his proper
and balanced diet to make him more fit and fab.
What is to be the legacy of Kuya Harvey? It was also the thing that he asked of himself.
What was to be his legacy after his death? Does it have to be tangible, something that is
physical? He does not have that. Does it have to be great and grandeur? Well, he has nothing like
that. Maybe the legacy that Kuya Harvey can leave to us is his love for the Eucharist and for the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Today, Kuya Harvey reminds us to love he who is love himself. He
has no solution to our future brokenness but to remind us that in times of struggles, the Eucharist
is there, broken yet is able to love fully: Pinagpira-piraso ngunit siyang nagmamahal ng buong-
buo. Moreover, as he always reminds everyone, in times of gloom, let us always look at the
bright side of life.
As he has always wish, he wants to be remembered as a happy and joyful religious,
that which comes from no other than the animating love of Jesus Christ. He wants to be recalled
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as a person with a smile which launches a thousand ships and how a simple smile or gesture can
put fresh new life to a despondent soul.
Let me end this with one of Kuya Harvey’s notable lines during his Simple Profession of
Vows “Be each others missing puzzle piece.” He would always remind us to serve the church
and its people because when we are to become each others missing piece we make someone
whole. Let us always be grateful about life and even death and remember that we are all saved
when God gave His only begotten son, Christ to us.