Brother Rice High School students recently participated in a deeply meaningful burial service at Mount Olivet Cemetery, where they served as honorary pallbearers for individuals who passed without family or financial means. The event honored the dignity of 10 unidentified adults, 156 indigent remains, and 23 unborn children, providing each with a respectful and prayerful committal.
The Brother Rice students who took part in the service were Brady Gomez, Alex Gomez, Keith Hecker, Bobby Cislo, Nolan Leonard, Wyatt Musto, Jack Makuch, and Vince Walker. They joined a larger group of volunteers, including funeral directors, cemetery staff, and members of the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, to carry out this solemn act of mercy. As pallbearers, the students carried caskets, offered prayers, and stood in witness to lives that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Participation in the indigent burial service reflects Brother Rice’s commitment to instilling in its students a deep respect for the dignity of every human life. This experience directly connects to one of the seven corporal works of mercy in the Catholic faith: burying the dead. In living out this tradition, students practice compassion in its most solemn form by honoring those who leave this world without family or ceremony.
Mike Dolan, Advocacy Club Moderator at Brother Rice, reflected on the significance of the students’ participation:
“I’m always grateful that our young men get a chance to be the last human touch for too many people who, while they were alive, were forgotten or ignored. Our young Crusaders are doing a Corporal Act of Mercy, providing one last chance for dignity for so many souls around Cook County. I’m proud of how many show respect for all marginalized people.”
This opportunity provides a unique and formative experience for the students, allowing them to embody the values of their Christian Brothers education. In a quiet and powerful way, they become a final companion for someone who had no one else, showing that every life matters and every soul is worthy of love and remembrance.
Brother Rice High School is proud of its students who take part in this corporal work of mercy, and grateful to the Catholic Cemeteries of Chicago and Cook County for making this experience possible. Through their presence, these young men honor the dead and, in doing so, become living witnesses to the message of Christ’s compassion.
