Celebrating
the Life, Love and Legacy of
The
Late Deacon Veronica Monro
Most
Faithful Servant of God and Deacon Exemplar
With
Praise and Thanksgiving to Almighty God
for
Her Enduring Contribution
in
Enriching the Lives of Countless Persons
Along with her beloved family who
remain to cherish her inimitable example of love, the congregation of Emmanuel
Baptist Church in Brooklyn, extended relatives and friends, I celebrate the
life, love and legacy of the late Deacon Veronica Monro. She painted both broad
and meticulous brushstrokes of faithful service to God through provision of direct
assistance to her students, colleagues, church and community onto the canvass
of her life. A career teacher and educator, she started in the classrooms of
the New York City school system. Addressing the learning challenges and incapacities
of students with special needs, she progressed to Special Education. She
finished her time in schooling and education by training her teaching
colleagues to incorporate supplementary teaching methods to educate and empower
students who require special consideration. Her enduring service which naturally
emerges from her Christian character and discipleship extended to her church
and larger community. She was ordained to the Diaconate in the first class of women
at to be elevated to this honored ecclesiastical office of servant leadership. For
nearly three decades inclusive of serving as the Chairperson of the Board of
Deacons at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Brooklyn, Deacon Veronica Monro exemplified
the qualities of a most faithful servant of God. Her genuinely humble service,
borne of her willingness to redress anonymously the needs of the ministry and
congregants, distinguished her. We will not know the countless times and myriad
ways in which she shared and personified God’s grace with persons in need. Her dependable
and superlative service yields the appropriate characterization of “Deacon
Exemplar.”
As a soror within Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc., Deacon Monro’s servant leadership extended to the larger
community. True to the founding principles of public service, scholarship and
sisterhood, as a Delta soror, she shared these values through numerous
community service projects. This historic African American sorority, through
its dedication to improving local communities one person and one family at a
time, secures the well-being and quality of life of hundreds of millions of our
fellow citizens. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority accomplishes this main and
formidable feat through the personal devotion of sorors like Deacon Monro who concretized
her lifelong commitment in fulfilling its founding principles. Summarily, in
her multiple roles as wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, trainer, church
servant leader, community activist and public leader, Veronica Monro leaves an
imperishable legacy of enriching the lives of countless persons. Her lessons, purpose
and contributions will comprise an eternal flame in the consciousness and lives
of the many persons whose lives are better for having known her.
One of the most enduring lessons that
this stellar teacher, servant leader and community servant will leave is her seminal
example as a wife, mother and grandmother. Her years of marriage to Reverend
Tyrone Monro remain an inspiration to those of us who are blessed to know them.
Her love, admiration, respect and support of her beloved husband were apparent
to anyone who knew them even casually. They shared an incredible journey of
faith, love, Christian discipleship, vocation and commitment to helping others.
Younger couples in the congregation gleaned inspiration from the Monro’s enduring
and authentic example. In the autumn years of their relationship, her
friendship, affirmation, support and care of Brother Tyrone never waned. As he
progressed in a health challenge, her attention to his needs become
commensurately meticulous. She used coincidence to veil her ever watchful eye
to ensure his well-being. On one occasion, he and I met at Mike’s Diner for
brunch. Concerned about my growing disillusionment with ministry and other
vocational matters, he asked that we meet. I remain grateful to him and her for
the gift of wisdom that I received in that meeting. Nevertheless, and
unsurprisingly, Deacon Veronica happened to be nearby and passing by the diner.
That coincidence enabled her to remind him of a few things. Silently, I offered
thanks for them as I recalled the many other mentoring sessions that he and I
had. I imagined that many women had been recipients of Deacon Monro’s counsel
and willingness to share her Christian journey and experience.
Mystically, the size of her heart grew to
adjust to the joys, challenges, growth and rewards of motherhood. In her
daughters, Nneka and Siriboa, she imparted her cardinal principles of Christ’s love,
loyalty to family, dedication to church and service to humankind especially those
vulnerable persons whom the Lord describes as “the least of these.” They embody
Deacon Monro’s most incalculable gift to us. Vocationally, Nneka and Siriboa
share their beloved mother’s purpose, professionalism and passion in serving
other people thereby enabling them with an equitable chance to actualize their
talents, abilities and endowments. It is easy to imagine that they daily
emulate her distinct example as a wife and mother. Their husbands and children,
Deacon Monro’s beloved grandchildren, will receive continually her
unconditional love as her beloved daughters honor her enduring example through
their daily love and service within marriage and family. Our Christian faith
teaches us that love is eternal hence it transcends death and surmounts any
other human limitation. Deacon Veronica Monro lives forever in the minds and hearts
of the persons in whom she deposited God’s love and grace during her earthly
journey.
For his “Trial Sermon,” offered to
confirm his call to Christ ministry and assess his progress toward ordination,
Reverend Tyrone Monro preached on “The Parable of the Ten Virgins” (Matthew 25:1-13).
He compellingly espoused the necessity and virtues of cultivating consistency,
discipline, preparation and work ethic as foundational attributes to achieve professional
and person success. Without the oil of insight and intuition, a person may not
be ready to capitalize upon favorable opportunities. The parable divides the
virgins into two groups; five are foolish as they fail to save and bring enough
oil for the journey of life. The other five are called wise as they do the
opposite. A debate persists in the pews and Sunday School rooms throughout the
country regarding whether “the wise” virgins are correct in their refusal to
share any oil with the unprepared “foolish” virgins who depleted their supply. Within
American public policy and discourse, we continually debate the role of
personal responsibility in determining the need and parameters of a social
safety net. We disagree about allocation of resources and whether and what to
share with our fellow citizens who live in need of assistance.
Deacon Veronica Monro participated in
this debate through her stalwart actions. Definitely one of the “wise” virgins,
she differed with her counterparts as she was most willing to share her oil. Her
life is a testament to her enduring contribution of assisting other people in
acquiring oil for their lamps which contain their dreams, hopes, ambitions, goals,
ability to achieve self-realization and personal destiny. Her life was a
testament of God’s grace as she selflessly shared her understanding of Christ’s
love through her professional and public service. As a Special Education
teacher and trainer, she realized that an inherent inequity exists as students
begin their preparation for life. Some of them do not have any oil to save or
fill their lamps as the persons who rear them have a limited and shrinking
supply. Her journey as a Christian
disciple progressively equipped her with grace and generosity to keep oil in
the lamps of her students, family, congregants, neighbors and brothers and
sisters in our global village. She understood the oil of Christ’s love to be
redemptive, selfless, sacrificial, restorative and holistically healing. One of
her lasting legacies is her willingness and liberality in sharing it with
others.
A “Deacon Exemplar” and faithful
servant of God, Veronica Monro rightly deserves commendation and lasting commemoration
within the household of faith, educational community, her sorority and larger
community whom she diligently served. The author of 1 Peter 1:9 depicts
Christian disciples as “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
God’s special possession, that you may declare the praise of him who called you
out of darkness into his wonderful light.” This verse perfectly summarizes the
life, love and legacy of Veronica Monro. As an educator, she traveled with
students and teachers as they journeyed through the darkness of misinformation
and lack of knowledge and skills until they saw the light at the end of tunnel
leading to education and empowerment. As a member of Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, she fervently shared her oil with persons in need. As a Deacon, she
bountifully shared Christ’s love by faithfully performing her priestly duties ceremonially
and meeting the congregation’s embodied needs. Most admiringly, she
accomplished those admirable tasks without sacrificing the necessity of her
priestly duties in marriage, motherhood and family. Having demonstrated the
attributes of a Proverbs 31 woman, she lives forever in the minds and hearts of
her beloved husband, daughters, grandchildren, extended relatives and friends.
A difficult task endures for most
Christian disciples. It is necessity of accepting the transition to eternal
life of beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord. Accordingly, I conclude this
commemorative reflection of thanksgiving as an initial step in this process. I
lament the loss of Veronica Monro because I deeply regret the pain it causes
those who knew her dearly and the vacuum it creates in servant leadership in
the church and community. Her contributions were unique and enduring.
Nonetheless, offering thanksgiving for her well-lived life and impressive
example of Christian discipleship require me to be grateful for her entrance
into eternal life where the Lord’s love and light shall perpetually shine upon
her. In the triumphant words of the author of Revelation, “Blessed are the dead
who die in the Lord; they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will
follow them.” (Revelation 14:13) May Deacon Veronica Monro rest in peace. In
the confident hope of Christ’s promises to the eternally redeemed, may she rise
and share in His glory.
Submitted in Christ’s love,
The Reverend Victor M. Singletary
Assistant Pastor at Emmanuel Baptist
Church in Brooklyn (1995-2000)
