compassionate caring in the catholic tradition
The St. Brigid Bereavement Ministry has compiled a series of bulletin articles covering topics related to a peace-filled journey home to God. Those articles are available here:
Bereavement Article #1 - Death is not the end - A Peaceful Journey Home to God
Bereavement Article #2 - USCCB Resource on Palliative Care & Hospice
Bereavement Article #3 - O Death, Where is Thy Sting? Preplanning Funerals
Bereavement Article #1 - Death is not the end - A Peaceful Journey Home to God (printable pdf version here):
This is the first in a series of bulletin articles covering topics related to a peace-filled journey home to God. Topics we will address include end-of-life directives, pre-planning a funeral, cremation, Catholic funeral rites, eulogies, liturgical music, and signs and symbols at funerals. This first article focuses on why and how to schedule a Funeral Mass or Memorial Service.
Why choose a Catholic funeral? The Catholic funeral Mass provides hope at what is often one of the saddest moments in our lives. It provides a time and place for ALL to gather, pray for the soul of the departed, and receive support, comfort, and consolation through faith and remembrance of our loved one. For Catholics, it connects our grief to the rich traditions of the Church and the hope of eternal life.
When you have experienced a death of a beloved family member, the task of making arrangements can seem overwhelming. The faith community here at St. Brigid Parish will guide you and walk with you in your time of need. At the time of death, the family should contact their funeral home of choice. The funeral director will call the church office (Our Lady of Humility or St. Patrick Church) and arrange the day and time for the funeral Mass or Memorial Service. The church office staff will email the Bereavement Ministry, a member of whom will call the family to meet and plan the details of the funeral Mass. If there is no funeral home involved, the family should call the church office directly to schedule the Mass.
The Church, through its funeral rites, commends the dead to God’s mercy, love, and forgiveness of sins. Death is not the end, for “If, then we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him”. (Romans 6:8).
Bereavement Article #2 - USCCB Resource on Palliative Care & Hospice (printable pdf version here):
As Catholics we are called to respect, defend, love and serve life, every human life. The Church reminds us of our obligation to “readily accompany those in the critical and terminal stages of life, for all are called to give witness at the side of the sick person.”
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people with serious illness, focusing on relief from symptoms and stress while they are still seeking curative treatment. While palliative care cannot entirely eradicate suffering from people’s lives, it provides an authentic expression of human and Christian care—allowing us to “remain” at the side of a suffering person, as the Blessed Mother and the beloved disciple remained at the foot of the Cross.
It is morally permissible to decide against disproportionate treatments that would provide only a precarious or painful extension of life. The refusal of extraordinary means of care expresses acceptance of the human condition, but it does not seek to hasten death.
Therefore, the suspension of disproportionate therapies must never entail the withdrawal of basic care—including pain relief, hydration, nutrition, thermoregulation, etc. Such refusal of ethically required care is equivalent to a direct action or omission to bring about death and is therefore never morally permissible.
Hospice care is a type of palliative care but with a particular acknowledgement of, and focus on, the patient’s approaching end of life—when the goal of care is no longer the cure of the disease but rather comfort and relief from it.
The mystery of the redemption of the human person is rooted in the loving involvement of God with human suffering. The sick and dying should be provided with proper pastoral care (including Anointing of the Sick) so they may persevere in sanctifying grace and die in the love of God.
Helpful links:
samaritanus-bonus-witness-good-samaritan.pdf
Power of Attorney for Health Care - Illinois
Bereavement Article #3 - O Death, Where is Thy Sting? Preplanning Funerals (printable pdf version here):
This is the third in a series of bulletin articles covering topics related to a peaceful journey home to God.
Thinking about our mortality can be daunting. It is an unpleasant to confront the uncertainty and finality of our own passing, but as Christians we believe that this life is preparation for eternal life with the Lord, and that Heaven is our true home. Preplanning one’s own funeral is a way to confront our future in the House of the Father.
Our ancestors were much more conscious of death than we are. Lives were frequently shorter, for even children died, and dying family members were cared for at home. Now, the departure of loved ones often takes place in hospital or a nursing home, and with the increasing preference for cremation, there is no body to view. People “pass on,” but the survivors have only a vague idea of what that means. Planning for death allows us to think deeply about our beliefs and to draw closer to Jesus and our Heavenly Father, and actively prepare the way, like John the Baptist, for our own hour. This can take us to a more intimate place of faith.
There are practical reasons as well for planning our own funerals. In doing so, we will have a voice on that day in the presence of our loved ones through Scripture, song, and perhaps even our own obituary. Unfortunately today, many of our loved ones are unchurched or members of different faith traditions and do not know Catholic liturgy or sacred music. They may be unaware of your favorite hymns or verses. By settling the details of our funeral Mass before our final moments, we have the opportunity to provide Christian witness to those we love and enhance their faith lives. We can inspire them by our own example.
Funeral costs can vary widely depending on choices made. By preplanning (and prepaying) for a funeral, burial plot, and method of preparing our earthly bodies, we take care of costs at the current level and are not subject to inevitable rising prices. We have our choice of where and how our bodies will rest. This also spares our grieving loved ones from having to make difficult decisions at a vulnerable moment or bearing the hardship of expenses. Our preplanning becomes an act of selfless love.
So how to begin? A good place to start may be our parish’s Bereavement Ministry. You can call the church office to set up an appointment. An experienced team member can help you consider your own level of readiness to proceed with scripture and song, and answer questions you have related to the liturgy. You can contact various funeral homes to learn about prices and facilities, and find a place that will be in accordance with the environment you desire. Visits to cemeteries will help you find your final resting place, and you can follow up with inquiries regarding pricing and maintenance of graves or crypts.
Jesus has assured us that He goes before us to prepare a dwelling place in our Father’s house. We do not know the hour of his coming, but we can light our lamps in anticipation.