From its earliest beginnings the Church has held that both Divine and natural law enjoin each of us to the exercise of the Spiritual and Corporal works of mercy. Not the least of these works are the directives to comfort the sorrowful and bury the dead.
Our Ministry to the Bereaved will always strive to bring comfort and healing no matter the source or manifestation of grief. Validating the reality of every individual who comes to us, we will serve, to the best of our ability, whenever and wherever we are needed, with the help of God.
From our Pastoral Plan for the Development and Operation of a Parish-Based Ministry to the Bereaved
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Serving the Dying and their Families
Bridge Ministry: Realizing the pain of grief may start for many in the months or weeks before death,we work with the health care ministry to reach out to the dying and their families.
We offer:
+ Compassionate listening and prayerful presence
+ Praying for and with the individual and the family
+ Sacramental visits
+ Assistance planning the funeral liturgy, if desired.
Serving the Bereaved at the Time of Death:
We offer:
+ Assistance in planning the funeral liturgy
+ Readers, altar servers, Eucharistic ministers for the funeral as needed
+ Help with hospitality for a reception after the funeral
+ Compassionate listening and supportive presence
+ Information about grief and suggestions to help families through the hard
work of mourning
+ Links with other support ministries and referrals as needed
Serving throughout the time of Bereavement:
We offer:
+ An evening of prayer and remembrance each November to honor our deceased loved ones
+ Bereavement education/ support groups open to the community at large–
Ongoing open group meets the 1st Monday of each month Intensive 8 week
group meets each fall
+ One-on-one companioning
+ Workshops on topics such as children and grief, grieving a miscarriage, and
getting through the holidays open to the community at large
+ A library of material on grief-related subjects
And specifically for those suffering pregnancy loss:
We encourage you to take advantage of any of the above you may find helpful.
We also offer:
+ Blessing of the parents
+ Remembrance and naming prayer services for an unbaptized child (These may
be celebrated in the hospital, in the privacy of you own home, in a small service
in the chapel at St. Andrew’s, or, with a larger group, in the church itself. There
is no time limit for these services, and no constraints regarding the length of
your pregnancy you have a right to grieve the loss of your baby whether he
died at 2 months,6 months, or full term.)
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Our ongoing open Bereavement Support Group, open to any member of the community, meets on the first Monday of each month in an atmosphere of compassionate, non-judgmental support. We welcome all, including the newly bereaved and those who need some extra care as they approach a special occasion such as their loved one’s birthday or the anniversary of his or her death.
For information on this or any aspect of this ministry, please ask for Stephany Crane at the parish office, 410 974-4366.
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All our volunteer bereavement ministers have received training with the help of the National Catholic Ministry to the Bereaved, and continue to participate in on-going training and spiritual formation. We observe strict confidentiality.
Bereavement Ministry