About Bereavement Committee

The goal of the Bereavement Ministry is to assist those who have experienced the death of a loved one, providing them with empathy and compassion, helping them through the funeral and into recovery in various tangible ways.

The Funeral Liturgy Team assists the family in planning the funeral Mass by helping them choose the readings, select from approved songs, and determine the ministers who will assist. The team also visits the funeral home and assists at the funeral Mass. We encourage pre-planning the liturgy. This ensures that the readings, songs, and other items are handled in advance and takes the burden off those left behind.

Each November we organize a special Mass of Remembrance and host a reception following the Mass. At this Mass, the names of the deceased who were listed in the bulletins, on the prayer chain, or had funerals held at the parish are read aloud with time at the end for names from people attending the gathering. This is an absolutely beautiful Mass to remember those who have gone before us.

Our committee is also responsible for many other important activities:

At the time of a death, we send a sympathy card to the family.
Approximately six week later we send a letter, names of support groups, and a bibliography of all books available in our parish library.
We send handwritten notes during the first anniversary of the loved ones' death.
We send memorial cards during May.
During the Christmas season, we send a booklet entitled "A Holiday Survival Guide for the Bereaved" and a special bookmark.
Twice a year we facilitate a seven week support group.

We typically have five meetings a year. The first meeting is a potluck on the first Wednesday in August where we relax, get reacquainted, and go over our plans for the year. We typically have meetings are August, October, December, February, and May and each meeting is less than an hour.

We are always looking for volunteers to assist our parishioners in finding consolation during what can often be a stressful and difficult time. There are no qualifications to join and we always look forward to new members bringing ideas about how we can best serve the families of our parish.