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Dear Friends,
Today is All Soul’s Day. This evening, at St. Stephen Church, we will have a special mass at 6.00pm. We will remember all the faithful of St. Stephen Parish or those associated with the community who died this year or in the past. There will be a special liturgy and a table of remembrance. All are welcome.
At CTK we will celebrate the Mass of Remembrance on Saturday, November 5th, at 4pm with ritual of flowers and prayers. If you are grieving the loss of a loved one, regardless of when and where the death took place, feel free to come to the celebration.
Planning a Catholic Funeral is an important step in your faith journey. Planning ahead for your Catholic funeral is a very important step and can ensure that your wishes will be met. Having plans in place can give you peace of mind knowing that your funeral will be celebrated according to your wishes as a faithful Catholic. We strongly encourage you to speak to your family about your funeral plans. Most importantly, work with your family to put your wishes in writing. It would relieve your loved ones from the stress of planning during a time of grief. You and your family can feel secure that your intentions are being honored.
In our diocese, The Catholic Cemeteries are available to assist Catholics with funeral planning. Our own parishioner Donna Bradshaw who manages Queen of Heaven also directs the grief ministry of the parish and is a great resource in this regard. Sr. Dominic is another resource in planning the funeral liturgy as she personally takes care of every funeral at CTK and St. Stephen. One of our parishioners, Jay Becker owns and runs two funeral homes in Concord. All the funeral chapels around the area do a great job in assisting families. I am deeply grateful to all of them for their service to our families.
When someone dies and you do not know what to do, call me and I can guide you through the various steps that you need to take and provide you with phone numbers that you will need. You are surrounded by so many services, that you don’t even need to step out of the house to take care of your loved one. I have assisted so many families after the death of their loved one, by sitting with them in their living room, and connecting them with the services.
When Death is imminent notifying the parish is an important step. This will allow time for us priests to attend to the individual promptly, and to offer the Sacraments: Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick and to bring Holy Communion – so vital for profound healing and peace, especially while the gravely ill can still communicate. Do not wait until a person cannot speak. Recently, I visited someone at the hospital who was seriously ill. He was waiting for a priest to come. I spent 45 minutes with him; he spoke from his heart. He thanked me profusely and died in peace a few hours later. The priests can help you with the steps you need to take when your loved one dies.
Many Catholics have questions about the church’s teachings on the growing practice of cremation. Since before 1963, the Church insisted that Catholics follow only the manner of Christ’s burial by either entombing or burying the body. In 1963 the church lifted the prohibition which forbade Catholics to cremate their deceased loved one’s remains. Pope Francis approved the most up-to-date instruction from Rome on burial and cremation which was issued in 2016 from the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In response to the rise in cremation throughout the world, the Curial office charged with the defense of Church doctrine has issued the new instruction, reiterating the 1963 instruction that maintains cremains are to be buried; not scattered or kept at home.
My own funeral arrangement is to have a Mass with my body in the church, followed by cremation and placing of the urn in the crypt at the Queen of Heaven St. Cecilia Chapel. I have chosen the readings and hymns for the service. Let us continue to pray for our departed loved ones during this month.
Fr. Paulson
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