“In the face of death, the riddle of human existence grows most acute. Not only is man tormented by pain and by the creeping decay of his body, but even more so by a dread of perpetual extinction. He rightly follows the intuition of his heart when he abhors and repudiates the utter ruin and total disappearance of his own person. Man rebels against death because he bears in himself an eternal seed which cannot be reduced to sheer matter.” (Vat. II, Gaudium et spes, n. 18)
The message of christianity in its shorter form is: “He has risen from the dead!” (Mc 16:6), therefore the parish gathers in a special way when the death of its members occurs. Faith in the resurrection and eternal life are powerful sources of hope that help christians in grieving painful loss.
When the loss of a family member occurs, our church’s first spiritual aid is given as a home visit or wherever the family members need to be visited. During this visit a first short prayer moment can be held to support the bereaved. After that, a church funeral can be arranged, either in the church or directly at the cemetery, taking into account the requests and cultural traditions of the family in question. Please contact us and we will see how we can help.