I think it began with the funeral of our pastor’s grandmother. It developed with the death and funeral celebrations of a previous pastor and a young woman whose family was ill-prepared for the death of their twenty-something-year-old daughter. Somehow, in the midst of learning to celebrate the funeral liturgy well and to care for the grieving through effective bereavement ministry, my parish learned the importance of hospitality, the far-reaching nature of community, and the way subtle elements such as a well-executed worship aid can contribute to an opportunity for healing and reconciliation. None of what has transpired is flashy. Among all the ministries, bereavement ministry functions quietly and capably, drawing on the gifts of those who understand that they are vessels for the Holy Spirit and who are able to step aside and allow God’s presence to shine. Perhaps that is why their ministry is so profound and why people are so powerfully touched by their witness and care.

Forming the community

Simple notes in the funeral worship aid can help those who participate in the liturgy to understand the ritual actions. It takes a bit of editing and working with the text to shape brief notes that may be placed at key points in the body of the program; however, the impact on people’s lives may be deep and lasting. For instance, in the template we now use for most funerals, there is a note just before the final commendation that explains the incensing of the body. Our pastor’s comments just as he begins this portion of the rite echo what is written; they are not instruction that is obtrusive in the midst of the prayer but rather a sentence or two that draw attention to the ritual action about to take place. “We incense objects that are sacred,” he tells the assembly. “The altar of sacrifice; the paschal candle, which represents the light of Christ in our lives; the body of the deceased, which has been a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.” Hearing that explanation, and experiencing our prayers rising like the incense before us, we become more mindful of the life we now celebrate in its passing from death to new life and in the life each of us is called to live as a disciple of our Lord.

Formed through life within the community

When Alisa died suddenly as a result of an auto accident, her parents were, quite naturally and appropriately, stunned. Grasping for a way to help Alisa’s mother in her desperate grief, two of our bereavement ministers helped her become connected to a local ministry for those who have lost a child to death. A few years later, when another young woman, Kimberly, died suddenly as a result of a staph infection, her mother was consoled by Alisa’s mother. The women were bonded through the terrible and transformative experience they shared, and our bereavement ministers were shown the lasting impact of their care.

Forming pastoral practice

I knew that our parishioner leaders were coming to understand evangelization deeply when, in separate conversations spanning a six-month period, people spoke of the power of a funeral as an evangelizing moment. Truth is, a funeral can speak powerfully of God’s love for us and of the ways in which we are connected in Christ. Understanding that many who attend a Catholic funeral may not have been to a funeral liturgy in years, the liturgy is prepared in a way that will speak as powerfully as possible of Christ’s victory over death and of the hope of resurrection that we share. Knowing the importance of simple hospitality at the liturgy, at a reception that follows burial, and in the contact that is made with the family members in the months after the funeral, the nature of evangelization as a deepening of the way we live out the Christian mystery clearly comes to light. Those who may have been away from the church for some time, or those without a church home, experience the fullness of Christian hope that is profoundly expressed in the Catholic funeral liturgy. Simple things done with great care can and do have great meaning — nothing less than that of Christ’s undying love and everlasting life. ML
 

Leisa Anslinger is pastoral associate for faith formation at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cincinnati. Author of  Here Comes Everybody! Whole Community Catechesis in the Parish, she is a national speaker on topics including whole-community catechesis and pastoral leadership.

What do YOU Think?
Send an e-mail to ML Editor or post an entry on the ML Current Issue Discussion Board. (All submissions become the property of RPI and may be edited for length.)