As children we learned that two of the Corporal Works of Mercy were the “Care of the Sick” and “Burying of the Dead.” Support offered to the sick and the dying, and to the families experiencing the loss of loved ones is a priority here at Saint Mary of the Assumption.

With her training in nursing, Sister Theresa Lucier brings exceptional pastoral skills to the care of the sick. She has done a superb job of training skilled volunteers and coordinating the staff resources including the priests in the care of the sick and dying.

With almost one hundred funerals each year, the care of families of those who have died is a major undertaking. Personal meetings with the immediate families after a death, access to resources for preparing funeral liturgies, well prepared wake and funeral services with personalized homilies are all part of the immediate care offered. Each parish family is also offered free use of the parish center as well as coffee and pastry served by parish volunteers. The music ministry works especially hard to offer consolation through their exceptional music gifts.

We have worked hard to continue our support even after the day of the funeral. Families are personally invited to a special Months Mind Mass offered for those who have died the previous month. A very moving Mass of Remembrance is offered each year on the first Sunday of November at which the names of all those who have died the previous year are recalled as candles are lit in their memories. Personal correspondence to the next of kin is sent at Christmas and Easter to assure them of our continued prayers and support.

For those having particularly difficult struggles with their grief, personal counseling is available. The operation of the Saint Mary cemetery is the final component in the care of the dead and their families.

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