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Funeral
Planning
St. Joseph Parish offers
support through its bereavement group.
Our ministers offer assistance
and journey with families during preparations for Christian burial.
Ministers
will work with any family preparing for a funeral. Call the office
before the death if possible. We also offers a printed program with
the order of service.
After scheduling arrangements are made, our pastoral associate, Sister
Denise Glazik, OP, coordinates the service, and makes herself available to
pray with the family and answer questions.
We use three
key symbols of baptism at the beginning of the funeral Mass: the sprinkling
of baptismal water, the lighting of the baptismal candle and the covering of
the body with the baptismal robe or pall.
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Click here
for our Pastoral Guide to Catholic Funerals.
Click here
to view
appropriate songs and Scripture readings for funeral liturgies at
St. Joseph Church.
Click here to print the
Funeral Planning Sheet. *All of these will be provided upon
consulting with the parish. You are most welcome to look them over
ahead of our meeting.
Bereavement Team:
Our Bereavement Team was formed in 2004 and serves those
families that have recently lost a loved one. The team sets up for our
funeral Masses, serves as Lectors, Servers, Eucharistic Ministers,
Sacristans and Musicians at our funerals.
Funeral Luncheons:
A handful of
parishioners have come together to restore the very worthwhile funeral
dinner ministry for the people of St. Joseph’s. After much debate and
research, the team has come to the conclusion that offering these meals
offsite is the best and most feasible way of bringing back this special
parish program.
Volunteers will be able to greet
families and prepare and serve desserts at the restaurant that has agreed to
accommodate the ministry. However, this particular business is just one of
the many high-quality options for funeral luncheons in our area. When making
arrangements at St. Joseph Parish, the families will receive information
about the different facets of the funeral, including the various places for
the dinner afterward.
For more information about this
revitalized ministry or to volunteer, contact Sandy Sollers at 815-939-1067.
Aftercare:
Please let the parish know how we can be of help after the
funeral is over; everyone grieves in their own way but sometimes we can help
with prayer, sharing, and opportunities for service and working with others.
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Planning Your Funeral Now:
We encourage every family to think about and plan ahead for
their own funeral. We suggest that families have a will and talk about their
financial plans and know where important papers are kept. We also provide a
booklet called “Now and At the Hour of My Death” that is an excellent
planning book for all aspects of preparing for death and a funeral. It is a
workbook that you can jointly fill out as you discuss things like where you
would be buried, what liturgical aspects of your funeral you would like and
what financial and legal steps you have taken and where your important
papers are located. Call us if you would like to talk more about planning
for death and your funeral.
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