Our sympathies to Nancy Costanzo on the passing of her mother on Easter Day, Luz Viera, whose funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Ambrose Church. May she rest in the peace of the Risen Lord.
A friend of mine who used to be at Jennings Nursing Home let me know about a workshop that will be offered called the “Sacred Art of Living & Dying.” It will take place on April 20th & 21st at Jennings Hall (about 7 minutes away). I think it is so valuable that I’m extending an invitation for anyone to attend and the parish will take care of the cost. We already have two parishioners who are going but wanted to make it known to the rest of the community. Here is some information about it:
“This is the first of four study units providing the histori- cal and theoretical foundation for the Anamcara. Each of the study units is grounded in the contemporary health care sciences and is inspired by the great spiritual traditions and collective wisdom learned from the dying.
Participants learn about the rich cultural history and clinically sound practices for detecting and alleviating spiritual and emotional distress at the end of life. Proven results for patients include reduced anxiety, an improved quality of living and more effective pain management. Caregivers learn valuable models for addressing death anxiety as the most critical issue for the dying person.”
Sessions include:
* Death and Dying in the West
* Medieval Roots of the Modern Hospice Movement * Spirituality and Religion
* Cultural Perspectives on Death & Dying
* Diagnosing Spiritual Pain
* Responding to Spiritual Pain
* Spiritual Dimensions of Grief
Just let us know if you are interested & we will be happy to get you more information or sign you up. Nurses and social workers can receive continuing education units for it as well.
I explained a few weeks ago that the Diocese said we may no longer have an envelope which is marked “Assessments.” So if you used this envelope to make dona- tions, you can instead use the envelope called “Capital Improvements”? This envelope is now sent monthly instead of quarterly. Whether your donation was toward our monthly assessments or toward our capital improvements, it all goes into the same “bucket” so your continued generosity toward our capital improvements is very much appreciated.