Accompanying the Bereaved at Sacred Heart Parish

At Sacred Heart parish, we are aware of this responsibility and try to comfort the bereaved by assisting at the funeral liturgy, and through our bereavement group. If one member suffers in the body of Christ which is the Church, all the members suffer with that member’ (1 Corinthians 12:26). For this reason, those who are baptized into Christ and nourished at the same table of the Lord are responsible for one another…. So too when a member of Christ’s Body dies, the faithful are called to a ministry of consolation to those who have suffered the loss of one whom they love.

Here are some ways in which you can share our hope in eternal life: 

Attend the Funeral Mass: Your presence and prayer are a great source of comfort and our of shared faith in the resurrection we share with Christ when we celebrate the Eucharist. 


Volunteer as a funeral Sacristan: This ministry helps our families to personally encounter the care and comfort of our parish community as we provide a reverent celebration of the Funeral Mass. 

Welcome people at the Funeral Mass: Visitors and friends alike appreciate a warm welcome when they come to a funeral mass, with sad hearts, seeking hope in faith through our ministry of hospitality. 

Visit the bereaved: a call, a card, or note and an invitation to spend some time together can go a long way to helping someone through grief. People who have lost a loved one can more easily empathize with someone who has recently experienced the loss of a family member. 

Schedule a mass on an important anniversary, of the birth, the death, or the wedding anniversary of the faithful departed. The parish office would be happy to help you to maintain this age old tradition of praying for those who have died. 

Bring photos of the deceased to be placed in front of the altar during the month of October. Plan on celebrating All Souls Day every year on November 2. 

Visit the cemetery: Invite the bereaved to pay a visit and pray and remember at the grave of those who have died. For believers in Jesus, cemeteries are places of hope, that promise resurrection. 

Please recall that permission to notify the parish of funerals that take place come from the members of the family of the faithful departed, and that not all families chose to participate in this notification.  We hope together to share in the eternal life Jesus won for us in his dying and rising.