Church should be more engaged with families in mourning

Posted

TO THE EDITOR:

Father Kiley, in his Quiet Corner column “The transition from sacred rites to secular remembrances,” (November 2), points to a real concern that some Catholics are adopting more secular remembrances instead of the traditional funeral Mass. His concluding misunderstanding of the value of a personal eulogy delivered by a family member or friend at the end of a traditional funeral Mass perhaps accounts for some of the problem. The Catholic Church and clergy can find some answers by caring more deeply about those in mourning and being more engaged with parishioners and families as death approaches. A respectful personal eulogy can be profoundly spiritual in its embrace of the joys and tribulations of real life.