From the Order of Christian Funerals, 8:
‘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. When Christians are sick, their brothers and sisters share a ministry of mutual charity and ‘do all that they can to help the sick return to health, by showing love for the sick, and by celebrating the sacraments with them’.3 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. Christian consolation is rooted in that hope that comes from faith in the saving death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christian hope faces the reality of death and the anguish of grief but trusts confidently that the power of sin and death has been vanquished by the risen Lord. The Church calls each member of Christ’s Body- priest, deacon, layperson — to participate in the ministry of consolation: to care for the dying, to pray for the dead, to comfort those who mourn.
At the Catholic Community of the Blessed Trinity
Our ministry of Christian consolation is concretized through the Martha Ministry. Women of the parish make themselves available to the family and friends of the deceased by helping prepare a reception after the Funeral Mass. The reception is held in the Parish Hall of the Church where the Mass is celebrated.
Family and friends of the deceased are very appreciative of this wonderful ministry. The assistance extended to them allows them to spend their time being with those who have come to share in their grief and console them.
For more information, please contact the Parish Office @ 315-902-4130.
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