End of Life Issues
see also Pastoral
Notes that have been produced which pertain to End-of-Life concerns.
Our Catholic faith teaches us that human life is a gift from
God to be cherished, respected and cared for. National and local initiatives
to legalize physician-assisted suicide have focused attention upon the inadequate
care provided at the end-of-life and upon various other issues related to
death and dying. The dioceses of Massachusetts have recognized that Catholic
parishes have the potential to play a significant role at end of life and
in preparation for it.
The first challenge will be to change attitudes about death
and about the responsibility of parishes and parishioners to those with life-threatening
illness. This understanding must be theologically grounded and integrate
the Gospel into everyday life. The second challenge will be to establish
and support initiatives that provide practical assistance and psychosocial
and spiritual support.
The Pastoral Task Force seeks to promote formal and informal
approaches grounded in a sense of parish as caring community. The parable
of the Good Samaritan reminds us that we must not pass by the hurting person;
we are responsible to our dying neighbor.
GOAL: To promote spiritual and emotional support
and practical assistance for those with life-threatening illness, the dying
, their caregivers and the bereaved by the parishes of the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Boston.
Objective 1- Develop and provide formation/education programs
that assist parishioners to understand and address the issues of suffering,
dying and death in their own lives.
- Develop a Gospel language to counteract the cultural
view of dying.
- Present a theology of suffering and of death.
- Address myths and misunderstandings about suffering,
dying and death.
Objective 2 - Develop and offer formation/education programs
that assist parishioners to understand the emotional and spiritual needs
of people with life-threatening illness and the dying so as to expand ministries
of care.
- Call forth parishioners touched by death to walk the
journey with others.
- Devise strategies to reach large numbers of parishioners.
Objective 3 - Provide formation to pastoral staffs in the
area of dying and death.
- Develop an awareness among parish pastoral staffs of
their role and responsibility to parishioners who have life-threatening
illness and those who are dying.
- Help pastoral parish staff members confront their personal
issues concerning death and dying.
- Assist staffs to enhance pastoral skills in the area
of ministry to the dying.
- Provide homily aids regarding suffering, dying and death
to the clergy.
- Provide to pastoral staffs models of parish ministry
to the dying.
- Assist staffs to develop specific pastoral outreach.
- Provide assistance to the Education Task Force to educate
pastoral staff regarding end-of-life issues.
- Utilize the Office for Worship to foster good liturgical
services following deaths.
Objective 4 - Develop parish ministries to provide practical
assistance to those with life-threatening illness and to their caregivers.
Determine what actions can be done on a cluster level.
- Establish mechanisms to identify the critically ill
and their needs.
- Identify resources within the community and establish
linkage with other agencies.
- Recruit parishioners to provide unmet needs in areas
of housekeeping tasks,errands,meals, respite support, transportation
to medical appointments, etc.
- Provide assistance with securing medical equipment.
- Provide referrals for issues related to health insurance.
- Promote hospice and other palliative care options.
Objective 5 - Develop religious and spiritual support programs
for those with life-threatening illness and their families.
- Enhance understanding and practice of the Sacrament
of the Sick.
- Offer regional days of prayer or mini retreats for those
with life-threatening illness.
- Encourage prayer groups to pray with/for terminally
ill.
- Develop rituals appropriate to end of life to use within
the home.
- Provide spiritual direction and support for family members
caring for dying family members.
Objective 6 - Recruit, train and support parish volunteers
to provide visitation ministry to those with life-threatening illness and
to the dying and support to their caregivers.
- Develop curriculum that includes spiritual and emotional
support and effective pastoral interventions.
- Provide basic training for volunteers.
- Enhance ability to make referrals to hospice and for
other end-of-life assistance.
- Identify volunteers to sit with the dying.
- Provide support groups for family caregivers.
- Provide ongoing support for parish volunteers.
- Provide spiritual support for parish caregivers.
Objective 7 - Provide bereavement support.
- Offer assistance with funeral planning.
- Provide presence at wakes and funerals.
- Utilize bereavement ministry and training resources
from the Family Life Office..
- Offer bereavement support groups.
- Schedule annual memorial Masses.
Objective 8 - Devise strategies to implement vision and
goals.
- Establish liaisons with other agencies that are concerned
with end-of-life issues and caregiving.
- Include attention to youth in various aspects of pastoral
planning.
- Develop and share successful parish program models with
other parishes.
- Establish communication links with parishes.
Objective 9 - Create awareness and initiate outreach to
specific populations.
- Ethnic communities.
- The chronically ill and disabled.
- Assisted living residents/nursing home residents.
Objective 10 - Develop and provide resources to parishes
regarding the end of life.
- Identify current resources.
- Develop a Speakers Bureau(s).
- Establish Internet home page.
- Gather print and tape materials.
- Assess the need for outreach "hot line".
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