To arrange a funeral, please contact the parish business office by email or at 781-598-4313. We invite you to print and read our Funeral Liturgy Guide which offers you ideas for readings and music, and explains how to structure a funeral liturgy. You can fill out your selections using the Funeral Liturgy Planning Sheet.
If you would like to create your own funeral worship aid program, here is a template you can download with the Order of the Mass. Select "enable editing" and then replace the red placeholders with your personalized information.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
There are many different types of loss, and not all of them are related to death. A person can grieve over the breakup of an intimate relationship, after moving from the home in which they raised their family, from the release of a cherished goal or dream, or from a traumatic change in life circumstances. Grief is the natural reaction to this loss, but it is also the name for the healing process.
As Christians, “If one member suffers in the body of Christ which is the Church, all the members suffer with that member” (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. Christian consolation is rooted in that hope that comes from faith in the saving death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And 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.
Together, we walk the earthly journey -- celebrating each other’s joys, trying to ease each other’s burdens, and sharing in each other’s sufferings.
Please contact our Pastoral Associate, Kate McGrath, if you have questions about our parish's Ministry of Consolation or Grief Share meetings.
God, we know that You are always near to us,
and that in the quiet of each day, You are there.
Bring peace of heart and consolation of spirit to me
in this time of grief and loss.
In the quiet and stillness, may I know that you are near.
May your gentle presence soothe and console me,
and may Your love surround me.
Amen.
The Children's Room: This is a great place and great resource for supporting children who have suffered a loss. Their general website is: https://childrensroom.org/. On their website, they have a list of summer programs and camps that are located within and around Massachusetts: https://childrensroom.org/resources/summer-programs/.
The Coalition to Support Grieving Students: This is more for educators and professionals in supportive roles, but it provides free resources, handouts, and reference material.
https://grievingstudents.org/
Camp Erin: This is a free summer camp for children who have lost a loved one, held in Middleboro, MA.
https://camperinboston.org/.
The Compassionate Friends provides personal comfort, hope, and support to families experiencing the death of a child (at any age), and helps others better assist the grieving family.
Main Page: https://www.compassionatefriends.org/
Local Chapters in Massachusetts: https://www.compassionatefriends.org/wcl/?state=ma
Open to Hope helps people find hope after loss.
https://www.opentohope.com/
What's Your Grief promotes grief education, exploration, and expression in practical and creative ways.
https://whatsyourgrief.com/
The Dougy Center provides support in a safe place where children, teens, young adults, and their families grieving a death can share their experiences.
https://www.dougy.org/grief-resources/
The Help Guide offers information and tips for a healthy grieving process.
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/grief/coping-with-grief-and-loss.htm
The Emmaus Ministry for Grieving Parents serves the spiritual needs of parents whose children of any age have died by any cause.
https://www.emfgp.org/
Beatitudes Reflections: The Blessings of Mourning by Fr. Richard R. Andre, CSP, Catholic News Service
Byock, Ira. (1997). Dying Well: Peace and possibilities at end of life. New York, New York: The Berkley Publishing Group.
Kelley, Melissa. (2010). Grief: Contemporary theory and the practice of ministry. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
Kosminsky, Phyllis. (2007). Getting back to life when grief won't heal. New York, New York: McGraw HIll.
Kubler-Ross, E. & Kessler, D. (2005). On Grief and Grieving: Finding the meaning of grief through the five stages of loss. New York, New York: Scribner
Be Still My Soul (In You I Rest) - Kari Jobe
Be Not Afraid - Catholic Artists from Home