Servants
of Christ AACC
An Independent Old Catholic Church
St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota
Visitations & Funerals
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A funeral or prayer service helps mark the end of a loved one's life on
earth.
In our feelings of loss and grief, questions asked of God may go unanswered. Yet Jesus
gives Eternal Life to all who have loved or cared for another: "Feeding the hungry,
giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the sick" (Matthew 25:
31-40 see sidebar on right).
Death cannot destroy that bond of love between us and our loved ones because Jesus rose
from the dead and destroyed the "sting of death" (1 Corinthians 15:55).
In the ritual of funeral/prayer service, we commend our loved one to that bond of Love,
who is Jesus, while we commit the body to the ground or perform ceremonial burning of the
body to ashes.
Through ritual we help put closure on our physical relationship with our loved one while
celebrating that sacred bond of love between us, our loved one and the Holy One.
Types of Services Offered
My ministry is focused on those who have no regular church and
“fallen away” Catholics who otherwise feel uncomfortable contacting their former
parish priest.
I believe that everyone, regardless of church attendance or former lifestyle should have a
prayer service and graveside commendation or blessing of ashes.
I am accommodating to the needs and wishes of the family.
If Catholic background:
Modern visitation service/prayer service of psalm and
scriptural reading according to Roman Catholic ritual,
and non-judgmental homily .
At the family request, a mass at the funeral home.
At the graveside commendation, in addition to the
Roman Catholic prayers and blessing of the grave,
I ask those present to bless the casket with holy water.
I find this ritual especially meaningful to all present.
If no particular Christian background:
A non-denominational prayer service of Psalm,
scriptural or non-scriptural readings (selected
by the family) and non-judgmental homily.
All services offered whether family chooses
cremation or traditional casket.
When the Son
of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of
his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one
from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep
at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right
hand,
"Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you
gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave
me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me."
Then they will ask him: "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food,
or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and
welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in
prison and visited you?"
And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the
least of these, you did it to me."
Matthew 25: 31-40