This page contains the general introductory materials for the three weekend course 12:425 Ministry to the Sick, Dying and Bereaved, taught at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, Late Summer (June 19-20, July 24-25, August 14-15), 2010. The general introduction to my courses and teaching method can be found at Chapter d12 General Introduction To Fr. Tom's Courses Please study the general page first, especially if this is your first course with me.
1. "What is the shortest verse in the Bible?" This is often a trivia question in parlor games. However, the verse itself is far from trivia; it gives us a key insight into Jesus, and thus, into God: "Jesus wept." (John 11:35)
2. When we read the Gospels, on nearly every page we find Jesus healing, caring, even raising the dead to life. Jesus is the "sacrament" (visible sign/revelation) of a compassionate God. And, on the evening of the first day of the week, after rising from the dead, "Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you.' After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.' " (John 20:19-21). We are "sent" to be agents of healing and ambassadors of reconciliation (see: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
3. "Suffering and illness have always been among the greatest problems that trouble the human spirit. Christians feel and experience pain as do all other people; yet their faith helps them to grasp more deeply the mystery of suffering and to bear their pain with greater courage. From Christ’s words they know that sickness has meaning and value for their own salvation and for the salvation of the world. They also know that Christ, who during his life often visited and healed the sick, loves them in their illness." (Pastoral Care of the Sick, #1) Suffering and death are among the greatest of life's mysteries. In this seminar we want to explore these mysteries so that (1) we might come to a deeper understanding of this mystery, and (2) are less anxious in the face of suffering and death; so that (3) we can assist others who are confronted with these mysteries; and (4) help others prepare for this ministry.
4. The seminar has two parts: 1) Ministry to the Sick and Dying, and 2) Ministry to the Dead and the Bereaved. Each part of the course will have six focus areas: 1) Experience, 2) History, 3) The Rites, 4) Liturgical Planning, 5) Ministry and 6) Theology.
5. The ministry to the sick and bereaved is central to the work of a priest and lay minister. To exercise this ministry well, one needs to know not only the rites and their history and their theology, but also to be in touch with one's own attitudes and feelings toward sickness and death. (These attitudes / feelings often are rooted in the sub-conscious and are difficult to examine).
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1. During my 40+ years of priestly ministry I have had many positive experiences with the rituals of Anointing and Funerals.
2. Fr. P.-M. Gy, O.P. (my Doctor Father and my thesis director) was one of the principal authors of both of these Rituals.
3. I have published widely in these areas.
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1. The primary "source" is the Church's own prayer.
2. The Collegeville series on the revised rites remains one of the key sources for the understanding of these rites.
3. The students are to be familiar with those sections of the Documents of Vatican II, the Code of Canon Law, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church which pertain to the Sacrament of Anointing and the Rite of Funerals.
1. Beverly S. Gordon. Toward Acceptance: Prayers for Dealing With Chronic Illness and Disability. St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1991 ISBN # 0-8716-167-1 Paper. $3.95.
2. Susan Borrelli. With Care: Reflections of a minister to the sick. Liturgical Training Publications, Archdiocese of Chicago, 1980 $1.90.
3. Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M. Would You Like to be Anointed: Reflections of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1987 ISBN # 0-86716-060-8.
4. James Empereur, S.J. Prophetic Anointing: God's Call to the Sick, the Elderly, and the Dying. Michael Glazier, INC, 1982. ISBN # 0-89453-233-2.
Training resources:
Caring With Faith: Training Ministers to the Sick . Franciscan Communications DVD, Order # D2071 ($49.95) St. Anthony Messenger Press 1-800-488-0488 www.AmericanCatholic.org
Video: Training Bereavement Ministers:
Responding to Grief . Stories 1, 2 and 3.
Teaching segment. Discussion.
Franciscan Communications DVD, Order # V2091 ($39.95) St. Anthony Messenger
Press 1-800-488-0488
www.AmericanCatholic.org
View Video #3, Training Bereavement Ministers: Funeral Planning . Stories 1, 2 and 3. Teaching segment. Discussion. Franciscan Communications DVD, Order # V2092 ($39.95) St. Anthony Messenger Press 1-800-488-0488 www.AmericanCatholic.org
The Church's Prayer for the Sick: Sacrament of the Annointing. Franciscan Communications DVD, Order # D2093 ($19.95) St. Anthony Messenger Press 1-800-488-0488 www.AmericanCatholic.org
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Key issues related to the Sacrament of
Anointing
1. How do you view the "person"? What is illness? What is
healing?
2. Who may receive the sacrament? How sick does one have to be?
What kind of illness?
3. Who may lead the sacramental celebration? Why?
4. Regarding the BRK shape: Who is addressed? What is
remembered? What is asked for?
5. What are the necessary (essential) elements of the sacramental ritual?
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(Posting #1 part A Essay: Experience of Illness) post an essay of 600-1000 words describe a situation in which you were ill and you experienced someone's ministry. What happened? What did it feel like? Have you every been anointed? Was it a good experience? [These are simply general questions to guide your reflection and to help you form your essay. Perhaps you may wish to describe a situation in which someone close to you was ill; or perhaps you may choose to write about your experience of ministry to someone who was ill. Note: there will be a similar essay assignment later in the course regarding your experience of death/dying; this essay is about sickness.]
(Posting #1 part B Two Comments) post a comment on each of at least two of last weeks postings.
(Posting #2 History: Ministry to the Sick) using the ten categories of the historical grid, post an outline of the history of ministry to the sick. Make one or two significant statements in each of the ten divisions of the grid. So that the final grid can be printed on one page, each of the ten entries is to contain 30 words or less. It is important that no entry exceed 30 words or three typed lines. This not only allows the grid to be printed on one page, but more importantly it forces you to judge and decide which are the most important elements of this history.
(Posting #3 Communal Anointing: Script) Plan a communal celebration of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. The purpose of this assignment is to 1) to help you become familiar with the Rite of Anointing celebrated during a Sunday parish Mass; 2) to encourage you to sort through what you have learned about the history of the sacrament and in order to select those issues about which you feel your parishioners are most in need of catechesis; 3) to help you to begin to develop a "Theology of Suffering" and preach this in homilies; and 4) to help you begin to practice the skills of drawling these issues from the Word of God and helping today's Catholics see the mystery of suffering in their lives. --- The rite to be used on this occasion is given in Chapter 4 of the ritual "Anointing of the Sick, Part 2 Anointing Within Mass" (Ritual #133-148; The Rites, pp 831-839). For the purposes of this assignment you are to pretend you are to: 1) Select a specific parish and date -- a parish with which you are familiar or one you make up. Describe this context in the introduction to your ritual. 2) Imagine that you are the priest presiding at this liturgy and indicate in your script the Scripture Readings, Ritual Prayers and Ritual Actions which you will use on this occasion. 3) Include the full text of the homily you will preach; and 4) also include any instructions or directions written or oral that will be give to the participating congregation.
Gathering Ritual #135-136 Use the options given in #135-136 or (preferably) begin the Eucharist with a water rite which emphasizes the relation between Anointing of the Sick is and the commitment we make at Baptism.
Storytelling Ritual #137 I suggest that you pick a specific Sunday outside of the seasons of Lent/Easter and Advent/Christmas. The lectionary readings can be found on the website of the USCCB (click "readings" and a calendar will appear, click on the day and the reading for that day will appear). If the parish you have chosen this exercise is not familiar with the communal celebration of the Anointing of the Sick, you may want to select readings that treat more explicitly the healing nature of the ministry of Jesus. This selection is to be made in accordance to the rules given in the Table of Liturgical Days. In your homily apply the readings to the situation (sacrament of anointing) and integrate a catechesis on the sacrament. Give whatever practical information that you think would be necessary and useful for this particular congregation.
Anointing Ritual #138-144 Do not duplicate the "General Intercessions" with the "Litany." Bless the oil using "option A" Ritual #140, The Rites, p 824: "God of all consolation, you chose and sent your Son..."
Meal Sharing Ritual # 143-146 You do not need to type out the text of the Ordinary of the Mass or the Eucharistic Prayer or the prayers of the Communion Rite. Indicate only those options you have chosen especially for this occasion. Note that the Ritual gives several options for this Mass that are not printed in most editions of the Sacramentary.
Commissioning Ritual #147-148 You may wish to include additional options, such as a reception in the parish hall for those who were anointed.
(Posting #4 Theology of Illness) an essay of 800-1000 words, write a "theology of suffering and illness". You may approach the mystery from any aspect. Why does God permit suffering? Are there positive elements in sickness? How do our sufferings "fill up what was lacking in Christ"? What themes are available for a homilies on this topic?
(Posting #5 Ministry to the Sick: Guidelines) post a list of ten "ministry guidelines" -- things that you consider important in your own ministry to the sick or things that you would make the major emphasis of a training session you might conduct for training parish ministers to the sick.
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Key issues related to the Ministry to the Bereaved and the Rite of Funerals
1. Theological Issues: Why do people die? Is death a punishment due to [original/actual] sin or a natural part of human existence? What happens to us after we die? [Questions of judgment, limbo, purgatory, heaven, hell, nothingness, transmigration of souls, etc. How does your answer to this question flow from your understanding of "God"?] Why did Jesus die? How does the "mystery of death" flow from or relate to the "mystery of suffering" we studied in part one of this seminar? Does death have a variety of theological meanings depending on the "type" of death (e.g. natural death after a long life, sudden death in the prime of life, violent death, murder, death of an infant, suicide, etc)? Canonical Issues: Who can receive Catholic Funeral Rites? (These issues are directly related to the theological issues.)
2. Liturgical Issues: The official Latin text of the Rite of Funerals was composed for a "world-wide" multitude of cultural variations. ICEL adapted and selected the rites for the English-speaking Churches, and the USCCB through its Committee for Divine Worship adapted and selected the rites for our culture and customs. The ritual has various stages:
1. Prayers for the Dying (including Viaticum)
2. Prayers at the time of Death
3. Washing and preparation of the body for burial (in the USA this is
usually done at the Funeral Home)
4. [Rites in the presence of the body] Viewing of the body / Wake /
Prayers for the Dead / Liturgy of the Hours / Eulogies and Remembrance
5. [Preparation of the Funeral Eucharist]
6. Transfer of the body to the Church
7. Reception of the body into the Church
8. Viewing of the body / Wake / Prayers for the Dead / Liturgy of the
Hours / Eulogies and Remembrance
9. The Funeral Eucharist
10. Sending the body to the place of burial
11. Procession to the place of burial
12. (Blessing of the grave and) Prayers for committal to the grave
There is much variation in the importance of each of the above elements: in the USA the minister will be concerned especially with the rites for #4, 7, 9, 10, and 12. It is important to note the different functions which each of these rituals serve. There is an "emotional" progression / resolution in the rites themselves.
3. Ministerial Issues: What attitudes and skills are necessary to minister to the bereaved? How can we help lay ministers exercise this ministry well? How can the liturgical books be used most fruitfully?
4. Personal Issues: What has been my experience of death [near death experience / death of a loved one / witness to a violent death / cause of another's death, etc.]? How do I think of my own death? What is my "comfort level" in the face of death/dying?
5. Cultural Issues: The "American Way of Death Revisited", by Jessica Mitford / families who do not want any funeral at all / "celebration of life" in place of the funeral / private cremation and scattering the ashes without a burial / denial of death / funerals for "sinners" / funerals for people you hate!
These are not issues that can be "answered" or "resolved" during the course of a few weeks. They are part of the task that we take with us on our faith journey.
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(Posting #6 Experience: Ministry to the Dead/Bereaved) post an essay of 600-1000 words describe an experience in which you came into contact with the church's ministry to the dead and the bereaved. Perhaps describe the funeral of a relative or close friend. Was the ministry of the church helpful in this situation? Note: this assignment is NOT a requirement for the elective course offered during the spring semester 2010.
(Posting #7 History of Funerals) using the ten categories of the historical grid, outline the history of ministry to the dead and bereaved. Make one or two significant statements in each of the ten divisions of the grid. So that the final grid can be printed on one page, each of the ten entries is to contain 30 words or less. It is important that no entry exceed 30 words or three typed lines. This not only allows the grid to be printed on one page, but more importantly it forces you to judge and decide which are the most important elements of this history.
(Posting #8 Funeral Script) post a script for a funeral liturgy. Imagine a particular situation [e.g. death of a child; death of an elderly person; a man killed in a traffic accident; etc]; describe the situation. Select texts for the wake, the transfer of the body to the church, the Mass of Christian burial, the prayers at the grave side. You may creatively adapt these rituals to fit the circumstances of your example. Include the full text of the funeral homily which will incorporate the key elements of your "theology of death".
(Posting #9 Theology of Death ) an post an essay of 800-1000 words in which your present a "Theology of Death". [See the list of "theological issues" given above.] You may approach the mystery from any aspect. List themes available for a homilies on this topic.
(Posting #10 Ministry to the Bereaved: Guidelines) post a list of ten things that you consider important in your own ministry to the bereaved or things that you would make the major emphasis of a training session you might conduct for training parish ministers to the bereaved.
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© Copyright: Tom Richstatter, Franciscan Province of St. John the Baptist, Cincinnati Ohio, Order of Friars Minor. All Rights Reserved. This page was created by Fr. Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M. Every effort has been, and is being made, to acknowledge sources when the ideas are not my own. Any failure to comply with the United States Copyright Act (Title 17, United States Code) will be corrected immediately should I become aware of it. This site was updated on 06/22/10 . Your comments on this site are welcome at tomrichs@psci.net.