Exploring Care at End-Of-Life Who Is in Charge? Man Or God?
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‘You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.’ – John 8:32 VOL. 65, NO. 44 | OCTOBER 28, 2016 WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS ONE DOLLAR PER COPY Exploring care at end-of-life Who is in charge? Man or God? BY MICHAEL O’CONNELL | CFP CORRESPONDENT WORCESTER Is death an enemy to be overcome at any price or a natural part of the CHRISTINA GALLEONE | CFP human condition? Do you envision your life as being in GodÕ s hands or your own? Rita Kozel built this shrine to Our Lady of Grace to honor the Blessed Mother who ‘puts things in order.’ These are two of 10 thought-provoking and controversial questions keynote speaker Sister Constance Veit, l.s.p., asked the 4th annual Witness for Life ForumÕ s audience to ponder to help members clarify their own convictions about aging and dying. It is important, Sister Constance said, for people to ask these types of questions to navi- ‘Labor of Love’ gate a polarized climate regarding end-of-life care. With people and institutions aligned on either end of political and ideological spectra, Shrine at St. Gabriel’s Parish decisions on whatÕ s truly best for elders can be hard to negotiate on the fly. Ò All of these questions should give us pause, and I hope they have suggested to you that honors Our Lady of Grace there is another perspective than the one proposed by our dominant culture when it comes to elder care,Ó Sister Constance, com- BY CHRISTINA GALEONE | CFP CORRESPONDENT Ò SheÕ s the one who led me to a closer Therese de Lisieux that she donated to munications director for Little Sisters for the relationship with her Son,Ó says Ms. St. Brendan Parish in Bellingham and a Poor, told an audience of 70 at the Oct. 22 UPTON ItÕ s the Feast of the Holy Kozel. She adds, I think when you Blessed Mother statue that was buried forum at Assumption CollegeÕ s Hagan Center. Rosary an unusually warm autumn give yourself to her, she puts things in for years outside the Golden Pond as- Ò We live in what Pope Francis calls a throw- day and the sun is shining on a re- order like a good mother would.Ó sisted living facility in Hopkinton be- away culture, characterized by a mentality cently completed shrine outside St. Consecrated to Jesus through fore it was uncovered and given to her of contempt and indifference toward the old, Gabriel the Archangel Parish. Rita Blessed Mother, the woman with a to restore for the residents there. who are viewed as a burden to society because Kozel, the former parishioner who humble resolve has used the gifts sheÕ s Ms. Kozel, who recalls that she en- they are no longer productive. But the Church built the shrine to Our Lady of Grace, been given to create a shrine that can joyed drawing when she was a kid, proposes a different outlook altogether.Ó kneels beside a frog pond at the base evoke feelings of hope and serenity in says that her interest in mosaic prob- The camps are entrenched. In one corner, of a waterfall. With the sound of rush- its visitors. ably stemmed from drawing, and her Sister Constance said, are people who hon- ing water in the background, she re- And she did so without formal train- interest in restoration evolved from estly believe allowing chronically ill and moves faded blooms from burgundy ing. Through practice, she nurtured mosaic.Ó elderly to die is in the best interests of the chrysanthemums. When she raises her those gifts and has accomplished mas- Ò God gives us a gift, and we can use most vulnerable in our society. Aligning with eyes beyond the top of the waterfall, terful restorations since the late-1980s. it if we want to,Ó says Ms. Kozel. She these people is another group, which includes she can see the softly smiling statue of Not only did she restore the statue of also adds, ThereÕ s a lot of beautiful some government officials, who advocate for Our Lady of Grace nestled in the mo- Our Lady of Grace thatÕ s in the shrine, statues and paintings of saints, and health care rationing as a means of cutting saic grotto that she built overlooking but she has also restored other dam- it all. aged statues including one of St. SEE SHRINE, 6 SEE WITNESS, 6 Church clarifies handling of cremains; forbids scattering BY CINDY WOODEN | CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE secrated place. the Faith. cardinal told reporters Oct. 25. Eastern Churches in 1990. While the Catholic Church Ò Caring for the bodies of the In 1963, the congregation is- However, Cardinal Muller said, VATICAN CITY (CNS) Profess- continues to prefer burial in the deceased, the church confirms sued an instruction permitting church law had not specified ing belief in the resurrection of ground, it accepts cremation as its faith in the resurrection and cremation as long as it was not exactly what should be done with the dead and affirming that the an option, but forbids the scat- separates itself from attitudes done as a sign of denial of the Ò cremains,Ó and several bishopsÕ human body is an essential part tering of ashes and the growing and rites that see in death the basic Christian belief in the res- conferences asked the congrega- of a personÕ s identity, the Catho- practice of keeping cremated definitive obliteration of the urrection of the dead. The per- tion to provide guidance. lic Church insists that the bodies remains at home, said Cardinal person, a stage in the process of mission was incorporated into The result, approved by Pope of the deceased be treated with Gerhard Muller, prefect of the reincarnation or the fusion of the Code of Canon Law in 1983 respect and laid to rest in a con- Congregation for the Doctrine of oneÕ s soul with the universe,Ó the and the Code of Canons of the SEE ASHES, 6 St. John’s Cemetery opening new section BY WILLIAM T. CLEW | THE CATHOLIC FREE PRESS section is at the south end of the cem- grave sites with monuments. etery and is bordered on one side by The section, Mr. Ackerman said, is of A new section of St. JohnÕ s Cemetery, trees marking the boundary between non-traditional design. Some of the larg- named after St. Bruno, is opening this St. JohnÕ s and Hope cemeteries. It has a er grave sites have a tree in the center week, according to Robert V. Ackerman, 573-grave capacity, Mr. Ackerman said. with places for graves and monuments director of the diocesan cemeteries of- It has a wide selection of grave sites. or flat stones on the periphery. Rows of fice. They include single full body or cre- shrubbery separate other full-body and St. Bruno was a founder of the Car- matory grave sites with flat stones or crematory grave sites. thusian Order, according to the Catholic monuments, two full-body or crematory Mr. Ackerman said that any Worcester Encyclopedia. He was born at Cologne grave sites with flat stones or monu- Diocesan employee or immediate fam- about the year 1030. He died Oct. 6, ments; several three full-body or cre- ily member of an employee who buys a 1101. His feast is Oct. 6. matory grave sites with flat stones or grave site will receive a 25 percent dis- The flat, triangular-shaped St. Bruno monuments, and some four-full-body count on the price. Who was Saint Bruno? BY FATHER ROBERT D. BRUSO | SPECIAL TO THE CFP unworthy of a cleric. He joined with several priests to have St. Bruno (1035-1101), founder of the Carthusians, the most him removed with the support of Pope St. Gregory VII, but the austere order in the Church, began his ecclesiastical career bishop had the support of the king and retained his office. as a professor and Church official. He became a cathedral Frustrated by the situation, but also aware of his own hy- canon of Cologne when he was 20 and was ordained shortly pocrisy of being a cathedral canon of Cologne while teaching thereafter. It was a comfortable sinecure which supplied him in Reims, he resigned all his offices and returned to Cologne with an income while he studied in Cologne, Tours and Re- to reflect on his life. He and some friends put themselves ims. A brilliant student, he was named head of the school at under the direction of St. Robert of Molesmes, a Benedictine WILLIAM T. CLEW | CFP Reims Cathedral and served there for 20 years, when he was reformer who founded the Cistercian Order (Trappist), but he Robert V. Ackerman, director of the diocesan appointed chancellor of the Diocese of Reims. sought an even sterner life with an emphasis on an eremiti- cemeteries office, stands at the new section Working in close proximity to the bishop, he discovered of St. John’s Cemetery named for St. Bruno. that the bishop had purchased his office and was living a life SEE ST. BRUNO, 6 www.catholicfreepress.org Find us on Facebook and Twitter WORLD NEWS 2 COMMENTARY 5 Nature & Glory: A series Local ministries are given ELECTION 2016 3 FUNDAMENTALS 5 on centennial of National CCHD grants for projects NATIONAL BRIEFS 3 EVENTS 8 OPINION 4 CATHOLIC QUIZ 9 facebook.com/CatholicFreePressnews Parks Service. 10 that fight poverty. 7 twitter.com/cfpnews POPE FRANCIS 4 NATIONAL PARKS 10 2 AROUND THE WORLD THE CATHOLIC FREE PRESS | OCTOBER 28, 2016 Maintaining identity, Eastern Catholics help whole church, bishops say VATICAN CITY (CNS) Eastern Catholic Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the nities, too.Ó migrants living in Western Europe help Congregation for Eastern Churches, and Ò Only by integrating in the local the Catholic Church become more aware Melkite Patriarch Gregoire III Laham also church without being assimilated and of its universality and diversity and, by attended.