Tag Archive for: death

Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral – New York, NY

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This week, our journey takes us to The Big Apple! Come on a journey with our Media Production Assistant, Jason Nunez, as we spiritually travel to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This is not the St. Patrick’s Cathedral you may be thinking about. The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral is one of the most historic churches in the United States.

During our journey, you will hear about:

  • Learn about the history of The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral and the cemetery located on its grounds.
  • Hear about the life of Bishop Joseph John Hughes.
  • And what lies beneath this pilgrim destination?

We are so grateful to this month’s sponsor, Veronica Leal in honor of Deacon Dan McShane, who made this podcast episode possible.

Listen to this program now:

 

Jewel for the Journey:

Here’s to a long life and a merry one. – St. Patrick

Related Website & Print: 

St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral Offical Website
Hughes: Lion of American Catholicism (Book)

A Closer Look at Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral:

Interior of The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
Outside Cemetery
John Curry’s Final Resting Place
Altar inside General Thomas Eckert
Inside View of the Catacombs
Statue – I Absolve You
Where is the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral?

Making a Journey of Hope to a Cemetery

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How can we make our next trip to a cemetery a journey of hope? Join Deacon Tom & Mary Jane Fox for this encouraging & enlightening conversation on this truest sense of “journey of hope.”

During this program, learn:

  • What happens during a Catholic burial?
  • When visiting the grave sites of loved ones, what is good for my family & I do?
  • What is the purpose & origin of All Souls Day?
  • How can we have hope today amidst so much suffering & loss?

Closing Prayer

This is a prayer asking St. Joseph’s intercession for a holy death. He is the patron saint of the dying.

Begin with +Sign of the Cross

O glorious St. Joseph, behold I choose thee today for my special patron in life and at the hour of my death. Preserve and increase in me the spirit of prayer and fervor in the service of God. Remove far from me every kind of sin; obtain for me that my death may not come upon me unawares, but that I may have time to confess my sins sacramentally and to bewail them with a most perfect understanding and a most sincere and perfect contrition, in order that I may breathe forth my soul into the hands of Jesus and Mary. Amen.

Encouraged, At My Friend’s Funeral

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Attending funeral services is both sad and inspiring. Sad, because we are mourning the loss of a family member or friend. Inspiring, because it reminds us of the way the Catholic Church honors the deceased person through the prayers, incensing, and blessings.

I attended a funeral service of a dear friend in his parish church. The casket was placed in the front of the main sanctuary. The piano and violin spiritual music in the background added to the atmosphere of sadness, but also as a reminder of our final destination—eternal life with God.

Memories of my friend came to mind; his blue eyes, his gentle soul, his big smile, and his love for God. He was now lying at rest, in this Church where he had worshipped with his family, where he had experienced a community of friends and support through the years.

The service begins when the priest sprinkles the casket with holy water as a reminder of our baptism. Then, a white pall is placed on top of the casket by his family members. As a child, he was baptized and dressed in white; now we once again dress him in white. The priest offering Mass may something similar to this:
In the waters of baptism (name of person) died with Christ and rose with him to new life. May he now share with him eternal glory.

The entire service, which is the Mass of the Resurrection, is rich in its prayers—reminding us of the omnipotent mercy of our Savior. At the end, the priest offers the last prayers for my friend.

Saints of God, come to his aid!
Hasten to meet him, angels of the Lord!
May Christ, who called you, take you to himself;
may angels lead you to the bosom of Abraham.
Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.

I was inspired at my friend’s funeral Mass. These same words will be prayed for me one day. The saints of God will come to my aid! The angels of the Lord will meet me and lead me to the bosom of Abraham. What hope! This reminded me of the vast spiritual richness of our Catholic faith! As baptized members, we are united in this One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church! The words of these prayers are written for all Catholic clergy to follow throughout the world. These prayers unite us as members of the Body of Christ.

As I continued to think about this, I walked out of that Church, following my friend as he was escorted by family and friends to his final resting place.

The Psalms abound in hope:

My soul, be at rest in God alone,
from whom comes my hope.
God alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not fall.
(Psalm 62:6-7)

Guiding people to live each day with this hope is our mission for Pilgrim Center of Hope. As our chaplain Fr. Pat Martin says, “What a gift.”

Mary Jane Fox, D.H.S. is Co-Founder & Co-Director of Pilgrim Center of Hope with her husband, Deacon Tom Fox. The two left their careers after a profound conversion experience and began working full-time in ministry at their parish in 1986. After several years and having impacted tens of thousands of families, the Foxes founded Pilgrim Center of Hope in 1993 as a response to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization. Mary Jane is an invested member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Dame of the Holy Sepulchre.

Answering Christ’s call, Pilgrim Center of Hope guides people to encounter Him so as to live in hope, as pilgrims in daily life. See what’s happening & let us journey with you! Visit PilgrimCenterOfHope.org.

Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem

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Come on a journey with Deacon Tom and Mary Jane Fox to this ancient basilica, shared by many faiths. It encompasses the site of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, anointing, and burial, as well as many other ancient tombs and chapels.

Jewel for the Journey

Pope John Paul II during Mass in the Holy Sepulcher Church in 2000: “From this place, where the Resurrection was first made known to the women and then to the Apostles, I urge all the Church’s members to renew their obedience to the Lord’s command to take the Gospel to all the ends of the earth. At the dawn of a new Millennium, there is a great need to proclaim from the rooftops the Good News that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).”

Serving the Dying

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What exactly are deacons? How do they minister to persons who are dying, and families of the deceased? Join Father Ed Hauf, OMI, for this very special episode, with special guest Deacon Jesse Nunez (St. Henry Church), about the ministry of deacons.

In particular, Deacon Jesse will speak from his ministerial experience on:

  • Hospice ministry
  • Advice for families dealing with hospice situations
  • Dealing with death in the family
  • Giving loved ones a Catholic funeral
  • Catholic burial