BEREAVEMENT
In the emotional event of the death of a loved one, the priests of our parish, offer consolation to those in sorrow. He and the parish community participate in the Funeral Rites of its members. The Funeral Rite has been an unbroken tradition of the Catholic Church from the time of the Apostles.
The departed are prayed for in Requiem Mass, the Church asks the Father to purify the departed of their sins and to be admitted to the fullness of the heavenly kingdom. Thus the community of the faithful, especially the family of the deceased, learn to live in communion with the one who ‘has fallen asleep in the Lord ‘by praying for him through the One who has conquered sin and death and wants to draw all to fellowship with him.
The doctrine of purgatory supports these practises and the Communion of Saints unites the Church on earth with the heaven towards which we all aspire.