Strange and Arcane
Celebrating the Rituals of Death (Behind the Collar Series #32)
On Saturday evening, I was called to the home of an elderly parishioner who is on hospice. The text message simply let me know that “it was time.” I had been waiting for the message for a couple of weeks after I had last visited her and seen how much she had diminished. Last Rites is a priestly function with which I am very familiar, having helped at least a dozen people die over the course of my vocation. Of course, it is a sad thing, but one of great fulfillment for a priest. There are bad ways to die and good ways to die, and I have always been determined that my parishioners die well, if at all possible. For the sake of privacy, I won’t go into detail about my specific conversations with the family or some of what happened in the sick room, but I will share some general reflections about how I prepare a person for death.
