Churches to offer end-of-life seminars
HALFMOON, N.Y. » Conversations on the reality of dying are difficult. In an age where people are living longer due to better health care, good living habits, and advanced technology, those discussions can be put off until it is too late.
To help start those conversations three Catholic churches in southern Saratoga County are partnering on a series of seminars next month that focus on making preplanned decisions for end of life issues. The seminars are titled “Conversations for the Living on Dying”. Pastoral care members from the three churches comprise the steering committee for the series.
The presentations are scheduled for the first four Tuesdays in October. Each session starts at 6:30 p.m. and will last 60 to 90 minutes. The seminars are free and open to all.
“When you visit people who are sick in hospitals and homes you get a keen appreciation of how comfortable or uncomfortable they are with these issues,” said Linda Seymour, a member of Corpus Christi’s pastoral care committee. “The saddest thing to see is when family members have to make decisions for loved ones where their wishes have not been made clear. There is anguish because they had to make these decisions.”
Fr. Rick Lesser, the Pastor of Corpus Christi Church, will lead the first session, “Now and at the Hour of Our Death”, on Oct. 3 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 2001 Route 9, Round Lake.
The session will focus on spirituality of living and dying, church teachings on ordinary versus extraordinary treatments, and making one’s wishes known.
On Oct. 10, attorney Tara Anne Pleat will lead a session on “Legal Issues” at St. Mary’s Church Crescent, 86 Church Hill Road, Waterford. The session will focus on wills, trusts, power of attorney, joint banking accounts, probate, and planning for family members with disabilities.
Deacon Jim O’Rourke of the Family Services for Albany Diocesan Cemeteries will lead a seminar on “Celebrating the Christian Funeral” on Oct. 17 in the Joe Scerbo Center of All Saints on the Hudson church, 52 William Street, Mechanicville. The discussion there will be centered on the rites and rights of Christian burial, the obligations of care and prayer for the dead, and preplanning as a gift to one’s family.
The fourth seminar on Oct. 24 will be given by Pat Spreitzer, a community nurse liaison with Community Hospice at Corpus Christi Church, Round Lake. The evening’s seminar, “Conversations Before the Crisis”, will focus on initiating uncomfortable but necessary discussions, understanding options for advanced health care planning, and decisions one needs to make to help their family.
Taken together, the four evenings will cover many of the intricacies and difficulties that may arise as a family member closes their journey through life.
Seymour understands the internal dilemma faced by many people when confronted with the bible’s teachings and modern health care.
“Many Catholics may believe with a loved one on life support that you can’t take them off, that you would be killing them,” she said. “But it is an extraordinary measure and is not against faith.”
Referencing Fr. Lesser’s thoughts on his plans for the Oct. 3 seminar, Seymour said the pastor intends to touch on what is and what is not extraordinary measures, how to proceed if the entire family doesn’t agree with a decision, viewing death as another journey, and giving support to those as they take that journey.
“We owe it to our adult children so they don’t have problems,” Seymour said. “There are topics that should be discussed, such as organ donation. It’s not just for the elderly. There are also hard practicalities to be discussed, like computer passwords, stocks, bonds, and safety deposit boxes. If they’re not discussed they can cause additional surprises later on that the family doesn’t need.”
The four seminars, Seymour said, are to help families avoid a lot of internal as well as external conflicts.
Registration for the seminars is appreciated. The contact person for All Saints on the Hudson is Anne Amann, 518-664-3354, stpeter271@aol.com. The contact for Corpus Christi Catholic Church is Rob & Shirley Pilch, 518-877-8506 ext.302, pilchpc@nycap.rr.com. And the contact for St. Mary’s Church is Jeanne Gracon, 518-3719632 ext.11, smcare@nycap.rr.com.