The Lazarus Ministry

"Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted." Did you ever consider who it is who is to do the comforting? It has always been a ministry among Christians to care for the dead and the bereaved. One of each of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy deal with the faithful departed, respectively, to bury the dead and to pray for the living and the departed.

The Lazarus Ministry, named after the brother of Mary and Martha whom Jesus raised from the dead, offers those who mourn their gift of PRESENCE and TIME at all funeral liturgies. They provide:

• support through the communal prayers and song of the Eucharist;
• with the priest, represent the whole parish at the death of one of our own;
• minister by receiving the body of our deceased and welcoming the family;
• ministering as readers, eucharistic ministers and acolytes.

This ministry is open to all parishioners who are available Monday through Saturday, or any part of the week, during the day. A contact person notifies the members through a phone tree as soon as word of a death is received in the parish office. Members of the ministry who would be available that particular morning gather in the Church twenty minutes before the scheduled funeral time to receive their liturgical assignments.

Members serve at the altar for masses, prayer services, weddings, and funerals. The ministry is seeking to involve adults and young people, to dramatically expand the numbers of altar servers.

73 Reid Street, Amsterdam, NY 12010 U.S.A.
info@ststanislaus-ny.org

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