St. Joanna Myrrhbearers Ministry Services
“The Church, which accompanies a person on his life’s journey from the moment of his birth, also does not abandon him in his final hours and after death.”
"Lay out his body with the honor due him, and do not neglect his burial."
—Wisdom of Sirach 38:16
death in america today
In America, a significant gap in care has grown between the day when a person departs this life and the day when they are laid to rest.
We have given over the care of our beloved brethren to the "professionals" who are kind, yet strangers to us, our loved one, and to our Faith and Traditions. In addition, the average cost of a funeral has become extraordinarily expensive. There are actually other options available. And we can find examples of these by returning to our ancient Christian roots.
A Christian Ending to Life
Click here to read the article, “A Christian Ending,” a perspective of the end of life from the Abbot of The Monastery of the Holy Archangel Michael.
Myrrhbearer Ministry Services
The services we provide include:
Encouraging early planning and preparation - see our resources page
Praying for the departed
Bathing and anointing the body with oils
Arranging the body in repose
Dressing the deceased in baptismal garments or garments of choice
Helping in the preparation for the wake/visitation, funeral services and burial
Securing the death and bodily transport certificates
Assist with transporting the deceased to the Church and to the cemetery
Organizing and serving a Mercy Meal to the family (click here for meal guidelines)
Adding the departed soul's name, date of departure, and grave location in a book of records
Providing clergy with notification for the 40-day and annual memorials for the departed
Hosting a periodic "Picnic with the Departed" at the gravesite
“Preparation of a corpse was so sacred to early Christians that they would rush to care even for those who had died of an infectious disease. The corpse was treated as a precious treasure. They would embrace and kiss it, then shut the eyes and mouth and carry it on their shoulders to be washed and clothed in a baptismal garment or a clean shroud. the care for the body was meticulous, sacred and respectful, giving great consolation to the bereaved family.”