Death, Grieving and Funerals

Each year the seminary offers in-house pastoral courses focussing primarily on the celebration of the sacraments and sacramentals of the Church. An on-hands approach ensures that seminarians receive individual instruction and attention. A pastoral approach is emphasized.

This past term we have offered a course on Death, Grieving and Funerals. After an overview of the Christian understanding of death, the seminarians were led through the celebration of those services which precede death, those at the time of death, and the funeral and memorial services of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. We had a special guest, Mr. Patrick Doyle, a professional counsellor-psychotherapist, certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, to speak about the processes of grieving.

We spent an evening at one of the Tubman Funeral Homes in Ottawa. Mr. Clive Weagant, a funeral director and manager, explained to us the various types of funerals that are seen in today’s society, what can be expected of a funeral home, and the usual process from death to burial.