With two sessions to date and three upcoming, the Roman
Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri already has received
overwhelmingly positive feedback from its seminars, “The Conversation: A
Catholic Perspective on End-of-Life Issues.”
“We are encouraged
by the strong attendance and the positive feedback of the attendees,”
said Mark Guyol, the Roman Catholic Foundation president/CEO. “Catholics
have a high level of interest in learning about these end-of-life
topics. Priests are thanking us for informing the faithful about these
important issues.”
A total of 310 attended the first two sessions —
150 at All Saints Parish in the St. Charles Deanery and 160 at
Ascension Parish in the West County Deanery. They spent four hours on a
Saturday learning about these issues, with presentations from priest
theologians about Catholic bioethics, end-of-life care and advance
directives, plus information about funeral/cemetery planning, and estate
and charitable giving planning.
“Planning” may be the key word in
end-of-life conversations, which might cause discomfort among loved
ones. These sometimes are difficult discussions to have. However, such
discussions and preparation “ensures that … final wishes are followed,”
Guyol said, adding that “it is important … to understand the Church’s
teachings on end-of-life decisions. Advance planning (prevents) family
from having to make these difficult decisions.”
The presentation
about the principles of Catholic bioethics focuses on ordinary and
extraordinary means of preserving life, and quality of life and the
dignity of the human person. Fathers Peter Fonseca and Don Henke have
given the first two bioethics presentations, which along with
funeral/cemetery planning have been favored by attendees thus far.
Post-seminar surveys rated the presentations as “as very helpful,” “valuable,” and “excellent,” with other positive platitudes.
One
attendee described it as “very informative,” adding that it “answered
many questions and indicated that this is a lot to consider and yet, has
to be done before the final day.”
In addition to the upcoming seminars, four more are planned for the fall.
“By
the end of the year, God willing, we will have over 1,000 attendees
engaged in planning for ‘The Conversation’ with their loved ones sharing
their wishes in regard to these important end-of-life issues, thereby
giving the gift of planning to their families,” Guyol said.
End-of-life discussion
The Roman Catholic Foundation is
hosting a series of presentations, “The Conversation: A Catholic
Perspective on End-of-Life Issues,” with three sessions upcoming.
Ste. Genevieve Deanery • Saturday, April 28, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., St. Joseph Parish in Farmington
South City Deanery • Saturday, May 5, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., St. Raphael the Archangel Parish in St. Louis
Washington Deanery • Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Washington
Registration • visit http://www.rcfstl.org.
Beyond Sunday scholarships and grants
The Roman Catholic
Foundation of Eastern Missouri recently awarded, through the Beyond
Sunday Education Fund, more than $2.5 million in scholarships and grants
for the 2018-19 school year to middle-income Catholic families and
Catholic schools in the archdiocese.
• $1.8 million, to 1,119 students attending 120 Catholic elementary and high schools.
•
$751,000, to 43 schools and PSR programs and the Department of Special
Education and the Department of Special Education – St. Mary’s Special
Services.
The awards bring the totals to $5.5 million in
scholarships to 1,579 students attending 133 Catholic schools since 2016
and $1.8 million in school grants since 2017.
For a listing of grant recipients, visit rcfstl.org/about-the-rcf/news