Will You Join Me At The "Village Fountain"?

This is about the "village fountain" which Pope John XXIII referred to the parish, being the eucharistic source of "living water" in the neighborhood, where a community gathers, much like villagers meeting at the well in the center of a town.

If fellow villagers haven't come to the village fountain for some time, will some parishioners take time to find if the absence arose from a person's sickness, disability, or prolonged dying?

According to a Gallup national survey recently conducted on spirituality and dying, a majority indicated that, when death approaches, they would desire 1) to have someone with whom they can share their fears or concerns, to hold their hand; 2)to have someone praying with them, to help them become spiritually at peace. Other national data led researchers to observe that "old people getting sick need to count on the faith community to which they have belonged. Too often, they cannot do this. The conclusion coming from this study is that majority of our people want to reclaim and reassert the spiritual dimension of dying. Yet, there are many gaps between what people want and what realities are today. It is here that we look up at the role of the parish in caring for the dying. The resources and potential in the Catholic parish is enormous. We have much to share - Sacrament, Scripture,prayer, worship, and a caring community. The parish can become a "spiritual hospice" that people desire. So, if you want a loved one to spend the last days of his or her life in the comfort of your own home, the practical assistance from the parish can help make this a reality.

I volunteered to stand by our village fountain at St. Theresa of Avila's parish. Can we meet the challenge of working together with us to respond to the last spiritual needs of our dear ones?

You may contact me faster through my telephone at 617 - 325 - 8190. Thank you, Sr. Maria Ignazia, sfcc.