Children, Youth & Family Ministries
An altar of remembrance has been set up in the resting chapel of All Saints and will remain up until Christ the King Sunday (Nov 23) when the current liturgical year comes to an end. We have been invited to leave on it photos and/or mementos of those we love who have passed away. If we want to, we can also light a candle.
I am fascinated by what has been left on this table so far: photos, a graduation hat, a cross-stitched prayer, a book, a candy bar. I’ve left the program from my dear friend Alice’s funeral. She died 5 years ago, and I still think about her. I have a voice message on my cell phone from her that I can’t bring myself to erase. I guess I just like having her with me. I treasure our friendship, and I trust that one day we will see each other again.
There has been a lot of death lately. Besides the daily accounts of death caused by violence both near and far, we have had to say goodbye to Don Teeters, Tom Shaw, and Thomas Menino. The lives of all three men had broad reaches. Their deaths have caused many to mourn, myself included. I have been deeply moved to see how their deaths have brought people together – even people who have never met one another. Grief and celebration create meaningful community.
I hope you will use the altar of remembrance to place your loved one(s) into the midst of our faith community. I hope that you will encourage your children to do this with you. We all wonder what happens after we die. Perhaps this sacred space may open up this conversation in your family.
As our Epistle reading this coming Sunday reminds us, “We will always be with the Lord. So encourage each other with these words.”
Yours, in the Risen Christ,
Becky Taylor, Director of Children’s, Youth & Family Ministries