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Students at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland have been given the opportunity to help those who've passed away with little or no family to have a worthy funeral.
Launched in 2003, the school has enabled its juniors and seniors to serve as pallbearers through its St. Joseph of Arimathea Pallbearer Ministry.
Initially, 12 students joined the program and participated in three funerals during its first year, according to Today. However, today the ministry has an impressive 400 members who have joined together to serve up to 180 funerals a year.
While the ministry is a wonderful way to ensure that those who don't have the joy of a family or friends can receive a fitting funeral, it has also had an impact on those students who participate.
Grady Leneghan is a senior who recently took part in a Greek Orthodox funeral -- appreciating the differences from the Catholic funerals he's attended. While he explained to Today that participating at such a funeral was "heartbreaking and sad," it also made him feel grateful toward his own family.
"It makes you appreciate more of what you are, and who you are as a person."
A growing ministry
Other schools have also created similar ministries and their students have equally seen the benefits of the program. Blaise Weidmann, 16, is a junior at McQuaid Jesuit in Rochester, New York. He shared how he went through specific training to handle the casket correctly.
As the teen pointed out, the pallbearers do more than just carry the casket. They also might participate in the prayers and singing during the funeral -- as he explains, this spiritual comfort allows them to "honor the soul of the person who passed away."
The students may sometimes be the only people -- along with the funeral director, priest, and driver -- in attendance at the funeral. However, sometimes there may be more of a crowd, in which case they can still be of service and of great comfort for those who are grieving their loved ones.
As Evan Solar, 18, a senior at Saint Ignatius, explained: "We always hand out a card, a sympathy card to the family,” he said. “The woman who I handed it to … wasn’t being super emotional throughout, but when we handed her the card, she broke down in tears and was just so appreciative and thankful."
Living out the Catholic faith
This corporal work of mercy, or act of charity, is something all Catholics are encouraged to carry out. This point is backed up by Adam Baber, the director of service and justice at McQuaid Jesuit, who stated:
We really see it … as something that’s honorable and meaningful, but it’s also directly linked to Catholic social teaching, and it is a really concrete way to put that work of mercy into practice.”
The role of these teenagers is not only in honoring the deceased, but to highlight every individual's right to dignity. This was shared by the campus ministry and service coordinator for University of Detroit Jesuit school, Richard Mazyck last year, who said to Today.com:
It’s really extraordinary to take note of someone who was left to die in the cold on the street. They have no family and friends that anyone is able to contact. ... It’s a reminder that every person, especially in the Christian religious tradition, is made in the image of God and is deserving of a particular regard and respect."
