I gave birth to a stillborn baby boy. It was a profound, wild grief which too quickly had to be restrained, contained, eventually smothered. I had...
Death and dying
When Katherine Brown experienced the stillbirth of her first child, Grace, during her 27th week of pregnancy, she struggled with the lack of support from her...
It was a beautiful and breezy October morning when high school senior Joshua Gonzalez carried his first casket. Gonzalez was one of six students from the...
I have philosophical conversations with my dentist while he cleans my teeth. It’s no small task to attempt to be profound with a hook in your mouth, but Dr...
We all know what it is to feel pain and loss. Whether from the loss of a loved one, a cancer diagnosis, or a natural disaster, everyone experiences suffering...
Despite our best intentions, sometimes we fail at aiding our aging parents. Joyce Rupp says empathy is a good place to start. Servant of Mary Sister Joyce Rupp...
By Father James Tunstead Burtchaell, C.S.C. This essay appeared in the May 1988 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 53, No. 5, pages 29-31). Ruth and Paul came by...
Since 1963 the church has taught that Catholics can be cremated, abolishing its longstanding prohibition of the practice. Cremation was fairly widespread in...
Traditionally, Catholics believed that a person could reach heaven only if he or she was buried in a Catholic cemetery. But limited space meant few people...
A table in my living room has become a kind of shrine. On it rest photos of people special to me: my grandmother, my parents, my best friend. All have passed...
