'Dear Friends' October 2011

Week of October 3, 2011 Prayer Requests    Preparing for Your Loved One's Death Dear Friends:           Death has been surrounded by folklore and traditions throughout human history. Every culture has rituals for and beliefs about preparing for death, death itself, and life after death. What’s it really like to die? We don’t know. How do you prepare for that moment? How do you help your loved one prepare? Here are some suggestions:        --Examine your own beliefs and let your care-receiver talk about his or hers if your loved one wants to. Maybe the two of you believe different things about heaven and God. If your loved one is afraid, offer comfort. If you’re the one who’s uncertain, trust your care-receiver. This isn’t the time to have a theological argument. Help him or her be at peace with what’s happening.        --Read about death and the dying process. Learn about what typically happens, step by step, as a person dies. The more you know, the better prepared you will be.        --Make preparations if you don’t live where you parent does. If Dad is seriously ill, or his health is steadily declining, think about what needs to be done in order for you to get to him on short notice. Who can cover for you at work? What arrangements need to be made for your spouse and kids? . . .        This is how the newest Topic on YourAgingParent.com begins and it's the subject for October's flier on CatholicCaregivers.com. You can read the rest of it here or here.        We've also posted new Bulletin Briefs and Prayers of Intercessions on CatholicCaregivers.com - - -        As we wrote last week, Monica will be at the upcoming Catholic Medical Association's 80th annual educational conference in Phoenix from October 6-8. The Friends of St. John the Caregiver will have an exhibition booth. There's more about the association and the conference here. - - -      This week we're so pleased to welcome Carol V. of California as the newest member of the Friends of St. John the Caregiver. Please keep her and her intentions in your prayers. She has promised to pray for you and yours.        And, again, we cordially invite you to join the Friends of St. John the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include YourAgingParent.com and CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about becoming a member here.        No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both (including quite a few former caregivers).        You can:         sign up on-line here                 or call us toll-free at 1-800-392-JOHN (5646)                or print and mail an application form.        God bless you!                                                           Monica and Bill To contact us To join FSJC To make a donation To view or make prayer requests Materials order form Past "Dear Friends" letters "Among Friends" quarterly newsletter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weeks of October 10, 2011 Prayer Requests    On the Road Again! Dear Friends:        What a blessing -- and a treat! -- it was to be able to attend the Catholic Medical Association's 80th annual educational conference in Phoenix last week. We had an opportunity to say hello to some FSJC members and to welcome new members, too.        The Friends of St. John the Caregiver had an an exhibition booth (in a great location!) where we met many dedicated, pro-life doctors and healthcare professionals. We also heard a lot of family caregiver stories and -- because of our FSJC members --we were able to let them all know they're being prayed for.        Thank you for those prayers!        Because of our own health issues, this was the first conference (of any kind) we have been able to attend in the past several years and it was wonderful to be on the road again. (And tiring, too!) - - -      This week we're so pleased to welcome Jeanne P. of Wisconsin and Audrey A. of South Carolina as the newest members of the Friends of St. John the Caregiver. Please keep them and their intentions in your prayers. They have promised to pray for you and yours.        And, again, we cordially invite you to join the Friends of St. John the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include YourAgingParent.com and CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about becoming a member here.        No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both (including quite a few former caregivers).        You can:         sign up on-line here                 or call us toll-free at 1-800-392-JOHN (5646)                or print and mail an application form.        God bless you!                                                           Monica and Bill To contact us To join FSJC To make a donation To view or make prayer requests Materials order form Past "Dear Friends" letters "Among Friends" quarterly newsletter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week of October 17, 2011 Prayer Requests    You're a 'Domestic Missionary' Dear Friends:        You probably know the word "Mass" come from the final instruction at the end of the liturgy. In times past, in Latin, it was "ite, missa est." Go, the Mass has ended. And, as you also know, that "go" didn't mean get out of here but get out there! Go out and share the Good News. Live the Good News.        A missionary is someone who goes. Someone who's sent.        And that's you.        Your "mission land" isn't the far reaches of the globe but the living room, the bedside, the nursing home or hospital where you're loved one is. It's God who invited you. Called you. Sent you.        And like missionaries sent to another continent, another country, another culture, you too are a stranger in a strange land. That's so even if you're a physician or healthcare worker because this is different when it's your loved one who needs care.        And if you're not familiar with the medical world . . . the sights, the sounds, the smells, the customs, and the language can be overwhelming.        When Jesus sent his first disciples out he sent them two by two (Luke 10). You, however, may be at that bedside, in that nursing home, all by yourself. Or so it seems. You may be the only sibling, the only relative, who shows up and who assumes some responsibility, but you're not alone.        The God who chose you, the God who trusts you can do what he asks you to do, is with you always. Always.        Next Sunday is World Mission Sunday, when the Church remembers, notes, and supports missionaries in a particular way. And it should. But know this: you, too, are a missionary, a "domestic missionary" in the truest sense of both of those words, and your Heavenly Father always remembers, notes, and supports you.        And so do the members of the Friends of St. John the Caregiver. You are in their prayers, our prayers.        "May World Mission Day revive in each one the desire to go and the joy of 'going' to meet humanity, bringing Christ to all. In his name I impart the Apostolic Blessing to you and, in particular, to those who make the greatest efforts and suffer most for the Gospel."                              --Conclusion to Pope Benedict XVI's                              Message for World Mission Sunday 2012 - - -      This week we're so pleased to welcome Eneida A. of Florida as the newest member of the Friends of St. John the Caregiver. Please keep her and her intentions in your prayers. She has promised to pray for you and yours.        And, again, we cordially invite you to join the Friends of St. John the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include YourAgingParent.com and CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about becoming a member here.        No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both (including quite a few former caregivers).        You can:         sign up on-line here                 or call us toll-free at 1-800-392-JOHN (5646)                or print and mail an application form.        God bless you!                                                           Monica and Bill To contact us To join FSJC To make a donation To view or make prayer requests Materials order form Past "Dear Friends" letters "Among Friends" quarterly newsletter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week of October 24, 2011 Prayer Requests    All Saints and All Souls Days: Two Feasts for Your Loved Ones Dear Friends:        Next Tuesday, Nov. 1, is All Saints Day and Wednesday, Nov. 2, is All Souls Day. Both can have added significance if you've lost a loved one since last November. And even if it's been years since family members have passed away, it's comforting to remember them in a particular way on these two days.        As we wrote in a Dear Friends letter three years ago:        All Saints Day is the feast day of your family members, friends and other loved ones now in heaven. And certainly, in that crowd, there are more than a few caregivers and care-receivers!        While canonized saints -- those specifically declared by the Church to be in heaven -- have a personal feast day, every saint (that is, every soul in heaven) shares All Saints Day.        It's seem safe to say they're praying for you and your care-receiver on that day . . . and on every day.        You have friends -- and family -- in high places!        You can read more about the Communion of Saints (the faithful on earth, the saints in heaven, and the souls in purgatory) in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, beginning with No. 946. - - -        Again this week we cordially invite you to join the Friends of St. John the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include YourAgingParent.com and CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about becoming a member here.        No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both (including quite a few former caregivers).        You can:         sign up on-line here                 or call us toll-free at 1-800-392-JOHN (5646)                or print and mail an application form.        God bless you!                                                           Monica and Bill To contact us To join FSJC To make a donation To view or make prayer requests Materials order form Past "Dear Friends" letters "Among Friends" quarterly newsletter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week of October 31, 2011 Prayer Requests    Early Snowstorm Offers Important Reminder Dear Friends:        Please remember in your prayers caregivers and care-receivers in the northeastern United States who are dealing with a very early (and very heavy!) snowfall. Sunday's news reports said more than two million people in the region are without power. And, in some cases, they could be without it for days.        As the Topic "In Case of an Emergency or Disaster" notes:      ● If at all possible, arrange for help before the disaster hits. (If, for example, the weather forecasters are warning that a major storm is on the way.) If you’re not going to be able to travel from your part of town to your care-receiver's, or if you live an even greater distance, arrange to have a neighbor, a member of the parish or a volunteer do some grocery shopping for him or her. Even if your loved one doesn't need anything from the store, ask for that person to stop in and make sure he or she is doing all right.      ● Remind your care-receiver not to shovel snow or worry about cleaning up debris. Neither activity is something an aging or frail person should attempt. Red Cross and other emergency teams (or a good neighbor or parishioner) will take care of that later.      ● Encourage your loved one to stay indoors. Even if he or she plans on walking only a short way, falls lead to broken bones. It's better to suffer a little "cabin fever" for a few days than spends weeks or months laid up in bed.        You can read the entire Topic here. - - -        This week we're so pleased to welcome Adrienne R. of Michigan as the newest member of the Friends of St. John the Caregiver. Please keep her and her intentions in your prayers. She has promised to pray for you and yours.        And, again, we cordially invite you to join the Friends of St. John the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include YourAgingParent.com and CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about becoming a member here.        No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both (including quite a few former caregivers).        You can:         sign up on-line here                 or call us toll-free at 1-800-392-JOHN (5646)                or print and mail an application form.        God bless you!                                                           Monica and Bill To contact us To join FSJC To make a donation To view or make prayer requests Materials order form Past "Dear Friends" letters "Among Friends" quarterly newsletter