June 5, 2017
Opportunity to Evangelize
Pope Francis has called on all Catholic’s to be a Church that is “capable of walking at people’s side, of doing more than simply listening to them; a Church which accompanies them on their journey; a Church able to make sense of the ‘night’ contained in the flight of so many of our brothers and sisters from Jerusalem; a Church which realizes that the reasons why people leave also contain reasons why they can eventually return. But we need to know how to interpret, with courage, the larger picture.”
Catholic Funeral & Cemetery Services (CFCS) answers this call in one simple way—by serving families when their loved one passes. In turn, an evangelization opportunity is present when family, friends, and loved ones gather at a funeral to pray for the deceased and support one another. It is in this “sacramental” moment that the Church has an opportunity to reach Catholics (practicing and non-practicing) along with non-Catholics with our story of faith and mercy.
Each person that has been touched by CFCS’ mission will one day be reaching out to family and loved ones with their personal faith story planned for their own funeral. It is hard to put into words how powerful it is to see people come to grips with their faith and their own mortality. This “evangelization” opportunity continues goes further because it is how each family shares their story of faith with family and friends, Catholic and non-Catholic. It is truly a blessing that CFCS can be a part of this journey.