Palliative Care and End of Life – “Horizons of Hope”

Horizons of Hope: A Toolkit about Palliative Care for Catholic Parishes is being introduced in our diocese with a pilot presentation at St. Paul Co-Cathedral March 12 and March 19.

Our faith in Jesus Christ has much to teach us about living and dying well!

Upcoming on March 12 and March 19, St. Paul Co-Cathedral will pioneer the superb and prayerful Horizons of Hope resource that has been prepared by the Catholic Bishops of Canada to educate and empower by addressing questions surrounding palliative care, dying, death, suffering, accompaniment, and bereavement.

Everyone is welcome to join the two-day program held from 10 :00a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 12 and Saturday, March 19, at Bishop Mahoney Hall (basement hall) at St. Paul Co-Cathedral, 720 Spadina Cr. E., Saskatoon (bring a bag lunch).

There is no cost, but registration is required for this inspiring, engaging and encouraging two-day program – please contact St. Paul Co-cathedral at 306-652-0033 (leave a message) or e-mail parish@stpaulcocathedral.ca

Register for this pilot program in our diocese to learn more about how to respond to the Christian call to provide compassionate care for loved ones at the end of life. Those interested in introducing the program in their own parish are also invited to attend. Horizons of Hope is designed for all those interested, including:

• Those seeking to learn more about palliative care and Catholic Church teaching on end-of-life;
• Caregivers;
• Persons who have recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness;
• Family members who need resources and guidance as they journey with a loved one who is seriously or terminally ill;
• Parishioners and pastoral care teams.

For more information about Horizons of Hope, see the www.CCCB.ca website: LINK

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) Horizons of Hope Palliative Care toolkit was launched Nov. 15. Educating and empowering caregivers, persons with terminal illness, family members supporting a terminally ill loved one, as well as anyone curious about palliative care and Catholic end-of-life doctrine is the primary aim of this new resource.

Support is presented over four learning modules. The themes covered are understanding the human experience of dying and death, discerning and making decisions at the end of life, accompanying those on the journey and supporting and integrating within the wider community.

Each module features two videos. One short film tackles the topic from a medical perspective, while the other explores ethical and theological teachings.