Man and Church
How Orthodox Christians Should Approach Death and Dying
From keeping vigil at the bedside to praying for the departed, the Orthodox Church offers a deeply human and spiritual approach to life's final moments.
500. That is the number of deaths that I estimate I have been present for in my role as a Trauma and ICU Chaplain at a large level-one trauma center outside of Detroit. I have witnessed the good, the bad, and the ugly. All of it has only reinforced in me the importance of the ancient, Orthodox understanding of death and dying. Indeed, this is the “more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31) that, though forgotten by an industrialized and commercialized medical and funeral industry, must be retained and promoted by us today within our culturally dying milieu.
It seems prudent, however, to first offer a few observations from my work before proceeding to suggestions.
