2 minute read
Funeral Dinners Ministry: Gratefully Serving as Stewards of Mercy
When Bonnie Grist joined St. Anthony’s nearly 40 years ago, the Funeral Dinners Ministry was already serving dinners for grieving faith community members and their family and friends. Sometimes they served over 200 people at a dinner.
“I worked with many wonderful women when I joined, and now I am working with their children and grandchildren,” Bonnie says. “These dinners have helped parishioners see how much the parish cares for them.”
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The Funeral Dinners Ministry serves those who mourn by helping the parish host a meal for them during this difficult time. The parish supplies the meat, the vegetable, and the potatoes, and ministry members provide additional dishes and support.
“Ordinarily we serve 75 to 125 people,” Bonnie says.
While during the pandemic, ministry members were unable to work together for some time, they usually gather in a big kitchen within the cafeteria in the school basement where the dinners take place.
“We always receive such gratitude from the families,” Bonnie says. “They can donate to the ministry if they wish, and many people do. That is so very much appreciated.”
Many families of St. Anthony have been in the parish for years, and when Bonnie first joined, she felt like an outsider. She first became involved in the Funeral Dinners Ministry because she wanted St. Anthony to be her parish too. Now, she and Tawny Benz serve as coordinators of the ministry.
“It is my parish now,” Bonnie says. “The people are good, kind, and caring, and becoming part of the parish has been the biggest blessing for me.”
Though ministry members work hard to get everything done when they arrive, they also have breaks and moments for socializing and enjoying fellowship together. This provides the women with an opportunity to build friendships, and they are also glad that several men are giving their time to ministry as well.
(From left) Tawny Benz and Bonnie Grist coordinate the Funeral Dinners Ministry.
“I’ve made so many friends over the years,” Bonnie says. “I am 81 now, and many of these friends have passed on, and today I am so grateful to serve with their families.”
Bonnie and Tawny are hoping others will become involved in the ministry, and Bonnie would like to underscore what a blessing it will be for people who do become involved in this corporal act of mercy.
“If anyone is interested in getting to know their fellow parishioners and becoming part of something that is really important, I would encourage them to get involved in the Funeral Dinners,” Bonnie says. “It has made such a difference to me and to others.”
