Here’s a round up of recent news stories about funerals and end-of-life issues, collected from leading news sources. Click on the article’s title to read the full story.
Men with cancer are less likely to accept palliative care – Futurity, July 9, 2018
Men with advanced cancer are 30 percent less likely than women to consider palliative care, according to a new study. The findings reflect social norms about gender roles—as well as widespread messages in the media and society about “fighting” cancer—say the researchers.
Priest Kicks Out Black Funeral-Goers, Allegedly Calls Them ‘Crackheads, Prostitutes’ – Huffington Post, July 2, 2018
Friends and family remember Agnes Theresa Hicks, 54, as a generous mother whose love of music was exceeded only by her zeal for cooking. But her family didn’t have the chance to memorialize her as such at her funeral last Wednesday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Charlotte Hall, Maryland. Instead of conducting the ceremony, Rev. Michael Briese ended up calling the cops on the 200 to 300 attendees ― many of them black, like Theresa Hicks herself ― after someone knocked over the church’s chalice, damaging the golden cup. (The priest later apologized in a letter to the Maryland Independent.)
As Funeral Crowdfunding Grows, So Do The Risks – New York Times, June 5, 2018
In recent years, crowdfunding campaigns have become popular among families and friends seeking emergency funds to cover burial and funeral costs for a loved one who has died. And that has some critics wondering: Is crowdfunding the best way to pay for a funeral?
The Positive Death Movement Comes to Life – New York Times, June 24, 2018
A growing movement made up mostly of women breaks taboos on a tough subject. Death doulas, The Conversation Project, death positivity, and putting the “fun” in funerals – women are on the front lines of changing the way we approach death.
What is a Death Cafe? – WRAL.com, June 14, 2018
The facilitator of the Raleigh, NC-based Death Cafe, Heather Hill is a licensed funeral director at Renaissance Funeral Home in North Raleigh. She typically hosts a Death Café once a month. She explains what Death Cafes are all about in this Q&A.
By the way, we are holding a special Albuquerque Death Cafe on Wednesday, July 11 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in addition to the regularly scheduled Death Cafe on Sunday, July 22 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.