Knights of Columbus

Saint Joseph Consolers Ministry is into its fourth year. The Consolers have served over 150 families since its inception. We have a collection of wonderful notes of appreciation from those we served. We have seen some family members return to Church after being separated for along time. We initially started with three members who participated as Servers at the Funeral Mass. Since then, through the Graces and Blessings of the Holy Spirit, our Ministry has not only grown both in membership (30 total-10 of whom are Knights) and services, and has spread to three other Churches in New Hampshire. This Ministry is in place at St. Matthews, Our Lady of the Rosary in Rochester and St Pious X in Manchester. Recently we have been called upon to assist at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Litchfield.

Our outreach now includes assisting the bereaved to plan their loved ones funeral, which is followed by a hand off of a meal symbolic of Parish Community support, Rite of Initial Separation which is prayed at the Funeral home just prior to the procession to the Church. Four Altar servers at Mass, assisting at the Mercy Meal and a monthly follow up letter with a list of important resources to turn to. We stand ready to help any Parish interested in starting up this outreach program and can provide the necessary materials and hands on training as required.

Any member wishing to join this compassionate outreach program or start one in their Parish should contact Charlie Espinola 603-893-3960. Training is easy, you always serve as a team and the rewards are immeasurable. This is a great Ministry to get started in serving your Parish because we reach out only when Funerals are scheduled, which obviously is not every week. In addition since we have several volunteers we rotate assignments. If you have computer skills you can be a vital asset to us as well.