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It’s 50 years since Swiss-born pioneer in death studies Elisabeth Kübler-Ross wrote her classic text, On Death and Dying. The book introduced readers to the “five stages of grief” model she had developed to explain how people cope with death. The five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. Then in 1995, following a Read more
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For all the world’s teachings on death and dying, the patient who doesn’t lament it for one reason or another is rare. Some people are unprepared to die. Others are worried about those left behind. Some are angry. Many are frightened. Not everyone is hungry for more life, but almost everyone at some point feels Read more
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Dying and death is not a new phenomenon: we have always become ill, suffered, were going to die and someone else could have killed us. So why now, at the beginning of the 21st century, after prohibiting euthanasia for thousands of years and when we can do so much more to relieve suffering than in Read more
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An anonymous Dominican friar’s 600 year-old teachings on the Art of Dying have been updated and translated onto a website. The update includes animations, video interviews with experts and priests, and explanations of various aspects of preparing well for death as a Catholic. “Most people have an instinctive fear of death, but many also have Read more
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Is Holy Week really worth the effort? If you talk to pastors, liturgists, choir directors, leaders of RCIA, etc., Holy Week is a time of frenetic activity, the culmination of much planning and lack of planning, and somehow—at least sometimes—inspiring. And then…? Well, a few weeks of lilies and extra “Alleluias!” and then back to Read more
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ROME-On the night of October 11, 1962, thousands of people made their way to St. Peter’s Square to celebrate the beginning of the Second Vatican Council, called for by St. Pope John XXIII. Unable to ignore the crowd, and before “off-the-cuff” remarks were simply what popes did, he improvised the most famous speech of his Read more
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Death. Dying with dignity. Facing death with courage. Dying well. Bereavement. We all have to face these issues at some stage – but how? Is there an art to dying? Yes, there is. A new website hosted by the Catholic Church in England and Wales has decided to confront the big taboo and is using Read more
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We can never truly understand another’s experience of dying, or understand what happens psychically, spiritually, physically and emotionally when a person is close to death. An incredibly subjective experience, we can only make guesses as to what being in that ‘twilight zone’ of hovering between life and death might actually be like. When I worked Read more
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Bestselling author Dr. Atul Gawande’s new book focuses on medical care for the dying. In an interview, he speaks with SPIEGEL about end-of-life priorities, when treatment is a mistake and how rules in care homes are made to be broken. SPIEGEL: Doctor Gawande, are you beginning to feel your age? Gawande: Without question. I had Read more
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As I was writing last week, my wife’s mother was dying. She died Sunday morning, at 95, after a long and full life. It was a good death, to use an unfortunately old-fashioned phrase, but death is still death. One effect, as many of you will understand, is to make me think more about death Read more
