Tell me about a time when your presence with a dying person brought them comfort

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Rayne2Step

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Good Morning. Years ago I sat thru training when I was discerning to become a hospice volunteer and the deacon presenting talked about “Holy Presence”. It was a spiritual awakening of sorts, I went deeper into the faith. I didnt have to be anything for the person I was visiting except a “Holy Presence”, That thought at first made me reflect on myself and laugh and say yeah right, me…a Holy Presence. But with increased adoration visits and purging in confession, I came to understand that glorious thought. It has been a privilege to be with these people during their most vulnerable part of their journey and share hope with each other. It would be great to hear your stories about times when your Holy Presence brought comfort to someone dying. Peace be with you
 
Yes you are correct. In some situations such as if the person were alone in the nursing home, your Holy Presence could most certainly bring them comfort. More often the patients I have visited as a volunteer who are at home have family. But most of the patients in nursing homes I have visited have no one. Peace be with you
 
Not sure if you want a non-Catholic perspective, but here goes.

Last year, me, my husband, and our 8 year old son traveled 6 hours one way to visit an uncle of my husbands that he had never met (long story). This uncle had been in the hospital, but was expected to recover. Then, he just…crashed. Became unresponsive and unmoving. At that point, it was critical. His daughter called Dh and told him that uncle was not expected to recover. We packed and left the next day.

When we got to the hospital, it was just us, the daughter was at work. We sat with him, talking and telling him about us, Dh’s life, and how we were sorry we hadn’t gotten there sooner, ect. After a time, I suggested we pray. So Dh and I held hands, and each took a hand of uncle and prayed. Thankful for that precious time together, for the uncle that searched so long for Dh, ect. We talked some more after that, then I brought up my online Bible and did some readings out loud. Uncle was Christian, and I pray that this comforted him. Later, I sang a hymn, but I don’t now remember which one.

We talked off and on, sat quietly, read more Bible out loud. Eventually, the daughter got there and we visited with her and learned more about uncle. The next day, I again read the Bible, we prayed, had more visits with more daughters that came, and then left.

Uncle could not speak or move, but he did lightly squeeze Dh’s hand when we asked if he wanted us to read the Bible. I pray that it was a comfort to him, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be used by God this way.
 
Thank you for sharing your story. Nothing like the human touch. Peace be with you
 
I was a hospice volunteer and my wife was a hospice nurse.

There are people who are dying, who want to have someone just sit with them while they draw their last breaths.

Then there are others like my father, who would not pass away until he was alone. He lived his life like this.

The bottom line I was taught is, “how you live is how you’ll die.”

As far as being a Holy Presence, I never heard this, but I did pray the Rosary and the Liturgy of the Hours with dying people, but had asked them first if this is what they would like, to which they affirmed.

JIm
 
Thank you for sharing. No doubt it helped them. Peace be with you
 
Thank you for sharing your story. Will offer prayer for your family and for you with your ministry. Peace be with you brother.
 
Thanks, but we’re no longer in that ministry. Retired from it years ago.

Jim
 
My husband was dying at home. I calledthe priest on St. Michael’s day. My husband’s name was michael. I was with him during hislast rights. He could not speak to the priest but he heard his confession by nodding. He received the annoiting and I have no doubt he was relieved. God bless our holy priests!
 
I think with my mom. She was diagnosed with melanoma in October 2011, was NED (no evidence of disease) in March 2012, but went to Stage 4 in June 2012 with mets to liver. She was very sick from June through August. But, there was a day in August when some of her friends came to visit and she was like herself again. Laughing, talking, smiling. We all had such a good day. She was happy. When I helped her into bed that night, after we hugged and said “good night”, and “I love you” she reached out to hug me again. I think she knew. She died the next day.
 
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Not sure about the Holy Presence part,but as a volunteer it was a blessing to be able to be present and pray at the bedside of a dying patient with the nuns.Well I guess where two or three are gathered so yes our Lord’s presence was there.
Reading your first post again ,Holy Presence is something I would need to learn about OP as I don’t know very much 🙂
 
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Great idea for a thread. I think we can learn so much from reading these stories. I’ve never been with someone on their deathbed. My parents both died while I was overseas. That haunts me to this day. I feel I need to make up for that somehow.
 
Thank you for sharing your story. Thinking of you and Michael. Interesting reading about the confession. Peace be with you my friend.
 
Thank you for sharing very personal story. Wonderful last moment. Peace be with you
 
Thank you for your story and your ministry. Enjoy your reflection time. Smiles
 
Thank you for sharing. I want to encourage you to sit in the adoration chapel somewhere, or at least some place quiet and reflect. You have the ability to touch hearts. Many options for someone to give a little time. That will come to you in quiet prayer. Peace be with you
 
I have stories and have been told stories. Divine Mercy Chaplet novena, I cannot stress enough. What a privilege it has been to be at the bedside during someone’s last hours.

One story I will tell. My husband has an IT job and rarely got woken up in the middle of the night with a problem. He did in the early morning of Divine Mercy Sunday. He could not solve the problem from home so he had to drive in to the location in the wee hours and came across a car/pedestrian accident. There was a vehicle up on the sidewalk, hit a guy on the sidewalk and he was flat on the ground. Emergency vehicles were in the distance on the way. My hubby began the Divine Mercy chaplet for the fella and continued on to work. We found out later that the pedestrian had died. This was only a block from a bar which had closed for the night and maybe the guy was walking home after a night of drinking, maybe the driver was drunk. I think a loved one was praying for those people and on that guy’s last moments, someone was on scene praying the Divine Mercy chaplet in those wee hours. On Divine Mercy Sunday. The fingerprint of God was there. Maybe the loved ones will only find out in the next life how God was there in those last minutes, that Blood and Water gushed forth from the heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy on that scene.
 
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