Liminality in Death Care: The Grief-Work of Pastors

Abstract

Proximity with issues of death and dying is one of the troubling aspects of ministry for many clergy. This article articulates the role of the minister as a liminal figure, a person who serves a ritual function in times of grief and loss, and who enables the creation of meaning in the in-between space between death and life. This liminal role is compared with that of the funeral director, as elaborated by Thomas Lynch in his memoir, The Undertaking. This paper suggests that while the liminal position is a difficult one for the pastor, it also provides some of the deepest satisfactions of ministry.

Does the work role of Catholic clergy in Ireland contribute to the disenfranchisement of their grief?

“…Helsel (2009, p. 1) goes on to suggest that proximity with death and dying can be troubling for ministers, yet they are ‘seen by various disciplines within their setting as the ones uniquely prepared, indeed “set apart” for this service of care’. Their work calls them to repeatedly encounter loss (often in tragic circumstances), and yet their grief may at times be denied by the communities they serve.…”

“…Helsel (2008) points out that repressing grief in order to continue with work may lead to burnout. Helsel (2009, p. 1) goes on to suggest that proximity with death and dying can be troubling for ministers, yet they are 'seen by various disciplines within their setting as the ones uniquely prepared, indeed "set apart" for this service of care'.…”

“…For those interested in the topic I would recommend reading both Helsel articles (2008, 2009), Spidell et al. (2011), and Ryan (2006).…”

Recognition and the Fleeting Glimpse of Intimacy: Tracing the Chaplain’s Response to Ungrieved Death

“…As chaplains, we live in a tension, in a liminality between the cultural frames in which we organize our world and our recognition that the God we confess and in whose solidarity we participate works precisely where these frames break apart (cf. Helsel, 2009). As employees of the hospital, as recognized members of the dominant culture, as clergy, we are a part of the culture that would rather deny death, and that thus hardly ever sees the deaths of those constituting the realm of the social outcast.…”