Engaging the Existential
(the Big Questions around Life and Death)
SGCÂ Existential Palliative Ministry
Support the Existential Palliative Ministry
Existential Palliative Ministry
Sacred Garden Community (SGC) offers an Existential Palliative Ministry with careful and respectful engagement of the sacraments of our church because we are open to the possibility that a Seeker may have a direct experience of the Divine within this lifetime.
SGC’s Existential Palliative Ministry includes sacrament-assisted meditations (which we call “Liturgies”), in order to serve people in existential distress or those seeking existential insight due to life-or-health-limiting conditions, including but not limited to chronic or terminal diagnoses and advanced age.Â
SGC recognizes that individuals presently facing existential questions around mortality and the end of their lives deserve special care and consideration. To attend to these Seekers’ unique and pressing existential and spiritual/religious needs within this lifetime, SGC has formed the Existential Palliative Ministry. While most might be familiar with “Palliative Care” as an interdisciplinary medical service, an important aspect of palliative care is that it includes spiritual and religious care options which may be provided by community organizations such as churches. In alignment with this aspect of the palliative care model, the SGC Existential Palliative Ministry facilitates sacrament-assisted liturgies for Seekers wanting to engage the “big questions” around mortality who have completed a thorough health and safety screening.
We have created this offering in consultation with palliative care experts and end of life professionals. Liturgical services are comprehensive and offered in line with the SGC fractal wheel of practice. Services are by donation depending on the Seeker’s financial circumstances and the type of liturgies offered. Travel costs would be additional. Â
We offer this ministry in the spirit of chaplaincy, open to all Seekers regardless of their spiritual or religious affiliation who may be experiencing existential distress or who are seeking existential insight. While we carefully collaborate with family members (or “close others”), caregivers, surrogate decision makers, and invite their involvement, the Seeker is the only one who partakes of sacrament.
As we are in the beginning phases of this SGC ministry initiative, we have a very limited capacity in terms of the number of Seekers who we are able to serve. Please stay tuned if you or someone you know might be interested in this offering, we will post contact information when we have capacity to consider new Seekers. In the meantime, you can find more information at https://www.sacredgarden.life/epm-seekers-pdf
