JOSEF MULHAUSER   FUNERAL AND BEREAVEMENT ACCOMPANIMENT SERVICE

Introduction and Preface

The instinct to fully live is ingrained in every aspect of our modern society. Probably no other subjects are avoided as much as death and dying. Even more astonishing, is that death cannot be avoided by human beings. No one is able to predict one's destiny, one's own road map of living, or how the life of a newborn will be after his birth. One thing remains certain, even if the subject is often repressed, and that is: in the end, death awaits us all.

Why is the subject of death so avoided?

Is it that contrary to other cultures as well as to previous generations, we no longer are considering death as a part of our existence? Years ago, when a person lay dying, he was surrounded by family, neighbors and friends. The death of this person was an event which concerned everyone. Today we dismiss the idea of death from our very being; death happens in the sterile and anonymous environment of hospitals, old people's homes or medical centers; without a sound. At the same time we are side-stepping the subject of death, we still give the responsibility of organizing a funeral to a funeral home and to organizations specializing in bereavement. Even though we continue to avoid the thought of death, it still catches us off-guard and we are unprepared for it. Death creates a crisis within the family of the deceased. Often, there is no solution to this crisis without help from the outside.

It is in these particular moments that we are there to help those close to the deceased with humility, tact and discretion, as we have done so for many years.