The Consolation and Bereavement Ministry at OLQM works under the supervision of Bishop Sanchez, Father Passenant, and Pastoral Care Administrator Dennis Portelli. The Consolation Ministry assists families in preparation for the Christian Funeral Rite of the Church. We update the Funeral Liturgy Planner and Music Selection sheets as well as provide additional support to families during this difficult time for them.
Resources for Making Funerals Arrangements at OLQM
Related Information
Christian Funeral Rite of the Church
Pastoral Care Group at OLQM
Bereavement Support Group
2023 Mass Book
Bereavement Support Group
The bereavement group at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs is a welcoming and comforting community of individuals dealing with the recent loss of a loved one. They share personal feelings and current concerns pertaining to grief and try to help each other gain tools to better deal with loss. We are nonjudgmental and respect privacy in all aspects of grieving and point toward healing. Evening meetings are once a month (usually on the third or fourth Monday) in the rectory basement meeting room (use the glass door near the Mary statue). All meetings begin at 7PM and last an hour. Scheduled meeting dates are as follows:
2023 Meeting Dates
January 23, February 27, March 27, April 17, May 15, June 26
An RSVP is required. If you plan to attend one of our Monday evening meetings, please contact the group facilitator Mike Acquilano at bereave@olqmchurch.org to confirm your attendance and to get any updates, as meeting dates may be subject to late changes.
About Our Bereavement Group Facilitators
Mike Acquilano has been a parishioner for 16 years and a member of the bereavement group for the past 8 years. He also serves as an as-needed usher at the Saturday Vigil Mass weekly. He joined the bereavement group in 2014 after a life-changing personal loss and spent the first year dealing with heavy grief, getting by mainly with the comfort and support of group members. In 2016, he was asked to rejoin the group to help others by sharing his grief-coping experiences and, through that fellowship, he felt a calling to stay on permanently. In 2021, when our bereavement group founder Yorke Mizelle passed away suddenly, Mike reached out to Bishop Sanchez and offered to do whatever was needed to keep the group going. In May 2022, Mike completed bereavement training offered by Catholic Charities. He currently leads bereavement meetings with the help of two fellow parishioners and group team leaders, Celeste Surowiec and Jean Leonard.
Additional Resources
We also recommend the Sacred Heart parish bereavement group in Glendale. They meet once a month usually in the afternoons. Call Nancy Baer at Sacred Heart parish, 718-821-3285, for information about the meeting dates, times, and location.