The Desai Family Foundation

Last Rituals Resource Guide

As part of community outreach programs, we are embarking on several local projects. Our current project is to provide resource guide book for the Indian community here in Massachusetts to cope with last rituals (Antim Sansaskar) of life. This resource book will be available on our website on August 15, 2008 and can be requested in print by emailing your name, address, email address
and telephone number to info@desaifamilyfoundation.org.
The resource guide for last rituals has information regarding rituals, funeral homes, available religious people to perform ceremonies, legal guidance and other valuable information to make it easy for friends and family during the difficult and trying circumstances before, during and after death of loved ones. The information pertains to all communities including Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Zoroastrians and Christians.

We would like to sincerely thank and acknowledge the following organizations and people in those organizations who provided us with information for our resource guide:

Anjuman E Ezzi Mosque
Mustafa Bhai Saheb Vijayuddin
The Embassy of India, Washington, D.C
Ambassador Ronen Sen
Sibi George
Alok Pandey
The Cremation Association of North America
Kevin Hacke
Macrae-Tunnicliffe’s Concord Funeral Home
Glenn Burlamachi
David Halloran
The National Funeral Directors Association
Joee Gohs
Ruthann Johnson
The O’Donnell Funeral Home
Anthony O’Donnell
The Zoroastrian Association of the Greater Boston Area (ZAGBA)
Adi Guzdar
Firoze Jungalwala
Farhad Panthaki

Purpose of the Resource Guide

The Indo-American society in the U.S. is growing, maturing, and experiencing many life cycle events (sanskars) that inevitably follow almost everyone. Sooner or later everyone will experience the loss of loved ones. The Indo-American society is rich with history and culture of religious and social rituals that every family likes to follow. Last rituals vary by region, origin, religion and family tradition. Many of us do not have a source of knowledge or resource available to help us prepare and know what to do under these circumstances. This lack of information along with primarily western and Christian last rituals followed in the U.S., makes it difficult for a family to know what to do during the difficult and trying time of death. Many hospitals and nursing homes, in their effort to adopt multicultural processes for last rituals, are looking for information on how Indo-Americans need to be cared for during their last days if death should occur at their institutions. Over the last few years, while attending funerals as well as social conversations, many people brought up a need to develop a resource book that will cover multitudes of needs Indo-Americans have for last rituals. Our society is helpful during the trying and difficult circumstances of death and what follows for those who are left behind. Several members of society showed interest in volunteering their services to prepare a resource guide for last rituals. So with the help of those volunteers, and a summer intern, we have embarked on the project to make this guide available to all who would like to have it as a free service under the Desai Family Foundation. Our objective is to be all inclusive by covering a variety of rituals that are practiced by various communities in our society depending upon religion, region of origin, and traditions. In trying to achieve this goal, we contacted houses of worship for various religions, religious and community leaders, hospitals, and funeral homes and their associations. We checked websites and other available written sources and asked many to contribute sections of this guide. This resource guide is the culmination of many volunteers and institutions who worked hard and provided information. The Desai Family Foundation, along with contributors hope that this is a great beginning to provide resource guides during difficult times of before, during, and after death. We encourage all community organizations, hospitals, nursing homes and other members of the Indo-American society to access it on our website. India is a vast sea of culture, history, and traditions. No one guide is complete to fulfill all the needs of society. We welcome your inputs, comments and suggestions.
The following is the Table of contents for the Last Ritual Resource Guide.
Key Topics Discussed:
Last rituals as practiced by the following religions and communities: Hindu Patel Caste Jain Islam Dawoodi Bohra Shia Ismaili Sikh Zoroastrian Indian Christian Syriac Orthodox Community of Kerala Church of Southern India (CSI) Congregation Funeral Homes The Purpose of a Funeral Home Fundamental services the funeral directors and funeral home will provide Questions you should ask your funeral home and things to consider before choosing one Important Information to Keep in Mind Memorializing Services and the Funeral Service The purpose of memorializing services and the funeral service The difference between memorializing services and the funeral service Details, ideas, and suggestions for memorializing services and the funeral service Organ, Body, and Tissue Donation What are organ, body, and tissue donation? If your loved one was a donor, what do you do? If your loved one was not a donor, what do you do? Legal and Procedural Information about an autopsy What happens when there is a death in the U.S At a medical facility (hospital, hospice, nursing home) At home or outside a medical facility In another state in the U.S What happens where there is a death outside the U.S Death Reporting Procedures Moving the body to India In our appendices: Checklists for: Actions to take before, during, and after the passing Notification Checklist Documents to collect before, during, and after the passing Considerations for the funeral services- burial and cremation Considerations for the memorial service Considerations for halls/locations for services Claiming benefits Financial Assets & Liabilities: Items to consider Frequently asked questions about a funeral, funeral home, and cremation Funeral Home Directory for Massachusetts Statistics about Cremation Temples in Massachusetts for each religion Clergy who can perform last rituals for each religion Organ and tissue benefits to a recipient Monument companies Catering services Halls/locations for the services you wish to have
Please fill out the following information to download the Last Ritual Resource Guide.
Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: Email: