It’s important to talk about aging and death because one’s loved ones “need to know what to do,” said Amy Miller. “And that’s why I call it the last life lesson,” she said. 

Miller, author of “Last Life Lesson: A Guide for Aging Adults and their Families,” said gathering with family members at Thanksgiving may present a good opportunity for discussion. It’s a time when people think about how “we celebrate the blessings we get from Thanksgiving and everything God provides for us; our whole lives are about the blessings that God provides for us,” she said.  

Amy Miller

“Our families, our vocations are just our life experiences,” Miller said, “and how do we pass that on?” 

Miller said she also hears from health care professionals about patients going to the emergency room alone without a health care directive, and patients going to doctors’ appointments alone, underscoring the need for planning and for family and community members to help.  

Miller will be one of the speakers at a workshop Nov. 26 at Holy Family in St. Louis Park called “Abundance — in Life and Death.” She will discuss bringing families and communities together to support people as they’re aging.  

Miller, a parishioner of St. Hubert in Chanhassen, and Kevin Gearns, a parishioner of St. Mark in St. Paul, and a member of the St. Joseph Business Guild, which is sponsoring the retreat, recently joined “Practicing Catholic” host Patrick Conley to describe the event and the need to understand the topic.  

The retreat is geared toward people age 45 and up, Miller said. “The reason for that is we find that a lot of adult children are not ready for this conversation,” she said. And those aging alone who wonder “Who can help me?” can find some of the answers they are seeking and meet people to help them with the process, Miller said. 

“We have people who really need help and we (St. Joseph Business Guild) have businesses that can definitely enrich their lives for however many years they have yet to come,” Gearns said, “and ultimately preparing for that final end, which is something that we also look to inform.”  

Kevin Gearns

“So it’s really taking the richness of the Catholic faith as well as the opportunity that November affords us to focus on our mortality and to provide a real service to the greater, especially Catholic, community,” he said. 

The event fee includes a resource book, light breakfast, lunch and several presentations. In addition to Miller, speakers will include Roger Vasko, guild founder; Joe Langfeld, executive director of Human Life Alliance; a probate attorney; and Pro Ecclesia Sancta Father David Hottinger of St. Mark in St. Paul, who will “lead us in that spiritual journey of what is natural death,” Miller said. 

To learn more about the workshop, agenda, cost and to register, visit ourfamilyencounter.com/workshop. Visit the St. Joseph Business Guild website at sjbusinessguild.com. For more Catholic resources on end-of-life issues, including guides and presentations, visit archspm.org, click on “Your faith, your life” and then the “Life and human dignity” link. 

To hear the full interview, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. Nov. 18 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. Nov. 19 and 2 p.m. Nov. 20.  

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Father David Blume, director of the Office of Vocations for the archdiocese, who discusses the state of vocations and tips for talking about answering God’s call; and Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who discusses his pastoral letter and the role of the faithful. 

Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show