On Tuesday, November 14, 2017, the students from Class #156 attended a field trip at the Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home, Cemetery, and Crematory. While this visit has been a regular part of the campus students training, this latest field trip was, in a word, spectacular. The students assembled at the funeral home in the morning where the Jefferson staff welcomed all and provided an itinerary of the day.
The day began with a tour of the impressive funeral home facilities, which included the visitation areas, arrangement conferences rooms, the beautifully appointed main chapel, as well as the state of the art preparation facility. As Jefferson staff members conducted the tour they also shared professional insights to the students about all aspects of funeral directing, family service, and clinical operations. To help the students really appreciate the daily operations of a funeral service professional, the Jefferson staff arranged different types of service options including a traditional viewing and a cremated remains memorial service in various locations throughout this impressive facility.
Next, the Jefferson staff shared some “real world” practice with the PIMS students by conducting various types of mock funeral services including a Celebration of Life secular service, a blessing prayer and service at the funeral home, and then it was off to church for an outline of the Catholic funeral mass. In a most impressive manner, the remarkable staff at Jefferson treated the students to a real time funeral experience by placing a casket into a funeral coach, lining up the students’ vehicles, and processing to Nativity Catholic Church. Upon arrival to Nativity Church, the Jefferson staff worked with the PIMS students on the protocols of directing a funeral into a Catholic church.
At the church, the Jefferson staff reviewed the typical procedures for administrating church funerals and then took general questions from the class. That said, taking time to demonstrate each of the tasks in a real-world setting was just the beginning of our visit to Nativity Church; the gracious hosts from Jefferson rented out the hall at the Church and provided a delicious lunch for the students. Following lunch, the casket was placed back into the coach and our cortege proceeded back to the Jefferson Cemetery and Mausoleum where a mock committal service was held and then the PIMS students were given a tour of the mausoleum and crematory.
In closing, on behalf of all the students, faculty, and administration at PIMS, we are sincerely grateful for this remarkable field trip hosted by Jefferson Memorial Park. We recognize and thank all of those involved, especially Mr. and Mrs. Harry Neel (the owners of Jefferson) for their hospitality, passion, and concern for “giving back” to the funeral service by sharing their ideas and experiences in context with the students of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science.
