Maria Feliciano
Family Service Counselor
Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery and Funeral Home
Since I came to Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery and Funeral Home three years ago, I know one thing is true: God put me here for a reason.
My father worked at a funeral home for more than 30 years, and I grew up hearing about the joy he felt every day as he helped families through some of their darkest hours. I always knew I wanted to experience that same fulfillment that comes from helping others.
As a Catholic, I was drawn to Catholic Cemeteries and Funeral Homes because I knew it was a place where I could integrate my faith with my work. In accordance with our mission, here I have the opportunity to educate families about the blessing that is the Catholic Funeral Rite. I get to help them plan a service that will honor their loved one with dignity, faith and love. I get to share the burden of their grief by listening to their dearest memories. I get to serve others with care and compassion.
The best part is that I don’t do it alone. When I moved to Arizona from California in pursuit of my path—leaving my close-knit family behind—it was a risk. I had faith, though, and that is what brought me to Queen of Heaven where I have found a second family as wonderful as my own. Here, I am part of an incredible team that has a shared purpose of doing anything we can to help the families that walk through our door.
While our families may only work with me directly while making arrangements, what we do is so much bigger than that. There is a team of groundskeepers, funeral home staff, administrative support and others at Queen of Heaven working together to serve families in the aftermath of a loss and beyond. Everyone here plays an integral part in ministering to the grieving, and it shows.
When I look back upon the twists and turns in my life that brought me here, I know this is God’s plan for me. I feel blessed to support our families on their journey, and I can’t imagine doing anything else.
Many blessings.
