The business of the Christian is nothing else than to be ever preparing for death. – St. Irenæus

Please read St Michaels Guidelines for Orthodox Christian Burial.  

Visiting Funeral Directors:  Please have the family member contact Fr Michael directly at 570-457-3703 to arrange funeral details.

Burial Fees: St Michaels Orthodox Church Member Fee - $1000 (may increase if the grave digger hits rock)

 Non-Members/Non-Voting Members Fee - $2525 (may increase if the grave digger hits rock)

(Effective Sept 18, 2023 the rates from the grave digger went up hence the increase in our fees.)

Another Helpful Guide is A Christian Ending.

The book quickly but carefully instructs the reader on how to deal with the local coroner, hospitals, nursing homes and how to organize a group to perform funerals.  The step by step instructions for washing, anointing, dressing and transporting a dead body are clear and concise, leaving little for the reader to discover on their own.  Several groups have used these instructions alone to successfully prepare bodies for burial and conduct and in-house funeral. 

Mark and Elizabeth Barna live in Charleston, South Carolina where Mark serves as an ordained Deacon in the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) at Holy Ascension Orthodox Church, Mt. Pleasant, SC.  They have cared for both of their sets of ailing parents in their home.  They have used the techniques described in the book many times for friends, family, and strangers, accepting no payment for their services.  In 2011 they were asked to prepare the beloved Archbishop DMITRI of the Diocese of the South (OCA) for burial in Dallas, TX.

You may visit Deacon Mark Barna's website, read his blog, or listen to his podcast to learn more about this important resource.

A Gift for My Loved Ones - This package contains everything necessary to know should one become disabled or incapacitated and unable to make decisions on one’s own.  It includes a Health Care Power of Attorney and Advance Directive for Health Care—Living Will

Another Gift for my Loved Ones - This package contains everything necessary to know to arrange a funeral and burial—an Advance Directive for Funeral Care.

A recent letter to our local funeral home can be found here.  

Sibley Cemetery

Minooka Cemetery

Please limit your request to the record of one (1) individual name. We charge a fee of $45.00 for each name requested for up to one hour of research (no split hours). Additional names will incur an additional $45 fee. The fee includes up to 10 photocopies or 10 digital images (PDF or JPG format) per request. Payment is required in advance. Once you submit the request, an invoice will be emailed/mailed to you within 2 to 3 business days. Requests are fulfilled in the order received and our turnaround time is dependent on staff availability. Please allow up to eight weeks to fulfill each request. Multiple requests submitted at one time will require additional time to complete. There are no refunds if we do not find information in our records.