Funeral Service when there are no relatives? – Pro Senectute and Father Reding help arrange a dignified and respectful ceremony
Sometimes a person leaves this world with no family, no friends, and no one left behind to say farewell. Yet even then, the departure should not be silent or forgotten. Abbot Reding of the Nigredo Monastery, together with Pro Senectute, offers guidance and presence for a dignified funeral ceremony when no relatives or loved ones remain.
Every life, no matter how quiet or unrecognized, deserves remembrance — a word, a candle, a moment of prayer. Through ceremony and stillness, a light is kindled once more — for the life that was lived, for the path that has ended, and for the soul returning home.
Pro Senectute – Support and Dignity in Later Life
Pro Senectute has long stood as a symbol of compassion and social responsibility in Switzerland. Its mission is to support elderly people — with legal guidance, end-of-life planning, and testament assistance — and to ensure that even those without family are laid to rest with respect and care.
In cooperation with Abbot Reding, Pro Senectute helps arrange funeral and memorial ceremonies rooted in mindfulness and reverence. Together, they ensure that no one departs this world without a voice, without remembrance, without love.
Prayer and Meditation for the Departed
O wondrous food upon this pilgrim road,
O manna, bread of heaven,
still our hunger, fill our hearts,
and save us from eternal death.You gave your life for us,
you give your body and blood as nourishment and drink.
Who can rightly thank you
for this eternal and priceless gift?“Come to me,” you said, “all who are weary,
all who suffer upon this earth.
I will give you life again —
this is my new and everlasting covenant.”Father in heaven, what we now behold
in faith and quiet trust,
let it be shown to us in light.
Let us one day see forever,
face to face, and heart to heart.
A Quiet Farewell
The year draws to its end,
with golden wine and fruits of the garden.
The forests fall to silence —
companions to the lonely heart.A flight of birds greets the fading light,
the evening bells bring gentle courage.
It is the mild time of love,
and everything sinks into peace.The mountain snow looks pale and still,
the silent peaks no longer frighten me.
A solitary ferryman rows afar —
“Boatman, here! A traveller seeks to cross!”You hold me, friend, too tightly pressed —
am I a slave who dares not rest?
Farewell! Set me free! Farewell, my death!
I greet you now — O ferryman of faith!
A Service for Those Who Have No Voice
When no one remains to mourn, Abbot Reding speaks the prayer — not out of duty, but out of compassion.
Each ceremony is conducted in silence, dignity, and grace: with candles, music, and a blessing of peace, so that every soul — even the most forgotten — is honored in love and remembered in light.
For all that is born of love
remains eternal.
Contact and Guidance
If you are planning a funeral ceremony without relatives — for yourself or through an institution — Abbot Reding will accompany you with mindfulness and humanity.
In partnership with Pro Senectute, a farewell of dignity and peace can be arranged —
a testament to life, and to the quiet compassion that outlives us all.