How does the Church care for families of deceased priests?

[Paul Cowan]

I was wondering with all the deaths lately of clergy as to how the Church handles the affairs of the families left behind. I have heard it is difficult for some to get insurance and that some coops of clergy get together to get affordable insurance. Does the Diocese keep in touch with these families and offer continual support for years to come or are they pretty much on their own afterwards? What is the local parish's responsibility to these families?

I guess I am not asking about the immediate needs or responsibilities, but the long term. When my father died his company was there for a couple of weeks to offer assistance, but after that we were nothing to them anymore. Just curious how the Church operates in this same situation.

Paul

[Herman Blaydoe]

Remember this is Orthodoxy, not an organized religion. This is probably one of those areas where a united Church would be able to cope better and more consistently. But basically every jurisdiction is going to be different. I know in the ACROD that each parish and priest share the cost of insurance for the priest. I suspect that some dioceses do a better job than others, depending on the jurisdiction.

Beyond that, I suppose our member priests can provide more specifics for their specific dioceses