The following is a statement by the Archdiocese of Denver on Divine Mercy Supportive Care:
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Since 2014, many of you have learned about and been supportive of Divine Mercy Supportive Care’s work to bring faith-filled, professional hospice care to those approaching the end of their life. The archdiocese is sincerely grateful to Deacon Alan Rastrelli, M.D., and the many staff members who dedicated themselves to providing authentic Catholic care until he left in February 2017.
Around the same time, the archdiocese developed concerns about Divine Mercy Supportive Care’s business practices and Catholic identity and attempted to engage in dialogue with its leadership. Unfortunately, these attempts over several months were unsuccessful and led to the archdiocese withdrawing its ongoing support from Divine Mercy Supportive Care, including removing it from the Official Catholic Directory.
Since the decision to withdraw the archdiocese’s support, Divine Mercy Supportive Care has been acquired and is now under new management. It has been rebranded as Divine Hospice & Palliative Care, and the archdiocese is discussing with the new owners the extent to which it intends to follow Catholic standards for end-of-life care. For those in need of end-of-life care, please consider the resources listed below.
End of Life Resources
Counseling The organizations listed below offer counseling for those struggling with the issues raised by terminal illness, such as a loss of autonomy, a perceived decrease in the quality of life, coping with grief and loss, and the impact of illness on family members.
• Sacred Heart Counseling Services is a ministry of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Denver and has multiple locations across northern Colorado.
• St. Raphael Counseling is a Catholic apostolate with offices in Denver, Littleton and Louisville.
End of Life Care
• Porter Hospice & St. Anthony Hospice serve the Denver Metro area.
• Collier Hospice Center, Good Samaritan Medical Center and St. Joseph’s Hospital all provide hospice and palliative care.
• Dominican Home Health Agency provides medical equipment and in-home nursing visits to the poor, sick elderly.