<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1831822/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a>For this, the first episode of 2026, our &apos;Art of Dying Well&apos; podcast steps away from the usual interview format to bring you a special interfaith panel discussion titled &apos;Dying to Live&apos;. Contributors from six major faith traditions - Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Christianity - shared their insights on dying, death, and bereavement. Moderated by Associate Professor Maggie Doherty, Lead at the Centre for the Art of Living and Dying Well at St Mary’s University, this discussion not only explored how different religious and cultural practices are observed in end-of-life settings, but also presented findings from their recent community-based participatory research on death literacy and end-of-life care. You&apos;ll hear from Ruth Jacobs representing the Jewish community, Shamim Merali from the Muslim community, Shobha Sharma from the Hindu community, Simon Romer from the Buddhist community, Harr-Joht Kaur from the Sikh community, and Christina Ronayne from the Christian community.  The Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Reverend Bernard Longley, opens our discussion, and the Right Reverend Patrick McKinney, Bishop of Nottingham and Lead Bishop for Interreligious Dialogue for the Catholic Church in England and Wales, offers concluding reflections. Whether you&apos;re a healthcare professional, someone supporting a loved one through their final journey, or simply interested in how different traditions approach this universal human experience, this conversation offers wisdom, compassion, and practical insights.

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1831822/fan_mail/new"&gt;Send us Fan Mail&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For this, the first episode of 2026, our &amp;apos;Art of Dying Well&amp;apos; podcast steps away from the usual interview format to bring you a special interfaith panel discussion titled &amp;apos;Dying to Live&amp;apos;. Contributors from six major faith traditions - Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Christianity - shared their insights on dying, death, and bereavement.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Moderated by Associate Professor Maggie Doherty, Lead at the Centre for the Art of Living and Dying Well at St Mary’s University, this discussion not only explored how different religious and cultural practices are observed in end-of-life settings, but also presented findings from their recent community-based participatory research on death literacy and end-of-life care.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;You&amp;apos;ll hear from Ruth Jacobs representing the Jewish community, Shamim Merali from the Muslim community, Shobha Sharma from the Hindu community, Simon Romer from the Buddhist community, Harr-Joht Kaur from the Sikh community, and Christina Ronayne from the Christian community. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Reverend Bernard Longley, opens our discussion, and the Right Reverend Patrick McKinney, Bishop of Nottingham and Lead Bishop for Interreligious Dialogue for the Catholic Church in England and Wales, offers concluding reflections.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Whether you&amp;apos;re a healthcare professional, someone supporting a loved one through their final journey, or simply interested in how different traditions approach this universal human experience, this conversation offers wisdom, compassion, and practical insights.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us Fan Mail For this, the first episode of 2026, our 'Art of Dying Well' podcast steps away from the usual interview format to bring you a special interfaith panel discussion titled 'Dying to Live'. Contributors from six major faith traditions - Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Christianity - shared their insights on dying, death, and bereavement.  Moderated by Associate Professor Maggie Doherty, Lead at the Centre for the Art of Living and Dying Well at St Mary’s Univers...

Dying to Live | Episode 48

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1831822/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a>When a loved one or close friend dies, there are many practical matters to deal with – giving notice of death, funeral arrangements, and all manner of things that are very emotional and sometimes quite jarringly &apos;clinical&apos;. More often than not, you&apos;re shell-shocked, not quite yourself. It&apos;s a very difficult time. At the Catholic parish of Our Lady Star of the Sea in Whitley Bay near Newcastle, they have developed something special: a Consolation Team that walks alongside grieving families during one of life&apos;s most challenging moments. For this &apos;Art of Dying Well&apos; podcast, we talk to parish priest Monsignor Andrew Faley whose primary concern is to best meet the needs of his parishioners at this difficult time. He is very collaborative with the lay people in his community and sidesteps the common approach of &quot;Leave it to Father&quot; when it comes to funeral planning and accompaniment. The Consolation Team grew naturally from the parish&apos;s pastoral care work, and we&apos;re delighted to be able to talk to two skilled parishioners from the team who work closely with Fr Andrew - Joe and Pauline. Parishioners tend to have been in parishes rather longer than priests, and relationships have often built up which can be very helpful in supporting grieving families.

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1831822/fan_mail/new"&gt;Send us Fan Mail&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When a loved one or close friend dies, there are many practical matters to deal with – giving notice of death, funeral arrangements, and all manner of things that are very emotional and sometimes quite jarringly &amp;apos;clinical&amp;apos;. More often than not, you&amp;apos;re shell-shocked, not quite yourself. It&amp;apos;s a very difficult time.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;At the Catholic parish of Our Lady Star of the Sea in Whitley Bay near Newcastle, they have developed something special: a Consolation Team that walks alongside grieving families during one of life&amp;apos;s most challenging moments.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;For this &amp;apos;Art of Dying Well&amp;apos; podcast, we talk to parish priest Monsignor Andrew Faley whose primary concern is to best meet the needs of his parishioners at this difficult time. He is very collaborative with the lay people in his community and sidesteps the common approach of &amp;quot;Leave it to Father&amp;quot; when it comes to funeral planning and accompaniment.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The Consolation Team grew naturally from the parish&amp;apos;s pastoral care work, and we&amp;apos;re delighted to be able to talk to two skilled parishioners from the team who work closely with Fr Andrew - Joe and Pauline.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Parishioners tend to have been in parishes rather longer than priests, and relationships have often built up which can be very helpful in supporting grieving families.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us Fan Mail When a loved one or close friend dies, there are many practical matters to deal with – giving notice of death, funeral arrangements, and all manner of things that are very emotional and sometimes quite jarringly 'clinical'. More often than not, you're shell-shocked, not quite yourself. It's a very difficult time.  At the Catholic parish of Our Lady Star of the Sea in Whitley Bay near Newcastle, they have developed something special: a Consolation Team that walks alongside gri...

Consolation Through Grief | Episode 47

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1831822/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a>In this episode, Professor Sonia Kumar, founding Executive Dean of Medicine at St. Mary’s University&apos;s new School of Medicine, shares her vision for a more compassionate, values-driven approach to medical education. She discusses the importance of human connection, spirituality, and supporting both patients and doctors through death, dying, and grief. With moving stories from her career as a GP, Professor Kumar explains how the new school will prepare future doctors to care for the whole person — body, mind, and spirit — during and at the end of life.

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1831822/fan_mail/new"&gt;Send us Fan Mail&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, Professor Sonia Kumar, founding Executive Dean of Medicine at St. Mary’s University&amp;apos;s new School of Medicine, shares her vision for a more compassionate, values-driven approach to medical education. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She discusses the importance of human connection, spirituality, and supporting both patients and doctors through death, dying, and grief. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With moving stories from her career as a GP, Professor Kumar explains how the new school will prepare future doctors to care for the whole person — body, mind, and spirit — during and at the end of life.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Professor Sonia Kumar, founding Executive Dean of Medicine at St. Mary’s University's new School of Medicine, shares her vision for a more compassionate, values-driven approach to medical education.  She discusses the importance of human connection, spirituality, and supporting both patients and doctors through death, dying, and grief.  With moving stories from her career as a GP, Professor Kumar explains how the new school will prepare future docto...

Values-driven Medical Training | Episode 46

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1831822/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a>The world is aging rapidly. People are living longer. Everyone wants their death to be calm, peaceful and reconciled - ideally at home, and in the presence of family and loved ones. End of life care, and in particular, specialised palliative care, is increasingly important and can radically enhance quality of life for both patients and their families. But how can you explain the merits of this compassionate care when in some countries, the sheer mention of the D-word is so taboo it can be interpreted as wishing ill on the very person you want to help? This is the case in parts of East and South East Asia. Many countries have reached, or will soon reach, super-aged status. That is the UN definition for a country where over 20% of its population is aged 65 or older. Singapore is projected to become a super-aged society in 2026, so extolling the virtues of palliative care in a culture that would, perhaps, rather not have the conversation about death and dying is a significant challenge. For this Art of Dying Well podcast, we speak to Dr Su Lin Yeo, an Associate Professor of Communication Management at Singapore Management University. Professor Yeo has conducted ground-breaking research on palliative care communication in Singapore. We have a fascinating discussion about how cultural taboos in Asian societies about death and dying can make for difficult end-of-life conversations. We talk about how Professor Yeo&apos;s research has provided valuable insights that have improved communication strategies on this tricky subject. We also investigate how knowledge, attitude, and receptiveness can inform public health communication and advance the understanding of palliative care in Singapore.

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1831822/fan_mail/new"&gt;Send us Fan Mail&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The world is aging rapidly. People are living longer. Everyone wants their death to be calm, peaceful and reconciled - ideally at home, and in the presence of family and loved ones. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;End of life care, and in particular, specialised palliative care, is increasingly important and can radically enhance quality of life for both patients and their families. But how can you explain the merits of this compassionate care when in some countries, the sheer mention of the D-word is so taboo it can be interpreted as wishing ill on the very person you want to help?&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;This is the case in parts of East and South East Asia. Many countries have reached, or will soon reach, super-aged status. That is the UN definition for a country where over 20% of its population is aged 65 or older. Singapore is projected to become a super-aged society in 2026, so extolling the virtues of palliative care in a culture that would, perhaps, rather not have the conversation about death and dying is a significant challenge. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;For this &lt;em&gt;Art of Dying Well&lt;/em&gt; podcast, we speak to Dr Su Lin Yeo, an Associate Professor of Communication Management at Singapore Management University. Professor Yeo has conducted ground-breaking research on palliative care communication in Singapore. We have a fascinating discussion about how cultural taboos in Asian societies about death and dying can make for difficult end-of-life conversations. We talk about how Professor Yeo&amp;apos;s research has provided valuable insights that have improved communication strategies on this tricky subject.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We also investigate how knowledge, attitude, and receptiveness can inform public health communication and advance the understanding of palliative care in Singapore.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us Fan Mail The world is aging rapidly. People are living longer. Everyone wants their death to be calm, peaceful and reconciled - ideally at home, and in the presence of family and loved ones.   End of life care, and in particular, specialised palliative care, is increasingly important and can radically enhance quality of life for both patients and their families. But how can you explain the merits of this compassionate care when in some countries, the sheer mention of the D-word is so ...

Super-aged Asian societies and the D-word | Episode 45

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1831822/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a>Understanding the shock, pain, and anxiety that comes after a terminal diagnosis is often best articulated through first-person stories. For the first Art of Dying Well podcast of 2025, we&apos;re speaking to Matt Parkes about how he cared for his dad, Jeff, at the end of his life.Jeff became aware something was seriously wrong health-wise in 2011. Something had changed. Something felt different. He had a number of episodes where he would lose his balance, and eventually he was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a rare brain condition that causes problems with movement, vision, speech, and swallowing.Not wanting to &apos;diminish&apos;, Jeff decided he wanted to end his life and was initially actively suicidal. Matt, a Catholic, managed to steer him away from that course of action - with his wife’s loving help - and spent many years as Jeff&apos;s primary carer.This was obviously a very difficult time, but in those final years, there were remarkable, poignant moments of love and reconciliation that never would have experienced had he followed his initial desire to end his life.

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1831822/fan_mail/new"&gt;Send us Fan Mail&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Understanding the shock, pain, and anxiety that comes after a terminal diagnosis is often best articulated through first-person stories. For the first &lt;em&gt;Art of Dying Well&lt;/em&gt; podcast of 2025, we&amp;apos;re speaking to Matt Parkes about how he cared for his dad, Jeff, at the end of his life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jeff became aware something was seriously wrong health-wise in 2011. Something had changed. Something felt different. He had a number of episodes where he would lose his balance, and eventually he was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a rare brain condition that causes problems with movement, vision, speech, and swallowing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not wanting to &amp;apos;diminish&amp;apos;, Jeff decided he wanted to end his life and was initially actively suicidal. Matt, a Catholic, managed to steer him away from that course of action - with his wife’s loving help - and spent many years as Jeff&amp;apos;s primary carer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This was obviously a very difficult time, but in those final years, there were remarkable, poignant moments of love and reconciliation that never would have experienced had he followed his initial desire to end his life.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us Fan Mail Understanding the shock, pain, and anxiety that comes after a terminal diagnosis is often best articulated through first-person stories. For the first Art of Dying Well podcast of 2025, we're speaking to Matt Parkes about how he cared for his dad, Jeff, at the end of his life. Jeff became aware something was seriously wrong health-wise in 2011. Something had changed. Something felt different. He had a number of episodes where he would lose his balance, and eventually he was d...

Caring for Pa | Episode 44

Our podcast aims to make death and dying something we can talk about openly without discomfort or fear. Presented by James Abbott, our award-winning show features James in conversation with a guest on a key topic related to the Art of Dying Well, taking in everything from being at the bedside of a dying loved one, to receiving a terminal diagnosis. Coping with grief, bereavement, death, dying, and much more are all under discussion.

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