Sacred Sentinel Work

Sacred Sentinels was created by Charlotte Bryan-Matzke as her Peace Project in her role as a Minister of Peace. It is the deepest desire of her heart to see major changes take place in America’s response to the death/grief process. Charlotte believes that bringing peace to the dying and their loved ones is a precious gift that we can give to our fellow spiritual beings as they make their transition from this earthly life back to the Source of all Life.
Charlotte became acquainted with death at the tender age of 5, when she held the hand of a beautiful elder woman who lay on the street, having been ejected from her vehicle during a motor vehicle accident. Charlotte experienced a peace in that ‘spirit leaving body’ moment. It was a peace that gave her the knowledge that death was, indeed, nothing to be afraid of. As Charlotte continued her life path as a child, and young adult, she faced numerous times when she found herself walking close beside death’s presence, and each time, she learned the uniqueness of each individual’s death, and yet at the precise moment of death, there always remained present that same peaceful, sacred space.
During her years as an Emergency Medical Technician, and Paramedic, Charlotte found herself with many individuals who were facing imminent death, or who died while during transport to the hospital. She found that even in sudden death cases and in traumatic death cases, there still remained the same peace, the same sacred space around the deceased.
In 2004 her official work with Hospice began, coinciding with her journey through the Beloved Community’s Seminary, she saw the tremendous need for bringing peace to the dying process for our American Culture. In developing Vigil Training, sitting bedside with the actively dying, for her local Hospice, Charlotte saw that this knowledge, this gift, could also be presented to groups outside of hospice organizations, indeed, gifting people with the ability to bring peace to the dying and their families. Thus was born the vision of the Sacred Sentinels.
Sacred means ‘not to be violated, criticized, or tampered with’. A sentinel is a person who stands watch, protecting whatever they are guarding. A Sacred Sentinel watches over the individual bring birthed into the beyond, bringing a sense of protection and peace when they are present. They do not criticize, violate or tamper with the person’s beliefs, or their decisions on how and when their death will occur. A Sacred Sentinel watches over the bereaved, giving them a safe, nurturing place in which to share their grief, and know that their feelings are a normal part of the healing process when we experience a loss that affects us so deeply. A Sacred Sentinel truly embodies a trusting peace, unconditional love and kind words of reassurance to the dying and their loved ones.
If you would like more information about Sacred Sentinels, or would like to set up the training in your area, whether it is for your immediate family, a church group, hospice group, concerned friends, or any other organization, please feel free to contact us to set up a consultation time.