Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association

07/15/2026

The Department of Public Health will hold a public hearing and comment period on proposed new regulations to specify persons who are authorized to obtain a Social Security number listed in a record of death. The hearing is set for Tuesday, July 28, at 10 a.m. and will be conducted on a moderated conference call. To view the proposed regulation and the public hearing notice, which includes information on how to access the moderated conference call, click below:
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/access-to-social-security-number-on-a-death-record

A public hearing will be held on July 28, 2026, regarding the proposed promulgation of 105 CMR 304.000, Access to Social Security Number on a Death Record

07/13/2026

We are honored to share information on the Massachusetts Nurses Honor Guard and its work, including The Nightingale Tribute – a ceremony traditionally shared at visitation, funeral, and graveside services to honor a dedicated nurse. Learn more by visiting the group’s website:
https://www.nurseshonorguardma.com/

To request our services or to learn more about joining the Nurses Honor Guard of Massachusetts, please send request or email us at: [email protected]

07/10/2026

Members of the MFDA leadership team presented a session recently at the Massachusetts Veterans Services Officers Association summer conference regarding Chapter 115, right of disposition, and the importance of a strong, collaborative relationship with a community's VSO to ensure that our veterans and their families are seamlessly cared for following a death. MFDA Past President Stephen Gemelli (second from left) is shown here with, from left, VSO Lena Vellturo (Longmeadow), VSO Meagan Murphy (Pepperell), and VSO Jeffrey Hollett (Haverhill).

07/01/2026

Cape Cod Community College has an opening for a funeral service instructor who will teach in person from the Bridgewater Campus through hyflex technology (students in-person and via Zoom simultaneously). For a complete list of duties and qualifications, click on the link below
https://capecod.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=194632

06/30/2026

Cape Cod Community College has an opening for a funeral service faculty member with responsibilities in teaching, student advising, curriculum development, assessment, and college service. The position is to be filled for the start of the fall 2026 semester. For a complete list of duties and qualifications, click on the link below:
https://capecod.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp;jsessionid=7C342380E601C4E05948C014841D2085?JOBID=201663

06/09/2026

The Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association has announced that a 2026 Presidents’ Award has been awarded to Rhiannon Satalino, pictured with MFDA President Stephen Gemelli. Rhiannon, who graduated this spring from Goodwin University’s Funeral Service Program, "doesn't just want a career in funeral service, she wants to contribute to it, shape it, and make it better. She is professional, dedicated, collaborative, and genuinely enthusiastic about this work in a way that is infectious to everyone around her. The criteria for this scholarship reads like a description of Rhiannon Satalino. She is exactly the kind of emerging leader this profession needs."

06/09/2026

MFDA President Stephen F. Gemelli of the Mercadante Funeral Home & Chapel in Worcester reminded graduates of the North Shore Community College Funeral Service Program that funeral service is a calling, not a career, in his address at their recent pinning ceremony. “... You will be there when nobody else can be. You will see what most people are spared from seeing. You will hold the line between chaos and ceremony, between a body and a memory, between a family that is falling apart and a family that gets to say goodbye. This is not a career. It is a calling. The pay is fair, the hours are hard, and the rewards are almost entirely invisible — a hand squeezed at a graveside, a thank-you note in shaky handwriting, a family that comes back a generation later because they remember how they were cared for. Be worthy of that trust.”

06/03/2026

HopeHealth Hospice supports children and teens who have lost a loved one, and this year is the 20th anniversary of Camp Braveheart, which provides the community with a place for kids to be kids and where they can grieve the loss of their loved ones. The camps are offered Thursday and Friday, July 16-17, at the Hockomock Area YMCA in North Attleborough, Mass., and Thursday and Friday, August 20-21, at Camp Hoffman in South Kingstown, R.I. Learn more by clicking below
https://hopehcs.org/campbraveheart/

Camp Brave Heart Bereavement Camp for Children Camp Brave Heart is designed for any youth, ages five to high school, who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Our goal is to provide: An understanding of the grief process Skills to cope with grief and loss An

06/02/2026

Goodwin University held its pinning ceremony for its Funeral Service Program recently at the college's East Hartford, Conn., campus. Class of 2026 graduates are Neysha Arroyo, Kristen Ash, Jazmyn Casiano, Brianna Della Monica, Sarah Dimeo, Taylor Ferreira, Hannah Finkle, Alexandrea Griffin, Jordan Helmedach, Holly Mann, Lindsay Parker, Felicia Peterson, Andrijah Pleasant, Carolina Rivera, Evett Rivera, Mackenzie Rosano, Rhiannon Satalino, Cora Tinker, and Logan Trowbridge. We're excited to welcome this great group of new colleagues to our funeral service community.

05/29/2026

The Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association has announced that a 2026 Presidents’ Award has been awarded to Francis J. Murphy Jr. of the Murphy Funeral Home of Salem. Francis, at right, pictured with MFDA President Stephen Gemelli, is a resident of Salem and a graduate of the NSCC Funeral Service Program who “exemplifies the kindness and service-minded spirit that the Past Presidents envisioned when they created this award. Dedicated and respected among his peers, he consistently demonstrates leadership and a willingness to help others, even amid a demanding schedule. The future of the profession is bright with funeral directors like F.J.”