Equipped with a liberal arts education, Christendom graduates have made their way into almost every field, including funeral services. Alumni siblings Antonia Cummings ’15 and James Cummings ’25 returned to campus this past month to speak with students about their work in the field during a “Life on Tap” event hosted by the college’s Office of Career and Professional Development. Moderated by Director of Career and Professional Development Kristin Stephens, the discussion offered an inside look at their profession and the role a liberal arts education can play in preparing students for it.
Antonia got her degree in theology and went on to get a degree in Mortuary Science from Brightpoint Community College. Antonia is now a licensed funeral director in Washington, D.C. and Virginia, a Licensed Pre-Arranging Funeral Director, and a Licensed Cemetery Manager. Currently, she is a Family Service Director for Dignity Memorial, an international funeral service company, managing funeral home and cemetery teams, and lives in Falls Church, Virginia.
James majored in history, and in the summer of 2022, he worked at Dignity Memorial Cemetery in Falls Church, where he was introduced to funeral service work. He enjoyed the work and realized he was interested in pursuing the management side. He is currently Dignity Memorial’s youngest sales manager, and lives in Maryland with his wife Annie ’25.
The alumni started off the event sharing their stories of how they got involved in the funeral industry and explaining the different roles within the industry, including mortician, funeral director, and removal technician. They emphasized the importance of Catholicism in the funeral industry, as it enables them both to properly understand the significance of death and to give it appropriate respect.
Antonia spoke about her work helping families prepare for and cope with death, both financially and emotionally. She is also passionate about educating the public, especially Catholics and seminarians, about honoring the dead and providing assistance to grieving families.
She and her brother both discussed how their unique work—both a spiritual and corporal work of mercy—is humbling and beautiful as they support families through their time of suffering.
“The incredible part about this industry is that it has so much potential to be so incredible to take care of these families, and as Christendom students, we’re dared to be great,” James said. “And this is that final opportunity to talk to a family and not take advantage of their openness and their vulnerability but assist them.”
The siblings also shared anecdotes of the intense spiritual aspects of their work, with James saying, “It really is a mission,” and continuing later, “The only thing you can do is just take it on yourself to pray. That becomes heavy, but it’s also something that’s very light-hearted after a while, and you learn to take joy in the small things that are there.”
Most of all, the two alumni emphasized how their work had profoundly impacted how they view life and their own mortality.
“We ultimately die the way we live. So if we’re living an immoral life, we’re living a chaotic life, we’re living a disorganized life, there’s a good chance we’re going to die that way,” Antonia shared. “It’s definitely a good reminder to live well, being in this industry.”
The Cummings siblings spoke about how well their Christendom education had prepared them for their work, with Antonia sharing that her theology degree fulfilled requirements for her mortuary science degree. She also praised Christendom for equipping her with the proper worldview to support grieving families and an understanding of treating death with suitable dignity.
Antonia and James are proof that Christendom alumni don’t need a field-specific degree to develop a successful career, even in an industry as niche as funeral services. The Christendom education, complete with a balance of academic and social opportunities, allows students to develop organizational skills, the ability to multitask, and exemplary written and spoken communication—an excellent foundation for success in any area of work. These alumni’s success in the funeral industry is a testament to the strength of the Christendom experience in equipping its students for any career path they choose to pursue, regardless of their major.
Antonia noted that those who discern out of a religious vocation, as well as others with a Christendom education, should consider working in funeral services because they are already well prepared with communication skills and moral formation.
“Just keep an open mind,” said Antonia, adding later, “You are going to learn a lot of skills about how to do customer service, how to handle objections, how to deal with people at their literal worst and how to take those skills and put them into another business potentially.”
As their final piece of advice, both siblings urged students to remain grounded in their faith and to make the most of their college experience.
“Just live out the faith and live it strong and enjoy your time here because it really is incredible and it sets you up for a lot of success,” said James.
The event concluded with a Q&A where students asked the alumni questions related to organ donation, mortuary science classes, the spiritual aspects of the industry, and more.
Christendom’s Career and Professional Development Office offers opportunities to hear from alumni at Life on Tap at least three times a semester. In addition, students are given regular chances to attend relevant career workshops, meet with future employers, secure summer internships, and explore a plethora of career paths before they’ve even declared a major. With the support of the Career and Professional Development Office and an excellent liberal arts education, there is no career path rendered impossible with a degree from Christendom.
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View the full conversation below:
Contributed by Bridget Palm ’28.