Bereavement Facilitator Training
Course - Spring 2023
The Archdiocese of Newark's Family Life Ministry will once again offer a
Bereavement Ministry Support Training course virtually beginning this Spring
Six Wednesday evenings from 7-9 PM April 19th - May 24th, 2023
This training is designed for those who wish to become facilitators for existing parish bereavement support groups or for those who wish to begin a bereavement support ministry at their parish or online. The fee is $85.00 a participant.
Topics include:
· Overview of Loss, Grief & Mourning and current theories
· Grief in special circumstances, including grief during a pandemic.· Importance of bereavement ministry for the parish
· Reaching out to those on the peripheries, especially those feeling lost and alone· Counseling skills: How to listen and ask questions that facilitate healing
· How to start facilitating a parish-based bereavement support group
· The impacts of covid on grief and ministry
For more information and registration,
click here.
Grief Hurts. When we've lost someone we love, it can feel as though we've lost a part of ourselves. Sometimes we wonder if we will ever feel whole again. The pain of grief can be emotional, spiritual and sometimes even physical. Some people cry a lot, others not at all, and many cry now and then. It is all normal, and it is all okay. Feeling sad is a natural response to losing someone who was an important part of our life. Many people experience a lack of energy and sadness while grieving. Some describe being "in a fog" and finding it difficult to perform simple tasks. Some people want to be around their friends and family, and others prefer to be left alone. Grief looks different with each person who experiences it.
Parish-Based Grief Support Groups
Many of our parishes offer peer grief support groups for persons who have experienced a loss. It can be very helpful to share your grief with others who understand and share your faith. Our faith is a great source of hope and comfort at a time of loss. We believe in Eternal Life and Christ's promise: "I am the Resurrection and the Life, he who believes in me, though he dies, yet he shall live." John 11;25
RAINBOWS Ministry for Children
The Rainbows (www.rainbows.org) program fosters emotional healing among children, teens and adults grieving a loss from a life-altering crisis. It is available to parishes, schools, religious education and youth programs in the diocese. Organized according to guidelines formulated by the international RAINBOWS organization, coordinators and facilitators must be trained prior to offering the program. Questions? Contact 609-403-7175