When someone in our parish loses a loved one, we instinctively hurry to bring food to the home of the bereaved, to be present to the family, to help with their immediate needs and to assist in planning the funeral and burial. After the burial and the business of attending to urgent matters slow down, a new set of needs arise.
Something dies in a survivor, too. Part of the self is laid in a loved one's grave. If we speak of eternal life only for the dead, we have not said enough. We hold the hope mourners long to feel. What remains is to be brought to life again. A woman without a husband is no longer wife but widow. A man who buries his firstborn is robbed of his proud and tender sense of fatherhood. The search for a new identity, the struggle to accept oneself as a whole person in a strange new role is the work of grieving.
Grief support provides companionship on the long journey through the grief process. We pray with Scripture, share stories of our experiences and encourage each other. We provide an environment where it is safe, acceptable and encouraged to feel. We also share a meal, since so much of what Jesus did happened at Table. And yes, we cry. The Kleenex are on the house.
St. Jude Grief support meets the 1st & 3rd Thursday of each month in the conference room. This ministry is open to all faiths at no charge. For more information, contact Jeanne Girsch at 972-727-1177, ext. 2215.
