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The most profound,
challenging and enduring emotional experience we will ever encounter is,
for most of us, the death of a loved one. Death shakes our foundations.
Everything changes. We may turn away from the death when it first occurs,
but our days soon become filled with deep emotional and, perhaps, spiritual
pain. We experience the full impact of our loved one's death. We are
grieving.
" Blessed are
those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4
Imagine sustaining a
deep cut on your hand. At first you cannot believe it is there. The wound
is fresh, open, and bleeding. Your hand is barely usable, and then the pain
becomes profound. If you acknowledge the wound and the need for its proper
care, it will, with time and attention, heal, bit by bit. There will be a
scar, a reminder that you have suffered, but your hand will again be usable
and without unendurable pain. Although scarred, the hand is whole again.
Death wounds us and our
spiritual and emotional pain is indeed profound. We need to embark on the
healing journey, the grief journey, on our way back to wholeness. With
proper time and attention, we will heal, bit by bit. Although scarred, we
can be whole again.
The
Archdiocesan Office of Family Life Ministries
On the road to
healing after the death of a loved one, it is indeed a blessing to have
companions for the journey. The Office of Family Life Ministries of the
Archdiocese of Newark is therefore committed to providing information,
education, support, witness, presence and the opportunity for prayer and
the celebration of the Eucharist to those who grieve.
The Office of Family
Life Ministries sponsors parish-based bereavement support groups, in
English and in Spanish, throughout the four counties of the Archdiocese of
Newark. Support groups provide information on the grieving process and an
opportunity to share experiences in a spiritual, caring, confidential
setting. Archdiocesan groups are led by trained facilitators and are open
to those of all faiths grieving the death of a loved one.
Click for a schedule of Loss and Transition
Programs
Oprima aquí para ver itinerarios del
Programa de Perdida y Transición en español
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