Bereavement Team
General Responsibilities:
The Bereavement Team (BT) reaches out to those experiencing loss and grief. Our outreach efforts include home visits, phone calls, mailings, resources for coping and healing, co-planning the All Soul’s Day Mass, and providing an annual fall program and spring prayer breakfast with speaker.
- After someone from the parish has died, the BT contacts surviving family members in the parish and offers to send a mailing on different topics of grief and recovery. When the BT is aware of someone in the parish who has lost a loved one from another parish, a “Care Note” (from Abby Press) and a cover letter is mailed.
- The BT stocks an assortment of “Care Notes” in the church vestibule. They are provided free of charge for whoever has need of them.
- The BT collaborates with the pastor and the liturgy committee in planning and implementing the All Soul’s Day Mass. The BT promotes this mass and mails invitations to parishioners who have lost a loved one in the previous year.
- The BT offers an annual fall video presentation on grief recovery from a faith perspective. This program is usually held on three consecutive Saturday mornings in October prior to All Soul’s Day. The BT promotes this program and mails invitations to parishioners who have lost a loved one in the previous year.
- The BT offers a six week seasonal program called “Seasons of Hope”. This program is scripture and prayer based offering comfort and healing to those in various stages of grief. There are four seasons to this program.
- The BT mails an annual “Christmas Poem” in early December to parishioners who have lost a loved one since Christmas Day of the previous year.
- The BT hosts an annual spring prayer breakfast with speaker sometime during the months of March and April. This breakfast is scheduled on a Saturday morning. The purpose and theme of the breakfast and talk is one of hope, resurrection and new life keeping with the season of the year. This event is advertised and open to the whole New Albany deanery.