Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4)

A close bereavement is one of the most distressing life events that can happen to a person, with the potential to have a considerable impact upon their physical and mental health.

Once the initial shock of the death has passed, many people feel abandoned to their grief as life moves on without them. If we didn’t love and care so much we wouldn’t hurt so much when a special person dies. Grief is the price we pay for loving. Death happens to us all, it part of the cycle of life.

Grief is not a process with a beginning, a middle and an end. In our grief we can move back and forwards between the stages, we can encounter the stages at different times. If we know that such feelings are normal then perhaps it will help us know that what is happening to us is normal, we aren’t “going mad” or not dealing well with our grief. What we need is time to adjust to our new world without that special person.

The bereavement group offers support and help on behalf of the parish community through parishioners who have volunteered to do this. They are called bereavement supporters. The supporter is there as a befriender to walk side by side with you, as you start to adjust to a new world without that person.

Befriending can help you come to terms with their grief; it can provide a safe place to enable you to be yourself for a while, to enable you to talk freely about your feelings which you may have bottled up in deference to the rest of your family and friends.

The parish can offer support either as a one to one meetings over a period of time or in a group to share thoughts and experiences and to help one another at this difficult time.

When you decide to access the support is up to you, there is no right or wrong time. Some people may need help early on whilst others may find that they need support many months or even years after the bereavement.

One to one sessions can be arranged as convenient to the bereaved and the supporter, whilst groups will run three times a year in March, June and October. Each group is intended run for 6 weeks with themes to help support you.

For more information on either one to one or group sessions please contact Sue Acreman on 07895092009.