Announcing our Bereavement Support Program, meeting October 13 – December 15, Sundays from 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Co-Facilitators: Nancy Hoey and Allison Holst-Grubbe
Have you suffered the loss of a loved one in recent months, or years? For the first time since 2019, SPSA is offering the New Day bereavement support program. For 10 consecutive weeks, beginning on Sunday October 13 and ending on Sunday December 15, we will meet weekly on Sunday afternoons in the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry. There is no cost to participants.
Please call the church office (860-756-4034) with your phone number and email address to register. Should you have any questions, one of the group facilitators will return your call. We will need a minimum of 5 participants in order to operate this Bereavement Support Program, and registration will be capped at 20 participants. We look forward to walking with you on this journey.
When you have experienced a loss and are living with grief, you find yourself in a very personal and individual journey that has many challenges. This is your journey, but you are not alone – even if it may feel that way. Others are walking their journey as well. A bereavement support program can provide you with compassion, support, and courage as you navigate your way through your journey with others. You may derive much from this group, and you may also be a source of compassion that another person needs on their journey. We will follow the New Day Program by Mauryeen O’Brien O.P., which is designed from a Catholic perspective, but anyone is welcome to register. We would encourage you to be thoughtful and prayerful as you consider participating in the Bereavement Support Program.
Facilitators:
Nancy Hoey, one of SPSA’s Parish Nurses and parishioner at St Patrick-St Anthony since 2019, worked at Yale New Haven Hospital for 43 years, primarily in the role of a Patient Service Manager. She completed the School of Spirituality at Mercy by the Sea and received her certificate from the Archdiocese Lay Ministry Formation Program, with a focus in the Ministry of Bereavement. In addition to these credentials, she brings her own personal experience with loss and grief to this work.
Allison Holst-Grubbe, SPSA’s Director of Community Engagement as well as one of our parish’s cantors, graduated in the spring from Hartford International University of Religion and Peace with an MA in Interreligious Studies. Her coursework included classes in pastoral care, grief, and death & dying. Personal experience with illness, grief, and loss was what initially led her to seminary and to work in ministry.