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The death of a
family member or friend confronts us with one of
life's most difficult and painful challenges.
The Pastoral Bereavement Program of the
Archdiocese of New York is the Church's response
to God's call to comfort those who mourn. The
Program began more than 20 years ago and has
grown to include over 50 parishes throughout the
Archdiocese of New York.
Bereavement Support Groups
Parish based bereavement support groups
facilitated by trained volunteers are the
cornerstone of our Pastoral Bereavement Program.
Our Bereavement Ministers are lay people,
deacons and religious who have been trained in
bereavement ministry and who are committed to
their work with the bereaved. Many of our
volunteers have been called to this ministry
through their own experience of loss, others are
very active in Parish based ministry and have
recognized the need for programs to support
those who are grieving.
The support groups typically meet in a parish
setting. However, they are open to people of all
faiths. While the support groups vary in format
and meeting dates, our Bereavement Ministers'
goal is to provide a safe place where the
bereaved can share their experiences with
others, learn about the process of grief and be
supported by their Church family during a
difficult time. If you are interested in
attending a Bereavement Support Group and would
like additional information, please call our
Program Coordinator at (646) 794-3187. Or you
may refer to the listing of Bereavement Support
Centers listed on this website and contact the
Parish directly.
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Support Centers in the Archdiocese of New York
The following is a listing of the location of
Bereavement Support Centers sponsored by the
Family Life + Respect Life Office of the
Archdiocese of New York. Please call the Parish
Office for further information.
Click drop down menu
to select your county.
[For support groups
within the
Diocese of
Brooklyn/Queens,
please call Ingrid
Seunarine, at (718) 722-6214.]
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"How can I help?"
See the section below on how you can help this
ministry by becoming a Bereavement Group
Facilitator.
For other ways to
help, please contact
Christina.Schuerger@archny.org.
Training Program In Pastoral Bereavement
Ministry
Training on how to be a Bereavement Group
Facilitator Volunteer
 As
Christians, we take seriously God's call to
comfort those who mourn. To support our parishes
in developing outreach programs to the bereaved,
a training program in Pastoral Bereavement
Ministry is offered several times a year.
The training program
is a unique opportunity to receive a foundation
in the basics of Bereavement Ministry within the
context of the Catholic Faith. For details about
the training program, please call the Program
Coordinator at (212) 371-1000, ext. 3187.
Volunteers may
choose a day which best fits their schedules
from among the training dates listed below.
(All volunteers must be approved by their pastor
prior to starting the group.)
The training program
comprises a single full-day course. The
day covers topics such as
- Facilitating
support groups
- Basic
Dynamics of Grief
- Symptoms
experienced in Grief
- The
different types of losses (e.g.
complicated grief, multiple losses,
post-abortion, peri-natal loss, & suicide).
Once the facilitator
has been trained, the Pastor and facilitator
promote the program to the parish, to
surrounding parishes, via the
http://flrl.org website, and at local
funeral homes. Support groups are open to
all faiths, but the essence of the ministry is
Christ-centered.
An additional
all-day training will be geared toward working
with children/adolescents suffering from grief.
This training is to be announced, and includes
the Archdiocesan Safe Environment requirement.
Pastoral Bereavement Training Sessions 2011
Calendar
-
Saturday,
November 5 |9AM-6PM
St. Clare's Parish, Staten Island
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Saturday,
December 3 |9AM-6PM
Sacred Heart Parish, Monroe (Orange
County)
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Saturday,
January 21 | 9AM-6PM
St. Francis Xavier Parish, Manhattan
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Saturday,
March 24 | 9AM-6PM
St. Francis
of Assisi, West Nyack, NY (Rockland
County)
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St.
Christopher's Parish, Redhook, NY (Dutchess
County)
Date TBA
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Additional Bereavement
Resources
Talks/Workshops
The
Archdiocesan Bereavement Coordinator gives
talks as requested. Topics include
- Coping
with Grief during the Holidays
- John
Paul II’s
The Christian Meaning of Human Suffering
(Salvifici Doloris)
- Men and
grief
-
Post-abortion trauma
- How to
reach out with compassion
Talks are
tailored to the needs of the requesting
parish.
Coping with
Grief during the Holidays - November 9, 2010 @
6:30pm, St. Patrick's Cathedral Parish House
Christina Schuerger, LCSW, the Bereavement
Coordinator for the Archdiocese of NY, will give
a talk on the challenges those grieving
experience during the Holidays and how to cope
effectively. This talk will be made available to
anyone suffering the death of a loved one who is
struggling with grief. The talk will provide
encouragement and practical ways to cope with
the Holidays, which can be such a difficult time
when you are mourning.
Please contact Christina Schuerger, LCSW for
more information
christina.schuerger@archny.org
There is no fee for this event, but we ask that
you would
RSVP if you plan to attend.
Here is a video
of Christina Schuerger's "Coping with Grief
during the Holidays"talk, given in the Family
Life Office:
Grief and the Holidays from Christina Schuerger on Vimeo.
Post-Abortion Referrals and Presentations
The
Bereavement Coordinator also connects
priests, laity, clinicians and post-abortive
men and women to the proper referral service
(e.g.
individual counseling, trained Project
Rachel priests, and/or support groups and
weekend retreats). As mentioned above,
the coordinator also gives workshops and
talks on post-abortion trauma and on how to
reach out with compassion to those
suffering; a particular focus is working
with adolescents and young adults to discuss
the psychological consequences of abortion
in a compassionate way. The
hope-filled message of God’s mercy is
delivered sensitively, but with clarity.
A Morning of Prayerful Remembrance and
Intercession
January 16, 2010
Women, men, families, health care providers
and all of us,
directly or indirectly, have been impacted
by abortion. In response, as we observe
the 37th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we gather
to pray and to seek healing and forgiveness.
Personal testimonies, intercessory prayer,
Eucharistic Adoration, Rosary, Confession, and
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Our Lady's
Chapel in St. Patrick's Cathedral 460 Madison
Ave (at 5th Ave) New York, NY 9:00am to 12:00pm.
For more information call (877) 586-4621 or
email:
lumina@postabortionhelp.org. Click
here to
download a flyer.
Pastoral bereavement material
is available. If your parish would
like pamphlets, prayer cards, or other
items, please call or email the coordinator
directly.
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Christina
Schuerger, LCSW
Bereavement Coordinator
 christina.schuerger@archny.org
646.794.3187
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