Grief Support
Understanding Grief and Getting Help
Blessed are those who mourn: they shall be comforted (MT 5:4)
Grief is a normal human reaction; an emotional, spiritual and physical response to a great loss. Grief is a process, a journey, that takes the mourner from the initial shock to acceptance of the reality of the loss. The grief journey varies in duration with each individual. There are ups and downs, but the journey is seldom short. To understand the complexities of the Grief process, please join us. Whether your grief is recent or some time in the past, yet unresolved, you can be helped by a support group.
Grief Ministry team is available for one on one grief support via telephone.
COVID, fires, and grief; it’s a lot. We’re here to listen.
Please contact Patti Erickson at [email protected].
or leave a phone message at 707.745.3502
Symptoms of grief, a person may feel:
- numb
- confused
- disorganized
- loss of appetite
- problems with sleeping
- deep sadness
- guilt
- anger (at the one who died or even at God)
- irritability
All of these emotions are normal. There is no one way to mourn, nor is there a time limit to grieving.
A person who is mourning is fragile and needs the support of family and friends. They need encouragement to eat, to nap, to take walks for exercise. They need company at times, and to be left alone other times.
They certainly need to talk about the loss to tell their story. If you know someone who is grieving, be there for that person. Encourage the bereaved to join a support group, accompany them if you can.
We at St. Dominic’s want to support you on your journey.
Our series is highly respected throughout Solano County, led by trained facilitators for Peer-to-peer support on the seven stages of grief.
“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing. “At other times it feels like being mildly drunk, or concussed. There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in. It is so uninteresting. Yet I want the others to be about me. I dread the moments when the house is empty. If only they would talk to one another and not to me.” — C.S. Lewis, opening paragraphs of A Grief Observed
If you’d like to support this ministry, either as a trained facilitator or coordinator please contact the parish office.
Do you have a background in counseling or are you interested in getting involved in our Consolation Ministry?
If you are interested in further information, please contact our parish grief ministry leader at [email protected].
