AA Ministry Grief

Grief Ministry C0-Chairpersons
Mary Helen Gammon & Jane Talbot
griefministry@stbenedictparish.org

MISSION STATEMENT
The Mission of our parish Grief Ministry is to share God's love with those who are grieving the loss of a loved one due to death. Through our small group settings and our Prayer group we offer support regardless of the distance/location or timing of the loss.Additionally, our ministry supports families and friends of those who are grieving and shares resources with the parish family concerning matters of grief.

Time commitments and training requirements vary for volunteers according to their chosen roles. Our volunteers are parishioners who Welcome All in need of grief support following the death of a loved one.  Ministry volunteers meet monthly on Zoom (1st Thursday from 4-5pm) and for in-person special events during the year,  For those grieving, our 12-week Understanding Your Grief support groups meet in the Spring and Fall of each year, o ur Comfort Cafes gather grievers with Ministry Companions on the 1st Monday, 2nd Thursday, 3rd Wednesday and 4th Thursday of each month,  The Prayer Group invites all to participate in a monthly Zoom rosary on the 3rd Friday of each month at 9am. The Zoom link is: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/9931251708?pwd=T2FmMDUrY0toQkizL0gwdUY3amsxdz09

This Ministry is composed of lay volunteers with the mission of sharing God's love while serving those who are suffering grief from the death of a loved one. Ministry volunteers are not professional counselors. Our volunteers, called Companions, use their gifts of time and listening, hearing the thoughts and sharing the tears of those who are mourning in face-to-face small group settings. These volunteers complete diocesan requirements for background checks and Safe Haven training. In addition, they complete online training in the Companioning Model of Grief Support.

Additional volunteers include a Prayer Group and Support Volunteers in the areas of Communications, Outreach, Data Management and Volunteer Recruitment & Training. These volunteers are essential in supporting this ministry. They draw on skill sets appropriate to their area of volunteering and are key to the sharing of grief resources, providing parish presentations and educating the parish about the grief process. All volunteers participate in ministry orientation and periodic workshops.