MADISON — St. […]
Tag: grief
Perinatal hospice: Comforting infants and families
Legislative hearings are valuable means of educating the public. During a June 2 hearing in the State Capitol for the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (companion bills Senate Bill 179 and Assembly Bill 237), those present learned about a little-known but invaluable program known as perinatal hospice.
The bills would protect unborn children at and after 20 weeks from painful abortions and would require that families be informed about perinatal hospice. (Governor Scott Walker signed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act into law on July 20.)
Service of Remembrance in Evansville
EVANSVILLE — All are invited to attend a Service of Remembrance for people of all faiths to remember, honor, and celebrate their loved ones who have passed away and to find comfort for their grief during this Christmas season.
The service will be held on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. at St. Paul Catholic Church, 39 Garfield Ave., Evansville.
Parish sponsors grief support series
MADISON — Those suffering grief from the loss of a loved one are invited to attend a four-week video series entitled “No One Cries the Wrong Way” on Wednesdays from Oct. 1 through 22 with a group reunion on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
The series will be held at St. Dennis Church, 505 Dempsey Rd., and will be facilitated by members of the St. Dennis grief ministry team. There will be prayer service, group discussion, and refreshments.
Grief support group
MADISON — A […]
Funerals: Not a time for remorse but celebration
When I was a kid back in the 30s and 40s, Grandma often came for a visit, always dressed in black, and usually it was a funeral that brought her to town.
I thought that was so weird. Did she enjoy funerals? Was that the only thing on her social calendar?
Well, guess what? I’ve arrived at that age when I open the paper first to the obituary page. First I check out to see if there’s someone I know. Then, I average the ages to see how I’m doing.
On a good day I’m younger than any of them. On a bad day I’m older. Too often, it seems, I find a friend has passed and I feel a stab of pain for the spouse and I want to express my sympathy and attend the funeral.
Final salvation at last
When I recently attended the funeral of my dear friend Betty, it occurred to me that funerals are really good for us seniors. They remind us of our own mortality, of course.
Widows contribute much to the Church and family
Losing a beloved spouse to death is one of the most painful human experiences. I saw this pain in my mother, two sisters, and other married women when their spouses died. I have also listened to men, whose wives died, pour out their grief.
The word “widow” comes from a Sanskrit word meaning empty. When a woman loses the husband whom she loves, she often experiences pain, emptiness, and even temporary anger. So does a widower. A good marriage joins the couple as two in one flesh, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. To marry is to open oneself to love and joy, but also to pain.
Treat miscarried babies with the dignity they deserve
As soon as I heard my wife burst out the bathroom door that sunny spring day, I knew she was pregnant. I hadn’t yet opened my eyes but I didn’t need to. Her footsteps told me everything.
My wife didn’t have any particular reason to believe she was pregnant. But after a couple years of praying for a second child, I’d grown accustomed to Laura taking random pregnancy tests — hoping against hope that somehow that second pink line would appear. This time it did.
Joyful days
The days ahead were as joyful as any we’d experienced in our life together. We beamed when friends who knew of our struggle with secondary infertility congratulated us and we devoured all the fetal development materials we could find, eager to mark every last milestone in our baby’s nascent life.
Lighting candles for bereaved families
Joining memorial services around the world on Sunday, Dec. 13, people in Madison and Evansville will hold candle lighting services in conjunction with the Compassionate Friends, an international self-help support organization for families grieving the death of a child.
Exhibit in Princeton to remember the dead
Since November is a month dedicated to remembering the deceased, individuals are invited to build an altar honoring someone close to them who has died.