Grief Support
Grief Support offerings are sponsored by the Behavioral Health Ministry of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church.
For those who have lost a spouse, significant other, parent, sibling or friend — Understand that what you are going through is a natural response to loss, and that you are not alone. We share our stories and struggles, laugh and cry, all in honor of our loved ones. Learn resilience strategies so you can begin to heal the ache of your sadness and move forward in your life. We heal with the support of others. This is a small, confidential and safe ministry group (not therapy group) facilitated by a trained professional who is also a parishioner.
The Grief to Growth Support Group meets for six sessions. Groups are formed periodically throughout the year. For more details, contact Annette Kubalanza, Director of Pastoral Care, at akubalanza@stapostle.org or 630.355.8980, x124.
At the end of the sixth session, 100 percent of the participants in previous groups have said they felt confident or very confident about their ability to move forward.
- “It was comforting to learn about how others in the group were managing their grief.”
- “The facilitators provided helpful resources and exercises in working through grief. I was not afraid to move on.”
- “The church was a safe environment where I could be myself in a confidential way.”
- “I find that I am not crying as much as I did at the start of the support group sessions.”
- "It was a helpful experience, sharing each other's loss. Excellent materials to guide on the road to recovery."
- "Makes one confident that feelings are normal to the grieving process and will get better."
- "Excellent place to share your experience and listen to others' experiences. You are not just by yourself."
- "It gave me the opportunity to talk about my loss without feeling that I was burdening anyone."
- "It was well worth my time."
Each person experiences the loss of a loved one differently. This includes the time it takes to move through grief and sadness to feeling stronger and ready to move forward with your life as your loved one would want you to. We are here to support you.
