BEREAVEMENT EDUCATION & SUPPORT GROUPS

“Trained facilitators provide information on the grief process.”

“Participants find support through the sharing of experiences.”

You are not alone. Grief comes in many forms and impacts each of us differently. We don't just "get over it"; we learn to live with our grief. At times, we find ourselves in need of support from our Church. The Catholic Diocese of Utah, through the collaborative efforts of the Family Life Office and Mt. Calvary Cemetery is dedicated to helping you during this very difficult time. Your parish priest should always be the first one notified before an impending death or immediately afterwards. He will then assist you or assign someone from the parish to assist you in the funeral arrangements.

A parish based support group can help, should you find you need additional grief support. Support groups are varied, but all have the following goals in common:

• Provide you with a safe place to feel, to cry, to experiment, to rest and just be yourself.
• Help you deal with your feelings by sharing them in a supportive and understanding environment.
• Reflect with you on the meaning of all this through guided meditations, readings and prayer on life, death, love, etc.
• Direct you to additional support services.

All parishes offer bereavement support. However, not all have regular programs or a designated coordinator. In those cases, either the Pastor or Deacon works with the families. Please contact your Parish office to obtain information.

Community Resources:

AARP
1-866-797-2277 (toll free)
www.aarp.org

OGDEN REGIONAL HOSPITAL

Sr. Gloria (Bi-lingual)

(801) 479-2074

THE SHARING PLACE
Grief support for children.
466-6730

VALLEY MENTAL HEALTH
801 263-7100

ST. MARK'S HOSPITAL
Carol Lee
801-268-7141

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
Caring Connections
Janice Harvey
801 581-2975

PRIMARY CHILDREN’S MEDICAL CENTER

(801) 662-3727 Children & Teens

(801) 588-3483

UNIQUE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

Support for suicide survivors

(801) 571-2545

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Most hospitals and mortuaries sponsor Bereavement services. Call them for meeting schedules. When calling a hospital, sk for "Community Outreach".
• The cemetery where your loved one is buried can also assist you in finding a bereavement support group.
• For children, check with your pediatrician, Primary Children’s Medial Center, local school or PTA.
• In rural areas, check the community pages of your White or Yellow Pages. Services will be listed as "Mental Health".
• An excellent resource is your local Hospice provider.

Further information can be obtained by contacting:

Veola Burchett, Director Family Life Office 801 328-8641, Ext. 324 Toll free: 888-414-8641, 324 veola.burchett@dioslc.org

Curt Rosentreter, Director Mt. Calvary Cemetery 801 355-8476 curt.rosentreter@dioslc.org