Be The Light
Grief Support
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St. Gabriel The Archangel Catholic Church
Grief Support Ministry
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." -Psalm 34:18 -
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St. Gabriel's Grief Support Ministry offers a variety of support groups, including an English-language General Bereavement Support Group, a Spanish-language General Bereavement Support Group, and a support group uniquely for those who have lost a loved one to suicide ("When A Loved One Dies by Suicide" support group). These groups are limited in size and require pre-registration.
St. Gabriel’s 10-week Grief Support English and Spanish Groups for the bereaved uses various video programs to initiate discussions on different experiences topics grievers encounter in their healing journey after the death of a loved one. Each 90-minute Grief Support Group meeting begins and ends with prayer and includes a Scripture Reading & Reflection from the Bible that deals with grief. The intention of the facilitators is to gently walk participants on a path where healing begins, hope is renewed, and love endures. In the discussion segment of each meeting, participants are free to share their experiences or to say nothing at all. No one is asked to share if they do not want to. We also offer supplemental materials for use outside the group, including a list of books, articles, and other information for those in grief. Each 10-week Grief Support Group is limited in size to 12 participants. Spouses are considered as one. Groups are kept small so that the members are comfortable sharing their stories with a smaller group whose bonds with one another are strengthened over the course of the ten weeks.
We also offer our "When a Loved One Dies by Suicide" 8-week support group on Tuesday evenings two times a year (Spring and Fall) from 6:30pm to 8:00pm.
SCHEDULES FOR THE NEXT GROUPS CAN BE FOUND BELOW.All St. Gabriel’s Grief Support Groups are to be regarded by all participants as “sacred spaces” where no one reveals anything shared within the group outside of the group. These Grief Support Groups are intended for adults 18 and older. The groups are open to all, regardless of parish or religious affiliation; advance registration is required because of the limited size of each group. If you are interested in joining a future group, please contact Linda at [email protected].
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP, 10-week support groups to be held Thursday evenings from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. Please phone the St. Gabriel office at 719-528-8407 for more information or email [email protected] AUTUMN 2025 SCHEDULE BELOW."WHEN A LOVED ONE DIES BY SUICIDE" SUPPORT GROUP, for those who have experienced the suicide of a loved one, 8 weeks on Tuesday evenings from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. Please contact Linda at [email protected] or at 719-528-8407 for more information. AUTUMN 2025 SCHEDULE BELOW.
For additional information about St. Gabriel's Grief Support ministry:Contact
Linda Popolano
[email protected]
719-528-8407
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Our Goal
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One of the many goals of St. Gabriel’s Grief Support Groups is to foster bonds of fellowship among those who have walked alone in their grief. There is healing to be found in sharing one’s grief experience with others who understand because they have suffered through a similar experience.
Another goal of St. Gabriel’s Grief Support Groups is to find healing in serving others who are suffering. Just as Christ died to redeem us, there is redeeming power in serving others. We live in a society that denies death and asks us to minimize grieving. Often, God gives purpose to our grieving by allowing us to use it to serve others.
St.Gabriel’s Grief Support Groups are open to anyone regardless of parish affiliation or religion.
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Autumn 2025
Grief Support Group
ScheduleGroups Beginning September 2025
All meetings: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Pre-Registration Required -
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evenings, 6:30pm - 8:00pm (SCHEDULE FOR BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH GROUPS)"WHEN A LOVED ONE DIES BY SUICIDE" GROUP (ENGLISH-ONLY) CALENDAR:GENERAL BEREAVEMENT GROUPS - AUTUMN 2025 CALENDAR:
1. Thursday, September 18
2. Thursday, September 25
3. Thursday, October 2
4. Thursday, October 9
5. Thursday, October 16
6. Thursday, October 23
7. Thursday, October 30
8. Thursday, November 6
9. Thursday, November 13
10. Thursday, November 20
1. Tuesday, September 16
2. Tuesday, September 23
3. Tuesday, September 30
4. Tuesday, October 7
5. Tuesday, October 14
6. Tuesday, October 21
7. Tuesday, October 28
8. Tuesday, November 4
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Feedback
Below are two comments from the participants in our first Grief Support group held in Autumn 2021: -
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“Being able to talk to people who listen with compassion makes me feel less alone in my sorrow. No one is trying to tell anyone what to do, how to feel, or to respond to their grief. They just want to be there with me, and they let me be there with them. That gift of their presence is holy.”
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“I am a young widow who felt I wouldn’t belong in the group, but now I am very grateful to have made life-long friends. My young children have also benefitted from the love and support of the grief group.”
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