Bereavement Ministry

Guidelines for Funerals and Burials in the Catholic Church in the Dioceses of BC and the Yukon
These guidelines provide Catholics with the Church’s teaching on matters related to Christian burial.

Catholic Burial Traditions

Elizabeth Ministry
Offering support after the loss of a baby during pregnancy, at birth, in infancy and toddlerhood.

Center for Loss and Life Transition
Led by death educator and grief counsellor Dr. Alan Wolfelt, the organization is dedicated to helping people who are grieving and those who care for them.

Delta Hospice Society
Offers weekly adult bereavement group, Losing a Child to Suicide Monthly Group, music therapy and bereavement support, and suicide bereavement group. Please contact Angelina at [email protected].

Connect With Someone One-on-One
Sometimes we need help when we are grieving. For some counselling is an important step in gaining clarity, healing, and deeper meaning. We invite you to look through our network of Catholic and Christian counsellors. 

Canadian Virtual Hospice
Information and support on advanced illness, palliative care and grief

Living my Culture
People from various cultures share their stories and wisdom about living with serious illness, end of life and grief to support others.

BC Bereavement Hotline
The BC Bereavement helpline is committed to facilitating the provision of care and support to the bereaved, caregivers and service providers as well as increasing public understanding of grief as a life process through education, support, advocacy, networking and dissemination of information.

Burying the Dead, Grieving Well
Grieving the loss of a loved one is a painful yet fundamental part of the human condition. Our Lord himself was not spared this experience, and Mary, our Blessed Mother, had her heart pierced with grief at the death of her Son. Throughout human history, cultures and civilizations have developed rituals associated with death to accompany people during this inevitable grieving process. This is particularly true in the Catholic Church, which has long experienced accompanying its members through the difficult time surrounding the death of a loved one. The Church’s funeral rites emphasize that our bodies, like Christ’s, are destined for resurrection. By prompting us to look upon the body of the deceased, to recall the person’s life, and to lay them to rest in a reverent way that manifests our resurrection faith, the Church helps us to grieve well and to accept and face the new reality before us.

Journeying through Grief
Journeying through Grief is a set of four short books to send to people at four crucial times during the first year after the loss of a loved one. Author Kenneth C. Haugk writes in a warm, caring style with short, easy-to-read chapters. He walks alongside the reader through the grief journey, sharing helpful insights about grief, biblical truths, and stories that provide comfort and reassurance.

• Wolfelt, Alan. Understanding Your Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart. Companion Press, 2004.
• Wolfelt, Alan. Grief One Day at a Time: 365 Meditations to Help You Heal After Loss. Companion Press, 2016.
• Wolfelt, Alan. Finding the Words: How to Talk with Children and Teens About Death, Suicide, Funerals, Homicide, Cremation, and Other End-of-Life Matters, Companion Press, 2013.
• Lewis, C.S. A Grief Observed. 1963.
• Kübler-Ross, Elisabeth, and David Kessler. On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss. Simon and Schuster, 2014.
• Kempf, Joe. No One Cries the Wrong Way: Seeing God Through Tears. Our Sunday Visitor, 2012
• Nouwen, Henri. In Memoriam. Edicoes Loyola, 2001.
• Burton, Jehu Tomas. Trusting God through Tears: A Story to Encourage. Baker Books, 2000.
• Boyd, Denis. Christmas Blues. PsychHealth, 2010, www.psychealth.com/2010/02/10/christmas-blues
• Boyd, Denis. Preparing for Post-Holiday Blues. PsychHealth, 2004, www.psychealth.com/2004/12/17/preparing-for-post-holiday-blues
• Boyd, Denis. Post-Holiday Blues. PsychHealth, 2004, www.psychealth.com/2004/09/20/post-holiday-blues
• Alan Wolfelt [Center for Loss & Life Transition]. Embracing Your Vulnerability During the Holidays. YouTube, 16 Nov. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPSG3Hg-w7Q.

Seasons of Hope Leader's Guide
Creating and Sustaining Catholic Bereavement Groups: This program consists of four six-week seasons which is Christ centered and scripture-based. Each session explores mourning through scripture, prayer, reflection, activities, and faith sharing. For more information watch Bringing Hope to the Bereaved in Your Parish: Insights from the Seasons of Hope Approach by AveMaria Press. 

Grieving with Great HOPE
A grief support program and a healing ministry developed by John and Sandy O'Shaughnessy; they are the co-founders of Good Mourning Ministry, a Catholic Bereavement Apostolate. John is a Certified Grief Counselor and author of five books. Sandy is a Director of Religious Education with a master's degree in Pastoral Ministry (Bereavement Emphasis). They are grief educators, but in this series, you will learn they have experienced profound grief themselves. Available on FORMED.org

GriefShare (Christian)
Virtual and in-person Grief Support Groups
GriefShare is an international, church-based recovery program designed to help people grieving and dealing with a loss. GriefShare groups meet weekly to help you face these challenges and move toward rebuilding your life. Each GriefShare session has three distinct elements: video seminar with experts, support group discussion, personal study and reflection. Visit griefshare.org/findagroup to search by postal code for support groups in your area.

Guide for Forming a Parish Bereavement Ministry
All Christians are responsible for consoling those who have lost a loved one. An active parish bereavement ministry involves many parishioners performing various forms of compassionate service. In Guide for Forming a Parish Bereavement Ministry, author Robert Valle guides parish leaders toward creating a bereavement ministry that flows from the liturgical and pastoral vision of the Church's official funeral rites. He explains the theology and key pastoral insights of the Order of Christian Funerals(OCF) and outlines the phases of bereavement ministry, from accompanying the bereaved at the time of death to the preparation of the funeral liturgies, then home visits and acts of compassion throughout the following year. This resource provides practical advice and downloadable materials for training ministers in the theological, spiritual, and human dimensions essential for effective bereavement ministry.

An Introduction to Bereavement Ministry: Caring for Those who Mourn
Countless generous-hearted people feel called to bereavement ministry and accompany the bereaved both liturgically and pastorally. In An Introduction to Bereavement Ministry: Caring for Those Who Mourn, all those called to bereavement ministry will receive the theological and spiritual formation to minister to the dying and those who grieve. This resource presents a bereavement ministry that flows from the liturgical and pastoral vision of the Church’s official funeral rites and ensures that all ministers—ordained, lay professional staff, and volunteer ministers—are working out of a shared understanding of that vision.

St Joseph’s Bereavement Support Group
This is a nine-week grief and bereavement support program centred on the book Grieving With the Help of Your Catholic Faith by Lorene Hanley Duquin. This book gives Catholics a meaningful way to help themselves or others through a challenging period of grief, with personal stories, reassuring prayers, and spiritual wisdom. This program was created by a parishioner of St. Joseph’s Parish, Langley, and is available at the parish. Additionally, it is accessible for bereavement ministers to implement in their own parishes.

St. Peter's Cemetery
A Catholic cemetery in New Westminster, BC

More resources:

• Life Without End
• Spirituality and Death
• Prayers for Healing
• Grief and Healing
• Understanding Death Series