 | What Do I Do Now? What Others Have Told Us A Resource Guide for Persons Who Have Experienced the Death of a Loved One Table of Contents |
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If your loved one is dying or has already died, whatever the circumstances you are likely to have many concerns which are of a spiritual nature. If you are already an active member of a faith community - Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Baha'i, Mi'kmaq or any other - you will probably be aware of the support that your faith gives to you and that further support will be found in those who are leaders in your community. Faith communities such as Christian churches are glad to reach out to you to help you in your grief and with issues raised for you by illness, accident and death. You will also want to turn to your faith community for the appropriate ceremonies for one who has died, funeral rites. If you do not have ties to a specific church or other faith community, but wish to have spiritual counselling and the rites of a faith offered to you, then you will want to make contact with someone of your chosen faith, whether a specific denomination of the Christian church or other faith community. The major hospitals of our region have Pastoral Care Departments that are served by local clergy and other faith leaders. These staff can be contacted through the nursing staff of the hospitals if your loved one is dying or has died. Smaller hospitals will also have the names of people in their communities upon whom they can call. These faith leaders will be able to comfort you at the time of death and help you with arrangements for the funeral rite. Funeral Directors are also able to put you in touch with clergy or other faith leaders who will then help you plan the funeral rites according to the custom of their faith and with your wishes in mind. They will preside at such rites and offer you spiritual comfort and guidance. Clergy and other faith leaders may also be contacted directly by phoning the church or other local headquarters of your faith community. These are listed under CHURCHES in the Yellow Pages of the Telephone Directories, or by name in the white pages. Some churches and faith communities will have support groups for the bereaved, or persons who can offer support on an individual basis. It is important for you to make your needs known. Spiritual and faith resources will be an enormous source of comfort and hope to you in your suffering as you anticipate the death of your loved one, experience his/her death and work through the grieving process. Your healing can be enhanced by such resources. While not all faith leaders have had specialised training in the area of grief, many of them have received such special training. All will be aware of the resources of their faith tradition for responding to the experience of bereavement. Bereavement is a darkness impenetrable to the imagination of the unbereaved. |
| What Do I Do Now? A Resource Guide for Persons Who Have Experienced the Death of a Loved One Table of Contents |
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