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Bereavement Training Program

This event is over

$30 - All are welcome

Location
John Paul II Pastoral Centre
4885 Saint John Paul II Way
Vancouver, BC V5Z 0G3
Date and Time
Starting Wednesday, Mar 30, 2022, Weekly until May 4, 2022 on Wednesdays
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
About this Event

This course was originally scheduled to start January 12 and has been delayed due to current COVID restrictions. The new confirmed start date will be Wednesday, March 30.

This 6-week training course is aimed at those who want to start a bereavement ministry in their parish. The course sessions include what is grief, how do we actively listen, facilitating a bereavement ministry/group, resources for those grieving, and to understand more about grief.

In this first session we will discuss how to support the bereaved; what grief support looks like; Catholic Funerals and traditions (informational) and cultural differences.

Many cultures have different traditions, rituals, and customs when it comes to death and grieving. Fr. Paul Goo, the vocation director for the Archdiocese of Vancouver will share with us the fruits and benefits of having a solid funeral committee/ bereavement ministry at a parish. He will share his experience with some of the Korean parishes and tell real stories of the difference it can make in the faith journey of the faithful and those who benefit from the ministry.  This will be helpful in understanding the wisdom of certain traditions as well as providing some ideas and practical suggestions that could be incorporated into your parish ministry.

Our Speakers

Peter Nobes is Director of Catholic Cemeteries and works out of the Gardens of Gethsemani. He is a resourceful person with a passion for the Gospel and what the Church processes for our eternal life journey. As part of his faith journey, he recently completed a Master of Arts degree in Theological Studies and wrote a thesis titled “Life without End.” During his talk he’ll speak to themes of spiritual, mental, and practical preparation as part of our earthly journey towards eternal life. He will point out prayer, planning, and other resources available to the community. As someone who has worked in the healthcare industry, he provides a unique perspective on the journey we travel in our later years speaking to the sacraments and tradition our faith offers us.  Peter is on a Pastoral Centre leadership team and is a member of the Holy Trinity Parish Finance Council. He is a father of two adult children and resides in North Vancouver. When not at work, you may see Peter motorcycling or keeping fit with swimming and fitness training. 

Michele Smillie has worked for the Archdiocese of Vancouver for 25 years in the life, marriage, and family ministry.  Over the years she has been involved in campaigns opposing legislation on reproductive technologies, same-sex marriage, and euthanasia and assisted suicide.  She is also part of the team that runs the Rachel’s Vineyard post-abortion retreats. Recently, she has been asked to take on pastoral care and bereavement ministry. 

Fr. Paul Goo is a diocesan priest in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, currently serving as Vocation Director. Ordained in 2015, he was Assistant Pastor at Christ the Redeemer Parish and obtained a Licentiate degree in Spiritual Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He currently resides in St. Matthew’s rectory. His home parish is St. Andrew Kim in Surrey.

In Session 2, we will learn about healthy grief and unhealthy grief; the phases of grief; the reactions to grief and the factors the influence grief.   

Our Speaker

Denis Boyd works with couples and individuals. His areas of interest include marriage, grief, and stress. He counsels people who suffer from depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as those struggling with personal growth issues. Denis is eclectic in his use of psychological approaches, which include Adlerian, cognitive/behavioural, systems, psychodynamic, brief solution focused, existential and emotionally focused therapies. Denis is a popular speaker who presents talks and workshops on a variety of topics including marriage, grief, retirement, emotional maturity, and family relationships. He has published a book titled, "Marriage Can Be Great!...no really." Denis was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. He helped to start the first hospice program in B.C. in 1975. Denis received his Master of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia in 1977 and works as a Registered Psychologist. He is a member of the B.C. College of Psychologists and the B.C. Psychological Association. Most importantly Denis has been married to Maureen for over thirty years and they have four children.

In Session 3, we will look at what healing means in the grieving process.  How can we walk with someone as they move out of grief and into healing, never forgetting the person but knowing that our faith can help us move forward. How does our Catholic faith and Catholic community enable this.  

Our Speaker

Sister Catherine Mary Clarke, FSE is a licensed clinical social worker and known for her ability to handle multiple challenges with a caring and loving attitude. She is the primary social worker for Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care, Meriden, Connecticut. Sister Catherine Mary responds with alacrity to the needs of hospice patients and their families. Sister is also the health care consultant for the priests and brothers of the Eastern province of the Passionist Community and helped begin a hospice program in Rome. 

In Session 4, we will learn how to really listen to someone without giving advice or trying to make it better.  We will understand how to prepare ourselves to listen to someone story and how selfcare and preparing ourselves is helpful in bereavement ministry.  

Our Speaker

Margaret AV Ross, B.Sc., MA, RCC is a semi-retired Registered Clinical Counsellor with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors. Returning to university when her children were in high school, she earned her Masters in Counselling Psychology from TWU. During the program, she worked in school, community, and private settings. After graduation, she established a private practice where she worked with individual adults and couples suffering with anxiety and relationship issues. She recently retired from private practice in March 2021 to join her husband in his retirement, but she still hopes to serve by using her counselling skills to present or facilitate programs. She is a professed Secular Franciscan. Active listening is an important aspect in both counselling and Franciscan spirituality.

Our fifth session is on facilitation, and we will learn how to lead a bereavement group that will acknowledge people where they are and be comfortable with silences and emotions.

Our Speaker

Leah Bittante, BA, B.Ed, is a Licensed PRH Educator who lives in Langley, BC, with her husband and four daughters.  She worked as a teacher in the Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese between 1991 and 2016 but took several of those years to stay home with her young daughters.  In 2001, she began her own personal growth journey in PRH (Personality and Human Relations). She attained her license as PRH Educator in 2017 and currently receives persons for one-on-one accompaniment (counselling) and facilitates PRH groups and workshops in the Lower Mainland.  She also works part-time as a personal counsellor at Holy Cross Regional High School.

In our last session we will give you the experience of a support group using the Seasons of Hope program; we will discuss resources, intake procedures, promotion, and follow-up support.

Our Speaker

Anna Loch is a parishioner at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Vancouver and works as the Outreach & Community Manager at Gardens of Gethsemani, the Archdiocesan Cemetery. She holds a Master’s in Theology of Marriage and the Family from the John Paul II Pontifical Institute and a Master’s in Counselling Psychology from Trinity Western University. At Gardens she oversees ministry events, aftercare and grief support.

For more information on the Bereavement Ministry, visit rcav.org/bereavement.
For more resources, visit rccav.org/journeying-through-grief.

Photo by Boudewijn Huysmans on Unsplash

Contact

Michele Smillie
[email protected]
604-683-0281 ext. 50209

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